States › Alabama › Cullman County

Cullman 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 01043 · 89,496 residents (2021) · 735 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 265Tornado · 99Flood · 105Wind · 629Winter · 46

Cullman 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.

Between 1950 and 2026, NCEI recorded 1,339 storm events in Cullman County, Alabama, led by damaging wind.

That is 182.2 events per 100 square miles, above the Alabama figure of 87.3, and 149.6 per 10,000 residents against 87.8 statewide.

56 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 17 deaths and 310 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $109M and crop damage at $1.2M.

FEMA has designated the county in 32 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Hurricane Helene (emergency, 26 Sep 2024).

National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 30 claims since 1978, of which 23 were paid, totalling $564K (about $25K per paid claim). FEMA counts 77 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 Low" ($35M a year across 18 hazards).

14 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.

56events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

1,339events since 195017 deaths, 310 injuries recorded

32disaster declarationslast 26 Sep 2024

30NFIP flood claims$564K paid

Compared with Alabama and the United States

Measure	Cullman County	Alabama	US
Recorded events since 1950	1,339	44,232	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	182.2	87.3	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	149.6	87.8	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	56	1,348	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	17	941	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$109M	$12B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	0.3	8.9	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$25K	$34K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	11.7	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: 7Wind: 1

Hail: 2Tornado: 7Wind: 5

Hail: 7Tornado: 6Wind: 15

Hail: 12Tornado: 17Wind: 54

Hail: 57Tornado: 8Flood: 3Wind: 57Winter: 6Heat: 1Cold: 2Other: 3

Hail: 101Tornado: 19Flood: 29Wind: 137Winter: 7Tropical: 2Heat: 2Cold: 8Drought: 18Lightning: 7Other: 4

Hail: 56Tornado: 23Flood: 32Wind: 159Winter: 24Tropical: 1Heat: 10Cold: 30Drought: 9Lightning: 7Fog: 3Other: 7

Hail: 30Tornado: 12Flood: 41Wind: 201Winter: 9Heat: 37Cold: 32Drought: 10Lightning: 1Fog: 1

81950s141960s281970s831980s1371990s3342000s3612010s3742020s

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

Trend: 882 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 321 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

Wind629

Hail265

Flood105

Tornado99

Cold72

Heat50

Winter46

Drought37

Lightning15

Other14

Fog4

Tropical3

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	629	2	3.0%	detail
■ Hail	265	—	3.3%	detail
■ Flood	105	—	3.1%	detail
■ Tornado	99	11	3.1%	detail
■ Cold	72	—	6.3%
■ Heat	50	3	3.8%
■ Winter	46	1	3.1%	detail
■ Drought	37	—	1.4%
■ Lightning	15	—	2.1%
■ Other	14	—	2.8%
■ Fog	4	—	14.8%
■ Tropical	3	—	0.6%

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
16 Feb 1995	Tornado	Tornado	F3	$5.0M	$5K	6	130	County
11 Mar 1963	Tornado	Tornado	F4	$2.5M	—	2	6	County
3 Apr 1974	Tornado	Tornado	F4	$25M	—	1	36	County
5 Jul 1992	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	0 mph	—	—	1	1	County
7 Jan 2010	Winter Weather	Winter	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
27 Apr 2011	Tornado	Tornado	EF2	—	—	1	—	County
27 Apr 2011	Tornado	Tornado	EF4	—	—	1	—	County
14 Jul 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	63 mph	—	—	1	—	County
27 Jun 2022	Excessive Heat	Heat	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
7 Jul 2025	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
25 Jul 2025	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
19 Jan 1988	Tornado	Tornado	F3	$25M	—	—	35	County
15 Nov 1983	Tornado	Tornado	F3	$2.5M	—	—	19	County
20 Mar 1976	Tornado	Tornado	F3	$2.5M	—	—	17	County
24 Oct 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	58 mph	$2K	—	—	9	County
10 Nov 2002	Tornado	Tornado	F3	$1.3M	—	—	8	County
16 Aug 1985	Tornado	Tornado	F3	$2.5M	—	—	6	County
17 Feb 1986	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	0 mph	—	—	—	4	County
17 Feb 1986	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	0 mph	—	—	—	4	County
13 Feb 1952	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$2.5M	—	—	3	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
14 Sep 2020	EM-3545	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Sally	Public assistance
10 Jul 2020	DR-4555	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Thunderstorms	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
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
21 Jan 2016	DR-4251	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	Individual assistance, Public assistance
27 Apr 2011	EM-3319	Emergency	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Straight-Line Winds	Public assistance
8 May 2009	DR-1836	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding, 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
29 Aug 2005	DR-1605	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Katrina	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, Public assistance
15 Jan 1999	DR-1261	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Riv-Severe Winter Wx 12/23/98	Public assistance
9 Apr 1998	DR-1214	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Tornadoes	Individual assistance
23 Feb 1996	DR-1104	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storms, Ice And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
4 Oct 1995	DR-1070	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Opal	Individual assistance, Public assistance
21 Apr 1995	DR-1047	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding And Tornadoes	Individual assistance, Public assistance
3 Mar 1994	DR-1013	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storms, Freezing, Flooding	Public assistance
15 Mar 1993	EM-3096	Emergency	Snowstorm	Severe Snowfall, Winter Storm	Public assistance
4 Jan 1991	DR-890	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms & Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
17 Feb 1990	DR-856	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
20 Jul 1977	EM-3045	Emergency	Drought	Drought	Public assistance
14 Mar 1975	DR-458	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms & Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
4 Apr 1974	DR-422	Major disaster	Tornado	Tornadoes	Individual assistance, Public assistance
29 May 1973	DR-388	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms & Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
27 Mar 1973	DR-369	Major disaster	Tornado	Tornadoes & 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 Cullman County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 197830

Paid claims23

Total paid$564K

Average paid claim$25K

Repetitive-loss properties10 severe

Residential policies in force770.2% of 35,684 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2023	1	0	$0	—
2021	7	7	$134,093	$19,156
2020	1	1	$46,306	$46,306
2015	8	7	$216,988	$30,998
2011	2	0	$0	—
2009	3	2	$16,150	$8,075
2004	2	1	$11,441	$11,441
2002	1	0	$0	—
1996	1	1	$147	$147
1990	1	1	$5,682	$5,682
1979	3	3	$132,788	$44,263

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 81.9 of 100

Expected annual loss$35MRelatively Low

Social vulnerabilityRelatively High

Community resilienceRelatively Low

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Relatively Moderate	$14,874,348
Cold wave	Relatively High	$7,130,741
Tornado	Relatively Moderate	$5,350,092
Earthquake	Relatively Low	$2,394,314
Strong wind	Relatively High	$1,924,259
Heat wave	Relatively Moderate	$1,256,748
Lightning	Relatively High	$711,860
Hurricane	Relatively Low	$576,196
Drought	Relatively Low	$204,687
Hail	Relatively Low	$126,334
Ice storm	Relatively Moderate	$113,582
Wildfire	Relatively Low	$90,331
Winter weather	Relatively Low	$57,076
Landslide	Relatively Low	$11,500

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 miles14

Tracks within 50 miles4

Hurricane strength within 50 miles0

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Zeta	2020	99 mi	69 mph
Katrina	2005	99 mi	46 mph
Opal	1995	75 mi	58 mph
Juan	1985	45 mi	40 mph
Frederic	1979	65 mi	52 mph
Baker	1950	92 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1934	97 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1932	40 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1916	61 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1916	45 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1915	60 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1907	91 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1892	45 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1881	77 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

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 Cullman County, AL?

NCEI records 265 hail events in Cullman County since 1950, in 51 different years; that is about 3.4 recorded events a year. 82 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Cullman County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 99 tornadoes in Cullman County since 1950, 34 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 11.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Cullman County?

26 Sep 2024: Hurricane Helene, a emergency declaration for hurricane. The county appears in 32 declarations since 1953.

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

30 NFIP claims since 1978, 23 of them paid, for $564K in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is Cullman 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 Low" for expected annual loss, "Relatively High" for social vulnerability and "Relatively Low" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.

How does Cullman County compare with the rest of Alabama?

182.2 recorded events per 100 square miles against 87.3 statewide, and 0.3 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.