Clay County, Alabama Tropical Cyclone History

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

Since 1859, 27 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Clay County, Alabama — about one every 6.2 years. Of those, 0 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Fred (2021), which passed 47 miles away on 17 August 2021.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

6.2

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 recentFred (2021) — 47 mi away, 17 August 2021
Strongest stormZeta (2020) — 55 kt (63 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1906) — 1.8 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles11 of 27
Peak monthSeptember — 8 storms (30% of all)
Most active year1898 — 2 storms
Most active decade1900s and 1950s — 4 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1859–2021

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Clay County, Alabama, September is the most active month, with 8 of the 27 recorded storms (30%). Activity concentrates in July, September and October, together 74% of all storms. The 1900s and 1950s are tied as the most active decades on record, with 4 storms. 0 of the 27 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	0	5	6	2	8	6	0	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 7 in 1988–2025.

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

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Fred (2021)	17 Aug 2021	47.1 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Claudette (2021)	20 Jun 2021	4.8 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Zeta (2020)	29 Oct 2020	31.7 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Cindy (2005)	7 Jul 2005	11.3 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Danny (1997)	22 Jul 1997	38.4 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Opal (1995)	5 Oct 1995	20.0 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Alberto (1994)	6 Jul 1994	36.0 mi	TS / TD	12 kt
Eloise (1975)	23 Sep 1975	20.9 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Edith (1971)	17 Sep 1971	26.3 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Becky (1970)	23 Jul 1970	17.6 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Irene (1959)	9 Oct 1959	3.9 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Arlene (1959)	2 Jun 1959	28.9 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
King (1950)	20 Oct 1950	44.0 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Easy (1950)	8 Sep 1950	12.0 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1948)	10 Jul 1948	25.3 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1928)	15 Aug 1928	31.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	9 Jul 1916	31.4 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	4 Sep 1915	47.2 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	14 Jun 1912	20.3 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1906)	13 Jun 1906	1.8 mi	TS / TD	34 kt
Unnamed Storm (1903)	15 Sep 1903	37.1 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	14 Jun 1901	35.1 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1900)	15 Sep 1900	11.0 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	3 Oct 1898	38.8 mi	TS / TD	34 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	1 Sep 1898	22.7 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	3 Oct 1893	44.7 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1859)	16 Sep 1859	43.7 mi	TS / TD	40 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 6 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	10.9 mi	23 kt
Lee (2011)	Post-tropical	6 Sep 2011	13.4 mi	23 kt
Five (2010)	Remnant low	14 Aug 2010	28.4 mi	15 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	Post-tropical	17 Oct 1932	41.6 mi	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1907)	Post-tropical	22 Sep 1907	7.4 mi	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1902)	Post-tropical	11 Oct 1902	31.9 mi	35 kt

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1859–2025. 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.

How Clay County, Alabama compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Clay County, Alabama ranks #575 — more exposed than 74.0% of them. Within Alabama it ranks #43 of 67, against a state average of 32.6 storms per county.

Notable storms

TS / TD Zeta (2020) passed 32 miles away on 29 October 2020 as a tropical storm, reaching 55 kt (63 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Opal (1995) passed 20 miles away on 5 October 1995 as a tropical storm, reaching 55 kt (63 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Eloise (1975) passed 21 miles away on 23 September 1975 as a tropical storm, reaching 55 kt (63 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1893) passed 45 miles away on 3 October 1893 as a tropical storm, reaching 50 kt (58 mph) while within 50 miles.

25 of the 27 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 6.2 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 27 storms spread over the 167 years from 1859 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 34 years, between 1859 and 1893. It has been 4 years since the last one; 10 of the 22 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

Has a hurricane ever hit Clay County, Alabama?

No. No tropical cyclone on record has passed within 50 miles of Clay County, Alabama while at hurricane strength. 27 tropical cyclones have passed within that distance since 1859, all of them as tropical storms or depressions. The strongest was Zeta (2020).

When was the last tropical cyclone in Clay County, Alabama?

Fred (2021), on 17 August 2021, passing 47 miles away — 5 years ago. No storm on record has passed within 50 miles of Clay County, Alabama at hurricane strength.

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

Zeta (2020), which reached 55 kt (63 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 32 miles.

How often does a tropical storm reach Clay County, Alabama?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 6.2 years — 27 storms over the 167 years from 1859 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby counties

Clay County, Alabama borders or sits close to 5 other counties with a published storm record. Coosa County, Alabama has 34 on record.

Coosa County, Alabama34 storms within 50 mi Tallapoosa County, Alabama30 storms within 50 mi Randolph County, Alabama28 storms within 50 mi Talladega County, Alabama27 storms within 50 mi Cleburne County, Alabama25 storms within 50 mi