Chilton County, Alabama Tropical Cyclone History

No active tropical cyclones are within 500 miles of Chilton County, Alabama as of Thursday, 10 September 2026. Official forecasts at nhc.noaa.gov.

Since 1852, 32 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Chilton County, Alabama — about one every 5.4 years. Of those, 2 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Claudette (2021), which passed 9 miles away on 20 June 2021.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

5.4

Avg. years between

Years since the last

Storm tracks within 50 miles

TS / TDCat 1Cat 2Cat 3Cat 4Cat 5

Each line is one storm track, coloured by the strongest category it reached while within 50 miles. The dashed ring marks that 50-mile radius; hairlines are one-degree graticule. Source: NOAA NHC HURDAT2.

Key facts

Most recentClaudette (2021) — 9 mi away, 20 June 2021
Strongest stormZeta (2020) — 60 kt (69 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordCindy (2005) — 4.0 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles22 of 32
Peak monthSeptember — 9 storms (28% of all)
Most active year1916 — 2 storms
Most active decade1890s and 1950s — 4 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1852–2021

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Chilton County, Alabama, September is the most active month, with 9 of the 32 recorded storms (28%). Activity concentrates in July, September and October, together 72% of all storms. The 1890s and 1950s are tied as the most active decades on record, with 4 storms. 0 of the 32 storms were major hurricanes (Category 3 or stronger) while within 50 miles.

J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
0	0	0	0	1	3	6	4	9	8	1	0

Activity by decade

19002000

Tropical cyclones passing within 50 miles, by decade, 1850s to 2020s. Decades with no storms are shown as empty columns. Comparing two equal 38-year windows inside the aircraft-reconnaissance era: 7 storms in 1950–1987 against 8 in 1988–2025.

1850s	1860s	1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
2	0	0	1	4	2	3	1	2	2	4	1	1	1	3	2	1	2

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Claudette (2021)	20 Jun 2021	8.9 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Zeta (2020)	29 Oct 2020	26.1 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Alberto (2018)	29 May 2018	12.3 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Cindy (2005)	7 Jul 2005	4.0 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Ivan (2004)	16 Sep 2004	22.3 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Danny (1997)	22 Jul 1997	18.7 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Opal (1995)	5 Oct 1995	24.8 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Alberto (1994)	7 Jul 1994	5.4 mi	TS / TD	10 kt
Juan (1985)	1 Nov 1985	6.9 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Edith (1971)	17 Sep 1971	34.6 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1969)	2 Oct 1969	14.2 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Irene (1959)	8 Oct 1959	24.4 mi	TS / TD	26 kt
Arlene (1959)	2 Jun 1959	6.7 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
King (1950)	20 Oct 1950	13.5 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Easy (1950)	8 Sep 1950	44.3 mi	TS / TD	23 kt
Unnamed Storm (1948)	10 Jul 1948	25.0 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	16 Oct 1947	34.8 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	27 Sep 1939	4.0 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	17 Aug 1939	23.2 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	30 Jul 1926	9.4 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	18 Oct 1916	39.8 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	8 Jul 1916	23.9 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	14 Jun 1912	13.2 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1907)	22 Sep 1907	13.6 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1900)	14 Sep 1900	18.5 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
Unnamed Storm (1899)	2 Aug 1899	40.5 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	1 Sep 1898	18.5 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	3 Oct 1893	49.6 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Unnamed Storm (1892)	13 Sep 1892	46.5 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1881)	29 Aug 1881	8.3 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1859)	16 Sep 1859	48.2 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1852)	27 Aug 1852	45.6 mi	TS / TD	40 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 4 systems passed within 50 miles after losing tropical characteristics. These are excluded from the counts above because they were no longer tropical cyclones at their closest approach — but several were highly damaging, so they are listed here.

Storm	Status	Closest approach	Distance	Wind
Irma (2017)	Remnant low	12 Sep 2017	44.0 mi	22 kt
Lee (2011)	Post-tropical	6 Sep 2011	21.9 mi	30 kt
Five (2010)	Remnant low	14 Aug 2010	27.8 mi	15 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	Post-tropical	16 Oct 1932	17.7 mi	37 kt

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1852–2025. Tracks are recorded every six hours and are interpolated to one-hour steps before distances are measured, so closest-approach figures are not distorted by the sampling interval. Distances are measured to the county's Census internal point, not to its nearest boundary, so a storm listed at 55 miles may still have crossed the coastline — see Methodology. Records before about 1900 are sparser and less precise than modern ones, and storms that stayed at sea were less likely to be recorded at all.

Storms that came back

1 named storm in this record passed Chilton County, Alabama more than once.

Alberto — 2 passes (1994, 2018)

How Chilton County, Alabama compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Chilton County, Alabama ranks #471 — more exposed than 78.7% of them. Within Alabama it ranks #34 of 67, against a state average of 32.6 storms per county.

Notable storms

TS / TD Zeta (2020) passed 26 miles away on 29 October 2020 as a tropical storm, reaching 60 kt (69 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Opal (1995) passed 25 miles away on 5 October 1995 as a hurricane, reaching 60 kt (69 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1916) passed 40 miles away on 18 October 1916 as a hurricane, reaching 58 kt (67 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1893) passed 50 miles away on 3 October 1893 as a tropical storm, reaching 53 kt (61 mph) while within 50 miles.

31 of the 32 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 5.4 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 32 storms spread over the 174 years from 1852 to 2025. 4 separate years saw more than one storm pass within 50 miles while decades have gone by with none. The longest recorded quiet stretch was 22 years, between 1859 and 1881. It has been 4 years since the last one; 15 of the 27 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Chilton County, Alabama?

2 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Chilton County, Alabama at hurricane strength since 1852. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 32.

When was the last hurricane in Chilton County, Alabama?

Opal (1995), on 5 October 1995, passing 25 miles away — 31 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Claudette (2021) in 2021.

What was the strongest storm to affect Chilton County, Alabama?

Zeta (2020), which reached 60 kt (69 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 26 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Chilton County, Alabama?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 5.4 years — 32 storms over the 174 years from 1852 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby counties

Chilton County, Alabama borders or sits close to 6 other counties with a published storm record. Autauga County, Alabama has 35 on record.

Autauga County, Alabama35 storms within 50 mi Dallas County, Alabama35 storms within 50 mi Coosa County, Alabama34 storms within 50 mi Perry County, Alabama34 storms within 50 mi Bibb County, Alabama33 storms within 50 mi Shelby County, Alabama30 storms within 50 mi