Storm risk in Etowah County, Alabama

FEMA's overall hazard score for Etowah County is 87.34 (Relatively Moderate), 399th of 3,144 counties. Hail scores 60.15 (Relatively Low), strong wind 94.56 (Relatively High) and tornado 97.84 (Relatively High). Expected hail loss is $12 per $1 million of buildings a year; NOAA logged 36 hail reports in Etowah County from 2014 to June 2026.

FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026. NOAA hail reports 2014 to June 2026.

Etowah County: expected yearly loss per $1 million of buildings for hail, strong wind and tornado, on a log scale, against all U.S. counties and the counties of AL$0.1$1$10$100$1,000Hail: $12 per $1 million, 1,943rd of 3,126 rated counties$12Hail1,943rd of 3,126 countiesStrong wind: $12 per $1 million, 2,049th of 3,121 rated counties$12Strong wind2,049th of 3,121 countiesTornado: $809 per $1 million, 65th of 3,144 rated counties$809Tornado65th of 3,144 counties
  • Etowah County, coloured by its FEMA rating
  • all U.S. counties
  • each county in the state
  • U.S. median
  • state median

Expected yearly loss per $1 million of buildings, log scale. Dot colour is FEMA’s rating band. The tornado lane counts everything exposed, not only buildings.

How FEMA rates Etowah County

HazardRatingScore (0 to 100)Rank in U.S.Rank in AL
OverallRelatively Moderate 87.34399 of 3,14411 of 67
HailRelatively Low 60.151,254 of 3,1267 of 67
Strong windRelatively High 94.56172 of 3,1266 of 67
TornadoRelatively High 97.8469 of 3,1266 of 67

Expected yearly loss, in dollars

HazardThis county, total a yearPer $1M of buildingsState median countyU.S. median countyRank per $1M, U.S.Rank per $1M, state
Hail$262,886$12 $7.87$22 1,943 of 3,12620 of 67
Strong wind$260,931$12 $19$20 2,049 of 3,12152 of 67
Tornado$17,249,208$809 $433$199 65 of 3,1445 of 67

Rank 1 is the highest. Overall, hail and wind losses count buildings; the tornado row counts everything FEMA exposes, so it overstates building damage. Expected annual loss is an average over many years for the whole county, not a forecast for one roof.

What stands out in Etowah County

  • FEMA expects hail in Etowah County to cost $12 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.55 times the U.S. median and 1.57 times the AL county median, ranked 1,943rd of 3,126 counties nationally and 20th of 67 in Alabama.
  • FEMA expects strong wind in Etowah County to cost $12 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.60 times the U.S. median and 0.64 times the AL county median, ranked 2,049th of 3,121 counties nationally and 52nd of 67 in Alabama.
  • FEMA expects tornado in Etowah County to cost $809 per $1 million of buildings a year: 4.06 times the U.S. median and 1.87 times the AL county median, ranked 65th of 3,144 counties nationally and 5th of 67 in Alabama.
  • Applying FEMA's estimate to a $160,600 home, the average yearly loss in Etowah County is about $1.98 for hail and $1.96 for wind before any deductible; at the U.S. median county rates it would be $3.59 and $3.27.
  • If the next years look like 2014 to 2025, a roof kept 20 years in Etowah County meets about 20.0 hail days of 1 inch or more; the median county in NOAA's file (1,275 counties) would give 35.0.
  • Built in 1975, the median home in Etowah County is 51 years old, so an original roof has outlived a 3-tab shingle (15 to 20 years) and an architectural one (25 to 30 years); 82.8% of its 47,487 homes are at least 26 years old.
  • March to June holds 35 of the 36 hail reports in Etowah County (97 percent); the quietest month is January, with 0 reports.

What hail and wind cost a home here in an average year

Enter a home value. The calculator applies Etowah County’s own loss rate: the county’s expected yearly loss divided by the value of its buildings. It starts at the Census median home value for the county.

$1.98hail, a year; $3.59 at the U.S. median county rate
$1.96strong wind, a year; $3.27 at the U.S. median county rate
$79hail and wind together over 20 years, at today’s rate

Formula: home value × Etowah County yearly loss ÷ building value. Hail: $262,886 ÷ $21,329,110,232 = 0.0000123. Wind: $260,931 ÷ $21,329,110,232 = 0.0000122. This is FEMA’s estimate of average damage to buildings and does not account for your deductible. Tornado is left out because FEMA’s tornado loss counts people and other exposure, not only buildings.

Read this as a yardstick. The rate is an average over every building in the county, from sheds to office towers, and over many years. Real losses come in rare, large storms; a roof with no damage in 19 years can need full replacement in the 20th. The figure is not a quote and not a prediction for one address.

Etowah County in plain numbers

  • Etowah County scores 87.34 in FEMA's overall hazard index (Relatively Moderate): 399th of 3,144 rated counties and 11th of 67 in Alabama.
  • Hail scores 60.15 (Relatively Low). FEMA expects $262,886 of hail damage to buildings in Etowah County a year, which is $12 per $1 million of buildings, 0.55 times the U.S. median.
  • Strong wind scores 94.56 (Relatively High) with $260,931 of expected yearly building loss in Etowah County: $12 per $1 million of buildings, 0.60 times the U.S. median.
  • Tornado scores 97.84 (Relatively High) and FEMA's expected yearly tornado loss is $17,249,208, counting everything exposed, or $809 per $1 million of buildings in Etowah County.
  • FEMA's own event record for Etowah County averages 4.83 hail events and 4.06 strong-wind events a year.
  • NOAA logged 36 hail reports in Etowah County between 2014 and June 2026, on 12 days with stones of 1 inch or more; the largest was 2 inches.
  • In Etowah County, FEMA counts buildings worth 21.33 billion dollars and 103,320 residents.
  • Social vulnerability is Relatively High in Etowah County.
  • Community resilience there is Relatively Moderate, for 103,320 residents.
  • 1 city in Etowah County is covered on this site: Gadsden. 11 Census ZIP areas have more than half of their land in the county.
  • Our guide range for a 2,000 sq ft asphalt roof in Gadsden is $5,810 to $12,865.
  • Etowah County ranks 128 of the 194 counties with a page here for hail loss per $1 million of buildings, 92 for wind and 4 for tornado.
  • In Etowah County, March is the busiest month with 21 of the 36 reports (58 percent), against 0 reports in September.
  • Etowah County's worst year was 2018, with 2 hail days at 1 inch or more and 9 reports. At the 2014 to 2025 pace that is 1.00 such days a year, one about every 12.0 months.
  • The median home in Etowah County was built in 1975; 57.7% of its 47,487 housing units date from before 1980, 82.8% from before 2000 and 6.9% from 2010 on.
  • Census puts the median home value in Etowah County at $160,600, and 73.8% of homes are lived in by their owners.
  • 1,300 single-family building permits were issued in Etowah County from 2014 to 2025, about 27.4 per 1,000 homes, peaking in 2022.
  • NOAA lists 10 tornado tracks in Etowah County since 2014; the strongest was an EF3 on April 28, 2014 near Whitesboro, 2.53 miles long.
  • The fastest gust in NOAA's records for Etowah County is 81 mph on August 3, 2023 at Noccalula Falls.
  • The nearest county with a page here is Morgan County, 55 miles from the centre of Etowah County; its hail score is 48.98.
  • Across counties the median is one roofing firm for every 5,189 homes; Census counted 3 roofing contractor establishments in Etowah County in 2023, one for every 15,829 homes.

The hail record of Etowah County, year by year

NOAA logged 36 reports in Etowah County; hail of 1 inch or more fell on 12 days. That is 1.0 such days a year; the median county in NOAA’s file has 1.8.

Etowah County: NOAA hail reports per year, 2014 to June 2026, with the number of days that had hail of 1 inch or more02468102014: 1 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch142015: 6 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 2 inch152016: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch162017: 8 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.75 inch172018: 9 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 2 inch182019: 1 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0.75 inch192020: 1 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.75 inch202021: 2 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch212022: 1 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.5 inch222023: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch232024: 1 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0.75 inch242025: 5 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.75 inch252026: 1 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0.88 inch26*
  • reports
  • days with hail of 1 inch or more
  • * 2026 runs to June only
Etowah County: NOAA hail reports by calendar month, 2014 to June 2026January: 0 reports0JanFebruary: 1 reports1FebMarch: 21 reports21MarApril: 9 reports9AprMay: 0 reports0MayJune: 5 reports5JunJuly: 0 reports0JulAugust: 0 reports0AugSeptember: 0 reports0SepOctober: 0 reports0OctNovember: 0 reports0NovDecember: 0 reports0Dec

Reports by calendar month, all years together. Peak: March, 21 reports.

The same numbers as a table (years with at least one report)
YearReportsDays, 1 inch or moreDays, 1.75 inch or moreLargest stoneDamage reported
20141101 in–
20156212 in–
20178211.75 in–
20189212 in–
20191000.75 in–
20201111.75 in–
20212201 in–
20221101.5 in–
20241000.75 in–
20255111.75 in–
2026 (to June)1000.88 in–

Biggest hail days in Etowah County

DateLargest stoneReports that dayDamage reportedNear
March 19, 20182 in8none recordedWilliams
March 31, 20152 in5none recordedMarkton
March 27, 20171.75 in6none recordedHokes Bluff
April 10, 20251.75 in5none recordedEast Gasden
April 12, 20201.75 in1none recordedWalnut Grove

Where large hail was reported

FEMA scores the county as a whole. NOAA’s reports show where inside Etowah County the big stones fell.

Reported hail locations, Etowah County

1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1.25 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail2 in hail2 in hail Gadsden
  • 191 to 1.74 in
  • 141.75 to 2.74 in, golf ball to tennis ball
  • 02.75 in and up, baseball

Largest plotted stone: 2 in. Bigger dots are bigger stones.

33 reports of 1 inch or larger have coordinates. Each dot is a reported location, not a storm path.

Sources: NOAA, Census county outline

Wind and tornado records for Etowah County

Fastest gusts in Etowah County

DateGustNear
August 3, 202381 mphNoccalula Falls
April 3, 201869 mphMountainboro
July 9, 202268 mphPana
March 15, 202468 mph(Gad)Gadsden Arpt

Strongest tornado tracks in Etowah County

DateScaleLengthInjured / killedNear
April 28, 2014EF32.53 mi0 / 0Whitesboro
April 12, 2020EF212.22 mi3 / 0Walnut Grove
April 12, 2020EF212.19 mi0 / 0Alabama City
March 19, 2018EF26.53 mi0 / 0Williams

10 tornado tracks in all since 2014; the strongest 4 are listed.

How old the roofs are

Census counts homes by the decade they were built. Under each bar is the number of hail days of 1 inch or more that an original roof from that decade has met, at Etowah County’s 2014 to 2025 pace of 1.00 such days a year. Most roofs have been replaced since; the row shows what a roof that never was would have taken.

Etowah County: share of homes by decade built, with the hail days at 1 inch or more that an original roof from each decade has met at the county's 2014 to 2025 ratepre-1940: 7.2% of homes7.2%<1940911940s: 7.6% of homes7.6%1940s811950s: 13.9% of homes13.9%1950s711960s: 13.3% of homes13.3%1960s611970s: 15.8% of homes15.8%1970s511980s: 12.2% of homes12.2%1980s411990s: 12.9% of homes12.9%1990s312000s: 10.3% of homes10.3%2000s212010s: 6.4% of homes6.4%2010s112020+: 0.6% of homes0.6%2020+3

Bars: share of 47,487 housing units by decade built. Figures under the decade: hail days met by an original roof, at the county’s 2014 to 2025 pace. The pace of earlier years is unknown.

Median year built1975
Built before 198057.7%
Built before 200082.8%
Built since 20106.9%
Owner-occupied73.8%
Median home value$160,600
Single-family permits, 2014 to 20251,300
Permits per 1,000 homes27.4

Asphalt shingles are rated 15 to 20 years (3-tab) and 25 to 30 years (architectural). Source: Census ACS 2019 to 2023 and Building Permits Survey.

Roofers and past disasters in Etowah County

Roofing firms in Etowah County

Roofing contractor establishments, 20233
Change since 2016+0 (+0%)
Homes per roofing firm15,829
Median across counties5,189
Employees, 202324

Source for Etowah County: Census County Business Patterns, NAICS 238160.

Nearby counties

The closest counties that have a risk page, by distance between county centres. Loss is per $1 million of buildings; the columns marked "times here" divide the neighbour's loss by Etowah County's.

CountyMilesOverallHail lossHail, times hereWind lossWind, times hereNOAA hail reports
Morgan County, AL55 Relatively Moderate $7.870.64$221.7945
Madison County, AL56 Relatively High $3.370.27$171.36146
Jefferson County, AL60 Relatively High $0.680.06$4.710.3855
Tuscaloosa County, AL94 Relatively Moderate $2.250.18$151.2327
Lee County, AL108 Relatively Low $100.84$4.880.4025
Montgomery County, AL124 Relatively Moderate $5.700.46$181.4716

More Alabama counties, nearest first

All 194 counties, with a filter by state and sorting

Cities and ZIP areas in Etowah County

1 city in this county is on PickARoofer. ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are Census shapes that approximate ZIP codes; where we have a city’s ZIPs, the share is the part of each area’s land that lies in this county. 11 such areas have more than half their land here.

CityZIP areas (share of land in the county)Pages
Gadsden 35901 (96%), 35904 (100%), 35905 (76%), 35906 (100%) Roofers

Storm hit your roof in Etowah County? A free inspection tells you if there is damage. One local roofer answers, not five.

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Questions

How high is storm risk in Etowah County?

FEMA's National Risk Index gives Etowah County an overall score of 87.34 (Relatively Moderate), 399th of 3,144. Hail scores 60.15 (Relatively Low), strong wind 94.56 (Relatively High) and tornado 97.84 (Relatively High).

In Etowah County, how many hail reports has NOAA logged?

A report is one entry for one storm in one county, so counts follow where people live as well as where hail fell. NOAA has 36 for Etowah County between 2014 and June 2026, on 12 days with hail of 1 inch or more; the largest stone was 2 inches.

What do hail and wind cost a home in Etowah County each year, on average?

Applying FEMA's county rates to its median home value of $160,600: FEMA's estimate is about $1.98 a year for hail and $1.96 for wind, before any deductible, against $3.59 and $3.27 at the U.S. median county rates. This is an average over many years and all buildings, not a prediction for one roof; one bad storm costs far more than the average year.

How does Etowah County compare with the rest of Alabama?

Per $1 million of buildings Etowah County loses $12 to hail a year, against $7.87 in the median county of the state. Among 67 rated counties it is 7th for hail, 6th for strong wind and 6th for tornado.

How old are the roofs in Etowah County?

The median home was built in 1975, 51 years ago, and 82.8% of the 47,487 housing units in Etowah County date from before 2000. Asphalt shingles are rated 15 to 20 years (3-tab) or 25 to 30 years (architectural), so an original roof of either kind is past its rated life. The Census does not record when a roof was replaced.

What does expected annual loss mean?

It is FEMA's estimate of the average yearly loss from a hazard, in dollars, summed over the county. It is built for comparing counties at planning level, not for pricing one house.

Does a high rating mean my roof will be damaged?

No. The index compares counties and cannot say what will happen on your street. After a storm, a roof inspection is the only way to know.

Sources for Etowah County: FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026; NOAA Storm Events Database hail reports for Etowah County; Census Bureau ZCTA-to-county relationship file (2020); Census ACS and Building Permits Survey, homes in Etowah County; Census County Business Patterns, roofing firms in Etowah County. Planning-level information about Etowah County, not an inspection and not insurance advice.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).