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Tuscaloosa County, Alabama severe weather history spans 852 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 45.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #242 nationally and #13 in Alabama.
852
Recorded events
67
Direct deaths
1,119
Direct injuries
$1.6B
Property damage
The record
What the Tuscaloosa County, Alabama severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama severe weather history averages 11.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 314 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 108 events fall before 1990 and 744 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Tuscaloosa County, Alabama record is tornado, responsible for 59 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $1.6B in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Tuscaloosa County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 387 | 3 | $3.7M | 87 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 262 | 0 | $699K | 2.75 | 1957–2024 |
| Tornado | 95 | 59 | $1.6B | F5 | 1952–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 57 | 4 | $3.9M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Lightning | 31 | 0 | $795K | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2007 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2014 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2025 |
Decade by decade
Tuscaloosa County, Alabama severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
92 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 72 touched down inside it and 20 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966-03-03 | EF5 | 58 | 518 | 202.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1998-04-08 | EF5 | 32 | 259 | 30.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-27 | EF4 | 64 | 1,500 | 80.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-27 | EF4 | 13 | 54 | 127.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2000-12-16 | EF4 | 11 | 144 | 18.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF4 | 3 | 178 | 110.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1975-02-23 | EF4 | 1 | 49 | 14.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1952-02-13 | EF3 | 1 | 14 | 5.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-03-25 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 11.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-15 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 18.4 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Tuscaloosa County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | Tornado | RALPH | 44 | 800 | $1.5B |
| Dec 16, 2000 | Tornado | HULL | 11 | 144 | $12.5M |
| Mar 23, 2022 | Flash Flood | COKER | 3 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 20, 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | COTTONDALE | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 23, 1975 | Tornado | 1 | 49 | $25.0M | |
| Feb 14, 1952 | Tornado | 1 | 14 | $25K | |
| Jan 24, 1997 | Tornado | TUSCALOOSA | 1 | 10 | $5.0M |
| Mar 4, 1966 | Tornado | 1 | 3 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Significant flooding across the city of Tuscaloosa and surrounding communities. Water rescues performed at several residences along Hunter Creek and vehicles submerged. Three fatalities in a submerged vehicle, one male and two females. The vehicle they were riding in left the roadway and into drainage ditch near the intersection of Main Street NE and 19TH Street NE.
A large bow echo, accompanied by downburst wind of 70 to 100 miles per hour moved along Interstate 20/59 through the city of Tuscaloosa and ended near the city of Cottondale. The storm damage path was about 10 miles long and 4 miles wide. The most concentrated damage ran parallel to both Interstate 20 and US 11 in the city of Tuscaloosa. A 52 year old woman was killed when an advertising sign board was blown down onto her as she was approaching a hotel lobby. Numerous sign boards and trees were either blown down or snapped off. Numerous homes received varying degrees of damage, and area businesses also sustained major damage. One motor home was overturned on Interstate 20/59. Several automobiles were damaged or destroyed by falling trees. The Mimosa Park Country Club reported damage to several structures. Dime to golfball size hail was also reported with these storms. Thousands of customers were left without power for many hours.
Severe flooding across the cities of Northport and Tuscaloosa. Water was 2-3 feet deep along portions of 14th Avenue in the city of Tuscaloosa with numerous roads flooded and impassable across the city. One fatality was reported near the intersection of Greensboro Avenue and 24th Street as a vehicle was swept off the road and into a drainage ditch.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
237,552
Population (ACS)
$249K
Median home value
28
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Sep 14, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SALLY | EM |
| May 21, 2020 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Oct 8, 2017 | Hurricane | HURRICANE NATE | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Tuscaloosa 110
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama?
852 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 67 direct deaths and $1.6B in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Tuscaloosa County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 387 recorded events — 45.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Tuscaloosa County?
92 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 72 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Tuscaloosa County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Tuscaloosa County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Tuscaloosa County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Tuscaloosa County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 91 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Tuscaloosa County, Alabama severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Tallapoosa County 421
- Walker County 637
- Talladega County 514
- Washington County 314
- Sumter County 333
- Wilcox County 146
Cite this page
“Tuscaloosa County, Alabama.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/alabama/tuscaloosa-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.