NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Winfield, AL
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
16 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Winfield, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 130 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 16 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 16
- Tornadoes
- 130
- EF3 or stronger
- 16
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
118 deaths in all
What the records show for Winfield
None of the 16 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Winfield; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 67 mph winds when its centre passed 72 miles away. The record near Winfield begins with an unnamed storm in 1855; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020. The busiest decade was the 1910s, with 3 systems. Of the 16 systems, 3 have come since 2000. Of the 323 Alabama cities on this site, 56% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Winfield. The highest rating among the 130 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5 or EF5, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 21 miles. Of the 130, 16 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 77 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 30. The most recent tornado was on December 28, 2024. Of the 323 Alabama cities, 50% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Winfield. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 64 times since 1958, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Winfield has more hail reports within 10 miles than 57% of the 323 Alabama cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Winfield
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2005 | KatrinaAug 30 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2004 | IvanSep 16 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1985 | JuanNov 1 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 17 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 19 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 8 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormSep 9 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 29 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormSep 2 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormSep 16 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1855 | Unnamed 1855 stormSep 17 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Winfield: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Winfield
By decade
- 2020s14
- 2010s30(3 EF3+)
- 2000s33(3 EF3+)
- 1990s11
- 1980s16(3 EF3+)
- 1970s9(4 EF3+)
- 1960s6(1 EF3+)
- 1950s11(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF5 | 21 mi | 132 mi | 72 / 145 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 6 mi | 79.5 mi | 28 / 272 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 21 mi | 110.6 mi | 3 / 178 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F3 | 10 mi | 72.6 mi | 7 / 53 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F3 | 9 mi | 44.3 mi | 4 / 38 |
| Nov 24, 2001 | F3 | 12 mi | 38.9 mi | 2 / 1 |
| Feb 4, 1971 | F3 | 12 mi | 34.1 mi | 1 / 13 |
| Feb 13, 1952 | F3 | 23 mi | 5.6 mi | 1 / 14 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 6 mi | 7.96 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 11 mi | 31.84 mi | 0 / 25 |
| Mar 12, 1986 | F3 | 2 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 12, 1986 | F3 | 24 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 130, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Winfield
The Storm Prediction Center has 64 hail reports within 10 miles of Winfield since 1958, made on 46 separate days. Of these, 27 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 10 days, most recently March 23, 2025. The most recent report is from May 8, 2025. March has the most reports, 23.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Winfield
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Winfield 2 SW, AL, 3 miles west of Winfield at 520 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 52°F and 30°F. December is the wettest at 6.5 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.8 inches; the year adds up to 64.2 inches over 86 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 44% of the year's precipitation (28.0 of 64.2 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 16 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (8); a normal September there has highs of 85°F and 3.8 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 52 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 81 nights a year. Snowfall averages 0.9 inches a year, most of it in March. That 64.2 inches is more than at 98 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (92%). Carbon Hill, 15 miles east, has its own station (Jasper, AL): 61.8 inches a year, 2.4 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 52 | 30 | 6.1 | 8 | 0.3 |
| Feb | 57 | 33 | 6.3 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Mar | 65 | 40 | 5.7 | 8 | 0.4 |
| Apr | 73 | 47 | 6.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 80 | 57 | 5.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 65 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 69 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 68 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 85 | 62 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 75 | 49 | 4.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 64 | 39 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 55 | 33 | 6.5 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Year | 73 | 49 | 64.2 | 86 | 0.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Winfield 2 SW, AL (520 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Winfield
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 89 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Winfield: 83 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $266,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on April 11, 2008. April has had the most flash floods, 3 of 5. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 45 have had fewer than Winfield.
March 9, 2006: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Winfield — 1 injured, $50,000 damage.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Marion County, which includes Winfield, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 severe storms, 7 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on May 5, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Marion County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively High for tornadoes; Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for hurricanes, hail, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $16.6 million a year, the 35th highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.1 million (37%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Winfield
- Guin, AL7 mi
- Carbon Hill, AL15 mi
- Fayette, AL17 mi
- Nauvoo, AL19 mi
- Hamilton, AL20 mi
- Sulligent, AL20 mi
- Vernon, AL21 mi
- Haleyville, AL23 mi
- Hackleburg, AL23 mi
- Berry, AL24 mi
- Double Springs, AL27 mi
- Phil Campbell, AL29 mi
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