Hurricanes that hit DeKalb County, Alabama: hurricane history

21 storms have passed within 50 km of DeKalb County from 1853 to 2020, 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 DeKalb County

The record holds 21 tropical cyclones whose tracks passed within 50 km of DeKalb County, Alabama between 1853 and 2020. The busiest month is September, with 6 of them. The strongest, measured where each came closest to the place, reached category 1 strength. 1 of the storms have no wind speed in the record.

  • 21storms 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 DeKalb County?

Category near hereStormsShare
Tropical depression1257%
Tropical storm733%
Category 115%
Category 200%
Category 300%
Category 400%
Category 500%
Unknown intensity15%

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

DeKalb County storms over time

Storms by decade
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 3 in 1890s.1850s11860s21890s31900s21910s11940s11970s21980s21990s32000s32020s1

The 2020s only run to 2020, so that bar is for a shorter period. This place's record starts in 1853, and records before the satellite era (about the 1960s) are far less complete.

Show the numbers
PeriodCount
1850s1
1860s2
1890s3
1900s2
1910s1
1940s1
1970s2
1980s2
1990s3
2000s3
2020s1

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 6 in Sep.Jan0Feb0Mar0Apr0May0Jun2Jul5Aug3Sep6Oct4Nov1Dec0
Show the numbers
PeriodCount
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr0
May0
Jun2
Jul5
Aug3
Sep6
Oct4
Nov1
Dec0

Strongest storms near DeKalb County

  • Unnamed storm of October 1853 (North Atlantic)17 October 1853 to 23 October 1853, Category 1 (80 kt) near here, peak Category 2 (90 kt)
  • Zeta (2020)24 October 2020 to 30 October 2020, Tropical storm (60 kt) near here, peak Category 2 (95 kt), 973 hPa
  • Opal (1995)27 September 1995 to 6 October 1995, Tropical storm (50 kt) near here, peak Category 4 (130 kt), 919 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)
  • Unnamed storm of September 1892 (North Atlantic)8 September 1892 to 17 September 1892, peak Tropical storm (50 kt)

Most recent storms near DeKalb County

  • Zeta (2020)24 October 2020 to 30 October 2020, Tropical storm (60 kt) near here, peak Category 2 (95 kt), 973 hPa
  • Fay (2008)15 August 2008 to 28 August 2008, Tropical depression (20 kt) near here, peak Tropical storm (60 kt), 986 hPa
  • Ivan (2004)2 September 2004 to 24 September 2004, Tropical depression (30 kt) near here, peak Category 5 (145 kt), 910 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.

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