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Cherokee County, Alabama severe weather history spans 385 recorded events between 1963 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 56.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,314 nationally and #36 in Alabama.
385
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
55
Direct injuries
$23.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Cherokee County, Alabama severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Cherokee County, Alabama severe weather history averages 6.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 130 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 24 events fall before 1990 and 361 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Cherokee County, Alabama record is tornado, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $22.0M 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 Cherokee County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 219 | 0 | $1.2M | 70 | 1968–2026 |
| Hail | 109 | 0 | $125K | 4.5 | 1967–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 24 | 0 | $283K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 18 | 3 | $22.0M | F3 | 1963–2024 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2024 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $177K | 0 | 1999–2010 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2005 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2010–2013 |
Decade by decade
Cherokee County, Alabama severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
18 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 12 touched down inside it and 6 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 | Crossed in |
| 2000-12-16 | EF3 | 0 | 14 | 12.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1993-02-21 | EF3 | 0 | 5 | 19.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF3 | 0 | 9 | 20.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2001-11-24 | EF2 | 2 | 4 | 8.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-11-10 | EF2 | 1 | 4 | 10.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-03-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Cherokee County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 24, 2001 | Tornado | SAND ROCK | 2 | 4 | $300K |
| Nov 11, 2002 | Tornado | CENTRE | 1 | 4 | $1.2M |
| Apr 28, 2011 | Tornado | GNATVILLE | 0 | 25 | $19.0M |
| Apr 4, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 9 | $250K | |
| Feb 22, 1993 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $500K | |
| Mar 5, 1963 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $25K | |
| Aug 18, 2002 | Lightning | WEISS LAKE EAST | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Aug 20, 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | CENTRE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado began about 2.7 miles south-southwest of Sand Rock at 3:01 pm moving northeast. The tornado moved across the southern and eastern portions of Sand Rock damaging a number of structures. Two people were killed in a mobile home just east of Sand Rock. The tornado continued northeast moving through mostly open areas with structures damaged and trees downed along the way. The tornado finally dissipated around 3:18 pm about 5.5 miles northeast of Sand Rock.The tornado was rated an F2 with a path length of 8.2 miles and a width of 200 yards.Beginning: 34 12.477/85 47.520 Ending: 34 18.063/85 42.139
Strong winds with a thunderstorm produced scattered damage in the Cedar Bluff area of Cherokee County. A portion of the roof to the Cedar Bluff High School gym was blown off. A number of trees were blown down, and a lumber company lost part of the roof as did a paint and body shop. A number of houses and mobile homes just east of Cedar Bluff suffered roof damage. Four homes were damaged, two mobile homes destroyed, and two mobile homes damaged in the Watson's Crossroads area on Alabama Highway 35 north of Gaylesville. Twelve camping trailers were destroyed in the Buffington Campground.
Nickel-size hail was reported by the Cherokee County Sheriff's office about 10 miles south-southeast of Centre. A funnel cloud was reported near Coloma about seven miles south-southeast of Centre. A weak tornado touched down in the Rock Run/Spring Garden area with damage to seven houses along with a number of trees uprooted.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
25,443
Population (ACS)
$180K
Median home value
25
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| 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 |
| Apr 17, 2019 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Cherokee County, Alabama?
385 events are on record between 1963 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $23.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Cherokee County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 219 recorded events — 56.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Cherokee County?
18 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 12 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Cherokee County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Cherokee County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Cherokee County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Cherokee County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 63 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Cherokee 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
- Chambers County 261
- Chilton County 332
- Calhoun County 477
- Choctaw County 327
- Butler County 218
- Clarke County 555
Cite this page
“Cherokee County, Alabama.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/alabama/cherokee-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.