Butler County, Alabama severe weather history spans 218 recorded events between 1957 and 2024. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 58.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,332 nationally and #58 in Alabama.
218
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
18
Direct injuries
$4.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Butler County, Alabama severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Butler County, Alabama severe weather history averages 3.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 55 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 30 events fall before 1990 and 188 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Butler County, Alabama record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $1.4M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Butler County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 127 | 0 | $1.3M | 87 | 1973–2024 |
| Hail | 41 | 0 | $11K | 2.75 | 1985–2024 |
| Tornado | 29 | 2 | $1.4M | F4 | 1957–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 15 | 0 | $825K | 0 | 1997–2022 |
| Lightning | 4 | 1 | $10K | 0 | 2011–2012 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $600K | 0 | 2015–2015 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $60K | 0 | 2006–2006 |
Decade by decade
Butler County, Alabama severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
32 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 27 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969-04-18 | EF4 | 2 | 14 | 52.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-05-03 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 24.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 22.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-11-25 | EF2 | 0 | 12 | 22.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-12-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-06-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 23.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1957-06-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-06-28 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 11.5 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Butler County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 18, 1969 | Tornado | 2 | 11 | $250K | |
| Mar 30, 2012 | Lightning | GREENVILLE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Nov 24, 2001 | Tornado | MC KENZIE | 0 | 3 | $100K |
| Mar 30, 2012 | Lightning | GEORGIANA | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jan 23, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | GREENVILLE | 0 | 1 | $3K |
| Oct 17, 2006 | Heavy Rain | GREENVILLE | 0 | 1 | $60K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A large microburst from a thunderstorm blew down numerous trees in and around Chapman. Several of the trees fell on homes. One home had thirty four trees blown down in their yard. Luckily none fell on their house. They had just gotten their home repaired from the damage they received from Hurricane Ivan. Another home had a large tree break through their roof. They were asleep and the branches fell into their bedroom. They rushed into another room and the branches fell through the roof there and they were eventually able to escape into the garage. In all about 300 trees were blown down with several homes suffering damage, mostly from fallen trees. No one was injured.
The tornado touched down at the intersection of Ridge Road and Sherling Lake Road northwest of Greenville, and continued east along Sherling Lake Road strengthening to EF-2 intensity as it passed over the eastern-most sections of the Cambrian Ridge Golf Course. The tornado then crossed the Sherling Lake RV Park snapping numerous pine trees in a 300 to 400 yard wide path. The tornado crossed Highway 263 then lifted west of Highway 185.
The tornado touched down near Norrell Ave. and tracked northeast across Palmer and Veneer Ave. It was at these locations where the tornado reached its peak intensity. Significant tree damage was observed and many power lines were downed. A few sheds and outbuildings were destroyed with minor shingle damage noted to a couple of homes. The tornado tracked northeast across highway 31 and 106, producing sporadic tree damage. The tornado lifted near Bushy Creek Drive and Mccall Road. Prior to lifting the tornado produced minor damage to a couple of mobile homes and two cars were heavily damaged by trees.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
18,630
Population (ACS)
$100K
Median home value
28
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Dec 10, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ZETA | DR |
| Sep 20, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SALLY | DR |
| 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Butler County, Alabama?
218 events are on record between 1957 and 2024, causing 3 direct deaths and $4.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Butler County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 127 recorded events — 58.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Butler County?
32 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 27 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Butler County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Butler County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Butler County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Butler County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 45 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Butler 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
- Bullock County 149
- Calhoun County 477
- Blount County 564
- Chambers County 261
- Bibb County 276
- Cherokee County 385
Cite this page
“Butler County, Alabama.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/alabama/butler-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.