PlainHazard

Alabama heat

Every recorded heat record since 1996 · 67 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 1,305 heat records in Alabama from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 48 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the August 8, 2007 heat: 11 deaths and 408 injuries across 30 records. Alabama ranks 16th of 51 states and territories by count and 18th of 50 per square mile.

Heat in Alabama, 1996 to 2026

Heat records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.

  • recorded, no damage figure
  • under $1 million
  • $1 million or more
  • $10 million or more
  • $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
  • $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
  • a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
  • a year with a death
Records
1,3051996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
48average
Deaths
42523 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$508Kas filed
Busiest year
2023231 records

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.

Are heat records common in Alabama?

Alabama averages about 48 heat records a year since 2000, 16th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2023 (231). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Alabama records 258 heat records since 1996, 18th of 50 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. New Jersey 2320
  2. 2. Delaware 1555
  3. 3. Maryland 1330
  4. 4. Oklahoma 685
  5. 5. Illinois 590
  6. 6. Mississippi 584
  7. 7. Louisiana 576
  8. 8. Missouri 547
  9. 9. Tennessee 540
  10. 10. Puerto Rico 537
  11. 18. Alabama 258

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.

Which counties in Alabama have the most heat records?

Per square mile, Madison County leads Alabama: 165 days with a heat record since 1996, 205.8 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Madison County has the most heat records (176 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).

  1. Madison County 205.8 (176)
  2. Colbert County 178.8 (122)
  3. Lauderdale County 131.7 (102)
  4. Limestone County 110.0 (69)
  5. Franklin County 99.4 (71)
  6. Lawrence County 94.1 (69)
  7. Morgan County 93.2 (63)
  8. Montgomery County 90.4 (71)
  9. Cullman County 61.2 (50)
  10. Marshall County 45.9 (27)
  11. Jefferson County 44.1 (50)
  12. Jackson County 23.2 (26)

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.

When is the heat season in Alabama?

68% of its heat records since 1996 fell in July and August. The busiest month is July (450 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 30 · Feb 67 · Mar 10 · Apr 14 · May 20 · Jun 197 · Jul 450 · Aug 431 · Sep 24 · Oct 14 · Nov 32 · Dec 16 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

What were the deadliest heat records in Alabama?

Alabama: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2007-08-08 HeatGreene County · forecast zone Greene One storm episode: 30 records in 30 places; the totals are the episode's. 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 ... 11 408 –
2012-06-28 HeatJefferson County · forecast zone Jefferson One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places, 2012-06-28 to 2012-06-29; the totals are the episode's. A strong ridge of high pressure shifted eastward from the Central Plains to the southeastern Continental United States, bringing with it recording breaking temperatures. Afternoon highs rose to 100 degrees or greater each afternoon. With a moist airmass in place, heat index values reached over 105 degrees in many ... 2 1 –
1999-08-01 HeatMobile County · forecast zone Lower Mobile One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Near record breaking high temperatures occurred across Mobile and Escambia counties the first two days of August. Two elderly women died in their homes from excessive heat. A seventy-three year old female died in Brewton and a seventy-one year old died in Mobile. The daytime temperatures were in the upper 90s on ... 2 0 –
2000-07-14 HeatMobile County · forecast zone Lower Mobile Near record breaking high temperatures around 100 degrees, combined with high relative humidities, resulted in afternoon heat indices between 105 and 115 degrees from July 13th through July 21st. Nighttime low temperatures also remained warm through the period, only falling to the mid to upper 70s. These conditions ... 2 0 –
2012-06-30 HeatLauderdale County · forecast zone Lauderdale One storm episode: 3 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A very hot period occurred during the last week of June. Maximum temperatures climbed to 100 degrees or higher on each of these days in at least one county in north Alabama. At Muscle Shoals, the temperature reached or exceeded 100 degrees from the 23rd through 25th, and again from the 27th through the 30th. On two of ... 1 10 –
2012-07-30 HeatLawrence County · forecast zone Lawrence A middle aged male died after suffering from a heat stroke in Lawrence County, AL. 1 0 –
2012-08-02 HeatMarshall County · forecast zone Marshall An elderly male died after suffering from a heat stroke. 1 0 –
2012-05-02 HeatMorgan County · forecast zone Morgan An elderly male died after suffering from heat exhaustion in Morgan County, AL. 1 0 –
2012-07-01 HeatMarengo County · forecast zone Marengo One illness and one fatality were reported. 1 0 –
2012-08-03 HeatClarke County · forecast zone Clarke A 38 year old male died from prolonged exposure to the heat as he was doing field work for a local utility company just north of Tallahata Springs Road approximately 2.8 miles west of Thomasville. 1 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

Are heat records becoming more frequent in Alabama?

Alabama's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.

Heat: Alabama and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeAlabamaUnited StatesAlabama's share
1996-991534,3553.5%
2000s2109,1632.3%
2010s39416,4452.4%
2020-2654826,7962.0%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent heat records in Alabama

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-05-20 HeatLauderdale County · forecast zone Lauderdale 0 1 –
2025-08-20 HeatCullman County · forecast zone Cullman 0 0 –
2025-08-19 HeatMarshall County · forecast zone Marshall 0 0 –
2025-08-18 HeatJackson County · forecast zone Jackson 0 0 –
2025-08-17 HeatMadison County · forecast zone Madison 0 0 –
2025-08-17 HeatLawrence County · forecast zone Lawrence 0 0 –
2025-08-17 HeatFranklin County · forecast zone Franklin 0 0 –
2025-08-17 HeatLauderdale County · forecast zone Lauderdale 0 0 –
2025-08-17 HeatColbert County · forecast zone Colbert 0 0 –
2025-08-16 HeatJackson County · forecast zone Jackson 0 0 –
2025-08-16 HeatMarshall County · forecast zone Marshall 0 0 –
2025-08-16 HeatMorgan County · forecast zone Morgan 0 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.

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