States › Alabama › Calhoun County

Calhoun County, Alabama

Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.

FIPS 01015 · 115,972 residents (2021) · 606 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 154Tornado · 32Flood · 35Wind · 259Winter · 21

Calhoun County within Alabama. Dots: HailTornadoFloodWind event locations in the kept record. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.

NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. NCEI storm records through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA declarations refreshed 1 Oct 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.

Calhoun County, Alabama, has 594 weather events in the NCEI Storm Events record since 1950, most of them damaging wind.

That is 98.0 events per 100 square miles, in line with the Alabama figure of 87.3, and 51.2 per 10,000 residents against 87.8 statewide.

12 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 25 deaths and 169 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $135M and crop damage at $1.0M.

FEMA has designated the county in 23 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Hurricane Helene (emergency, 26 Sep 2024).

National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 129 claims since 1978, of which 75 were paid, totalling $706K (about $9K per paid claim). FEMA counts 292 residential flood policies in force.

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively Moderate" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively Moderate" ($54M a year across 18 hazards).

19 tropical storm or hurricane tracks in the HURDAT2 record passed within 100 miles of the county's centre at tropical-storm strength or more, 0 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

12events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

594events since 195025 deaths, 169 injuries recorded

23disaster declarationslast 26 Sep 2024

129NFIP flood claims$706K paid

Compared with Alabama and the United States

Measure	Calhoun County	Alabama	US
Recorded events since 1950	594	44,232	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	98.0	87.3	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	51.2	87.8	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	12	1,348	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	25	941	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$135M	$12B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	1.1	8.9	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$9K	$34K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	7.5	21.5	16.1

County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county. State and US rows include events recorded only by forecast zone. Rates use 2021 Census population and land area.

Events by decade

Tornado: 1

Hail: 1Tornado: 5Wind: 2

Hail: 5Tornado: 3Wind: 13

Hail: 8Tornado: 3Wind: 27

Hail: 23Tornado: 1Flood: 3Wind: 32Winter: 5Heat: 4Cold: 7Lightning: 1Other: 1

Hail: 54Tornado: 10Flood: 12Wind: 63Winter: 4Tropical: 4Heat: 4Cold: 4Drought: 20Lightning: 7Other: 5

Hail: 54Tornado: 6Flood: 12Wind: 71Winter: 11Tropical: 2Heat: 3Cold: 1Drought: 20Other: 1

Hail: 9Tornado: 3Flood: 8Wind: 51Winter: 1Tropical: 1Heat: 1Drought: 7

11950s81960s211970s381980s771990s1872000s1812010s812020s

Recorded events in Calhoun County by decade and hazard group. HailTornadoFloodWindWinterTropicalHeatColdDroughtLightningOther NCEI recorded only tornadoes, hail and thunderstorm wind before 1996.

Trend: 346 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 186 in the 20 years before. Reporting practice changed in 1996 and again with automated reports in the 2000s, so decade totals measure the record as much as the weather.

Events by type

Wind259

Hail154

Drought47

Flood35

Tornado32

Winter21

Heat12

Cold12

Lightning8

Tropical7

Other7

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	259	6	1.2%	detail
■ Hail	154	—	1.9%	detail
■ Drought	47	—	1.8%
■ Flood	35	—	1.0%	detail
■ Tornado	32	19	1.0%	detail
■ Winter	21	—	1.4%	detail
■ Heat	12	—	0.9%
■ Cold	12	—	1.1%
■ Lightning	8	—	1.1%
■ Tropical	7	—	1.4%
■ Other	7	—	1.4%

Hazard pages exist for hail, tornado, flood, wind and winter where the county has at least 10 recorded events. "Other" covers heavy rain, debris flow, dust, funnel clouds and similar reports.

Largest recorded events

Date	Event type	Group	Magnitude	Property damage	Crop damage	Deaths	Injuries	Geography
27 Apr 2011	Tornado	Tornado	EF4	$122M	—	8	25	County
25 Mar 2021	Tornado	Tornado	EF3	—	—	6	10	County
16 Aug 1986	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	0 mph	—	—	3	1	County
16 Aug 1986	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	0 mph	—	—	3	1	County
3 Dec 1983	Tornado	Tornado	F3	$2.5M	—	2	51	County
2 Apr 2000	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$300K	—	1	6	County
27 Apr 2011	Tornado	Tornado	EF1	$4.0M	—	1	1	County
24 Nov 2004	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$85K	—	1	—	County
5 Dec 1954	Tornado	Tornado	F3	$250K	—	—	26	County
8 Aug 2007	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	—	15	Forecast zone
4 Apr 1989	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	81 mph	—	—	—	8	County
24 Nov 2001	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$250K	—	—	5	County
5 Apr 1985	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	85 mph	—	—	—	5	County
19 Mar 2018	Tornado	Tornado	EF3	—	—	—	4	County
6 Mar 2003	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$200K	—	—	3	County
13 Jun 2004	Lightning	Lightning	—	$20K	—	—	3	County
22 Nov 1967	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$250K	—	—	2	County
6 Aug 2002	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	—	1	County
29 Jun 2012	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	—	1	Forecast zone
18 May 2013	Flash Flood	Flood	—	—	—	—	1	County

Ranked by deaths, then injuries, then NCEI's damage estimate. Deaths and injuries are NCEI counts (direct plus indirect); no personal details are recorded here.

Federal disaster declarations

Declared	Number	Type	Incident	Title	Programs
26 Sep 2024	EM-3618	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Helene	Public assistance
26 Apr 2021	DR-4596	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes	Individual assistance, Public assistance
10 Dec 2020	DR-4573	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Zeta	Public assistance
14 Sep 2020	EM-3545	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Sally	Public assistance
29 Mar 2020	DR-4503	Major disaster	Biological	Covid-19 Pandemic	Individual assistance, Public assistance
13 Mar 2020	EM-3472	Emergency	Biological	Covid-19	Public assistance
26 Apr 2018	DR-4362	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Tornadoes	Individual assistance, Public assistance
11 Sep 2017	EM-3389	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Irma	Public assistance
28 Apr 2011	DR-1971	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
27 Apr 2011	EM-3319	Emergency	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Straight-Line Winds	Public assistance
30 Aug 2008	EM-3292	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Gustav	Public assistance
10 Sep 2005	EM-3237	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Katrina Evacuation	Public assistance
15 Sep 2004	DR-1549	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Ivan	Individual assistance, Public assistance
12 May 2003	DR-1466	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding	Individual assistance
14 Nov 2002	DR-1442	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Tornadoes	Individual assistance
7 Dec 2001	DR-1399	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Tornadoes	Individual assistance
4 Oct 1995	DR-1070	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Opal	Individual assistance, Public assistance
30 Mar 1994	DR-1019	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornado, And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
15 Mar 1993	EM-3096	Emergency	Snowstorm	Severe Snowfall, Winter Storm	Public assistance
21 Mar 1990	DR-861	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding	Individual assistance
17 Feb 1990	DR-856	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding	Individual assistance
13 Dec 1983	DR-695	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms,Flooding And Tornadoes	Individual assistance
20 Jul 1977	EM-3045	Emergency	Drought	Drought	Public assistance

Declarations in which FEMA designated this county, from the OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). DR: major disaster; EM: emergency; FM: fire management assistance. Programs show whether individual or public assistance was made available.

Flood insurance claims

197820022026

NFIP claims by year of loss in Calhoun County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 1978129

Paid claims75

Total paid$706K

Average paid claim$9K

Repetitive-loss properties40 severe

Residential policies in force2920.6% of 46,411 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2026	1	0	$0	—
2025	7	4	$118,661	$29,665
2023	2	0	$0	—
2022	2	1	$52,724	$52,724
2021	5	2	$28,522	$14,261
2020	2	1	$2,609	$2,609
2019	2	2	$41,610	$20,805
2017	1	0	$0	—
2016	2	1	$30,120	$30,120
2015	6	1	$17,210	$17,210
2014	1	0	$0	—
2013	2	1	$10,540	$10,540
2011	4	4	$25,238	$6,310
2010	2	0	$0	—
2009	3	3	$12,416	$4,139
2008	2	0	$0	—
2007	1	1	$3,926	$3,926
2006	1	1	$112,774	$112,774
2005	1	0	$0	—
2004	1	1	$5,861	$5,861
2003	14	8	$24,745	$3,093
2002	2	0	$0	—
2000	1	0	$0	—
1999	2	1	$7,661	$7,661
1998	1	1	$1,330	$1,330

OpenFEMA NFIP claims (v3, as of 8 Sep 2026), aggregated by year of loss; amounts are building, contents and increased-cost-of-compliance payments as recorded. Repetitive-loss counts from the NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (2 Aug 2026); policies in force from the NFIP Residential Penetration Rates file (3 Aug 2026).

National Risk Index

Overall riskRelatively Moderatescore 88.5 of 100

Expected annual loss$54MRelatively Moderate

Social vulnerabilityVery High

Community resilienceRelatively Moderate

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Relatively Moderate	$26,815,668
Tornado	Relatively High	$18,570,934
Cold wave	Relatively Moderate	$1,997,226
Earthquake	Relatively Low	$1,980,994
Strong wind	Relatively High	$1,148,963
Heat wave	Relatively Low	$1,000,192
Hurricane	Relatively Low	$617,246
Lightning	Relatively Moderate	$527,862
Hail	Relatively Low	$438,281
Wildfire	Relatively Low	$340,443
Drought	Relatively Low	$220,946
Ice storm	Relatively Low	$78,142
Landslide	Relatively Low	$23,163
Winter weather	Relatively Low	$21,341

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. Ratings are FEMA's relative comparison of counties; expected annual loss is FEMA's modelled estimate of average yearly building, population and agriculture loss. See how to read the NRI.

Hurricane and tropical storm passes

Tracks within 100 miles19

Tracks within 50 miles3

Hurricane strength within 50 miles0

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Opal	1995	45 mi	58 mph
Juan	1985	54 mi	40 mph
Eloise	1975	54 mi	63 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1932	27 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1916	59 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1915	51 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1912	79 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1907	65 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1906	54 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1903	61 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1902	59 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1898	74 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1898	41 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1893	76 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1892	75 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1887	82 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1881	92 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1859	75 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1852	90 mi	46 mph

HURDAT2 best-track positions at tropical-storm strength (34 kt) or more, measured from the county's Census centre point; through the 2025 season. Distance from a track is not the same as the extent of the storm's wind, rain or surge.

ZIP codes with flood claims

36203 45
36206 34
36207 20
36201 19
36265 10
36272 5

ZIP codes whose NFIP claims carry this county's code, with the number of claims. Five or more claims are needed for a ZIP page to be indexed.

Questions and answers

How often does it hail in Calhoun County, AL?

NCEI records 154 hail events in Calhoun County since 1950, in 39 different years; that is about 2.0 recorded events a year. 38 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Calhoun County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 32 tornadoes in Calhoun County since 1950, 14 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 19.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Calhoun County?

26 Sep 2024: Hurricane Helene, a emergency declaration for hurricane. The county appears in 23 declarations since 1953.

How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Calhoun County, and how much was paid?

129 NFIP claims since 1978, 75 of them paid, for $706K in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is Calhoun County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?

FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Relatively Moderate" for overall risk, "Relatively Moderate" for expected annual loss, "Very High" for social vulnerability and "Relatively Moderate" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.

How does Calhoun County compare with the rest of Alabama?

98.0 recorded events per 100 square miles against 87.3 statewide, and 1.1 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 8.9. The comparison table on this page shows each measure beside the state and national figures.

Provenance

Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026 (public domain). Declarations: OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, refreshed 1 Oct 2026. Flood claims: OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipMultipleLossProperties v1 (2 Aug 2026); NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026). Risk index: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Hurricane tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through 2025. Population and area: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage. Built 1 Oct 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.