NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Spruce Pine, AL
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
11 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Spruce Pine, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Katrina in 2005. Since 1950, 116 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 11
- Tornadoes
- 116
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
154 deaths in all
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Spruce Pine
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | KatrinaAug 30 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 17 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 19 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 8 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 29 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormSep 2 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Spruce Pine: 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 Spruce Pine
By decade
- 2020s13
- 2010s37(3 EF3+)
- 2000s24
- 1990s9
- 1980s8(1 EF3+)
- 1970s5(3 EF3+)
- 1960s11(3 EF3+)
- 1950s9(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF5 | 9 mi | 132 mi | 72 / 145 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 19 mi | 52 mi | 28 / 267 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 23 mi | 79.5 mi | 28 / 272 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF5 | 9 mi | 37.1 mi | 23 / 137 |
| Feb 4, 1971 | F3 | 14 mi | 34.1 mi | 1 / 13 |
| Feb 20, 1953 | F3 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 17 mi | 31.84 mi | 0 / 25 |
| Nov 4, 1988 | F3 | 13 mi | 60 mi | 0 / 16 |
| Oct 24, 1967 | F3 | 18 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 17, 1965 | F3 | 24 mi | 29.8 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Mar 9, 1964 | F3 | 9 mi | 10.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 8, 1957 | F3 | 18 mi | 51.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 116, 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 Spruce Pine 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.