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Dallas County, Alabama severe weather history spans 373 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 55.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,371 nationally and #37 in Alabama.
373
Recorded events
7
Direct deaths
87
Direct injuries
$19.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Dallas County, Alabama severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Dallas County, Alabama severe weather history averages 5.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 97 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 106 events fall before 1990 and 267 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Dallas County, Alabama record is tornado, responsible for 7 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $17.5M 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 Dallas County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 205 | 0 | $832K | 75 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 101 | 0 | $297K | 4.5 | 1959–2025 |
| Tornado | 47 | 7 | $17.5M | F3 | 1953–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 15 | 0 | $240K | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 1996–1996 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2003 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2008 |
Decade by decade
Dallas County, Alabama severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
48 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 44 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-03-01 | EF4 | 1 | 2 | 6.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1996-03-06 | EF3 | 4 | 40 | 19.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-03-15 | EF3 | 2 | 2 | 24.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-12-06 | EF3 | 1 | 19 | 13.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-03-12 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 16.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-01-12 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 23.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-03-17 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 5.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-02-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-05-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Dallas County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 6, 1996 | Tornado | MARION JCT | 4 | 40 | $8.0M |
| Mar 16, 2025 | Tornado | PLANTERSVILLE | 2 | 2 | $0 |
| Dec 6, 1983 | Tornado | 1 | 19 | $2.5M | |
| Mar 29, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 6 | $0 | |
| Mar 29, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 6 | $0 | |
| Jul 1, 1959 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $25K | |
| Jan 12, 2023 | Tornado | ORRVILLE | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Mar 17, 2021 | Tornado | SELMA SELFIELD ARPT | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado formed and intensified quickly about two miles south|of Plantersville along County Road 63, uprooting swaths of trees|right from the start. The tornado travelled northward into|Plantersville and intensified to its maximum intensity of a|140 MPH EF3 tornado in the south end of town, where trees across|the entire area were uprooted, snapped, and even debarked.|Several homes and businesses were destroyed, which unfortunately|resulted in two fatalities and two injuries. The tornado began a|more northeasterly trajectory as it left Plantersville, but still|remained strong as it crossed into Autauga County.
The tornado touched down near Warrior Drive, just southeast of the Perry County line. It then tracked northeastward across AL-219 near the intersection of CR-230, moved right through the Summerfield Community, and crossed CR-37, before lifting just east of the intersection of CR-37 and CR-844. At least 5 structures, including 2 mobile homes and a metal warehouse, were destroyed. Twelve to fifteen additional structures, including several homes and an auto body shop, were damaged to varying degrees. Hundreds of trees were either snapped off or uprooted along the damage path.
A tornado that had previously caused EF-4 damage in Wilcox County crossed the Wilcox-Dallas county line about 6.4 miles southeast of the town of Alberta. The tornado then tracked northeastward and ended along the Alabama River, east of the Whites Bluff community. The most concentrated damage in Dallas County occurred just south of Five Points along County Road 31 and along County Road 33. Twenty seven homes suffered varying degrees of damage, and two homes were completely destroyed. At least six outbuildings were damaged. Numerous trees and power lines were either snapped off or uprooted along the path.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
36,858
Population (ACS)
$95K
Median home value
27
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 |
| Dec 10, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ZETA | 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Dallas County, Alabama?
373 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 7 direct deaths and $19.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Dallas County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 205 recorded events — 55.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Dallas County?
48 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 44 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Dallas County?
27 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Dallas County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Dallas County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Dallas County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 71 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Dallas 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
- Dale County 601
- DeKalb County 965
- Cullman County 1,074
- Elmore County 550
- Crenshaw County 248
- Escambia County 343
Cite this page
“Dallas County, Alabama.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/alabama/dallas-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.