High Wind in Alabama
Every high wind event the National Weather Service has filed in Alabama, year by year, with the most significant episodes. Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
The most significant on the map
The most significant high wind episodes in Alabama.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 248
- Deaths
- 7
- Injuries
- 12
- Damage
- $88 million
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Alabama, March 3, 2023A prolonged damaging gradient wind event combined with an intense squall line during the daylight hours of the 3rd to produce widespread wind damage and impacts to the region. Numerous power outages resulted from power poles being snapped and power lines being brought down.
- High Wind in Alabama, May 1, 1998Two construction workers were killed when strong wind from a passing thunderstorm moved overhead, causing a concrete wall that was under construction, to fall on top of them. They were working in a trench when the wall fell.
- Tornadoes and High Wind in Alabama, March 30, 2022A strong storm system approached Central Alabama on the afternoon of March 30th. A line of strong to severe thunderstorms moved west to east across the area during the evening and into the overnight hours.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Alabama, April 12 to 13, 2020An upper-level low over the southwest United States evolved into a negatively-tilted shortwave trough as it moved over the southeastern United States. A warm front steadily moved northward during the morning and afternoon hours on Sunday, April 12.
- High Wind in Alabama, March 12, 2001Saturated ground conditions and winds of 25 to 40 miles an hour caused a large pine tree to fall down. The tree subsequently fell onto an automobile traveling on SR 216 near Brookwood crushing the car and killing a female passenger. The driver, a man, was seriously injured.
- Damaging Winds and High Wind in Alabama, March 3, 2023A powerful upper level storm system along with a rapidly deepening surface low over Kentucky produced a QLCS over Mississippi that entered west Alabama during the morning hours on March 3rd.
- Flash Flooding and High Wind in Alabama, September 16 to 17, 2004The remnants of Hurricane Ivan produced extensive wind damage as over 500 trees were blown down across north Alabama. A few trees were blown down onto homes with damage occurring due to the trees falling. Many power lines were blown down due to the high winds.
- High Wind in Alabama, April 8, 2000Northwest wind gusting to 30 miles an hour caused dangerous waves on Pickwick Lake in extreme western Colbert County. One fishing boat sank with three occupants aboard. A 43 year old man drowned when he could not swim to shore. A Wind Advisory was in effect for northern Alabama.
- High Wind in Alabama, October 13, 2001High gradient winds of 15 to 25 mph caused a limb to blow off a dead tree near Rosinton. A motorist was driving by as the large limb fell. The limb crashed into his vehicle and he was killed.
- Hail and High Wind in Alabama, April 12 to 13, 2009An intense atmospheric gravity wave brought a period of high winds to central Alabama late in the evening on April 12, lasting into the early morning hours on April 13.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Alabama, September 4 to 7, 2011A tropical depression developed in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday, September 1 and strengthened as it remained nearly stationary becoming Tropical Storm Lee Friday afternoon, September 2.
- Flash Flood and Hail in Alabama, April 4, 2011A strong cold front produced a squall line across the Ohio, Tennessee and lower Mississippi Valleys during the afternoon and evening hours of the 4th. Ahead of the front, windy conditions developed with wind gusts of 30 to 40 mph.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Alabama, April 20 to 21, 2011A long lived quasi-linear convective system (QLCS) developed in northern and central Mississippi and tracked eastward through northern Alabama during the early morning hours of the 20th.
- Flash Flood and High Wind in Alabama, September 16, 2004Hundreds of trees were blown down across all of Jefferson County. The power was not fully restored in all locations for at least 7 days. Over 500 homes sustained varying degrees of wind damage. Maximum wind gusts were estimated around 70 miles an hour.
- Flash Flood and High Wind in Alabama, September 16, 2004Thousands of trees and power lines were blown down across the entire county. At least 45,000 customers were without power during the height of the storm. Some locations did not have power restored for a week and a half.
- High Wind in Alabama, September 16, 2004Thousands of trees and power lines were blown down or snapped off during Ivan. Several hundred homes or structures received varying degrees of wind damage. Numerous roadways were blocked from fallen trees making them temporarily impassable.
- High Wind in Alabama, September 16, 2004Hundreds of trees and power lines were snapped off or blown down during Ivan. At least 3300 homes sustained varying degrees of wind damage. Power was not fully restored for at least a week. Maximum wind gusts were estimated around 75 miles an hour.
- Flash Flood and High Wind in Alabama, September 16, 2004Hundreds of trees and power lines were blown down across the county. The most significant damage occurred throughout southern areas of the county. At least 12,000 customers were without power at the height of the storm. It took at least three days to restore all the power.
- High Wind in Alabama, September 16, 2004Thousands of trees and power lines were blown down countywide. At least 3300 customers were without power at the height of the storm. Some locations did not get power back for a week.
- High Wind in Alabama, September 16, 2004Thousands of trees and power lines were snapped off or blown down. At least 1100 customers were without power. Power was not completely restored in some spots for two weeks. Several hundred homes and mobile homes were damaged.
- High Wind in Alabama, September 16, 2004Thousands of trees and power lines were snapped off or blown down countywide. Utilities were not all restored for at least a week. Several dozen homes sustained varying degrees of wind damage. Debris removal took over a month in spots.
- High Wind in Alabama, September 16, 2004Thousands of trees and power lines were blown down with the most significant damage in the southern part of the county. At least 5500 customers were without power for up to two weeks. Several hundred homes and structures received varying degrees of wind damage.
- High Wind and Strong Wind in Alabama, April 12 to 13, 2009A wave of damaging winds produced widespread and signficant damage to portions of north central and northeast Alabama during the late evening hours of the 12th into the early morning hours of the 13th.
- High Wind in Alabama, September 16, 2004Hundreds of trees and power lines were snapped off or blown down across the entire county. Power remained out of service for around one week in places. At least 400 homes suffered some type of wind damage. Maximum wind gusts were estimated around 75 miles an hour.
- Flash Flood and High Wind in Alabama, September 16, 2004Thousands of trees and power lines were snapped off or blown down as Hurricane Ivan moved Across Central Alabama. Hundreds of homes suffered varying degrees of roof and structural damage. At least 800 households were displaced for at least one night due to hurricane damage.
More
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24.