Natural disaster risk in Alabama, by county
All 67 counties in Alabama, ranked by FEMA's National Risk Index composite risk score, with each one's highest-rated hazard. Other states
At a glance
0
Very high risk
4
Relatively high risk
15
Relatively moderate risk
31
Relatively low risk
17
Very low risk
Highest overall risk: Mobile County (relatively high, score 98.0). Lowest: Coosa County (very low, score 14.6).
Top hazards in Alabama
| Hazard | Counties rated relatively high or very high | Average score |
|---|---|---|
| Lightning | 27 of 67 | 72.6 |
| Tornado | 22 of 67 | 77.9 |
| Strong wind | 15 of 67 | 59.1 |
| Cold wave | 6 of 67 | 54.0 |
| Hurricane | 5 of 67 | 73.5 |
All counties, highest risk first
| # | County | Overall risk | Highest-rated hazard |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mobile County | Relatively high 98 | Hurricane (very high) |
| 2 | Jefferson County | Relatively high 97.6 | Lightning (very high) |
| 3 | Baldwin County | Relatively high 96.7 | Hurricane (very high) |
| 4 | Madison County | Relatively high 94.6 | Lightning (very high) |
| 5 | Montgomery County | Relatively moderate 91.8 | Lightning (very high) |
| 6 | Tuscaloosa County | Relatively moderate 90.8 | Tornado (relatively high) |
| 7 | Shelby County | Relatively moderate 90.3 | Tornado (relatively high) |
| 8 | Morgan County | Relatively moderate 88.8 | Tornado (relatively high) |
| 9 | Calhoun County | Relatively moderate 88.5 | Tornado (relatively high) |
| 10 | Houston County | Relatively moderate 87.8 | Tornado (relatively high) |
| 11 | Etowah County | Relatively moderate 87.3 | Tornado (relatively high) |
| 12 | Marshall County | Relatively moderate 87.3 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 13 | Lauderdale County | Relatively moderate 85.5 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 14 | Escambia County | Relatively moderate 85 | Hurricane (relatively high) |
| 15 | Talladega County | Relatively moderate 84.7 | Tornado (relatively high) |
| 16 | Coffee County | Relatively moderate 83.4 | Tornado (relatively high) |
| 17 | Walker County | Relatively moderate 82.6 | Tornado (relatively high) |
| 18 | Covington County | Relatively moderate 82.4 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 19 | Cullman County | Relatively moderate 81.9 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 20 | Colbert County | Relatively low 80.7 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 21 | DeKalb County | Relatively low 80.4 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 22 | Limestone County | Relatively low 80 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 23 | Lee County | Relatively low 79.7 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 24 | Jackson County | Relatively low 79 | Tornado (relatively high) |
| 25 | Elmore County | Relatively low 72.2 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 26 | St. Clair County | Relatively low 72.1 | Tornado (relatively high) |
| 27 | Dallas County | Relatively low 70.8 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 28 | Choctaw County | Relatively low 70.6 | Hurricane (relatively moderate) |
| 29 | Lawrence County | Relatively low 69.3 | Tornado (relatively high) |
| 30 | Marion County | Relatively low 69.1 | Lightning (very high) |
| 31 | Blount County | Relatively low 68.5 | Tornado (relatively high) |
| 32 | Dale County | Relatively low 67.7 | Hurricane (relatively moderate) |
| 33 | Franklin County | Relatively low 67.7 | Tornado (relatively high) |
| 34 | Tallapoosa County | Relatively low 67.5 | Heat wave (relatively moderate) |
| 35 | Cherokee County | Relatively low 63.3 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 36 | Winston County | Relatively low 59.2 | Tornado (relatively moderate) |
| 37 | Autauga County | Relatively low 57.6 | Heat wave (relatively moderate) |
| 38 | Chilton County | Relatively low 54.7 | Tornado (relatively moderate) |
| 39 | Russell County | Relatively low 54.7 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 40 | Clarke County | Relatively low 53.4 | Hurricane (relatively moderate) |
| 41 | Geneva County | Relatively low 53.4 | Hurricane (relatively moderate) |
| 42 | Sumter County | Relatively low 53 | Tornado (relatively moderate) |
| 43 | Marengo County | Relatively low 52.2 | Strong wind (relatively moderate) |
| 44 | Monroe County | Relatively low 48.7 | Hurricane (relatively moderate) |
| 45 | Barbour County | Relatively low 48.1 | Tornado (relatively moderate) |
| 46 | Chambers County | Relatively low 47.2 | Heat wave (relatively moderate) |
| 47 | Washington County | Relatively low 45.6 | Hurricane (relatively moderate) |
| 48 | Butler County | Relatively low 45.2 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 49 | Pickens County | Relatively low 44.7 | Heat wave (relatively moderate) |
| 50 | Pike County | Relatively low 44 | Hurricane (relatively moderate) |
| 51 | Henry County | Very low 42 | Hurricane (relatively moderate) |
| 52 | Bibb County | Very low 39.1 | Tornado (relatively moderate) |
| 53 | Hale County | Very low 39.1 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 54 | Fayette County | Very low 38.2 | Strong wind (relatively moderate) |
| 55 | Wilcox County | Very low 36.7 | Hurricane (relatively low) |
| 56 | Crenshaw County | Very low 34.4 | Hurricane (relatively moderate) |
| 57 | Lamar County | Very low 31.4 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 58 | Conecuh County | Very low 31.1 | Hurricane (relatively moderate) |
| 59 | Randolph County | Very low 30.6 | Hurricane (relatively low) |
| 60 | Greene County | Very low 29.3 | Heat wave (relatively moderate) |
| 61 | Lowndes County | Very low 29.1 | Strong wind (relatively moderate) |
| 62 | Cleburne County | Very low 27.5 | Tornado (relatively moderate) |
| 63 | Clay County | Very low 26.7 | Tornado (relatively moderate) |
| 64 | Bullock County | Very low 25.3 | Drought (relatively high) |
| 65 | Macon County | Very low 23.9 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 66 | Perry County | Very low 18.8 | Lightning (relatively moderate) |
| 67 | Coosa County | Very low 14.6 | Wildfire (relatively low) |
How to read these ratings
- Ratings run in five steps: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high and very high. They compare a county with every other US county; they are not a measure of danger on their own.
- Scores run from 0 to 100 and are national percentiles. The bar shows the score: a score of 80 means a higher value than 80% of US counties.
- Overall risk combines the expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience.
- Expected annual loss is the average yearly loss to buildings, people and agriculture the model expects from all 18 hazards.
- Social vulnerability describes how hard it may be for people to prepare for and recover from a disaster. Higher is worse.
- Community resilience describes a community's ability to prepare, adapt and recover. Higher is better.
- "Not applicable" means FEMA does not model that hazard there (for example, hurricanes far inland).
About this data
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, version 1.20, released December 2025, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (US public domain). About the National Risk Index. The index is a model of relative risk built from historical hazard records, what is exposed and community factors. It is not a forecast, it does not describe any single property, and it is not insurance or financial advice. For decisions about a specific address, check FEMA's flood maps and your local emergency management office.
Questions
Which county in Alabama has the highest natural disaster risk?
Mobile County has the highest composite risk score in Alabama in FEMA's National Risk Index: 98.0, rated relatively high.
Which county in Alabama has the lowest natural disaster risk?
Coosa County has the lowest composite risk score in Alabama: 14.6, rated very low. A low score means lower modelled risk compared with other US counties, not no risk.
What natural disasters is Alabama most at risk from?
Across Alabama, the hazards rated highest in the most counties are lightning, tornado, strong wind, according to FEMA's National Risk Index. Each county page lists all 18 hazards.
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