Montgomery County, Alabama

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 01101 · population 228,847 · 785 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 738 records for Montgomery County, Alabama from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 542 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (283 records). The deadliest single record is the May 3, 1984 tornado: 5 deaths and 37 injuries. FEMA has issued 24 declarations naming the county since 1975, 22 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Hurricane Helene” on September 26, 2024.

The record, 1950 to 2026

Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).

  • recorded, no damage figure
  • under $100,000
  • $100,000 or more
  • $1 million or more
  • $10 million or more, or a death
  • $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
  • a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
  • a year with a death
  • 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
  • 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
Storm records
738on 542 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
18179 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$77Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
58strongest F3
FEMA declarations
24latest 2024

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.

What hazards hit Montgomery County most?

The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 283 since 1957. The rank column places the county among Alabama's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.

Montgomery County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Severe thunderstorm wind 283 215 1957-2026 0 24 $5.8M 25 of 67
Hail 127 92 1958-2026 0 0 $621K 26 of 67
Heat 71 71 1996-2025 1 50 $203K 8 of 67
Drought 70 69 1998-2026 0 0 – 12 of 67
Tornadoes 58 43 1956-2026 9 97 $49M 22 of 67
Floods 50 44 1997-2026 1 0 $3.3M 17 of 67
Extreme cold 37 37 1996-2014 1 0 $1.9M 12 of 67
Lightning 11 7 1996-2021 1 5 $1.3M 31 of 67
Winter storms 8 8 1996-2025 3 2 $66K 52 of 67
High wind and dust storms 7 7 1998-2025 2 0 $14M 37 of 67
Hurricanes and tropical storms 7 7 2005-2020 0 1 $585K 24 of 67
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 5 5 1996-2007 0 0 – 20 of 67
Heavy rain 4 4 1998-2004 0 0 – 15 of 67

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.

How many tornadoes has Montgomery County had?

NOAA records 58 tornadoes in Montgomery County from 1956 to 2026, the strongest rated F3, with 9 deaths and 97 injuries recorded in the county. That is 22nd of 67 Alabama counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.

Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 60 tornadoes whose track touched Montgomery County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 58: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 11 people, 9 of them in Montgomery County.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched Montgomery County, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
1984-05-03 06:00, as SPC files itMontgomeryF37 mi5
1969-04-18 02:30, as SPC files itGreenvilleF452.4 mi2
2022-11-30 03:14, as SPC files itMontgomeryEF29.85 mi2
1996-03-06 05:20, as SPC files itMontgomeryF24 mi2
1979-11-25 12:50, as SPC files itMontgomeryF310.2 mi0

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Alabama.

Every tornado record filed for Montgomery County (58)
Every tornado recorded in Montgomery County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-01-25 Mc Gehees, Montgomery County EF0 0.56 mi x 65 yd 0 0 –
2024-12-29 Mc Gehees, Montgomery County EF0 0.26 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
2024-12-29 London, Montgomery County EF0 2.5 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
2024-12-29 Sprague, Montgomery County EF1 10.01 mi x 500 yd 0 0 –
2024-12-29 Mc Gehees, Montgomery County EF1 3.94 mi x 250 yd 0 0 –
2023-01-04 Mitylene, Montgomery County EF1 1.87 mi x 130 yd 0 1 –
2022-11-30 Boylston, Montgomery County EF2 6.79 mi x 650 yd 2 2 –
2022-04-05 Curry, Montgomery County EF0 2.39 mi x 550 yd 0 0 –
2022-04-05 Curry, Montgomery County EF2 6.75 mi x 1,100 yd 0 0 –
2021-05-04 Boylston, Montgomery County EF0 3.52 mi x 120 yd 0 0 –
2021-03-17 Pine Level, Montgomery County EF0 0.3 mi x 140 yd 0 0 –
2020-03-31 Ramer, Montgomery County EF0 3.33 mi x 190 yd 0 0 –
2018-04-22 Lapine, Montgomery County EF0 2.56 mi x 250 yd 0 0 –
2017-04-27 Garters Hill, Montgomery County EF1 5.48 mi x 250 yd 0 0 –
2017-02-07 London, Montgomery County EF0 0.2 mi x 85 yd 0 0 –
2016-04-06 Downing, Montgomery County EF0 0.77 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2016-04-06 Pinedale, Montgomery County EF0 6.01 mi x 250 yd 0 0 –
2016-02-15 Mathews, Montgomery County EF0 2.46 mi x 75 yd 0 0 –
2012-12-25 Waugh, Montgomery County EF1 0.72 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
2011-11-16 Chisholm, Montgomery County EF1 0.88 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $656K
2009-04-19 Pine Level, Montgomery County EF1 0.05 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $41K
2009-04-19 Ramer, Montgomery County EF0 0.09 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $17K
2009-04-10 Pinedale, Montgomery County EF1 17.62 mi x 440 yd 0 0 $481K
2007-03-01 Devenport, Montgomery County EF0 21.42 mi x 600 yd 0 2 $925K
2006-11-15 Pinedale, Montgomery County F2 7 mi x 250 yd 0 6 $732K
2006-11-15 Fleta, Montgomery County F1 6 mi x 250 yd 0 0 $220K
2005-08-29 Cecil, Montgomery County F0 3.8 mi x 300 yd 0 0 $181K
2005-07-06 Cecil, Montgomery County F0 7.6 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $33K
2004-11-24 Cecil, Montgomery County F0 4.8 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $70K
2004-09-16 Snowdoun, Montgomery County F0 0.1 mi x 35 yd 0 0 $5K
2003-07-01 Pintlalla, Montgomery County F0 4.7 mi x 60 yd 0 0 $56K
2001-03-02 Montgomery County F1 2.2 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $208K
2001-01-19 Montgomery County F0 2.3 mi x 100 yd 0 4 $750K
2000-03-19 Pike Road, Montgomery County F0 0.4 mi x 25 yd 0 0 $51K
2000-03-19 Snowdoun, Montgomery County F1 3.3 mi x 60 yd 0 0 $31K
2000-02-13 Downing, Montgomery County F0 1 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $5K
2000-02-13 Ada, Montgomery County F1 11.4 mi x 300 yd 0 0 $171K
2000-01-09 Montgomery County F0 0.1 mi x 20 yd 0 1 $34K
1996-03-18 Hayneville, Montgomery County F2 3 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
1996-03-06 Montgomery County F2 4 mi x 200 yd 2 17 $2.8M
1996-03-06 Montgomery County F1 1.5 mi x 80 yd 0 0 $1.5M
1996-03-06 Montgomery County F1 1.5 mi x 80 yd 0 0 $1.3M
1996-03-06 Montgomery County F1 1 mi x 80 yd 0 0 $2.4M
1992-08-27 Montgomery County F1 4 mi x 50 yd 0 1 $250K step
1992-08-27 Montgomery County F1 0.2 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $25K step
1986-11-26 Montgomery County F1 4 mi x 100 yd 0 2 $250K step
1984-05-03 Montgomery County F3 6 mi x 800 yd 5 37 $2.5M step
1984-04-22 Montgomery County F1 0.2 mi x 3 yd 0 0 $25K step
1981-03-18 Montgomery County F1 0.4 mi x 40 yd 0 0 $250 step
1979-11-25 Montgomery County F3 8.3 mi x 150 yd 0 20 $2.5M step
1979-07-11 Montgomery County F0 0.1 mi x 3 yd 0 0 –
1978-04-18 Montgomery County F1 0.7 mi x 420 yd 0 3 $250K step
1975-01-10 Montgomery County F2 2 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $2.5M step
1958-02-27 Montgomery County F1 12.9 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $25K step
1957-06-28 Montgomery County F0 8.9 mi x 167 yd 0 0 $3K step
1957-06-28 Montgomery County F1 8.8 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $250K step
1957-06-28 Montgomery County F0 0 0 –
1956-12-23 Montgomery County F2 30.5 mi x 100 yd 0 1 $250 step

A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.

When was the last damaging storm in Montgomery County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the August 4, 2023 thunderstorm wind (1 injury).

Multiple trees uprooted and power lines downed near the Ramer community with roadways blocked. A tree fell on a home on Mt. Zion Road, causing significant damage. Another tree fell on a vehicle on Highway 94, injuring one person.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1132744)
The 12 most recent records kept for Montgomery County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-22 Thunderstorm WindChisholm, Montgomery County 52 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-22 Thunderstorm WindChisholm, Montgomery County 52 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-22 Thunderstorm WindMontgomery County 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-01 Thunderstorm WindLe Grand, Montgomery County 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-01 DroughtMontgomery County · forecast zone Montgomery 0 0 –
2026-05-06 Flash FloodMaxwell Afb Mnt, Montgomery County 0 0 –
2026-05-06 HailPike Road, Montgomery County 1.00 in hail 0 0 –
2026-05-06 HailWaugh, Montgomery County 2.75 in hail 0 0 –
2026-05-06 HailMt Meigs, Montgomery County 1.00 in hail 0 0 –
2026-05-06 Thunderstorm WindPike Road, Montgomery County 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-05-06 Thunderstorm WindPerrys Mill, Montgomery County 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-05-06 Thunderstorm WindPinedale, Montgomery County 50 kt wind 0 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.

The deadliest and costliest records

Records with deaths or injuries in Montgomery County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1984-05-03 TornadoMontgomery County F3 6 mi x 800 yd 5 37 $2.5M step
1996-03-06 TornadoMontgomery County The fourth in a series of four tornadoes across southern and eastern Montgomery cut a swath of destruction about 4 miles in length in an area just outside the city limits of Montgomery. The tornado began in an open field just south of a small housing development called Ranchette Estates. The tornado travelled on a ... F2 4 mi x 200 yd 2 17 $2.8M
2022-11-30 TornadoBoylston, Montgomery County National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in Montgomery County and determined that it was consistent with an EF2 tornado, with maximum winds near 120 mph. The tornado crossed the Alabama River and into Montgomery County and continued east-northeastward towards Coosada Ferry Road, where it uprooted and ... EF2 6.79 mi x 650 yd 2 2 –
2010-02-12 Heavy SnowMontgomery County · forecast zone Montgomery An average of 2 to 3 inches of snow fell across the whole of Montgomery County. The highest amount, 4 inches, was observed in the Ramer community. Many bridges and other elevated surfaces became icy and hazardous. On AL-110, near the Pike Road community, a vehicle lost control and slid into a pond, killing a ... 2 1 –
1998-05-01 High WindMontgomery County · forecast zone Montgomery Two construction workers were killed when strong wind from a passing thunderstorm moved overhead, causing a concrete wall that was under construction, to fall on top of them. They were working in a trench when the wall fell. 2 0 $54K
2007-08-08 HeatMontgomery County · forecast zone Montgomery A large ridge of high pressure, combined with very dry ground from the recent drought, combined to produce the hottest month on record across Central Alabama in the month of August. The core of the heat wave started around August 4th, when the temepartures first topped the 100 degree mark in several cities. The heat ... 1 49 –
2002-06-18 LightningMontgomery County An 8-year-old girl, her mother, and another woman were struck by lightning on the east side of Montgomery near the intersection of Vaughn Road and Eastern Blvd. The victims had just left a restaurant according to newspaper reports and were about to get in their car when the lightning strike occurred. Rain was not ... 1 2 –
2010-12-15 Winter WeatherMontgomery County · forecast zone Montgomery A period of freezing rain resulted in a light glaze of ice on area bridges and numerous vehicle accidents. A fatality occurred (indirect) along Interstate 65 when a vehicle bypassed slowed traffic and struck an EMS worker. The EMS worker was responding to a vehicle accident with injuries (indirect) caused by icy spots ... 1 1 –

A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.

The costliest records in Montgomery County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2004-09-16 High WindMontgomery County · forecast zone Montgomery 65 kt wind 0 0 $14M
1996-03-06 TornadoMontgomery County F2 4 mi x 200 yd 2 17 $2.8M
2009-05-07 Flash FloodMontgomery County 1 0 $2.5M
1996-03-06 TornadoMontgomery County F1 1 mi x 80 yd 0 0 $2.4M
1996-03-06 Thunderstorm WindMontgomery County 0 0 $2.3M
1996-03-06 TornadoMontgomery County F1 1.5 mi x 80 yd 0 0 $1.5M
1996-03-06 TornadoMontgomery County F1 1.5 mi x 80 yd 0 0 $1.3M
1996-02-19 Thunderstorm WindMontgomery County 0 15 $941K

Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $2.5M, in the dollars of the day) holds: May 3, 1984 (tornado, Montgomery County, 5 killed); November 25, 1979 (tornado, Montgomery County); January 10, 1975 (tornado, Montgomery County).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.

Is it getting more frequent?

Records per decade for Montgomery County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).

Montgomery County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Severe thunderstorm wind28145969493745
Hail3310172844616
Heat––––174095
Drought––––3203710
Tornadoes5044718812
Floods––––6231110

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).

What time of year?

Records by month in Montgomery County. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 50 · Feb 49 · Mar 89 · Apr 90 · May 90 · Jun 86 · Jul 71 · Aug 79 · Sep 29 · Oct 27 · Nov 38 · Dec 40 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.

Federal disaster declarations for Montgomery County

FEMA's register lists 24 declarations that include Montgomery County: 11 major disasters, 13 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (10) and severe storm (6).

Declarations including Montgomery County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2024-09-26EM-3618HurricaneHurricane Helene
2020-09-14EM-3545HurricaneHurricane Sally
2020-03-29DR-4503BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3472BiologicalCovid-19
2018-10-12EM-3407HurricaneHurricane Michael
2017-10-08EM-3394HurricaneHurricane Nate
2017-09-11EM-3389HurricaneHurricane Irma
2011-04-28DR-1971Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding
2011-04-27EM-3319Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Straight-Line Winds
2009-06-03DR-1842Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, and Straight-Line Winds
2008-08-30EM-3292HurricaneHurricane Gustav
2007-03-03DR-1687Severe StormSevere Storms and Tornadoes
2005-09-10EM-3237HurricaneHurricane Katrina Evacuation
2005-07-10DR-1593HurricaneHurricane Dennis
2004-09-15DR-1549HurricaneHurricane Ivan
1996-03-20DR-1108Severe StormSevere Storms, Flooding and Tornadoes
1995-10-04DR-1070HurricaneHurricane Opal
1993-03-15EM-3096SnowstormSevere Snowfall, Winter Storm
1990-03-21DR-861Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding
1984-05-11EM-3088TornadoSevere Storms & Tornadoes
1979-04-18DR-578FloodStorms, Wind, Flooding
1978-04-24EM-3064TornadoTornadoes
1977-07-20EM-3045DroughtDrought
1975-03-14DR-458FloodSevere Storms & Flooding

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.

How many floods has Montgomery County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 50 flood or flash flood records for Montgomery County from 1997 to 2026, on 44 days, with 1 death. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Montgomery County ranks 585th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

Named storms on Montgomery County's flood and tropical record
StormBeganRecordsDeaths in the county
Hurricane Katrina2005-08-2910
Hurricane Dennis2005-07-1010

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $6.7 million on 417 claims filed in Montgomery County; the most in one year was 89 in 2009. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1978: 2 · 1979: 27 · 1980: 4 · 1981: 2 · 1982: 2 · 1983: 2 · 1984: 1 · 1985: 3 · 1987: 2 · 1989: 7 · 1990: 30 · 1991: 3 · 1992: 3 · 1993: 1 · 1994: 5 · 1995: 26 · 1996: 7 · 1997: 4 · 1998: 10 · 1999: 4 · 2000: 1 · 2001: 12 · 2002: 1 · 2003: 12 · 2004: 10 · 2005: 21 · 2006: 4 · 2007: 3 · 2008: 7 · 2009: 89 · 2010: 2 · 2012: 2 · 2013: 9 · 2014: 6 · 2015: 16 · 2016: 4 · 2017: 25 · 2018: 5 · 2019: 8 · 2020: 6 · 2021: 8 · 2022: 9 · 2024: 8 · 2025: 3 · 2026: 1; the other years: 0.

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.

FEMA's modeled risk for Montgomery County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Montgomery County Relatively Moderate overall, with an expected annual loss of $87.3 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.

National Risk Index ratings for Montgomery County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
LightningVery High$2.0M69 a year (modeled)
TornadoRelatively High$13Mabout once a year (modeled)
Heat WaveRelatively High$6.8M9.8 modeled event-days a year
Strong WindRelatively High$2.6M1.4 a year (modeled)
Riverine FloodingRelatively High$51M1.4 a year (modeled)
EarthquakeRelatively Moderate$6.3Monce in about 525 years (modeled)
HurricaneRelatively Moderate$4.1Monce in about 12 years (modeled)
HailRelatively Moderate$580K2.1 a year (modeled)

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.

Counties that share a border with Montgomery County

  1. Montgomery County 738
  2. Elmore County 673
  3. Autauga County 466
  4. Pike County 338
  5. Lowndes County 298
  6. Macon County 296
  7. Crenshaw County 266
  8. Bullock County 238

Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.

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