Talladega County, Alabama Tropical Cyclone History

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

Since 1898, 27 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Talladega County, Alabama — about one every 4.7 years. Of those, 0 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Claudette (2021), which passed 14 miles away on 20 June 2021.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

4.7

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) — 14 mi away, 20 June 2021
Strongest stormZeta (2020) — 57 kt (66 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordEasy (1950) — 5.2 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 decade1950s and 1970s — 4 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1898–2021

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Talladega County, Alabama, September is the most active month, with 8 of the 27 recorded storms (30%). Activity concentrates in July, September and October, together 78% of all storms. The 1950s and 1970s 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	4	7	1	8	6	1	0

Activity by decade

19002000

Tropical cyclones passing within 50 miles, by decade, 1890s to 2020s. Decades with no storms are shown as empty columns. Comparing two equal 38-year windows inside the aircraft-reconnaissance era: 10 storms in 1950–1987 against 8 in 1988–2025.

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

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Claudette (2021)	20 Jun 2021	14.2 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Zeta (2020)	29 Oct 2020	18.3 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Cindy (2005)	7 Jul 2005	11.8 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Ivan (2004)	16 Sep 2004	31.1 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Bill (2003)	1 Jul 2003	38.1 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Danny (1997)	22 Jul 1997	20.1 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Opal (1995)	5 Oct 1995	11.8 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Alberto (1994)	6 Jul 1994	45.1 mi	TS / TD	12 kt
Juan (1985)	1 Nov 1985	31.5 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Babe (1977)	7 Sep 1977	49.6 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Eloise (1975)	23 Sep 1975	37.5 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Edith (1971)	17 Sep 1971	13.7 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Becky (1970)	23 Jul 1970	33.3 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1969)	2 Oct 1969	40.8 mi	TS / TD	24 kt
Irene (1959)	9 Oct 1959	22.2 mi	TS / TD	23 kt
Arlene (1959)	2 Jun 1959	36.1 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
King (1950)	20 Oct 1950	37.5 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Easy (1950)	8 Sep 1950	5.2 mi	TS / TD	23 kt
Unnamed Storm (1948)	10 Jul 1948	8.6 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	27 Sep 1939	49.7 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	17 Aug 1939	40.9 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	9 Jul 1916	12.3 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	14 Jun 1912	27.5 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1906)	13 Jun 1906	16.6 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1900)	15 Sep 1900	27.2 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	3 Oct 1898	47.5 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	1 Sep 1898	25.1 mi	TS / TD	31 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	4.5 mi	22 kt
Lee (2011)	Post-tropical	6 Sep 2011	30.1 mi	25 kt
Five (2010)	Remnant low	14 Aug 2010	42.5 mi	15 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	Post-tropical	17 Oct 1932	23.1 mi	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1907)	Post-tropical	22 Sep 1907	23.6 mi	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1902)	Post-tropical	11 Oct 1902	49.3 mi	35 kt

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1898–2025. 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 Talladega County, Alabama compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Talladega County, Alabama ranks #576 — more exposed than 73.9% of them. Within Alabama it ranks #44 of 67, against a state average of 32.6 storms per county.

Notable storms

TS / TD Zeta (2020) passed 18 miles away on 29 October 2020 as a tropical storm, reaching 57 kt (66 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Opal (1995) passed 12 miles away on 5 October 1995 as a tropical storm, reaching 55 kt (63 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Eloise (1975) passed 38 miles away on 23 September 1975 as a tropical storm, reaching 55 kt (63 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Ivan (2004) passed 31 miles away on 16 September 2004 as a tropical storm, reaching 40 kt (46 mph) while within 50 miles.

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

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 4.7 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 27 storms spread over the 128 years from 1898 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 23 years, between 1916 and 1939. 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 Talladega County, Alabama?

No. No tropical cyclone on record has passed within 50 miles of Talladega County, Alabama while at hurricane strength. 27 tropical cyclones have passed within that distance since 1898, all of them as tropical storms or depressions. The strongest was Zeta (2020).

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

Claudette (2021), on 20 June 2021, passing 14 miles away — 5 years ago. No storm on record has passed within 50 miles of Talladega County, Alabama at hurricane strength.

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

Zeta (2020), which reached 57 kt (66 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 18 miles.

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

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 4.7 years — 27 storms over the 128 years from 1898 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby counties

Talladega County, Alabama borders or sits close to 6 other counties with a published storm record. Coosa County, Alabama has 34 on record.

Coosa County, Alabama34 storms within 50 mi Shelby County, Alabama30 storms within 50 mi Clay County, Alabama27 storms within 50 mi Cleburne County, Alabama25 storms within 50 mi St. Clair County, Alabama24 storms within 50 mi Calhoun County, Alabama22 storms within 50 mi