Houston County, Alabama severe weather history spans 758 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 67.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #333 nationally and #14 in Alabama.
758
Recorded events
7
Direct deaths
55
Direct injuries
$25.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Houston County, Alabama severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Houston County, Alabama severe weather history averages 11.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 281 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 108 events fall before 1990 and 650 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Houston County, Alabama record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 5 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $16.3M 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 Houston County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 510 | 5 | $5.3M | 76 | 1962–2026 |
| Hail | 93 | 0 | $5K | 2.75 | 1970–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 66 | 0 | $706K | 0 | 2006–2024 |
| Tornado | 62 | 1 | $16.3M | F2 | 1957–2026 |
| Flood | 11 | 0 | $2.5M | 0 | 2013–2018 |
| Lightning | 10 | 1 | $684K | 0 | 1999–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 2007–2018 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2005 |
Decade by decade
Houston County, Alabama severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
59 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 51 touched down inside it and 8 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-01-09 | EF2 | 1 | 10 | 34.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2017-01-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2005-03-22 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-12-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 29.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-12-24 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-04-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 15.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1980-03-08 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 16.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-01-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-03-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-06-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Houston County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 3, 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | MERRITTS CROSSROADS | 4 | 0 | $100K |
| Jan 9, 2024 | Tornado | MADRID | 1 | 10 | $6.0M |
| Jul 26, 2017 | Lightning | KEYTONS | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 7, 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | FARLEY NUCLEAR PLANT | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 31, 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 6 | $0 | |
| Mar 31, 2025 | Tornado | DOTHAN | 0 | 5 | $500K |
| Dec 24, 1997 | Tornado | WICKSBURG | 0 | 5 | $500K |
| Feb 10, 1981 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $2.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An NWS Survey Team determined that some damage in the Rehobeth area was caused by strong straight line winds on the southern flank of a tornado just to the north. Damage consisted of numerous large trees snapped or uprooted. One mobile home was split by a large tree, resulting in four fatalities. The damage pattern along this path was not convergent and was noticeably south of the path of the tornado vortex. Damage cost was estimated.
A 49 year old male was killed when an inflatable that looked like a castle came loose from its moorings during at thunderstorm and a pipe struck him in the head. There was no other damage reported in the immediate vicinity, so it was likely that this was associated with sub-severe wind speeds.
Numerous trees and power lines were blown down across Dothan. At the peak, 40,000 customers were without power. Structural damage occurred to Houston County Farm Center with a preliminary damage assessment of major damage to 33 homes and minor damage to 115 homes. Also some cars had trees on them. The assessment listed the damage total at over $2.2 million. No injuries occurred in the storm itself, but 3 minor injuries occurred during cleanup.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
108,140
Population (ACS)
$183K
Median home value
28
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| 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 |
| Nov 5, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE MICHAEL | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Dothan 123
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Houston County, Alabama?
758 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 7 direct deaths and $25.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Houston County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 510 recorded events — 67.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Houston County?
59 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 51 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Houston County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Houston County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Houston County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Houston County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 88 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Houston 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
- Henry County 327
- Jackson County 945
- Hale County 240
- Jefferson County 1,606
- Greene County 164
- Lamar County 502
Cite this page
“Houston County, Alabama.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/alabama/houston-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.