Tornado Risk in Alabama
All Alabama counties ranked by FEMA National Risk Index tornado score
Tornado risk — violently rotating columns of air capable of catastrophic local damage — is rated for 67 of 67 Alabama counties in FEMA's National Risk Index. Jefferson County carries the state's highest tornado score at 99.6, with $56M in expected annual tornado losses.
22 Alabama counties are rated High or Very High for tornado, and expected annual losses from tornado total roughly $427M statewide. The full ranking below links to each county's complete 18-hazard risk profile.
County Rankings — Tornado
| # | County | Tornado Score | Rating | Ann. Freq. | Ann. Loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jefferson County | Very High | 1.17 / yr | $56M | |
| 2 | Madison County | High | 0.87 / yr | $32M | |
| 3 | Shelby County | High | 0.81 / yr | $32M | |
| 4 | Morgan County | High | 0.68 / yr | $24M | |
| 5 | Calhoun County | High | 0.53 / yr | $19M | |
| 6 | Etowah County | High | 0.53 / yr | $17M | |
| 7 | Marshall County | High | 0.66 / yr | $17M | |
| 8 | Tuscaloosa County | High | 1.37 / yr | $18M | |
| 9 | Montgomery County | High | 0.70 / yr | $13M | |
| 10 | Houston County | High | 0.50 / yr | $11M | |
| 11 | Mobile County | High | 1.17 / yr | $10M | |
| 12 | Walker County | High | 0.91 / yr | $7M | |
| 13 | Talladega County | High | 0.70 / yr | $7M | |
| 14 | Franklin County | High | 0.65 / yr | $6M | |
| 15 | Baldwin County | High | 1.34 / yr | $9M | |
| 16 | Jackson County | High | 1.06 / yr | $6M | |
| 17 | Lauderdale County | High | 0.65 / yr | $8M | |
| 18 | Blount County | High | 0.72 / yr | $7M | |
| 19 | St. Clair County | High | 0.64 / yr | $9M | |
| 20 | Marion County | High | 0.80 / yr | $4M | |
| 21 | Coffee County | High | 0.61 / yr | $6M | |
| 22 | Lawrence County | High | 0.78 / yr | $5M | |
| 23 | Cullman County | Medium | 0.87 / yr | $5M | |
| 24 | DeKalb County | Medium | 0.70 / yr | $5M | |
| 25 | Limestone County | Medium | 0.62 / yr | $7M | |
| 26 | Dale County | Medium | 0.50 / yr | $4M | |
| 27 | Colbert County | Medium | 0.58 / yr | $5M | |
| 28 | Chilton County | Medium | 0.64 / yr | $5M | |
| 29 | Covington County | Medium | 0.94 / yr | $3M | |
| 30 | Dallas County | Medium | 0.76 / yr | $3M | |
| 31 | Escambia County | Medium | 0.69 / yr | $3M | |
| 32 | Cherokee County | Medium | 0.48 / yr | $3M | |
| 33 | Sumter County | Medium | 0.86 / yr | $2M | |
| 34 | Winston County | Medium | 0.73 / yr | $2M | |
| 35 | Marengo County | Medium | 0.71 / yr | $2M | |
| 36 | Barbour County | Medium | 0.80 / yr | $2M | |
| 37 | Choctaw County | Medium | 0.80 / yr | $3M | |
| 38 | Bibb County | Medium | 0.60 / yr | $3M | |
| 39 | Pickens County | Medium | 0.89 / yr | $2M | |
| 40 | Lee County | Medium | 0.49 / yr | $3M | |
| 41 | Elmore County | Medium | 0.55 / yr | $3M | |
| 42 | Autauga County | Medium | 0.51 / yr | $3M | |
| 43 | Tallapoosa County | Medium | 0.63 / yr | $2M | |
| 44 | Henry County | Medium | 0.49 / yr | $2M | |
| 45 | Cleburne County | Medium | 0.44 / yr | $2M | |
| 46 | Hale County | Medium | 0.58 / yr | $2M | |
| 47 | Clarke County | Medium | 0.82 / yr | $2M | |
| 48 | Chambers County | Medium | 0.47 / yr | $2M | |
| 49 | Butler County | Medium | 0.60 / yr | $2M | |
| 50 | Clay County | Medium | 0.50 / yr | $2M | |
| 51 | Lowndes County | Medium | 0.60 / yr | $1M | |
| 52 | Washington County | Medium | 0.84 / yr | $2M | |
| 53 | Fayette County | Medium | 0.69 / yr | $2M | |
| 54 | Crenshaw County | Low | 0.52 / yr | $1M | |
| 55 | Randolph County | Low | 0.45 / yr | $2M | |
| 56 | Lamar County | Low | 0.59 / yr | $1M | |
| 57 | Conecuh County | Low | 0.61 / yr | $1M | |
| 58 | Monroe County | Low | 0.67 / yr | $1M | |
| 59 | Russell County | Low | 0.53 / yr | $1M | |
| 60 | Pike County | Low | 0.61 / yr | $1M | |
| 61 | Bullock County | Low | 0.58 / yr | $934K | |
| 62 | Wilcox County | Low | 0.60 / yr | $840K | |
| 63 | Perry County | Low | 0.58 / yr | $829K | |
| 64 | Greene County | Low | 0.61 / yr | $813K | |
| 65 | Geneva County | Low | 0.51 / yr | $877K | |
| 66 | Macon County | Low | 0.52 / yr | $760K | |
| 67 | Coosa County | Low | 0.61 / yr | $632K |
67 Alabama counties with measurable tornado risk. See the national tornado ranking or all Alabama counties by overall risk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Alabama county has the highest tornado risk?
Jefferson County has the highest FEMA tornado risk score in Alabama at 99.6 (Very High), with $56M in expected annual losses and about 1.17 events per year.
How many Alabama counties face significant tornado risk?
67 Alabama counties record measurable tornado risk in FEMA's National Risk Index; 22 of them are rated High or Very High.