Elmore County, Alabama Tropical Cyclone History

No active tropical cyclones are within 500 miles of Elmore 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 Elmore 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 40 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.

How strong they get

Cat 1 · 2TS / TD · 30

The 32 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 2 of them reached Cat 1.

Key facts

Most recentClaudette (2021) — 40 mi away, 20 June 2021
Strongest stormEloise (1975) — 73 kt (84 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordKing (1950) — 2.9 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles15 of 32
Peak monthSeptember — 9 storms (28% of all)
Most active year1950 — 2 storms
Most active decade1950s — 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 Elmore County, Alabama, September is the most active month, with 9 of the 32 recorded storms (28%). Activity concentrates in July, September and October, together 69% of all storms. The 1950s was the most active decade 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	4	7	4	9	6	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: 8 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
2	0	0	2	3	3	2	2	1	2	4	1	2	1	2	2	1	2

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Claudette (2021)	20 Jun 2021	39.6 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Sally (2020)	17 Sep 2020	30.4 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Alberto (2018)	29 May 2018	39.6 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Cindy (2005)	7 Jul 2005	32.5 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Hanna (2002)	15 Sep 2002	33.2 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Opal (1995)	5 Oct 1995	17.5 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Alberto (1994)	6 Jul 1994	8.3 mi	TS / TD	11 kt
Juan (1985)	1 Nov 1985	41.3 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Eloise (1975)	23 Sep 1975	20.4 mi	Cat 1	64 kt
Becky (1970)	22 Jul 1970	39.2 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1969)	1 Oct 1969	43.2 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
Irene (1959)	8 Oct 1959	16.0 mi	TS / TD	26 kt
Arlene (1959)	2 Jun 1959	17.6 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
King (1950)	20 Oct 1950	2.9 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Easy (1950)	7 Sep 1950	33.2 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1948)	10 Jul 1948	11.4 mi	TS / TD	26 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	16 Oct 1947	11.4 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	27 Sep 1939	35.3 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1928)	15 Aug 1928	37.6 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	29 Jul 1926	5.3 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	8 Jul 1916	49.4 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	14 Jun 1912	26.4 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1906)	13 Jun 1906	25.8 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1903)	15 Sep 1903	19.6 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1900)	15 Sep 1900	16.7 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1899)	2 Aug 1899	29.2 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	1 Sep 1898	26.8 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	3 Oct 1893	16.8 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1887)	28 Jul 1887	47.9 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1881)	29 Aug 1881	11.4 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1859)	16 Sep 1859	15.9 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1852)	27 Aug 1852	15.7 mi	TS / TD	40 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 5 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	36.6 mi	24 kt
Lee (2011)	Post-tropical	6 Sep 2011	13.1 mi	28 kt
Five (2010)	Remnant low	14 Aug 2010	4.9 mi	15 kt
Unnamed Storm (1907)	Post-tropical	22 Sep 1907	22.8 mi	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1902)	Post-tropical	11 Oct 1902	15.7 mi	35 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 Elmore County, Alabama more than once.

Alberto — 2 passes (1994, 2018)

How Elmore County, Alabama compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Elmore County, Alabama ranks #472 — more exposed than 78.6% of them. Within Alabama it ranks #35 of 67, against a state average of 32.6 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 1 Eloise (1975) passed 20 miles away on 23 September 1975 as a hurricane, reaching 73 kt (84 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Opal (1995) passed 17 miles away on 5 October 1995 as a hurricane, reaching 65 kt (75 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1893) passed 17 miles away on 3 October 1893 as a tropical storm, reaching 54 kt (62 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1887) passed 48 miles away on 28 July 1887 as a tropical storm, reaching 43 kt (49 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. 2 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; 16 of the 29 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Elmore County, Alabama?

2 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Elmore 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 Elmore County, Alabama?

Opal (1995), on 5 October 1995, passing 17 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 Elmore County, Alabama?

Eloise (1975), which reached 73 kt (84 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 20 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Elmore 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

Elmore County, Alabama borders or sits close to 5 other counties with a published storm record. Autauga County, Alabama has 35 on record.

Autauga County, Alabama35 storms within 50 mi Macon County, Alabama35 storms within 50 mi Coosa County, Alabama34 storms within 50 mi Montgomery County, Alabama33 storms within 50 mi Tallapoosa County, Alabama30 storms within 50 mi