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Fayette County, Alabama severe weather history spans 317 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 56.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,684 nationally and #44 in Alabama.
317
Recorded events
7
Direct deaths
42
Direct injuries
$40.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Fayette County, Alabama severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Fayette County, Alabama severe weather history averages 4.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 98 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 50 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 Fayette County, Alabama record is tornado, responsible for 6 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $39.1M 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 Fayette County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 178 | 1 | $1.1M | 75 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 63 | 0 | $36K | 2 | 1955–2026 |
| Tornado | 56 | 6 | $39.1M | F4 | 1951–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 15 | 0 | $120K | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2007 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2007–2007 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
Decade by decade
Fayette County, Alabama severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
56 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 47 touched down inside it and 9 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 | 13 | 54 | 127.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-03 | EF4 | 3 | 178 | 110.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2002-11-10 | EF3 | 7 | 53 | 72.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-11-10 | EF3 | 4 | 38 | 44.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-11-24 | EF3 | 2 | 1 | 38.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1952-02-13 | EF3 | 1 | 14 | 5.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-27 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-01-28 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-03-07 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 25.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-08-31 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 31.2 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Fayette County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | Tornado | ALTA | 4 | 0 | $6.6M |
| Apr 4, 1974 | Tornado | 2 | 29 | $25.0M | |
| May 21, 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | FAYETTE | 1 | 3 | $35K |
| Apr 27, 2011 | Tornado | BERRY | 0 | 4 | $1.4M |
| Nov 11, 2002 | Tornado | FAYETTE | 0 | 3 | $500K |
| Feb 20, 1951 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Apr 3, 2000 | Tornado | BANKSTON | 0 | 1 | $85K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A thunderstorm moving from the southern portion of Fayette County northward downed trees and caused power outages. One tree fell onto a mobile home on the north side of the city of Fayette killing a 36-year-old man and injuring three other people in the mobile home at the time.
A tornado touched down 4 miles west of Hubbertville, just west of US Hwy 43. The tornado tracked to the northeast where it knocked down hundreds of trees and destroyed at least two single family homes along CR 49, north of Hubbertville. As the tornado continued northeastward, several barns and outbuildings were damaged or destroyed. Damage associated with this tornado was consistent with winds of 145 mph and an EF3 rating. The tornado lifted near County Road 24, approximately 2 miles south of Bazemore.
A tornado developed along a Quasi-Linear Convective System. It touched down in southeast Fayette County, east of AL Hwy 13, along AL Hwy 18, southwest of Berry. This tornado maintained a small path width, averaging around 0.10 mile (176 yds). The tornado track paralleled AL Hwy 13 where it damaged several barns and knocked down many trees. The tornado moved through downtown Berry, where numerous businesses and homes sustained roof and wall damage. The damage was consistent with an EF1 rating and winds of 100 mph. As the tornado moved northeast of town, it weakened and dissipated near AL Hwy 18 and Simmons Rd.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
16,053
Population (ACS)
$126K
Median home value
21
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| 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 |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 11, 2017 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IRMA | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Fayette County, Alabama?
317 events are on record between 1951 and 2026, causing 7 direct deaths and $40.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Fayette County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 178 recorded events — 56.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Fayette County?
56 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 47 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Fayette County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Fayette County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Fayette County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Fayette County as very low risk, placing it in the 38 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Fayette 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
- Etowah County 547
- Franklin County 489
- Escambia County 343
- Geneva County 448
- Elmore County 550
- Greene County 164
Cite this page
“Fayette County, Alabama.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/alabama/fayette-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.