Alabama severe thunderstorm wind
Every recorded severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955 · 67 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 20,476 severe thunderstorm wind events in Alabama from 1955 through June 30, 2026, about 576 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the July 7, 1984 thunderstorm wind in Madison County: 11 deaths and 3 injuries across 2 records. Alabama ranks 9th of 52 states and territories by count and 16th of 51 per square mile.
Severe thunderstorm wind in Alabama, 1955 to 2026
Thunderstorm wind records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996.
- 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
- 1996: all 48 event types recorded from 1996
- Records
- 20,4761955 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 576average
- Deaths
- 60561 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $290Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 20251,532 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 severe thunderstorm wind events common in Alabama?
Alabama averages about 576 severe thunderstorm wind events a year since 2000, 9th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2025 (1,532). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Alabama records 4043 severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955, 16th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1955, 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 severe thunderstorm wind events?
Per square mile, Colbert County leads Alabama: 376 days with a severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955, 634.1 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Lauderdale County has the most thunderstorm wind records (1,346 since 1955); 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).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1955 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is the severe thunderstorm season in Alabama?
Alabama's severe thunderstorm wind events by month. The busiest month is June (4,080 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 891 · Feb 1,174 · Mar 1,783 · Apr 3,149 · May 2,560 · Jun 4,080 · Jul 2,762 · Aug 2,068 · Sep 341 · Oct 349 · Nov 583 · Dec 736 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1955.
What were the deadliest severe thunderstorm wind events in Alabama?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-07-07 | Thunderstorm WindMadison County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (2, in 2 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 11 | 3 | – | |
| 1986-08-16 | Thunderstorm WindCalhoun County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (2; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 6 | 2 | – | |
| 2017-01-02 | Thunderstorm WindMerritts Crossroads, Houston County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms affected the region to start the year. Two day rainfall totals in excess of 8 inches were common across portions of the Florida panhandle with several roads flooded. Severe weather, including tornadoes and significant straight line wind damage, also occurred across the ... | 74 kt wind | 4 | 0 | $120K |
| 1995-07-04 | Thunderstorm WindRagland, St. Clair County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (2, in 2 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. A strong wind gust with a thunderstorm collapsed a boat house under construction killing three people and injuring four others who had sought shelter. Eight people boating on Neely Henry Lake sought shelter in a partially completed boat house on the St. Clair shore of the lake. The people were injured and killed when ... | 3 | 4 | $87K | |
| 1985-04-05 | Thunderstorm WindRandolph County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (8, in 8 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 2 | 14 | – | |
| 2011-04-27 | Thunderstorm WindPell City, St. Clair County One storm episode: 18 records in 10 places; the totals are the episode's. A powerful storm system crossed the Southeast United States on Wednesday, April 27, 2011, resulting in a large and deadly tornado outbreak. This epic event broke the record for number of tornadoes in a day for the state of Alabama, becoming the most significant tornado outbreak in the state’s history. Central Alabama ... | 78 kt wind | 2 | 3 | $156K |
| 2022-07-21 | Thunderstorm WindThomas Jct, Jefferson County High winds toppled a large tree onto a brick home. The tree killed two children and injured three adults inside the home. | 50 kt wind | 2 | 3 | – |
| 2015-08-10 | Thunderstorm WindGuntersville Municipal Ar, Marshall County A strong thunderstorm moved through the Short creek area of Lake Guntersville, Alabama, capsizing a canoe, resulting in two drownings. Time was estimated by news article. | 30 kt wind | 2 | 2 | – |
| 2021-06-19 | Thunderstorm WindCottondale, Tuscaloosa County A large tree fell on a mobile home located off Hargrove Road East and resulted in two fatalities. | 30 kt wind | 2 | 0 | – |
| 2008-06-29 | Thunderstorm WindHuntsville Jone, Madison County A non-severe thunderstorm produced a microburst as it was dissipating at the Huntsville International Airport during an air show. Several tents were damaged and destroyed by the thunderstorm winds. A large and expensive army tent and equipment was extensively damaged. | 41 kt wind | 1 | 12 | $1.4M |
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.
The costliest severe thunderstorm wind events in Alabama
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-03-24 | Thunderstorm WindRed Rock, Colbert County One storm episode: 4 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 78 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $17M |
| 1994-06-26 | Thunderstorm WindAthens, Limestone County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (5, in 4 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 0 | 1 | $16M | |
| 1994-03-27 | Thunderstorm WindPickens County | 0 | 0 | $11M | |
| 2007-08-17 | Thunderstorm WindHolly Pond, Cullman County One storm episode: 8 records in 7 places; the totals are the episode's. | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $10.0M |
| 2022-03-30 | Thunderstorm WindFisk, Madison County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 43 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $7.7M |
| 2023-07-01 | Thunderstorm WindColbert Hgts, Colbert County One storm episode: 4 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $7.6M |
| 2007-07-03 | Thunderstorm WindMobile County | 61 kt wind | 0 | 8 | $5.0M |
| 2007-08-24 | Thunderstorm WindGarden City, Cullman County One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places, 2007-08-24 to 2007-08-25; the totals are the episode's. | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $4.3M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are severe thunderstorm wind events 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.
| Decade | Alabama | United States | Alabama's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955-59 | 57 | 3,482 | 1.6% |
| 1960s | 293 | 10,124 | 2.9% |
| 1970s | 664 | 18,714 | 3.5% |
| 1980s | 1,563 | 39,604 | 3.9% |
| 1990s | 2,408 | 85,554 | 2.8% |
| 2000s | 4,094 | 129,990 | 3.1% |
| 2010s | 5,640 | 161,286 | 3.5% |
| 2020-26 | 5,757 | 126,815 | 4.5% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent severe thunderstorm wind events in Alabama
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindDill, Dale County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindFrisco, Coffee County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindFairfax, Chambers County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindCusseta, Chambers County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindMan, Elmore County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 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 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindNorth Elmore, Elmore County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-19 | Thunderstorm WindHacoda, Geneva County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-18 | Thunderstorm WindCowarts, Houston County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-18 | Thunderstorm WindCowarts, Houston County | 50 kt wind | 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.
Federal disaster declarations for severe thunderstorm wind events in Alabama
FEMA files hail and wind disasters under the incident type Severe Storm: 45 declarations in Alabama, 44 of them major disasters; the latest on May 5, 2023.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-05-05 | DR-4710 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes | 10 |
| 2023-01-15 | DR-4684 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes | 13 |
| 2021-12-21 | DR-4632 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 2 |
| 2021-04-26 | DR-4596 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes | 8 |
| 2020-07-10 | DR-4555 | Severe Thunderstorms | 7 |
| 2020-07-10 | DR-4554 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes | 10 |
| 2020-05-21 | DR-4546 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 19 |
| 2019-04-17 | DR-4426 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 12 |
| 2018-04-26 | DR-4362 | Severe Storms and Tornadoes | 4 |
| 2016-01-21 | DR-4251 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 39 |
| 2014-05-02 | DR-4176 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 21 |
| 2012-02-01 | DR-4052 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 3 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Colbert County: the county's whole recordThe Alabama county with the most severe thunderstorm wind events per square mile
- Severe thunderstorm wind across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in AlabamaTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Hail in Alabama8,096 records
- Floods in Alabama3,380 records
- Tornadoes in Alabama3,206 records