791
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
38
Direct injuries
$5.3M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Jefferson County, Alabama: 791 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 90. That places the county #22 nationally and #4 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Jefferson County, Alabama: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Jefferson County is the 2010s, when 195 of the county's 791 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Jefferson County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 49.3% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #22 for this hazard and #4 within Alabama, putting it in the 99.3 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Jefferson County with 156 recorded events, while Sep is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 21, 2022 | THOMAS JCT | 50 | 2 | 3 | $0 |
| Feb 16, 2001 | COUNTYWIDE | 75 | 1 | 4 | $400K |
| May 27, 2024 | KIMBREL | 61 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 28, 1999 | GRAYSVILLE | 50 | 0 | 5 | $8K |
| Feb 10, 1990 | 0 | 0 | 5 | $0 | |
| May 15, 1995 | Birmingham | 60 | 0 | 3 | $500K |
| May 5, 1991 | 0 | 0 | 3 | $0 | |
| Apr 15, 1994 | Centerpoint | 0 | 0 | 2 | $50K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 29, 2026 | RED GAP JCT | 52 | $0 |
| Mar 16, 2026 | MAGELLA | 45 | $1K |
| Mar 16, 2026 | AYRES | 45 | $500 |
| Mar 9, 2026 | VESTAVIA HILLS | 50 | $0 |
| Mar 9, 2026 | MAGELLA | 50 | $0 |
| Mar 9, 2026 | VESTAVIA HILLS | 50 | $0 |
| Mar 9, 2026 | BLUFF PARK | 52 | $0 |
| Mar 9, 2026 | WOODWARD | 52 | $0 |
| Mar 9, 2026 | CONCORD | 50 | $0 |
| Mar 9, 2026 | MUD CREEK | 65 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Jefferson County
- Hail 490
- Flash Flood 145
- Tornado 110
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A line of severe thunderstorms with winds estimated at 60-70 mph moved through southern portions of Jefferson County, with widespread tree and power line damage. Some trees landed on homes. Several trees were downed in the McCalla area, including Stage Coach Rd, Victoria Dr, and Crestview Dr, as well as in Bessemer, where a tree fell across power lines along Parkwood Rd. In Hoover, numerous trees were downed, including along Old Montgomery Hwy, Riverchase Pkwy, Atwillher Dr, Terrace Hills Dr, Hugh Daniels Dr, and Stone Briar Ln. Many trees were downed across Homewood and Mountain Brook as well, including along Montevallo Rd. One large tree fell into an apartment building in Mountain Brook, resulting in a fatality.
A downburst with a late evening thunderstorm damaged trees, downed powerlines, and damaged several structures in a path about 3 miles long. The wind damage began near Oxmoor Road and I-65 where about 20 feet of decorative facia on a Comfort Inn motel was ripped off the roof and thrown onto about 10 cars. In the residential section of Southwood and Oak Grove Estates a number of trees were downed along with large limbs. The damaging wind crossed I-65 and damaged a number of apartments in the Woodmere Creek area where chimneys were ripped from the roofs. A number of trees and powerlines were also downed in this area. A double billboard which also served as a cellular telephone site was destroyed when three of the five telephone poles comprising the billboard were broken off. Additional trees were reported downed along Tyler Road which runs from Vestavia Hills into Hoover.
A thunderstorm associated with a bow echo produced wind estimated at 80 to 100 miles an hour as it raced through western Jefferson County. The Oak Grove High School sustained significant damage. The school was in the process of being rebuilt after the devastating F5 tornado in 1998. Fifty thousand square feet of the roof was either twisted and buckled or completely torn off. A three hundred and fifty pound metal air vent was thrown more than 200 yards. A few trees in the area were also blown down.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Jefferson County, Alabama?
791 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Jefferson County between 1955 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Jefferson County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Jefferson County measured 90.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Jefferson County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Thunderstorm Wind in Jefferson County, Alabama.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/alabama/jefferson-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.