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List of Alabama hurricanes

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Monthly distribution of Alabama hurricanes and tropical storms from 1851 to 2020
Infrared imagery of Hurricane Ivan making landfall in Alabama in 2004

An Alabama hurricane is a North Atlantic tropical cyclone that affected the U.S. state of Alabama. So far (as of July 2022) 83 tropical and subtropical cyclones have directly or indirectly affected Alabama since HURDAT began in 1851. Only three major hurricanes, the 1926 Miami hurricane, Hurricane Frederic (1979), Hurricane Ivan (2004) and only one off-season storm, Tropical Storm Alberto (2018) has made landfall in Alabama.[1]

Storms

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Pre-1900

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  • August 26, 1852: The Great Mobile Hurricane made landfall in Pascagoula, Mississippi and also brought category 3 winds to Alabama. Later that day, as a Category 1, it moved over Alabama.[2][3]
  • September 11, 1853: A tropical storm made landfall in Pensacola, Florida. After it weakened into a tropical depression, it moved over Alabama.[2]
  • September 16, 1859: A hurricane made landfall in Alabama as a Category 1.[2]
  • August 12–13, 1860: The 1860 Mississippi hurricane, after making landfall in Mississippi, moved over Alabama as a Category 1.[2]
  • September 14–16, 1860: A hurricane made landfall in Louisiana as a Category 2. It damaged the coast from landfall to Mobile, Alabama, which lost $1 million in cotton stored on flooded wharves, just a month after the wharves were flooded by the previous hurricane.[4]
  • August 17, 1861: A hurricane briefly moved over Alabama.[2]
  • November 1, 1861: A tropical storm, while moving over Florida, affected Alabama but does not make a landfall, a direct hit, or moves over it.[2]
  • July 8, 1862: A tropical storm's remnants make landfall in Florida and affected Alabama, but weakened into a TD before being able to move over it.[2]
  • September 16, 1862: After making landfall in Florida on September 15, a tropical storm moved over Alabama. While doing so, it weakened into a tropical depression.[2]
  • July 30, 1870: This Category 1 hurricane made landfall near Mobile, Alabama, although little is known about its origin. Though brief, this storm caused damage along the shores of Mobile Bay, to several steamboats in the Bay, and a floating dry dock broke free and was forced about 8 mi (13 km) up the Mobile River.[5]
  • September 19–20, 1877: An eastward-moving Category 1 hurricane passed close to Alabama. The next day, as a tropical storm, it traveled close to the Florida-Alabama border.[2]
  • October 16, 1879: After making landfall on the Florida Panhandle, a tropical storm moved over Alabama before dissipating the same day.[2]
  • September 1, 1880: After making landfall in Florida, a tropical storm moved over Alabama before dissipating over Mississippi.[2]
  • September 10, 1882: After making landfall in Florida, the now-Category-1 1882 Pensacola hurricane moved over Alabama. Right east of the border with Georgia it weakened into a TS.[2]
  • August 30–31, 1885: A tropical storm made landfall near Panama City, Florida in the late hours of August 30. Early the next morning, it traveled close to Alabama.[2]
  • September 28, 1885: After making landfall near Biloxi, Mississippi, a tropical storm moved over Alabama, near Mobile.[2]
  • July 28, 1887: After making landfall in Florida, a weakening Category 1 hurricane moved over Alabama. In the late hours of July 28, it dissipated over Alabama.[2]
  • October 20, 1887: The 13th storm in the 1887 Atlantic hurricane season, after making landfall near Biloxi, moved over Alabama, scraping Mobile and Andalusia. That same day, it dissipated over Georgia.[2]
  • June 27–28, 1888: A weak tropical storm, though the first to make landfall in the state since 1859, made landfall on the 27th before briefly moving over Florida, and going back into Alabama. On the 28th, it made landfall in Andalusia right before weakening into a TD and dissipating.[2]
  • September 23, 1889: Another landfall, this time of Hurricane Six (1889), downgraded to a tropical storm.[2]
  • September 13, 1892: After making landfall just east of Pensacola, Tropical Storm Four (1892) weakened into a TD, moved over Alabama, and became extratropical.[2]
  • August 8, 1894: Another landfall in Alabama. This time of the 1894 Alabama–Mississippi tropical storm. The landfall in both states caused heavy rain and tornadoes.[2]
  • July 8, 1896: The first storm of the 1896 season, after making landfall as a Category 2 in Florida, moved over Alabama for a couple of hours before quickly moving northward.[2]
  • August 3, 1898: After making landfall in Florida, a former Category 1 hurricane but now a tropical storm, moved over Alabama and dissipated.[2]

1900s

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  • September 18, 1901: The 1901 San Vicente hurricane moved over Alabama briefly.[2]
  • October 11, 1902: After making landfall in Pensacola, Florida, 1902's Hurricane Four moved over Alabama as a tropical storm.[2]
  • November 3, 1904: This was the first storm since HURDAT records began to affect Alabama in the month of November. Tropical Storm Six (1904), after making landfall in Florida, moved east-northeastward, moving over Alabama briefly.[2]
  • September 27, 1906: A category 2 hurricane made landfall in Pascagoula, Mississippi, causing devastating damage to ships, rail lines and structures in Mobile.
  • June 29, 1907: A tropical storm made landfall in Florida and affected Alabama.[2]
  • August 12, 1911: This was the first storm since 1859 to make landfall in Alabama as a hurricane. After making landfall, the storm (Hurricane Two [1911]) weakened into a tropical storm and crossed the Alabama-Mississippi border.[2]
  • July 16–17, 1912: After Tropical Storm Two (1912) made landfall in Georgia, it weakened into a TD and moved over Alabama, hitting Enterprise. Later on July 17, it dissipated.[2]
  • September 18, 1914: The first and only tropical storm of that year's Atlantic hurricane season, after making landfall in Georgia, moved over Alabama, Florida, Alabama again, and then dissipated the next day over the Gulf of Mexico.[2]
  • October 18, 1916: The storm, Hurricane Fourteen (1916), a Category 2 hurricane, was, at the time, the strongest landfalling Atlantic hurricane in Alabama since HURDAT began in 1851. After making landfall in Alabama, Fourteen moved over Florida, then back into Alabama. While it was there, it caused 11.6 feet of rainfall in Mobile and the highest death toll, 4 deaths.[6] It weakened as it moved further inland. Finally, Fourteen transitioned into an extratropical cyclone in northwestern Tennessee.[2]
  • September 29, 1917: The 1917 Nueva Gerona hurricane, at Category 3 intensity, made landfall in Florida, though by the time it reached Alabama, it had weakened into a tropical storm.[2]
  • July 5, 1919: Tropical Storm One (1919), after making landfall just east of Pensacola, Florida, moves over Alabama and dissipates the same day.[2]
  • October 17, 1922: The remnants of Tropical Storm Five (1922), which by then had weakened into a TD, turned extratropical near Mobile. They continued slightly further north before dissipating in central Alabama.[2]
  • June 26, 1923: Tropical Storm One (1923), after making landfall near Biloxi, Mississippi, moved over Alabama. While inland, it weakened into a tropical depression.[2]
  • September 21, 1926: This, the first major hurricane[nb 1] landfall recorded in Alabama, was caused by the 1926 Miami hurricane. Originally a Category 4, it made a direct hit (when the eyewall hits land but the eye does not) in Florida before making a true landfall (when the eye hits land) in Alabama, as a Category 3 major hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson scale. The storm produced 18.5 inches of rain in the Bay Minette area and caused extensive damage along the Alabama coast.[1] Weakening into a tropical storm, it moved over Mississippi, hitting Gulfport.[2]
  • October 6, 1934: After making landfall just west of Pensacola, Florida, Tropical Storm Eleven (1934) transitioned into an extratropical cyclone and traveled just east of Andalusia before dissipating entirely.[2]
  • August 1, 1936: After making landfall on the Florida Panhandle, Hurricane Five (1936) reached Alabama as a minimal Category 1 hurricane. It weakened as it moved further inland (as most storms do) and dissipated that night.[2]
  • August 23, 1936: Moving westward across the Gulf Coast, the weak depression that was once Tropical Storm Nine (1936) briefly moved over Alabama.[2]
  • August 31 – September 1, 1937: After making landfall in Florida, Tropical Storm Three (1936) moved over Alabama, weakening into a TD just west of Andalusia.[2]
  • June 16, 1939: Tropical Storm One (1939) made landfall east of Mobile.[2]
  • August 13–17, 1939: Hurricane Two (1939), after making landfall in Florida, weakened into a tropical storm and began to move over Alabama. Later on August 13, it weakened into a TD and began to move very slowly. Finally, on August 18, it reached Tennessee.[2]
  • September 11, 1944: Tropical Storm Six (1944) made landfall in Mobile. While moving northeast, it weakened into a TD.[2]
  • October 7, 1947: After making landfall in Florida and weakening into a tropical depression, Tropical Storm Seven (1947), labeled as Tropical Storm Item, made landfall in Florida. A tornado was triggered in Jacksonville. As Item weakened into a TD, it moved closer to Alabama, then did a loop and dissipated.[2]
  • July 9–11, 1948: An unlabeled tropical storm (later numbered "Two") made landfall in Pensacola, Florida. After doing so, it weakened into a TD and stayed over Alabama until it dissipated.[2]
  • August 31, 1950: Hurricane Baker, as a Category 1, made landfall just to the east of Mobile. As it moved further north, a death and two injuries occurred from downed power lines in Birmingham. Additionally, 10.89 inches of rain was recorded.[7][2]
  • September 27, 1953: Hurricane Florence (1953), after making landfall west of Lynn Haven, Florida, weakened into a tropical storm and moved over Alabama briefly. As it passed just south of Dothan, as well as causing 14.71 inches of rain,[7] Florence transitioned into an extratropical cyclone and dissipated over Georgia.[2]
  • September 25, 1956: Hurricane Flossy, after making landfall on the Florida Panhandle, moved close to Alabama as a Category 1 hurricane. While doing so, it dropped 10–15 inches of rain in Mobile and Baldwin County.[1][2]
  • September 8, 1957: Tropical Storm Debbie, after making landfall west of Lynn Haven, Florida, moved over Alabama, hitting Dothan. Slightly more northward, it weakened into a TD and began to move over Georgia. 6.81 inches of rain was recorded in Alabama.[7][2]
  • October 8–9, 1959: Tropical Storm Irene made landfall just to the east of Mobile. Moving east-northeast, it weakened into a tropical depression while traveling west of Montgomery. On October 9, Irene dissipated over northern Alabama. Irene brought 3.81 inches of rain to Athens.[7][2]
  • September 26, 1960: The tropical depression remnants of Tropical Storm Florence (1960) made landfall near Mobile, then dissipated. 5.58 inches of rain was recorded in Dothan Municipal Airport.[7][2]
  • October 5, 1964: The extratropical remnants of Hurricane Hilda moved over Alabama for about three hours. They caused 8.91 inches of rain in Alabama.[7][2]
  • June 15, 1965: Tropical Storm One (1965), after making landfall on the Florida Panhandle, very briefly moved over Alabama, before becoming extratropical over Georgia. One caused 6.3 inches of rain in downtown Mobile.[7][2]
  • October 1, 1969: An unnamed subtropical storm (numbered "Subtropical Storm One"), after weakening into a subtropical depression and making landfall in Florida, reached the Florida-Alabama border, and dissipated. One caused 3.38 inches of rainfall in Camden.[2]
A home destroyed by Hurricane Georges' storm surge

2000s

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Debris and housing damage from Hurricane Ivan

Listed by month

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Alabama hurricanes by month
Month Number of storms
May
1
June
9
July
12
August
17
September
28
October
13
November
3

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ A major hurricane is a tropical cyclone that ranks as a Category 3 or higher on the Saffir–Simpson scale.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Morgan, Leigh (June 21, 2017). "Hurricanes that Alabama may never forget". al. Archived from the original on June 8, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv "Historical Hurricane Tracks". coast.noaa.gov. Archived from the original on March 1, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c Hurricane Research Division (2023). "Continental United States Hurricane Impacts/Landfalls 1851-2022". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  4. ^ Ludlum, David McWilliams (1963). Early American hurricanes, 1492–1870. American Meteorological Society.
  5. ^ "Dangerous Storm at Mobile". The Times-Picayune. August 2, 1870. Archived from the original on January 10, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  6. ^ a b c Morgan, Leigh (May 10, 2018). "Alabama's hurricanes: biggest, strongest, most surge". al.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/tcgulfcoast.html Archived July 21, 2011, at the Wayback Machine: Gulf Coast rainfall
  8. ^ "Major hurricanes that threatened Alabama: Opal rains on Alabama". June 6, 2015. Archived from the original on March 26, 2016. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  9. ^ "Hurricanes that have hit Alabama since 1950 timeline". Timetoast timelines. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  10. ^ "Hurricane SALLY". www.nhc.noaa.gov. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  11. ^ "Hurricane Zeta Advisory Number 17". www.nhc.noaa.gov. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  12. ^ Taylor, Derrick Bryson (June 21, 2021). "Tropical Storm Claudette Expected to Weaken After Causing Deaths and Damage". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 5, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  13. ^ Morgan, Leigh (June 29, 2021). "What's left of Tropical Storm Danny bringing rain to Alabama". AL.com. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
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