Henry County, Alabama severe weather history spans 327 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 70.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,625 nationally and #42 in Alabama.
327
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
38
Direct injuries
$28.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Henry County, Alabama severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Henry County, Alabama severe weather history averages 4.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 116 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 37 events fall before 1990 and 290 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Henry County, Alabama record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $27.6M 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 Henry County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 232 | 0 | $680K | 65 | 1956–2026 |
| Tornado | 40 | 2 | $27.6M | F3 | 1953–2026 |
| Hail | 33 | 0 | $1K | 2.75 | 1962–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 17 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2003–2024 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $70K | 0 | 2008–2011 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2008 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $301K | 0 | 2015–2015 |
Decade by decade
Henry County, Alabama severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
42 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 35 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973-12-29 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 15.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-01-13 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 16.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-19 | EF2 | 1 | 0 | 5.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-11-05 | EF2 | 1 | 20 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-04-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2000-12-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 29.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1997-01-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-03-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-12-06 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Henry County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 5, 2002 | Tornado | ABBEVILLE | 1 | 20 | $3.0M |
| Apr 20, 2020 | Tornado | TUMBLETON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Dec 24, 2002 | Tornado | HEADLAND | 0 | 8 | $2.0M |
| Apr 24, 2021 | Tornado | TUMBLETON | 0 | 2 | $100K |
| Mar 1, 2007 | Tornado | ABBEVILLE | 0 | 2 | $11.0M |
| Dec 30, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $2.5M | |
| Jan 13, 1972 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Mar 9, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | EDWIN | 0 | 1 | $35K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The supercell thunderstorm which spawned the tornado in Dale County, produced another tornado which touched down just west of U.S. Highway 431, and tore through the center of Abbeville. It destroyed several single-family homes and mobile homes, and severely damaged numerous other homes and businesses, including the high school. Uprooted trees and power lines littered city streets, with nearly 2,000 residents without electricity. Twenty people were injured, with a half of those hospitalized. A man died when the tornado destroyed his home on Rock Hill Circle. Henry County was declared a state disaster area. Reported by the Henry County EMA.
Tornado touched down just west of County Road 15 in Henry County, Alabama. The tornado continued northeast through the town of Tumbleton, damaging several single family homes. The tornado destroyed a double wide mobile home northeast of Tumbleton, leading to one fatality. The peak damage was noted from Tumbleton|to the mobile home, with winds estimated at 125 mph. The tornado continued northeast, damaging another single family home and outbuildings. The tornado lifted near County Road 53. Special thanks to Henry County Emergency Management and the Henry County Sheriff's Office for providing damage information and aerial imagery.
After the EF-1 tornado crossed into western Henry County from eastern Dale County, it traveled northeast causing sporadic tree damage along County Roads 7 and 40. It then tore through the Bethlehem community, and damaged 51 mobile homes and destroyed 28 others. Two persons were injured when the tornado damaged their mobile home. The tornado overturned a semi on State Road 10 before lifting. The tornado descended two miles southwest of the community of Otho along County Road 97. It destroyed 14 homes and damaged 27 others in Otho. Numerous trees and utility poles were also blown down there and in the Stonebridge subdivision. The tornado exited the northeast part of the county at Lake Eufaula. Henry County was declared a federal disaster area.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
17,647
Population (ACS)
$161K
Median home value
28
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Sep 14, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SALLY | EM |
| Jul 10, 2020 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Nov 5, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE MICHAEL | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Henry County, Alabama?
327 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $28.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Henry County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 232 recorded events — 70.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Henry County?
42 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 35 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Henry County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Henry County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Henry County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Henry County as very low risk, placing it in the 42 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Henry 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
- Hale County 240
- Houston County 758
- Greene County 164
- Jackson County 945
- Geneva County 448
- Jefferson County 1,606
Cite this page
“Henry County, Alabama.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/alabama/henry-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.