Montgomery County, Alabama Tropical Cyclone History

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

Since 1852, 33 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Montgomery County, Alabama — about one every 5.3 years. Of those, 2 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Sally (2020), which passed 9 miles away on 17 September 2020.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

5.3

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 · 31

The 33 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 2 of them reached Cat 1.

Key facts

Most recentSally (2020) — 9 mi away, 17 September 2020
Strongest stormEloise (1975) — 82 kt (94 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1893) — 6.0 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles15 of 33
Peak monthSeptember and October — 8 storms (24% of all)
Most active year1887 — 2 storms
Most active decade1900s — 5 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1852–2020

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Montgomery County, Alabama, September and October are tied as the most active months, with 8 of the 33 recorded storms (24%). The primary season runs August to October, accounting for 64% of all activity. The 1900s was the most active decade on record, with 5 storms. 0 of the 33 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	5	5	5	8	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 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	3	2	5	1	3	0	3	3	1	2	1	2	3	1	1

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Sally (2020)	17 Sep 2020	9.4 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Alberto (2018)	29 May 2018	28.3 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Hanna (2002)	15 Sep 2002	18.4 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Barry (2001)	6 Aug 2001	49.4 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Allison (2001)	12 Jun 2001	28.5 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Opal (1995)	5 Oct 1995	18.7 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Alberto (1994)	4 Jul 1994	32.7 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Juan (1985)	1 Nov 1985	42.2 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Eloise (1975)	23 Sep 1975	20.1 mi	Cat 1	73 kt
Becky (1970)	22 Jul 1970	47.2 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1969)	1 Oct 1969	39.0 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Irene (1959)	8 Oct 1959	24.9 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
Arlene (1959)	2 Jun 1959	45.1 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
King (1950)	20 Oct 1950	23.8 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1948)	10 Jul 1948	18.3 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	16 Oct 1947	13.5 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1944)	11 Sep 1944	37.6 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1928)	15 Aug 1928	36.1 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	29 Jul 1926	25.6 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	26 Jun 1923	36.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	14 Jun 1912	46.8 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1907)	22 Sep 1907	42.9 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1906)	13 Jun 1906	29.5 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1903)	14 Sep 1903	14.7 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1902)	11 Oct 1902	8.7 mi	TS / TD	36 kt
Unnamed Storm (1900)	14 Sep 1900	35.9 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Unnamed Storm (1899)	2 Aug 1899	12.7 mi	TS / TD	31 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	3 Oct 1893	6.0 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Unnamed Storm (1887)	20 Oct 1887	48.0 mi	TS / TD	34 kt
Unnamed Storm (1887)	28 Jul 1887	37.8 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1881)	28 Aug 1881	19.6 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1859)	16 Sep 1859	12.1 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1852)	27 Aug 1852	8.7 mi	TS / TD	40 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 2 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
Lee (2011)	Post-tropical	6 Sep 2011	32.4 mi	30 kt
Five (2010)	Remnant low	14 Aug 2010	26.6 mi	15 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 Montgomery County, Alabama more than once.

Alberto — 2 passes (1994, 2018)

How Montgomery County, Alabama compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Montgomery County, Alabama ranks #447 — more exposed than 79.8% of them. Within Alabama it ranks #33 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 82 kt (94 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Opal (1995) passed 19 miles away on 5 October 1995 as a hurricane, reaching 70 kt (81 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1893) passed 6 miles away on 3 October 1893 as a tropical storm, reaching 56 kt (64 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1887) passed 38 miles away on 28 July 1887 as a tropical storm, reaching 52 kt (60 mph) while within 50 miles.

32 of the 33 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 5.3 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 33 storms spread over the 174 years from 1852 to 2025. 3 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 5 years since the last one; 13 of the 29 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Montgomery County, Alabama?

2 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Montgomery County, Alabama at hurricane strength since 1852. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 33.

When was the last hurricane in Montgomery County, Alabama?

Opal (1995), on 5 October 1995, passing 19 miles away — 31 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Sally (2020) in 2020.

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

Eloise (1975), which reached 82 kt (94 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 20 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Montgomery County, Alabama?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 5.3 years — 33 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

Montgomery County, Alabama borders or sits close to 6 other counties with a published storm record. Pike County, Alabama has 40 on record.

Pike County, Alabama40 storms within 50 mi Bullock County, Alabama38 storms within 50 mi Crenshaw County, Alabama36 storms within 50 mi Autauga County, Alabama35 storms within 50 mi Macon County, Alabama35 storms within 50 mi Elmore County, Alabama32 storms within 50 mi