Hurricanes that hit Cullman County, Alabama: hurricane history

25 storms have passed within 50 km of Cullman County from 1860 to 2018, coloured by intensity on the map.

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Years1842 to 2026
Ocean basin

Choosing a minimum category hides storms with no wind speed in the record. To see which storms have passed near you, search a town or ZIP code, or tap the map.

Key
  • Tropical depression Winds below 34 knots (39 mph)
  • Tropical storm 34 to 63 knots (39 to 73 mph)
  • Category 1 64 to 82 knots (74 to 95 mph)
  • Category 2 83 to 95 knots (96 to 110 mph)
  • Category 3 96 to 112 knots (111 to 129 mph), major
  • Category 4 113 to 136 knots (130 to 156 mph), major
  • Category 5 137 knots (157 mph) or more, major
  • Unknown intensity No wind speed in the record
  • Post-tropical Storm has become post-tropical (dashed line)

How to read the lines. Each line is the track of one storm, drawn through its six-hourly positions and coloured by its intensity at each point (the Saffir-Simpson scale), so a line changes colour as the storm strengthens or weakens. Tap a line for its details, or tap anywhere else to see which storms have passed nearby. Weaker storms appear as you zoom in. Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are the same kind of storm with different names in different oceans.

Storms near Cullman County

The record holds 25 tropical cyclones whose tracks passed within 50 km of Cullman County, Alabama between 1860 and 2018. The busiest month is September, with 8 of them. The strongest, measured where each came closest to the place, reached category 1 strength. 4 of the storms have no wind speed in the record.

  • 25storms within 50 km
  • 0major (category 3 to 5) near here
  • 1at category 1 strength or more

A storm counts once, however many times it came close. The category is the storm's strongest point within 50 km, which can be weaker than its peak elsewhere.

How strong were the storms near Cullman County?

Category near hereStormsShare
Tropical depression1144%
Tropical storm936%
Category 114%
Category 200%
Category 300%
Category 400%
Category 500%
Unknown intensity416%

The agency behind most of the intensity figures here is the NOAA National Hurricane Center (HURDAT2, Atlantic).

Cullman County storms over time

Storms by decade
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 4 in 2000s.1860s31870s11890s31900s11910s21930s11940s11950s11960s11970s21980s11990s22000s42010s2

The 2010s only run to 2018, so that bar is for a shorter period. This place's record starts in 1860, and records before the satellite era (about the 1960s) are far less complete.

Show the numbers
PeriodCount
1860s3
1870s1
1890s3
1900s1
1910s2
1930s1
1940s1
1950s1
1960s1
1970s2
1980s1
1990s2
2000s4
2010s2

Earlier decades hold fewer storms partly because they were harder to see. Before weather satellites (about the 1960s) many storms that stayed at sea went unrecorded, so compare decades with care.

Storms by month
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 8 in Sep.Jan0Feb0Mar0Apr0May2Jun2Jul3Aug4Sep8Oct5Nov1Dec0
Show the numbers
PeriodCount
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr0
May2
Jun2
Jul3
Aug4
Sep8
Oct5
Nov1
Dec0

Strongest storms near Cullman County

  • Unnamed storm of October 1916 (North Atlantic)9 October 1916 to 19 October 1916, Category 1 (65 kt) near here, peak Category 2 (95 kt), 970 hPa
  • Opal (1995)27 September 1995 to 6 October 1995, Tropical storm (50 kt) near here, peak Category 4 (130 kt), 919 hPa
  • Ivan (2004)2 September 2004 to 24 September 2004, Tropical storm (50 kt) near here, peak Category 5 (145 kt), 910 hPa
  • Frederic (1979)29 August 1979 to 15 September 1979, Tropical storm (45 kt) near here, peak Category 4 (115 kt), 943 hPa
  • Unnamed storm of September 1860 (North Atlantic)7 September 1860 to 16 September 1860, Tropical storm (40 kt) near here, peak Category 2 (90 kt)

Most recent storms near Cullman County

  • Alberto (2018)25 May 2018 to 31 May 2018, Tropical depression (30 kt) near here, peak Tropical storm (55 kt), 990 hPa
  • Nate (2017)3 October 2017 to 11 October 2017, Tropical storm (35 kt) near here, peak Category 1 (80 kt), 981 hPa
  • Fay (2008)15 August 2008 to 28 August 2008, Tropical depression (20 kt) near here, peak Tropical storm (60 kt), 986 hPa

Many of these storms killed people and destroyed homes. The figures are the official record's, and this page says nothing about their human cost.

A storm that came near several counties counts in each one, so county counts add up to more than the state's.

Notable storms near Cullman County

  • Ivan (2004)2 September 2004 to 24 September 2004, peak Category 5 (145 kt), 910 hPa

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