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Colbert County, Alabama severe weather history spans 1,364 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 72.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #51 nationally and #4 in Alabama.
1,364
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
77
Direct injuries
$33.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Colbert County, Alabama severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Colbert County, Alabama severe weather history averages 18.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 592 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 93 events fall before 1990 and 1,271 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Colbert County, Alabama record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $24.0M 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 Colbert County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 992 | 2 | $24.0M | 78 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 144 | 0 | $118K | 2.75 | 1960–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 121 | 0 | $890K | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Tornado | 50 | 2 | $7.8M | F3 | 1953–2025 |
| Lightning | 25 | 1 | $175K | 0 | 2000–2023 |
| Flood | 19 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 10 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2010 |
Decade by decade
Colbert County, Alabama severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
51 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 46 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-02-20 | EF3 | 1 | 8 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-11-04 | EF3 | 0 | 16 | 60.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1967-10-24 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 15.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-03-17 | EF3 | 0 | 22 | 29.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-03-09 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 10.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1958-04-05 | EF2 | 1 | 1 | 19.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-12-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-11-29 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 10.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-05-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.6 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Colbert County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 20, 1953 | Tornado | 1 | 8 | $25K | |
| Oct 25, 2010 | Lightning | VALDOSTA | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| Apr 10, 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | HOBGOOD SIDING | 1 | 1 | $5K |
| Apr 6, 1958 | Tornado | 1 | 1 | $250K | |
| Aug 4, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | TUSCUMBIA | 1 | 0 | $125K |
| Mar 17, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 22 | $250K | |
| Nov 4, 1988 | Tornado | 0 | 16 | $2.5M | |
| Dec 20, 1957 | Tornado | 0 | 7 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Several trees were uprooted and power lines were downed by thunderstorm winds in the Locust Shores community. Along the 500 block of Locust Road, a large oak tree fell onto a mobile home, killing a female resident who was sleeping.
Two men were working outside of the Colbert Steam Plant, when they were struck. One man was revived and transported to the hospital in critical condition before passing away. The other man was admitted and released from the hospital.
The tornado touched down near Ford City where initial tree limbs snapped then rapidly began uprooting numerous trees north of River Road. Several trees were uprooted on River Road. One of these trees fell on a home and the drywall fell and scratched a child, resulting in one injury. North of River Road, several trees were found uprooted along with two collapsed silos along Sprout Spring Hollow Road. These silos had been in place since the 1930s and were completely destroyed, marking the maximum intensity of 105 mph. The tornado then tracked east-southeast toward Foster Mills and Red Bank, uprooting numerous trees along its path and snapping large limbs. The tornado then proceeded to cross the Tennessee River – Wheeler Lake into Lauderdale County.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
58,022
Population (ACS)
$171K
Median home value
24
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| May 5, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | 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 |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Cherokee 188
- Tuscumbia 162
- Muscle Shoals 147
- Sheffield 139
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Colbert County, Alabama?
1,364 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths and $33.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Colbert County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 992 recorded events — 72.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Colbert County?
51 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 46 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Colbert County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Colbert County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Colbert County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Colbert County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 81 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Colbert 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
- Coffee County 594
- Conecuh County 206
- Cleburne County 180
- Coosa County 171
- Clay County 246
- Covington County 431
Cite this page
“Colbert County, Alabama.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/alabama/colbert-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.