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Jackson County, Alabama severe weather history spans 945 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 68.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #173 nationally and #9 in Alabama.
945
Recorded events
13
Direct deaths
55
Direct injuries
$27.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Jackson County, Alabama severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Jackson County, Alabama severe weather history averages 13.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 433 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 51 events fall before 1990 and 894 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Jackson County, Alabama record is tornado, responsible for 12 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $21.9M 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 Jackson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 647 | 0 | $3.1M | 87 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 132 | 0 | $238K | 2.75 | 1964–2025 |
| Tornado | 64 | 12 | $21.9M | F3 | 1958–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 52 | 0 | $1.6M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Flood | 29 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2011–2025 |
| Lightning | 10 | 1 | $141K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 10 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2009 |
Decade by decade
Jackson County, Alabama severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
63 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 54 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 | 14 | 50 | 47.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-27 | EF4 | 1 | 0 | 20.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-02-06 | EF4 | 1 | 12 | 10.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-05-18 | EF4 | 1 | 55 | 39.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2016-11-30 | EF3 | 4 | 9 | 13.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF3 | 2 | 7 | 46.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-05-08 | EF3 | 0 | 7 | 12.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-04-10 | EF3 | 0 | 5 | 32.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-04-15 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 9.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-04-06 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 25.7 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Jackson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | Tornado | HODGE | 6 | 0 | $0 |
| Nov 30, 2016 | Tornado | ROSLIE | 3 | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 6, 2008 | Tornado | PISGAH | 1 | 12 | $0 |
| Aug 12, 2001 | Lightning | BRYANT | 1 | 4 | $0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | Tornado | FACKLER | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | Tornado | SECTION | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 19, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 9 | $2.5M | |
| May 9, 2024 | Tornado | PISGAH | 0 | 7 | $4.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado of EF-1 intensity produced wind speeds of up to 110 mph. The tornado touched down just south of Section, crossing State Highway 35, then traveling nearly parallel to State Highway 71, through Dutton, into southern portions of of Pisgah before crossing into far northern DeKalb County. The tornado uprooted and snapped numerous trees along its path, knocking out power in many locations. One fatality occurred in the Pisgah area associated with this tornado.||The tornado took a very similar track to a violent tornado of EF-4 intensity later during the afternoon of the 27th. This made it very difficult to distinguish damage between the two tornadoes. Several eyewitnesses remarked about the morning tornado location and damages.
Representatives from the National Weather Service and the Jackson County Emergency Management Agency conducted a storm survey of damage that occurred in Jackson County, Alabama early in the morning of February 6, 2008.||The damage was determined to originate from a strong tornado, which at its peak had winds of at least 180 MPH, giving it a rating of EF-4 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. The most significant damage occurred at the corner of County Road 60 and 177, between the Rosalie and Pisgah communities in eastern Jackson County. This is also approximately the location where one fatality occurred. Trees along the tornado path were snapped and in some cases shredded, several houses were swept from their foundations, and a large section of a chicken house collapsed. Several large hay bales (weighing 2,500 pounds) were blown apart or tossed around.
A minor traffic accident occurred on SR 73 in Bryant. A group of three fire fighters and two other men were standing next to the accident scene when lightning struck a tree nearby. One man in his 60's was killed and four others received injuries of varying intensity.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
53,053
Population (ACS)
$160K
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 THUNDERSTORMS | DR |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Apr 17, 2019 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Scottsboro 137
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Jackson County, Alabama?
945 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 13 direct deaths and $27.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Jackson County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 647 recorded events — 68.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Jackson County?
63 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 54 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Jackson County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Jackson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Jackson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Jackson County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 79 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Jackson 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
- Houston County 758
- Jefferson County 1,606
- Henry County 327
- Lamar County 502
- Hale County 240
- Lauderdale County 1,849
Cite this page
“Jackson County, Alabama.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/alabama/jackson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.