States › Alabama › Crenshaw County

Crenshaw 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 01041 · 13,083 residents (2021) · 609 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 38Tornado · 31Flood · 19Wind · 158Winter · 7

Crenshaw 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.

Crenshaw County, Alabama, has 266 weather events in the NCEI Storm Events record since 1950, most of them damaging wind.

That is 43.7 events per 100 square miles, below the Alabama figure of 87.3, and 203.3 per 10,000 residents against 87.8 statewide.

1 event fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 0 deaths and 30 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $7.9M.

FEMA has designated the county in 29 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Hurricane Helene (emergency, 26 Sep 2024).

National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 2 claims since 1978, of which 0 were paid, totalling $0. FEMA counts 3 residential flood policies in force.

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Very Low" and its expected annual loss as "Very Low" ($7.2M a year across 18 hazards).

55 tropical storm or hurricane tracks in the HURDAT2 record passed within 100 miles of the county's centre at tropical-storm strength or more, 1 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

1events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

266events since 19500 deaths, 30 injuries recorded

29disaster declarationslast 26 Sep 2024

2NFIP flood claims$0 paid

Compared with Alabama and the United States

Measure	Crenshaw County	Alabama	US
Recorded events since 1950	266	44,232	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	43.7	87.3	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	203.3	87.8	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	1	1,348	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	0	941	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$7.9M	$12B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	0.2	8.9	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	—	$34K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	0.0	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: 1Wind: 1

Tornado: 3Wind: 1

Hail: 1Tornado: 1Wind: 4

Hail: 4Tornado: 1Wind: 4

Hail: 12Tornado: 8Flood: 4Wind: 22Tropical: 1

Hail: 14Tornado: 4Flood: 10Wind: 36Winter: 2Tropical: 2Heat: 2Other: 2

Hail: 2Tornado: 9Flood: 3Wind: 26Winter: 4Drought: 2Other: 1

Hail: 5Tornado: 4Flood: 2Wind: 64Winter: 1Tropical: 2Lightning: 1

21950s41960s61970s91980s471990s722000s472010s792020s

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

Trend: 154 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 94 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

Wind158

Hail38

Tornado31

Flood19

Winter7

Tropical5

Other3

Heat2

Drought2

Lightning1

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	158	—	0.7%	detail
■ Hail	38	—	0.5%	detail
■ Tornado	31	—	1.0%	detail
■ Flood	19	—	0.6%	detail
■ Winter	7	—	0.5%
■ Tropical	5	—	1.0%
■ Other	3	—	0.6%
■ Heat	2	—	0.2%
■ Drought	2	—	0.1%
■ Lightning	1	—	0.1%

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
25 Jan 1990	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$2.5M	—	—	28	County
29 Sep 1965	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$25K	—	—	2	County
25 Sep 1998	Hurricane (Typhoon)	Tropical	—	$1.0M	—	—	—	Forecast zone
3 Apr 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	90 mph	$1.0M	—	—	—	County
8 Mar 1998	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$300K	—	—	—	County
17 Nov 2014	Tornado	Tornado	EF1	$285K	—	—	—	County
18 Apr 1969	Tornado	Tornado	F4	$250K	—	—	—	County
7 Nov 1996	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	104 mph	$250K	—	—	—	County
1 Jul 2003	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$200K	—	—	—	County
4 Jan 2015	Tornado	Tornado	EF2	$200K	—	—	—	County
30 Apr 2005	Tornado	Tornado	F0	$150K	—	—	—	County
24 Dec 2015	Flood	Flood	—	$135K	—	—	—	County
28 Sep 1998	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$100K	—	—	—	County
14 Apr 2007	Tornado	Tornado	EF0	$100K	—	—	—	County
22 Apr 2018	Tornado	Tornado	EF1	$100K	—	—	—	County
22 Apr 2018	Tornado	Tornado	EF1	$100K	—	—	—	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
20 Sep 2020	DR-4563	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Sally	Public assistance
14 Sep 2020	EM-3545	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Sally	Public assistance
10 Jul 2020	DR-4554	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes	Public assistance
21 May 2020	DR-4546	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	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
12 Oct 2018	EM-3407	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Michael	Public assistance
8 Oct 2017	EM-3394	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Nate	Public assistance
11 Sep 2017	EM-3389	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Irma	Public assistance
21 Jan 2016	DR-4251	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding	Public assistance
2 May 2014	DR-4176	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding	Public assistance
28 Apr 2011	DR-1971	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding	Public assistance
27 Apr 2011	EM-3319	Emergency	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Straight-Line Winds	Public assistance
31 Dec 2009	DR-1870	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Public assistance
28 Apr 2009	DR-1835	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes & Straight-Line	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
10 Jul 2005	DR-1593	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Dennis	Public assistance
15 Sep 2004	DR-1549	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Ivan	Individual assistance, Public assistance
30 Sep 1998	DR-1250	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Georges - 18 Sep 98	Individual assistance, Public assistance
28 Sep 1998	EM-3133	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Georges	Public assistance
9 Mar 1998	DR-1208	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
4 Oct 1995	DR-1070	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Opal	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, Public assistance
20 Jul 1977	EM-3045	Emergency	Drought	Drought	Public assistance
2 Oct 1975	DR-488	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
14 Mar 1975	DR-458	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms & Flooding	Individual assistance, 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 Crenshaw County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 19782

Paid claims0

Total paid$0

Average paid claim—

Repetitive-loss properties0

Residential policies in force30.0% of 6,732 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
1998	1	0	$0	—
1995	1	0	$0	—

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 riskVery Lowscore 34.4 of 100

Expected annual loss$7.2MVery Low

Social vulnerabilityVery High

Community resilienceRelatively Low

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Very Low	$2,545,433
Hurricane	Relatively Moderate	$2,280,431
Tornado	Relatively Low	$1,301,314
Strong wind	Relatively Low	$248,325
Cold wave	Relatively Low	$241,343
Heat wave	Relatively Low	$227,554
Lightning	Relatively Moderate	$201,681
Earthquake	Very Low	$79,228
Hail	Very Low	$32,247
Drought	Relatively Low	$31,169
Wildfire	Very Low	$7,013
Winter weather	Very Low	$2,608
Ice storm	Very Low	$2,583
Landslide	Very Low	$464

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 miles55

Tracks within 50 miles14

Hurricane strength within 50 miles1

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Fred	2021	54 mi	52 mph
Sally	2020	24 mi	69 mph
Claudette	2009	87 mi	46 mph
Fay	2008	89 mi	46 mph
Dennis	2005	83 mi	52 mph
Ivan	2004	83 mi	81 mph
Barry	2001	78 mi	69 mph
Helene	2000	87 mi	40 mph
Opal	1995	58 mi	92 mph
Alberto	1994	71 mi	63 mph
Juan	1985	40 mi	46 mph
Eloise	1975	95 mi	63 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1969	70 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1965	72 mi	58 mph
Hilda	1964	80 mi	58 mph
Debbie	1957	94 mi	40 mph
Flossy	1956	84 mi	92 mph
Alice	1953	95 mi	46 mph
Florence	1953	66 mi	92 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1948	73 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1939	68 mi	75 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1937	52 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1936	62 mi	104 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1934	88 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1932	83 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.

Questions and answers

How often does it hail in Crenshaw County, AL?

NCEI records 38 hail events in Crenshaw County since 1950, in 22 different years; that is about 0.5 recorded events a year. 10 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Crenshaw County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 31 tornadoes in Crenshaw County since 1950, 6 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Crenshaw County?

26 Sep 2024: Hurricane Helene, a emergency declaration for hurricane. The county appears in 29 declarations since 1953.

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

2 NFIP claims since 1978, 0 of them paid, for $0 in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

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

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

How does Crenshaw County compare with the rest of Alabama?

43.7 recorded events per 100 square miles against 87.3 statewide, and 0.2 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.