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Hale County, Alabama severe weather history spans 240 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 45.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,177 nationally and #57 in Alabama.
240
Recorded events
12
Direct deaths
147
Direct injuries
$48.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Hale County, Alabama severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Hale County, Alabama severe weather history averages 3.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 75 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 26 events fall before 1990 and 214 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Hale County, Alabama record is tornado, responsible for 10 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $47.5M 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 Hale County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 108 | 0 | $660K | 75 | 1964–2025 |
| Hail | 59 | 0 | $314K | 2.75 | 1988–2023 |
| Tornado | 57 | 10 | $47.5M | F4 | 1957–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 12 | 0 | $160K | 0 | 1998–2014 |
| Lightning | 2 | 2 | $20K | 0 | 1999–2006 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2005 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2012–2012 |
Decade by decade
Hale County, Alabama severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
53 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 39 touched down inside it and 14 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973-05-27 | EF4 | 7 | 199 | 139.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-27 | EF3 | 7 | 50 | 72.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1992-03-10 | EF3 | 2 | 7 | 18.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-03-25 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 11.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-03-25 | EF3 | 0 | 13 | 79.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-02-03 | EF2 | 1 | 8 | 25.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-01-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 39.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-01-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 21.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-02-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Hale County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | Tornado | SAWYERVILLE | 6 | 40 | $17.0M |
| Mar 10, 1992 | Tornado | 2 | 7 | $250K | |
| May 29, 1999 | Lightning | GALLION | 2 | 1 | $0 |
| May 27, 1973 | Tornado | 1 | 72 | $25.0M | |
| Feb 3, 2022 | Tornado | SAWYERVILLE | 1 | 8 | $0 |
| Mar 25, 2021 | Tornado | GREENSBORO MUNI ARPT | 0 | 6 | $0 |
| Nov 18, 1957 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $250K | |
| Jul 27, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | HAVANA | 0 | 3 | $120K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado touched down in southwestern Greene County near Tishabee, and moved northeast through central Hale and Bibb Counties. The tornado then lifted near Marvel in far northeast Bibb County. The tornado crossed the Black Warrior River and into Hale County west of Sawyerville. The tornado crossed AL Route 14, just north of Sawyerville, intensifying to an EF3 rating with winds of 145 mph. As the tornado continued northeast, it crossed CR 18, CR 21, AL Hwy 69 south of Harper Hill, and CR 29 east of Ingram. Extensive structural damage was noted in the these locations, which resulted in at least 40 injuries and 6 fatalities. Numerous mobile homes and single family homes and one church were damaged or destroyed. Thousands of trees were knocked down. The tornado moved into the Talladega National Forest near Ingram, where it caused significant tree damage to the Bibb County line.
Two men were killed as they took shelter on shore after getting off the water. The two men had headed out for a fishing trip on the Black Warrior River. The event occurred near the Arcola Landing. The wife of the elder man was knocked unconscious when the lightning struck, however, she had moved away from the two men just before the lightning strike occurred.
The second segment of this tornado crossed into Hale County, just north of Creehill Creek. This tornado began in Greene County 2.2 miles east of Forkland. The tornado moved northeast into Hale County where it snapped and uprooted hundreds of trees. As the tornado crossed State Highway 14, it strengthened to an EF-2 rating, with maximum winds of 130 mph. Three mobile homes were severely damaged just north of Greensboro. The tornado lifted north of State Highway 25, 2.4 miles west of the Bibb County line.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
14,829
Population (ACS)
$128K
Median home value
23
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Jan 15, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Hale County, Alabama?
240 events are on record between 1957 and 2025, causing 12 direct deaths and $48.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Hale County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 108 recorded events — 45.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Hale County?
53 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 39 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Hale County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Hale County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Hale County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Hale County as very low risk, placing it in the 39 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Hale 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
- Greene County 164
- Henry County 327
- Geneva County 448
- Houston County 758
- Franklin County 489
- Jackson County 945
Cite this page
“Hale County, Alabama.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/alabama/hale-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.