Clarke County, Alabama severe weather history spans 555 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 57.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #703 nationally and #21 in Alabama.
555
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
25
Direct injuries
$8.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Clarke County, Alabama severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Clarke County, Alabama severe weather history averages 7.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 158 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 61 events fall before 1990 and 494 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $2.8M 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 Clarke County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 320 | 0 | $1.9M | 87 | 1960–2026 |
| Hail | 120 | 0 | $110K | 3.5 | 1975–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 43 | 0 | $2.7M | 0 | 1996–2022 |
| Tornado | 42 | 0 | $2.8M | F3 | 1953–2025 |
| Lightning | 17 | 0 | $394K | 0 | 1996–2022 |
| Funnel Cloud | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2016 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $255K | 0 | 2009–2020 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2018 |
Decade by decade
Clarke County, Alabama severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
49 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 42 touched down inside it and 7 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-03-24 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-03-02 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-01-23 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 6.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-02-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-04-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-03-17 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 36.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2017-01-21 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 20.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2012-12-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 24.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-05-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 22.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Clarke County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 18, 1996 | Tornado | JACKSON MUNI ARPT | 0 | 15 | $1.0M |
| Mar 17, 2021 | Tornado | WEST BEND | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| May 18, 1986 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Nov 25, 1979 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Apr 14, 2018 | Flash Flood | TALLAHATTA SPGS | 0 | 1 | $1.2M |
| Mar 18, 1996 | Tornado | THOMASVILLE | 0 | 1 | $75K |
| Apr 21, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jackson | 0 | 1 | $5K |
| Jan 23, 1953 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Five to nine inches of rain fell in a short duration along and east and west of the Highway 43 corridor from Thomasville to southwest of Grove Hill. At the height of the flash flood event, Highway 43 near Bassett Creek was covered in 6 feet of water. Several other roads in this area were also submerged in several feet of water, including Butler Drive in Thomasville. Multiple vehicles were submerged across the area. Approximately 20 water rescues had to be made from houses and residences with rescues reported 5 miles southwest of Grove Hill up toward Fulton. 25 homes experienced significant flooding. The flash flooding also resulted in significant infrastructure damage to roads, water lines, and drainage. The Clarke County Emergency Management Director reported 9.2 inches of rainfall.
Significant flash flooding occurred in the Jackson, AL area due to 5 to 7 inches of rain falling over a very short period of time. 5 1/2 inches were measured in just 90 minutes. Numerous homes and roads flooded, with a few water rescues becoming necessary. Numerous homes on Cherry Avenue were flooded. 3 mobile homes were flooded on Warren Street. The Fish House Restaurant was also flooded. Several roads suffered damage.
A line of severe thunderstorms moved through the county from west to east between 1045 pm and 1140 pm. Trees and power lines were blown down throughout the county. Some of the trees fell onto homes and businesses in the Jackson area where nine buildings were damaged. Electricity was out across much of the county because of downed power lines. Around 200 am near Toddtown (between Jackson and Grove Hill) a family was using candles to light their home. Tragically the candle started a fire in the home and a wheelchair bound female was killed in the fire.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
22,543
Population (ACS)
$122K
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 |
| 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 Clarke County, Alabama?
555 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $8.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Clarke County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 320 recorded events — 57.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Clarke County?
49 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 42 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Clarke County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Clarke County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Clarke County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Clarke County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 53 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Clarke 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
- Choctaw County 327
- Clay County 246
- Chilton County 332
- Cleburne County 180
- Cherokee County 385
- Coffee County 594
Cite this page
“Clarke County, Alabama.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/alabama/clarke-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.