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Calhoun County, Alabama severe weather history spans 477 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 50.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #960 nationally and #29 in Alabama.
477
Recorded events
25
Direct deaths
152
Direct injuries
$134.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Calhoun County, Alabama severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Calhoun County, Alabama severe weather history averages 6.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 143 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 68 events fall before 1990 and 409 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Calhoun County, Alabama record is tornado, responsible for 19 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $131.1M 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 Calhoun County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 242 | 6 | $1.6M | 83 | 1961–2026 |
| Hail | 154 | 0 | $510K | 4.5 | 1967–2025 |
| Tornado | 32 | 19 | $131.1M | F3 | 1954–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 31 | 0 | $860K | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Lightning | 8 | 0 | $693K | 0 | 1996–2007 |
| Funnel Cloud | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2006 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2012–2012 |
Decade by decade
Calhoun County, Alabama severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
33 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 25 touched down inside it and 8 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-04-27 | EF4 | 22 | 85 | 97.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1994-03-27 | EF4 | 22 | 150 | 50.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-03-25 | EF3 | 6 | 10 | 38.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-12-03 | EF3 | 2 | 51 | 4.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2018-03-19 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 35.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-03-21 | EF3 | 0 | 10 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-12-11 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-12-05 | EF3 | 0 | 26 | 24.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-11-24 | EF2 | 1 | 0 | 15.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2000-04-02 | EF2 | 1 | 6 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Calhoun County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 2011 | Tornado | MIDDLETON | 8 | 25 | $122.0M |
| Mar 25, 2021 | Tornado | BOILING SPGS | 6 | 10 | $0 |
| Aug 16, 1986 | Thunderstorm Wind | 3 | 1 | $0 | |
| Aug 16, 1986 | Thunderstorm Wind | 3 | 1 | $0 | |
| Dec 4, 1983 | Tornado | 2 | 51 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 3, 2000 | Tornado | PIEDMONT | 1 | 6 | $300K |
| Apr 28, 2011 | Tornado | MAXWELLBORN | 1 | 1 | $4.0M |
| Nov 24, 2004 | Tornado | BYNUM | 1 | 0 | $85K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Lightning struck a house in the Indian Oaks area of Saks, causing it to catch fire. The fire completely destroyed the attic and second story of the home, which collapsed onto the first floor, causing extensive damage throughout. The owners, after first attempting to extinguish the fire, escaped unharmed.
Wind damage was widespread from near the Anniston/Oxford Airport, eastward to Douglas Drive and Glover Drive, southeast of Oxford. Most of the damage near the airport was in the form of snapped and uprooted trees and broken tree limbs. There were some blown down signs and some damage to billboards. Farther to the east, numerous oak trees were uprooted and numerous pine trees were snapped, with an estimated 50 to 100 trees damaged total. There was some roof damage to a few homes, a roof was blown off a barn, and a few fences were also blown down.
Large hail fell across many locations in eastern and southern Calhoun County. The largest hail reported was golf ball size and in many spots the hail covered the ground. A few homes received roof damage from the large hail. Some locations that reported hail were Jacksonville, Anniston, Oxford, Alexandria, and Weaver. Several funnel cloud reports were received as these storms moved across the county. Several trees and power lines were also blown down leaving as many as 1000 customers temporarily without power.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
116,090
Population (ACS)
$157K
Median home value
23
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Apr 26, 2021 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Dec 10, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ZETA | DR |
| Sep 14, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SALLY | EM |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Calhoun County, Alabama?
477 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 25 direct deaths and $134.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Calhoun County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 242 recorded events — 50.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Calhoun County?
33 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 25 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Calhoun County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Calhoun County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Calhoun County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Calhoun County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 88 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Calhoun 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
- Butler County 218
- Chambers County 261
- Bullock County 149
- Cherokee County 385
- Blount County 564
- Chilton County 332
Cite this page
“Calhoun County, Alabama.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/alabama/calhoun-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.