NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Columbia, AL
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
53 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Columbia, Alabama since 1851, 9 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Fred in 2021. Since 1950, 137 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 9
- Tropical storms
- 44
- Tornadoes
- 137
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
7 deaths in all
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Columbia
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | FredAug 17 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2019 | NestorOct 19 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 10 | 26 mi | Category 3 (110 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2017 | IrmaSep 11 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2008 | FayAug 23 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | JeanneSep 27 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2004 | FrancesSep 7 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1998 | EarlSep 3 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1994 | JohnSep 8 | 4 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1994 | BerylAug 16 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1985 | KateNov 22 | 57 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 53 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 20 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 15 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | HildaOct 5 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1964 | DoraSep 12 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1956 | FlossySep 25 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1953 | FlorenceSep 27 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | KingOct 19 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormOct 16 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormOct 7 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1937 | Unnamed 1937 stormAug 31 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 1 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 14 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 10 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormJul 29 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1917 | Unnamed 1917 stormSep 29 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 4 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1914 | Unnamed 1914 stormSep 17 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJul 16 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 28 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormJun 29 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormJun 13 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 14 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 17 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormAug 2 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormAug 3 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormJul 7 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 9 | 50 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 23 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormOct 20 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormJul 27 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormAug 31 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 10 | 28 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 28 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 3 | 57 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormSep 20 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1875 | Unnamed 1875 stormSep 27 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormAug 26 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormAug 13 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 31 | 25 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormAug 24 | 31 mi | Category 2 (96 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Columbia: 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 Columbia
By decade
- 2020s30
- 2010s30
- 2000s19(1 EF3+)
- 1990s13
- 1980s13
- 1970s14(2 EF3+)
- 1960s7
- 1950s11
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 22, 2005 | F3 | 22 mi | 18 mi | 1 / 18 |
| Dec 29, 1973 | F3 | 10 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jan 13, 1972 | F3 | 25 mi | 16.8 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jan 9, 2024 | EF2 | 9 mi | 34.76 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Apr 19, 2020 | EF2 | 9 mi | 5.18 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Nov 5, 2002 | F2 | 20 mi | 6 mi | 1 / 20 |
| Jan 9, 2024 | EF2 | 25 mi | 21.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 14, 2023 | EF2 | 12 mi | 18.88 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 22, 2017 | EF2 | 24 mi | 12.03 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jan 2, 2017 | EF2 | 8 mi | 4.34 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 2, 2017 | EF2 | 18 mi | 7.82 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 2, 2017 | EF2 | 15 mi | 10.87 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 137, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
How to read this page
A storm is listed when the centre of its track passed within 75 miles of Columbia while it was at least a tropical storm, which is the reach of damaging wind and rain for a typical hurricane. Being on the list does not mean the city took a direct hit; the "closest" column says how near the centre came. Tornadoes are counted when any part of the path came within 25 miles.
Tornado records before the 1990s are thinner, because weak tornadoes in open country often went unreported before Doppler radar and mobile phones. A rise in the decade counts is mostly better reporting, not a change in the weather.
Tracks come from the National Hurricane Center's HURDAT2 database, tornadoes from the Storm Prediction Center's database. Both are the official federal records and both are revised as old storms are re-analysed.