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Etowah County, Alabama severe weather history spans 547 recorded events between 1958 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 60.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #736 nationally and #23 in Alabama.
547
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
85
Direct injuries
$28.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Etowah County, Alabama severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Etowah County, Alabama severe weather history averages 8.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 174 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 98 events fall before 1990 and 449 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $25.4M 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 Etowah County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 330 | 0 | $2.5M | 87 | 1962–2026 |
| Hail | 133 | 0 | $131K | 4.5 | 1961–2025 |
| Tornado | 34 | 0 | $25.4M | F4 | 1958–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 26 | 0 | $519K | 0 | 1997–2023 |
| Lightning | 14 | 0 | $302K | 0 | 1996–2010 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2000–2012 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Etowah County, Alabama severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
36 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 28 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-04-27 | EF4 | 22 | 85 | 97.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2001-11-24 | EF4 | 0 | 22 | 10.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-05-27 | EF3 | 1 | 44 | 41.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2014-04-28 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 11.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-12-16 | EF3 | 0 | 14 | 12.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-04-05 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF3 | 0 | 9 | 20.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-12 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 21.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-04-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-03-19 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 15.7 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Etowah County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 3, 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | NOCCALULA FALLS | 0 | 20 | $0 |
| Dec 16, 2000 | Tornado | GADSDEN | 0 | 14 | $10.0M |
| Mar 21, 1962 | Tornado | 0 | 10 | $250K | |
| Jun 3, 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | GADSDEN | 0 | 9 | $15K |
| Nov 22, 1992 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $0 | |
| Apr 4, 1977 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| Apr 12, 2020 | Tornado | WALNUT GROVE | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Mar 18, 2013 | Tornado | SARDIS CITY | 0 | 3 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado initially touched down in eastern Jefferson County, north northeast of Trussville. The tornado moved northeast through portions of St. Clair, Calhoun, Etowah and Cherokee Counties, before it moved into Georgia, across Polk, Floyd and Bartow (See Storm Data Peachtree City) Counties. The tornado moved into southeastern Etowah County, east of Cannon Gap Rd, where it caused mainly tree damage consistent with an EF1 rating and winds of 100 mph. This tornado just clipped the corner of the county. The tornado crossed back into Calhoun County, just south of US Hwy 278. ||This tornado was produced by a supercell thunderstorm that began in Newton County Mississippi at 13:54 pm CST, and eventually dissipated in Macon County, North Carolina at approximately 21:18 pm CST. This supercell spawned several strong to violent tornadoes along its long path, which included another violent EF4 tornado that crossed portions of Tuscaloosa and western suburbs of the Birmingham.
Numerous trees and power lines were knocked down or uprooted in southern Etowah County sporadically along this path. Many trees blocked roadways. 10 single family homes were totally destroyed. 20 homes sustained major damage. Minor damage was reported to another 29 homes. Two mobile homes were demolished and four additional mobile homes received minor damage. One man in North Gadsden was injured when his home crumbled. He had several bruises and a concussion. In Walnut Park, one woman died, apparently of natural causes, but it occurred in the middle of the storm. Stowers Manufacturing Plant in Gadsden had a large portion of its roof torn off. The damage was heavily concentrated in Gadsden and Walnut Park.
Several roads were reported covered with water in the city of Gadsden. Many of the roads were temporarily impassable due to the high water. Several area streams and creeks rose above bankfull. Canoe Creek rose out of its banks and flooded a few homes. One culvert was completely washed out. A minor landslide occurred on Whorton Gap Road. One bridge suffered major damage on Babe Jackson Road. Doppler radar estimated widespread rain amounts of 4 to 5 inches with a few spots approaching 12 inches. Runoff from these storms lasted for several hours after the heaviest rains ended.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
103,105
Population (ACS)
$167K
Median home value
29
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 THUNDERSTORMS | DR |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Apr 26, 2018 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Etowah County, Alabama?
547 events are on record between 1958 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $28.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Etowah County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 330 recorded events — 60.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Etowah County?
36 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 28 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Etowah County?
29 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Etowah County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Etowah County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Etowah County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 87 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Etowah 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
- Escambia County 343
- Fayette County 317
- Elmore County 550
- Franklin County 489
- DeKalb County 965
- Geneva County 448
Cite this page
“Etowah County, Alabama.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/alabama/etowah-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.