States › Alabama › Pickens County

Pickens 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 01107 · 18,801 residents (2021) · 881 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 93Tornado · 55Flood · 20Wind · 160Winter · 18

Pickens 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 403 events for Pickens County, Alabama, between 1950 and 2026; damaging wind account for the largest share.

That is 45.7 events per 100 square miles, below the Alabama figure of 87.3, and 214.4 per 10,000 residents against 87.8 statewide.

9 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 7 deaths and 96 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $45M and crop damage at $6.1M.

FEMA has designated the county in 19 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Hurricane Helene (emergency, 26 Sep 2024).

National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 116 claims since 1978, of which 101 were paid, totalling $1.2M (about $12K per paid claim). FEMA counts 58 residential flood policies in force.

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively Low" and its expected annual loss as "Very Low" ($8.9M a year across 18 hazards).

28 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.

9events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

403events since 19507 deaths, 96 injuries recorded

19disaster declarationslast 26 Sep 2024

116NFIP flood claims$1.2M paid

Compared with Alabama and the United States

Measure	Pickens County	Alabama	US
Recorded events since 1950	403	44,232	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	45.7	87.3	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	214.4	87.8	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	9	1,348	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	7	941	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$45M	$12B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	6.2	8.9	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$12K	$34K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	55.2	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

Hail: 1Tornado: 2Wind: 1

Hail: 1Tornado: 4

Hail: 3Tornado: 3Wind: 5

Hail: 3Tornado: 4Wind: 17

Hail: 23Tornado: 7Flood: 2Wind: 28Winter: 5Heat: 1Cold: 2

Hail: 37Tornado: 12Flood: 11Wind: 42Winter: 2Tropical: 3Heat: 1Cold: 3Drought: 16Lightning: 1Other: 2

Hail: 13Tornado: 15Flood: 7Wind: 44Winter: 8Heat: 4Cold: 1Drought: 9

Hail: 12Tornado: 8Wind: 23Winter: 3Heat: 3Drought: 11

41950s51960s111970s241980s681990s1302000s1012010s602020s

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

Trend: 211 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 158 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

Wind160

Hail93

Tornado55

Drought36

Flood20

Winter18

Heat9

Cold6

Tropical3

Other2

Lightning1

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	160	—	0.8%	detail
■ Hail	93	—	1.1%	detail
■ Tornado	55	5	1.7%	detail
■ Drought	36	—	1.3%
■ Flood	20	2	0.6%	detail
■ Winter	18	—	1.2%	detail
■ Heat	9	—	0.7%
■ Cold	6	—	0.5%
■ Tropical	3	—	0.6%
■ Other	2	—	0.4%
■ 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
11 Jan 2020	Tornado	Tornado	EF2	—	—	3	7	County
6 Jan 2009	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$50K	—	2	1	County
12 Mar 1986	Tornado	Tornado	F3	$2.5M	—	2	—	County
11 Feb 1965	Tornado	Tornado	F3	$250K	—	—	18	County
8 Aug 2007	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	—	16	Forecast zone
3 Mar 1966	Tornado	Tornado	F5	$250K	—	—	11	County
3 Apr 1974	Tornado	Tornado	F4	$25M	—	—	5	County
22 Nov 1992	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$2.5M	—	—	7	County
3 Mar 1952	Tornado	Tornado	F3	$25K	—	—	6	County
31 Aug 2017	Tornado	Tornado	EF2	—	—	—	6	County
8 Nov 1957	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$250K	—	—	5	County
28 Apr 2014	Tornado	Tornado	EF2	—	—	—	5	County
27 Apr 2011	Tornado	Tornado	EF1	$3.8M	—	—	4	County
29 Aug 2005	Tropical Storm	Tropical	—	$500K	—	—	1	Forecast zone
5 Apr 1985	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	0 mph	—	—	—	1	County
15 Dec 1987	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	0 mph	—	—	—	1	County
2 Feb 2016	Tornado	Tornado	EF2	—	—	—	1	County
30 Apr 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	58 mph	—	—	—	1	County
27 Mar 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	0 mph	$500K	$5.0M	—	—	County
27 Apr 2011	Tornado	Tornado	EF1	$2.9M	—	—	—	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
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
11 Sep 2017	EM-3389	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Irma	Public assistance
2 May 2014	DR-4176	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding	Public assistance
21 Sep 2012	DR-4082	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Isaac	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
18 Apr 1979	DR-578	Major disaster	Flood	Storms, Wind, Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
20 Jul 1977	EM-3045	Emergency	Drought	Drought	Public assistance
4 Apr 1974	DR-422	Major disaster	Tornado	Tornadoes	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 Pickens County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 1978116

Paid claims101

Total paid$1.2M

Average paid claim$12K

Repetitive-loss properties194 severe

Residential policies in force580.9% of 6,717 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2026	1	1	$39,942	$39,942
2021	6	6	$87,056	$14,509
2020	10	10	$202,079	$20,208
2019	14	14	$275,515	$19,680
2018	1	0	$0	—
2014	1	0	$0	—
2011	1	0	$0	—
2009	2	2	$5,745	$2,872
2004	13	13	$146,578	$11,275
2002	3	1	$2,230	$2,230
2000	7	6	$79,084	$13,181
1995	1	1	$2,750	$2,750
1994	1	1	$3,533	$3,533
1991	27	23	$168,714	$7,335
1990	8	7	$69,635	$9,948
1983	13	10	$89,141	$8,914
1982	2	2	$1,235	$618
1980	1	1	$58	$58
1979	3	2	$15,481	$7,741
1978	1	1	$3,800	$3,800

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 Lowscore 44.7 of 100

Expected annual loss$8.9MVery Low

Social vulnerabilityVery High

Community resilienceVery Low

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Relatively Low	$3,289,598
Tornado	Relatively Moderate	$2,072,140
Heat wave	Relatively Moderate	$946,536
Earthquake	Relatively Low	$907,012
Cold wave	Relatively Low	$422,161
Lightning	Relatively Moderate	$378,197
Hurricane	Relatively Low	$346,587
Strong wind	Relatively Low	$317,994
Hail	Relatively Low	$147,339
Drought	Relatively Low	$55,384
Ice storm	Relatively Low	$44,228
Wildfire	Very Low	$7,877
Winter weather	Very Low	$5,751
Landslide	Relatively Low	$3,112

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 miles28

Tracks within 50 miles13

Hurricane strength within 50 miles0

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Zeta	2020	49 mi	69 mph
Nate	2017	76 mi	40 mph
Katrina	2005	63 mi	58 mph
Ivan	2004	68 mi	58 mph
Erin	1995	90 mi	40 mph
Juan	1985	82 mi	40 mph
Frederic	1979	49 mi	75 mph
Baker	1950	9 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1948	90 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1934	97 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1932	90 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1932	68 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1923	64 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1916	32 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1916	51 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1915	27 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1912	65 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1912	31 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1907	88 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1906	89 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1901	40 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1893	41 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1892	47 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1881	29 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1880	78 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

35447 83
35481 13
35442 9

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 Pickens County, AL?

NCEI records 93 hail events in Pickens County since 1950, in 37 different years; that is about 1.2 recorded events a year. 25 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Pickens County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 55 tornadoes in Pickens County since 1950, 18 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 5.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Pickens County?

26 Sep 2024: Hurricane Helene, a emergency declaration for hurricane. The county appears in 19 declarations since 1953.

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

116 NFIP claims since 1978, 101 of them paid, for $1.2M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

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

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

How does Pickens County compare with the rest of Alabama?

45.7 recorded events per 100 square miles against 87.3 statewide, and 6.2 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.