States › Alabama › Hale County

Hale 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 01065 · 14,754 residents (2021) · 644 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 61Tornado · 58Flood · 18Wind · 120Winter · 11

Hale 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.

The NCEI record lists 333 events for Hale County, Alabama, between 1950 and 2026; damaging wind account for the largest share.

That is 51.7 events per 100 square miles, below the Alabama figure of 87.3, and 225.7 per 10,000 residents against 87.8 statewide.

14 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 13 deaths and 167 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $53M and crop damage at $1.5M.

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 115 claims since 1978, of which 85 were paid, totalling $671K (about $8K per paid claim). FEMA counts 63 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" ($7.8M a year across 18 hazards).

36 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.

14events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

333events since 195013 deaths, 167 injuries recorded

23disaster declarationslast 26 Sep 2024

115NFIP flood claims$671K paid

Compared with Alabama and the United States

Measure	Hale County	Alabama	US
Recorded events since 1950	333	44,232	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	51.7	87.3	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	225.7	87.8	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	14	1,348	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	13	941	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$53M	$12B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	7.8	8.9	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$8K	$34K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	19.0	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: 1

Tornado: 2Wind: 1

Tornado: 5Wind: 1

Hail: 2Tornado: 4Wind: 10

Hail: 3Tornado: 1Flood: 1Wind: 17Winter: 4Heat: 1Cold: 2Lightning: 1

Hail: 34Tornado: 13Flood: 10Wind: 26Winter: 2Tropical: 4Heat: 1Cold: 3Drought: 20Lightning: 1Other: 1

Hail: 15Tornado: 11Flood: 7Wind: 40Winter: 5Heat: 4Cold: 1Drought: 8Other: 1

Hail: 7Tornado: 21Wind: 25Tropical: 1Heat: 4Drought: 12

11950s31960s61970s161980s301990s1152000s922010s702020s

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

Trend: 212 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

Wind120

Hail61

Tornado58

Drought40

Flood18

Winter11

Heat10

Cold6

Tropical5

Lightning2

Other2

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	120	1	0.6%	detail
■ Hail	61	—	0.8%	detail
■ Tornado	58	10	1.8%	detail
■ Drought	40	—	1.5%
■ Flood	18	—	0.5%	detail
■ Winter	11	—	0.7%	detail
■ Heat	10	—	0.8%
■ Cold	6	—	0.5%
■ Tropical	5	—	1.0%
■ Lightning	2	2	0.3%
■ Other	2	—	0.4%

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	EF3	$17M	—	6	40	County
10 Mar 1992	Tornado	Tornado	F3	$250K	—	2	7	County
29 May 1999	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	2	1	County
27 May 1973	Tornado	Tornado	F4	$25M	—	1	72	County
3 Feb 2022	Tornado	Tornado	EF2	—	—	1	8	County
6 Apr 2025	Strong Wind	Wind	30 mph	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
9 Jan 2011	Ice Storm	Winter	—	—	—	—	9	Forecast zone
8 Aug 2007	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	—	6	Forecast zone
25 Mar 2021	Tornado	Tornado	EF3	—	—	—	6	County
18 Nov 1957	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$250K	—	—	5	County
29 Aug 2005	Tropical Storm	Tropical	—	$1.8M	—	—	4	Forecast zone
26 Jul 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	86 mph	$120K	—	—	3	County
22 Oct 2007	Tornado	Tornado	EF1	$92K	—	—	2	County
16 Feb 2025	Tornado	Tornado	EF1	—	—	—	2	County
5 Sep 2011	Strong Wind	Wind	45 mph	$10K	—	—	1	Forecast zone
16 Feb 2025	Tornado	Tornado	EF0	—	—	—	1	County
15 Apr 2011	Tornado	Tornado	EF2	$3.0M	—	—	—	County
16 Sep 2004	High Wind	Wind	89 mph	$2.0M	$25K	—	—	Forecast zone
7 Mar 1996	Cold/Wind Chill	Cold	—	—	$1.0M	—	—	Forecast zone
10 Apr 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	86 mph	$150K	$500K	—	—	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
15 Jan 2023	DR-4684	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes	Individual assistance, 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
8 Oct 2017	EM-3394	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Nate	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
29 Aug 2005	DR-1605	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Katrina	Individual assistance, 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
14 Nov 2002	DR-1442	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Tornadoes	Individual assistance
15 Mar 1993	EM-3096	Emergency	Snowstorm	Severe Snowfall, Winter Storm	Public assistance
17 Feb 1990	DR-856	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
18 Apr 1979	DR-578	Major disaster	Flood	Storms, Wind, Flooding	Individual assistance
20 Jul 1977	EM-3045	Emergency	Drought	Drought	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 Hale County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 1978115

Paid claims85

Total paid$671K

Average paid claim$8K

Repetitive-loss properties150 severe

Residential policies in force631.0% of 6,511 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2026	1	0	$0	—
2021	1	0	$0	—
2020	9	7	$235,850	$33,693
2018	1	1	$10,000	$10,000
2016	2	1	$1,328	$1,328
2015	6	4	$14,607	$3,652
2014	2	0	$0	—
2013	1	0	$0	—
2011	3	2	$12,941	$6,470
2009	16	13	$94,177	$7,244
2008	1	1	$7,331	$7,331
2007	2	1	$2,694	$2,694
2006	1	1	$8,917	$8,917
2004	2	1	$2,901	$2,901
2000	11	8	$85,630	$10,704
1991	1	0	$0	—
1990	14	14	$107,393	$7,671
1985	1	1	$12,000	$12,000
1983	18	16	$36,165	$2,260
1980	19	13	$19,994	$1,538
1979	2	1	$18,915	$18,915
1978	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 39.1 of 100

Expected annual loss$7.8MVery Low

Social vulnerabilityVery High

Community resilienceRelatively Low

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Relatively Low	$3,348,123
Tornado	Relatively Moderate	$1,532,299
Lightning	Relatively High	$1,033,144
Earthquake	Relatively Low	$407,699
Strong wind	Relatively Low	$371,885
Heat wave	Relatively Low	$356,905
Hurricane	Relatively Low	$341,247
Cold wave	Relatively Low	$299,976
Hail	Very Low	$78,438
Drought	Relatively Low	$36,355
Ice storm	Relatively Low	$18,960
Wildfire	Very Low	$7,142
Winter weather	Very Low	$2,482
Landslide	Very Low	$874

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 miles36

Tracks within 50 miles10

Hurricane strength within 50 miles0

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Sally	2020	96 mi	40 mph
Zeta	2020	8 mi	69 mph
Nate	2017	44 mi	40 mph
Lee	2011	95 mi	46 mph
Dennis	2005	87 mi	52 mph
Katrina	2005	87 mi	58 mph
Ivan	2004	22 mi	81 mph
Erin	1995	92 mi	40 mph
Opal	1995	88 mi	58 mph
Juan	1985	74 mi	46 mph
Frederic	1979	73 mi	75 mph
Baker	1950	56 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1948	92 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1939	80 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1936	66 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1932	100 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1932	22 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1923	86 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1916	52 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1916	79 mi	75 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1915	74 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1912	19 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1912	54 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1907	45 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1901	56 mi	52 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

35441 65
36744 18
36776 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 Hale County, AL?

NCEI records 61 hail events in Hale County since 1950, in 24 different years; that is about 0.8 recorded events a year. 21 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Hale County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 58 tornadoes in Hale County since 1950, 16 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 10.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Hale 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 Hale County, and how much was paid?

115 NFIP claims since 1978, 85 of them paid, for $671K in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is Hale 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 Hale County compare with the rest of Alabama?

51.7 recorded events per 100 square miles against 87.3 statewide, and 7.8 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.