Storm risk in Houston County, Alabama

FEMA's overall hazard score for Houston County, AL is 87.79 (Relatively Moderate), 385th of 3,144 counties. Hail scores 37.66 (Relatively Low), strong wind 87.34 (Relatively High) and tornado 95.93 (Relatively High). Expected hail loss is $1.02 per $1 million of buildings a year; NOAA logged 14 hail reports in Houston County, AL from 2014 to June 2026.

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

Houston 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: $1.02 per $1 million, 2,774th of 3,126 rated counties$1.02Hail2,774th of 3,126 countiesStrong wind: $10 per $1 million, 2,199th of 3,121 rated counties$10Strong wind2,199th of 3,121 countiesTornado: $408 per $1 million, 648th of 3,144 rated counties$408Tornado648th of 3,144 counties
  • Houston County, AL, 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 Houston County, AL

HazardRatingScore (0 to 100)Rank in U.S.Rank in AL
OverallRelatively Moderate 87.79385 of 3,14410 of 67
HailRelatively Low 37.661,961 of 3,12629 of 67
Strong windRelatively High 87.34399 of 3,12613 of 67
TornadoRelatively High 95.93129 of 3,12610 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$27,278$1.02 $7.87$22 2,774 of 3,12666 of 67
Strong wind$268,438$10 $19$20 2,199 of 3,12156 of 67
Tornado$10,893,755$408 $433$199 648 of 3,14438 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 Houston County, AL

  • FEMA expects hail in Houston County, AL to cost $1.02 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.05 times the U.S. median and 0.13 times the AL county median, ranked 2,774th of 3,126 counties nationally and 66th of 67 in Alabama.
  • FEMA expects strong wind in Houston County, AL to cost $10 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.49 times the U.S. median and 0.53 times the AL county median, ranked 2,199th of 3,121 counties nationally and 56th of 67 in Alabama.
  • FEMA expects tornado in Houston County, AL to cost $408 per $1 million of buildings a year: 2.05 times the U.S. median and 0.94 times the AL county median, ranked 648th of 3,144 counties nationally and 38th of 67 in Alabama.
  • NOAA has only 14 hail reports for Houston County, AL in 12 years, too few for a trend; FEMA's 47 counted hail events cover a longer record.
  • Applying FEMA's estimate to a $178,000 home, the average yearly loss in Houston County, AL is about $0.18 for hail and $1.79 for wind before any deductible; at the U.S. median county rates it would be $3.98 and $3.63.
  • If the next years look like 2014 to 2025, a roof kept 20 years in Houston County, AL meets about 13.3 hail days of 1 inch or more; the median county in NOAA's file (1,275 counties) would give 35.0.
  • Built in 1984, the median home in Houston County, AL is 42 years old, so an original roof has outlived a 3-tab shingle (15 to 20 years) and an architectural one (25 to 30 years); 73.9% of its 49,774 homes are at least 26 years old.
  • March to June holds 10 of the 14 hail reports in Houston County, AL (71 percent); the quietest month is February, with 0 reports.

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

Enter a home value. The calculator applies Houston County, AL’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.

$0.18hail, a year; $3.98 at the U.S. median county rate
$1.79strong wind, a year; $3.63 at the U.S. median county rate
$39hail and wind together over 20 years, at today’s rate

Formula: home value × Houston County, AL yearly loss ÷ building value. Hail: $27,278 ÷ $26,673,577,076 = 0.0000010. Wind: $268,438 ÷ $26,673,577,076 = 0.0000101. 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.

Houston County, AL in plain numbers

  • Houston County, AL scores 87.79 in FEMA's overall hazard index (Relatively Moderate): 385th of 3,144 rated counties and 10th of 67 in Alabama.
  • Hail scores 37.66 (Relatively Low). FEMA expects $27,278 of hail damage to buildings in Houston County, AL a year, which is $1.02 per $1 million of buildings, 0.05 times the U.S. median.
  • Strong wind scores 87.34 (Relatively High) with $268,438 of expected yearly building loss in Houston County, AL: $10 per $1 million of buildings, 0.49 times the U.S. median.
  • Tornado scores 95.93 (Relatively High) and FEMA's expected yearly tornado loss is $10,893,755, counting everything exposed, or $408 per $1 million of buildings in Houston County, AL.
  • FEMA's own event record for Houston County, AL averages 1.23 hail events and 1.68 strong-wind events a year.
  • NOAA logged 14 hail reports in Houston County, AL between 2014 and June 2026, on 8 days with stones of 1 inch or more; the largest was 2.75 inches.
  • In Houston County, AL, FEMA counts buildings worth 26.67 billion dollars and 107,125 residents.
  • Social vulnerability is Relatively High in Houston County, AL.
  • Community resilience there is Relatively High, for 107,125 residents.
  • 1 city in Houston County, AL is covered on this site: Dothan. 10 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 Dothan is $5,810 to $12,865.
  • Houston County, AL ranks 181 of the 194 counties with a page here for hail loss per $1 million of buildings, 104 for wind and 38 for tornado.
  • In Houston County, AL, March is the busiest month with 5 of the 14 reports (36 percent), against 0 reports in September.
  • Houston County, AL's worst year was 2025, with 3 hail days at 1 inch or more and 6 reports. At the 2014 to 2025 pace that is 0.67 such days a year, one about every 18.0 months.
  • The median home in Houston County, AL was built in 1984; 44.1% of its 49,774 housing units date from before 1980, 73.9% from before 2000 and 10.5% from 2010 on.
  • Census puts the median home value in Houston County, AL at $178,000, and 63.9% of homes are lived in by their owners.
  • 4,150 single-family building permits were issued in Houston County, AL from 2014 to 2025, about 83.4 per 1,000 homes, peaking in 2021.
  • NOAA lists 30 tornado tracks in Houston County, AL since 2014; the strongest was an EF2 on January 9, 2024 near Madrid, 20.94 miles long.
  • The fastest gust in NOAA's records for Houston County, AL is 85 mph on January 2, 2017 at Merritts Crossroads.
  • The nearest county with a page here is Montgomery County, 90 miles from the centre of Houston County, AL; its hail score is 76.37.
  • Across counties the median is one roofing firm for every 5,189 homes; Census counted 8 roofing contractor establishments in Houston County, AL in 2023, one for every 6,222 homes.

The hail record of Houston County, AL, year by year

NOAA logged 14 reports in Houston County, AL; hail of 1 inch or more fell on 8 days. With so few reports the yearly bars below are small numbers, and a single storm moves them.

Houston County: NOAA hail reports per year, 2014 to June 2026, with the number of days that had hail of 1 inch or more01234562014: 1 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.25 inch142015: 1 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch152016: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch162017: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch172018: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch182019: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch192020: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch202021: 2 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.5 inch212022: 1 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch222023: 1 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0.88 inch232024: 2 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 2.75 inch242025: 6 reports, 3 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.5 inch252026: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch26*
  • reports
  • days with hail of 1 inch or more
  • * 2026 runs to June only
Houston County: NOAA hail reports by calendar month, 2014 to June 2026January: 2 reports2JanFebruary: 0 reports0FebMarch: 5 reports5MarApril: 3 reports3AprMay: 0 reports0MayJune: 2 reports2JunJuly: 1 reports1JulAugust: 1 reports1AugSeptember: 0 reports0SepOctober: 0 reports0OctNovember: 0 reports0NovDecember: 0 reports0Dec

Reports by calendar month, all years together. Peak: March, 5 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
20141101.25 in–
20151101 in–
20212101.5 in–
20221101 in–
20231000.88 in–
20242112.75 in–
20256301.5 in–

Biggest hail days in Houston County, AL

DateLargest stoneReports that dayDamage reportedNear
January 9, 20242.75 in2none recordedDothan
March 13, 20251.5 in4none recordedDothan
April 9, 20211.5 in2none recordedCottonwood
July 28, 20141.25 in1none recordedKinsey
August 21, 20151 in1none recordedKelly Springs

Where large hail was reported

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

Reported hail locations, Houston County, AL

1 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 hail2.75 in hail Dothan
  • 111 to 1.74 in
  • 01.75 to 2.74 in, golf ball to tennis ball
  • 12.75 in and up, baseball

Largest plotted stone: 2.75 in. Bigger dots are bigger stones.

12 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 Houston County, AL

Fastest gusts in Houston County, AL

DateGustNear
January 2, 201785 mphMerritts Crossroads
December 2, 201875 mphBrannon Stand
May 22, 202275 mphAshford
August 6, 202375 mphBrannon Stand

Strongest tornado tracks in Houston County, AL

DateScaleLengthInjured / killedNear
January 9, 2024EF220.94 mi10 / 1Madrid
January 2, 2017EF25.97 mi0 / 0Taylor
May 25, 2026EF17.7 mi0 / 0Cowarts
March 12, 2026EF17.1 mi0 / 0Kinsey

30 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 Houston County, AL’s 2014 to 2025 pace of 0.67 such days a year. Most roofs have been replaced since; the row shows what a roof that never was would have taken.

Houston 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: 2.9% of homes2.9%<1940611940s: 3.6% of homes3.6%1940s541950s: 8.1% of homes8.1%1950s471960s: 11.5% of homes11.5%1960s411970s: 18.0% of homes18%1970s341980s: 13.7% of homes13.7%1980s271990s: 16.0% of homes16%1990s212000s: 15.6% of homes15.6%2000s142010s: 9.4% of homes9.4%2010s72020+: 1.1% of homes1.1%2020+2

Bars: share of 49,774 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 built1984
Built before 198044.1%
Built before 200073.9%
Built since 201010.5%
Owner-occupied63.9%
Median home value$178,000
Single-family permits, 2014 to 20254,150
Permits per 1,000 homes83.4

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 Houston County, AL

Roofing firms in Houston County, AL

Roofing contractor establishments, 20238
Change since 2016+0 (+0%)
Homes per roofing firm6,222
Median across counties5,189
Employees, 202324

Source for Houston County, AL: 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 Houston County, AL's.

CountyMilesOverallHail lossHail, times hereWind lossWind, times hereNOAA hail reports
Montgomery County, AL90 Relatively Moderate $5.705.58$181.7916
Lee County, AL98 Relatively Low $1010.08$4.880.4925
Mobile County, AL170 Relatively High $7.457.28$3.890.3933
Jefferson County, AL189 Relatively High $0.680.67$4.710.4755
Tuscaloosa County, AL193 Relatively Moderate $2.252.20$151.4927
Etowah County, AL202 Relatively Moderate $1212.05$121.2236

More Alabama counties, nearest first

All 194 counties, with a filter by state and sorting

Cities and ZIP areas in Houston County, AL

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. 10 such areas have more than half their land here.

CityZIP areas (share of land in the county)Pages
Dothan 36301 (95%), 36305 (66%) Roofers

Storm hit your roof in Houston County, AL? 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 Houston County, AL?

FEMA's National Risk Index gives Houston County, AL an overall score of 87.79 (Relatively Moderate), 385th of 3,144. Hail scores 37.66 (Relatively Low), strong wind 87.34 (Relatively High) and tornado 95.93 (Relatively High).

In Houston County, AL, 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 14 for Houston County, AL between 2014 and June 2026, on 8 days with hail of 1 inch or more; the largest stone was 2.75 inches.

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

Applying FEMA's county rates to its median home value of $178,000: FEMA's estimate is about $0.18 a year for hail and $1.79 for wind, before any deductible, against $3.98 and $3.63 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 Houston County, AL compare with the rest of Alabama?

Per $1 million of buildings Houston County, AL loses $1.02 to hail a year, against $7.87 in the median county of the state. Among 67 rated counties it is 29th for hail, 13th for strong wind and 10th for tornado.

How old are the roofs in Houston County, AL?

The median home was built in 1984, 42 years ago, and 73.9% of the 49,774 housing units in Houston County, AL 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 Houston County, AL: FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026; NOAA Storm Events Database hail reports for Houston County, AL; Census Bureau ZCTA-to-county relationship file (2020); Census ACS and Building Permits Survey, homes in Houston County, AL; Census County Business Patterns, roofing firms in Houston County, AL. Planning-level information about Houston County, AL, 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).