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Perry County, Alabama severe weather history spans 161 recorded events between 1960 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 39.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,656 nationally and #65 in Alabama.
161
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$31.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Perry County, Alabama severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Perry County, Alabama severe weather history averages 2.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 60 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 18 events fall before 1990 and 143 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $30.6M in reported property damage. In total, 5 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Perry County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 63 | 0 | $399K | 75 | 1962–2026 |
| Hail | 47 | 0 | $436K | 2.5 | 1960–2023 |
| Tornado | 41 | 0 | $30.6M | F4 | 1961–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 9 | 0 | $69K | 0 | 1998–2018 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2001 |
Decade by decade
Perry County, Alabama severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
40 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 30 touched down inside it and 10 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 | 7 | 17 | 122.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-05-27 | EF4 | 7 | 199 | 139.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-03-30 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 29.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-03-25 | EF3 | 0 | 13 | 79.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1961-12-11 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 9.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-01-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 21.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-03-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-01-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 39.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-09-20 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Perry County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 20, 1979 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Dec 12, 1961 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Feb 2, 1987 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| Dec 18, 1961 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado touched down 5.5 miles south of Marion, 1 mile west of CR 35 and tracked northeastward. The tornado destroyed an outbuilding and damaged the roof of a single family home along CR 38. The tornado strengthened to EF1 with winds of 90 mph as it crossed CR 45, north of Vilula. Many trees were knocked down near the Faith Chapel Baptist Church. The tornado damaged a couple barns along Kynard Rd and quickly dissipated just east of CR 4.
A tornado touched down in Smith County, Mississippi and tracked through Jasper and Clarke Counties (See Storm Data Jackson), where it caused EF4 rated damage. The tornado then crossed into Choctaw County (See Storm Data Mobile) Alabama, where it caused EF3 rated damage. The tornado tracked across portions of Sumter, Marengo and western Perry Counties, before it dissipated. The tornado crossed into Perry County north of Uniontown and produced significant tree damage. The tornado crossed AL Hwy 183, where it damaged two outbuildings and destroyed a grain silo. The tornado lifted east of AL Hwy 183, northeast of Uniontown.
A small tornado touched down just southwest of Uniontown in an open area and traveled north-northeast across the western portions of Uniontown. The tornado ended just north-northwest of Uniontown in an open area. The tornado tore shingles off several houses in the southwest section of Uniontown in addition to downing trees and power lines. The tornado did similar damage to residential structures in the northwest portion of Uniontown. A one-story apartment complex lost a portion of it's roof. Several trees fell on homes and blocked residential streets. Beginning: 32 26.587/87 31.219 End: 32 27.857/87 30.951
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
8,031
Population (ACS)
$86K
Median home value
24
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Apr 26, 2021 | 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 Perry County, Alabama?
161 events are on record between 1960 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $31.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Perry County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 63 recorded events — 39.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Perry County?
40 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 30 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Perry County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Perry County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Perry County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Perry County as very low risk, placing it in the 19 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Perry 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
- Morgan County 1,097
- Pickens County 315
- Montgomery County 519
- Pike County 244
- Monroe County 295
- Randolph County 310
Cite this page
“Perry County, Alabama.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/alabama/perry-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.