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Pickens County, Alabama severe weather history spans 315 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 47.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,696 nationally and #45 in Alabama.
315
Recorded events
7
Direct deaths
79
Direct injuries
$44.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Pickens County, Alabama severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Pickens County, Alabama severe weather history averages 4.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 98 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 44 events fall before 1990 and 271 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Pickens County, Alabama record is tornado, responsible for 5 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $42.3M 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 Pickens County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 148 | 0 | $1.4M | 78 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 93 | 0 | $88K | 2.75 | 1958–2025 |
| Tornado | 55 | 5 | $42.3M | F5 | 1952–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 14 | 2 | $161K | 0 | 1997–2015 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2005 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $25K | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Pickens County, Alabama severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
60 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 45 touched down inside it and 15 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966-03-03 | EF5 | 58 | 518 | 202.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-27 | EF4 | 13 | 54 | 127.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF4 | 3 | 178 | 110.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-03-12 | EF3 | 2 | 0 | 16.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-04-11 | EF3 | 1 | 9 | 66.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-27 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 22.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-27 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 23.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2002-11-10 | EF3 | 0 | 55 | 29.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1998-04-08 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 19.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-02-11 | EF3 | 0 | 18 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Pickens County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 11, 2020 | Tornado | UNION CHAPEL | 3 | 7 | $0 |
| Jan 6, 2009 | Flash Flood | PICKENSVILLE | 2 | 1 | $50K |
| Mar 12, 1986 | Tornado | 2 | 0 | $2.5M | |
| Feb 12, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 18 | $250K | |
| Mar 4, 1966 | Tornado | 0 | 11 | $250K | |
| Nov 22, 1992 | Tornado | 0 | 7 | $2.5M | |
| Aug 31, 2017 | Tornado | REFORM | 0 | 6 | $0 |
| Mar 3, 1952 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rainfall produced flooding at several locations across Pickens County. At least 5 roads were closed due to high water, and 2 bridges were washed out. Flash flooding caused a bridge to wash out on Antioch Chuch Road, over Buncomb Creek. A mother and child subsequently drove off the washed out roadway, and drowned in the flood waters. A second vehicle following behind also drove into the creek at the same place, but the occupants were successfully rescued.
The first segment of this long track tornado initially touched down 5 miles northeast of Pickensville near Basinger Rd, north of AL Hwy 86. This tornado continued through portions of Tuscaloosa, Fayette, Walker, Cullman (See Storm Data for Huntsville), and Blount Counties, before it dissipated in Marshall (See Storm Data for Huntsville) County. While the average path width of this tornado in Pickens County was around 0.4 mile (704 yds), the maximum path width was 0.6 mile (1056 yds). The tornado crossed AL Hwy 17 and US Hwy 82, across the southern and western extents of the city of Reform. The storm strengthened to an EF1 rating with winds of 110 mph to the northeast of Reform. Along CR 49, several chicken houses were destroyed and grain feed bins were tossed up to 100 yards. As the tornado crossed AL Hwy 159, north of CR 49, several homes sustained roof damage and several outbuildings were destroyed. Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted along the path. The tornado moved northeast entering Tuscaloosa County south of Mid Walters Rd.
A tornado developed along a Quasi-Linear Convective System and touched down in Kemper County Mississippi (See Storm Data Jackson), then tracked northeast through Noxubee County before crossing into Pickens County, southwest of Dancy. The tornado weakened to an EF1 rating as it entered Alabama, with winds of 100 mph. As the tornado moved across AL Hwy 17 near Dancy, a barn with metal siding and roofing and two small silos were destroyed. Significant tree damage was noted along CR 85. The tornado crossed the Tombigbee River and moved parallel to CR 13. The tornado crossed AL Hwy 14 south of Aliceville, damaging a farm irrigation system. The tornado continued northeast, lifting near Hamilton Jr Craft Rd, northwest of Benevola. Dozens of trees were also downed along this path. The average path width of the Alabama portion of the tornado path was 0.5 mile (880 yds).
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
18,721
Population (ACS)
$124K
Median home value
19
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Sep 14, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SALLY | EM |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 11, 2017 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IRMA | EM |
| May 2, 2014 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Pickens County, Alabama?
315 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 7 direct deaths and $44.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Pickens County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 148 recorded events — 47.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Pickens County?
60 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 45 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Pickens County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Pickens County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Pickens County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Pickens County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 45 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Pickens 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
- Perry County 161
- Pike County 244
- Morgan County 1,097
- Randolph County 310
- Montgomery County 519
- Russell County 275
Cite this page
“Pickens County, Alabama.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/alabama/pickens-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.