Storm risk in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama

FEMA's overall hazard score for Tuscaloosa County is 90.81 (Relatively Moderate), 290th of 3,144 counties. Hail scores 72.46 (Relatively Low), strong wind 94.50 (Relatively High) and tornado 97.52 (Relatively High). Expected hail loss is $2.25 per $1 million of buildings a year; NOAA logged 27 hail reports in Tuscaloosa County from 2014 to June 2026.

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

Tuscaloosa 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: $2.25 per $1 million, 2,628th of 3,126 rated counties$2.25Hail2,628th of 3,126 countiesStrong wind: $15 per $1 million, 1,856th of 3,121 rated counties$15Strong wind1,856th of 3,121 countiesTornado: $438 per $1 million, 555th of 3,144 rated counties$438Tornado555th of 3,144 counties
  • Tuscaloosa 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 Tuscaloosa County

HazardRatingScore (0 to 100)Rank in U.S.Rank in AL
OverallRelatively Moderate 90.81290 of 3,1446 of 67
HailRelatively Low 72.46867 of 3,1264 of 67
Strong windRelatively High 94.50174 of 3,1267 of 67
TornadoRelatively High 97.5279 of 3,1268 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$94,992$2.25 $7.87$22 2,628 of 3,12660 of 67
Strong wind$633,595$15 $19$20 1,856 of 3,12141 of 67
Tornado$18,481,373$438 $433$199 555 of 3,14432 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 Tuscaloosa County

  • FEMA expects hail in Tuscaloosa County to cost $2.25 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.10 times the U.S. median and 0.29 times the AL county median, ranked 2,628th of 3,126 counties nationally and 60th of 67 in Alabama.
  • FEMA expects strong wind in Tuscaloosa County to cost $15 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.74 times the U.S. median and 0.78 times the AL county median, ranked 1,856th of 3,121 counties nationally and 41st of 67 in Alabama.
  • FEMA expects tornado in Tuscaloosa County to cost $438 per $1 million of buildings a year: 2.20 times the U.S. median and 1.01 times the AL county median, ranked 555th of 3,144 counties nationally and 32nd of 67 in Alabama.
  • Applying FEMA's estimate to a $233,700 home, the average yearly loss in Tuscaloosa County is about $0.53 for hail and $3.51 for wind before any deductible; at the U.S. median county rates it would be $5.22 and $4.76.
  • If the next years look like 2014 to 2025, a roof kept 20 years in Tuscaloosa County meets about 23.3 hail days of 1 inch or more; the median county in NOAA's file (1,275 counties) would give 35.0.
  • Built in 1992, the median home in Tuscaloosa County is 34 years old, so an original roof has outlived a 3-tab shingle (15 to 20 years) and an architectural one (25 to 30 years); 62.6% of its 102,935 homes are at least 26 years old.
  • March to June holds 23 of the 27 hail reports in Tuscaloosa County (85 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 Tuscaloosa 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.

$0.53hail, a year; $5.22 at the U.S. median county rate
$3.51strong wind, a year; $4.76 at the U.S. median county rate
$81hail and wind together over 20 years, at today’s rate

Formula: home value × Tuscaloosa County yearly loss ÷ building value. Hail: $94,992 ÷ $42,201,049,286 = 0.0000023. Wind: $633,595 ÷ $42,201,049,286 = 0.0000150. 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.

Tuscaloosa County in plain numbers

  • Tuscaloosa County scores 90.81 in FEMA's overall hazard index (Relatively Moderate): 290th of 3,144 rated counties and 6th of 67 in Alabama.
  • Hail scores 72.46 (Relatively Low). FEMA expects $94,992 of hail damage to buildings in Tuscaloosa County a year, which is $2.25 per $1 million of buildings, 0.10 times the U.S. median.
  • Strong wind scores 94.50 (Relatively High) with $633,595 of expected yearly building loss in Tuscaloosa County: $15 per $1 million of buildings, 0.74 times the U.S. median.
  • Tornado scores 97.52 (Relatively High) and FEMA's expected yearly tornado loss is $18,481,373, counting everything exposed, or $438 per $1 million of buildings in Tuscaloosa County.
  • FEMA's own event record for Tuscaloosa County averages 3.45 hail events and 1.79 strong-wind events a year.
  • NOAA logged 27 hail reports in Tuscaloosa County between 2014 and June 2026, on 14 days with stones of 1 inch or more; the largest was 2.5 inches.
  • In Tuscaloosa County, FEMA counts buildings worth 42.20 billion dollars and 226,701 residents.
  • Social vulnerability is Relatively Moderate in Tuscaloosa County.
  • Community resilience there is Relatively High, for 226,701 residents.
  • 1 city in Tuscaloosa County is covered on this site: Tuscaloosa. 18 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 Tuscaloosa is $5,810 to $12,865.
  • Tuscaloosa County ranks 172 of the 194 counties with a page here for hail loss per $1 million of buildings, 79 for wind and 32 for tornado.
  • In Tuscaloosa County, March is the busiest month with 11 of the 27 reports (41 percent), against 0 reports in September.
  • Tuscaloosa County's worst year was 2019, with 3 hail days at 1 inch or more and 6 reports. At the 2014 to 2025 pace that is 1.17 such days a year, one about every 10.3 months.
  • The median home in Tuscaloosa County was built in 1992; 34.1% of its 102,935 housing units date from before 1980, 62.6% from before 2000 and 17.2% from 2010 on.
  • Census puts the median home value in Tuscaloosa County at $233,700, and 62.2% of homes are lived in by their owners.
  • 6,467 single-family building permits were issued in Tuscaloosa County from 2014 to 2025, about 62.8 per 1,000 homes, peaking in 2021.
  • NOAA lists 26 tornado tracks in Tuscaloosa County since 2014; the strongest was an EF2 on January 12, 2023 near Duncanville, 6.49 miles long.
  • The fastest gust in NOAA's records for Tuscaloosa County is 100 mph on May 18, 2025 at Samantha.
  • The nearest county with a page here is Jefferson County, 34 miles from the centre of Tuscaloosa County; its hail score is 32.09.
  • Across counties the median is one roofing firm for every 5,189 homes; Census counted 20 roofing contractor establishments in Tuscaloosa County in 2023, one for every 5,147 homes.

The hail record of Tuscaloosa County, year by year

NOAA logged 27 reports in Tuscaloosa County; hail of 1 inch or more fell on 14 days. That is 1.2 such days a year; the median county in NOAA’s file has 1.8.

Tuscaloosa County: NOAA hail reports per year, 2014 to June 2026, with the number of days that had hail of 1 inch or more01234562014: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch142015: 5 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.75 inch152016: 2 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 2.5 inch162017: 1 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch172018: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch182019: 6 reports, 3 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch192020: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch202021: 3 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.75 inch212022: 2 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch222023: 2 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch232024: 6 reports, 3 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch242025: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 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
Tuscaloosa County: NOAA hail reports by calendar month, 2014 to June 2026January: 0 reports0JanFebruary: 3 reports3FebMarch: 11 reports11MarApril: 5 reports5AprMay: 4 reports4MayJune: 3 reports3JunJuly: 0 reports0JulAugust: 1 reports1AugSeptember: 0 reports0SepOctober: 0 reports0OctNovember: 0 reports0NovDecember: 0 reports0Dec

Reports by calendar month, all years together. Peak: March, 11 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
20155111.75 in–
20162212.5 in–
20171101 in–
20196301 in–
20213111.75 in–
20222201 in–
20232101 in–
20246301 in–

Biggest hail days in Tuscaloosa County

DateLargest stoneReports that dayDamage reportedNear
April 29, 20162.5 in1none recordedSamantha
March 31, 20151.75 in5none recordedCoker
April 9, 20211.75 in2none recordedElrod
March 31, 20161.25 in1none recordedNorthport
March 14, 20191 in4none recordedNew Lexington

Where large hail was reported

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

Reported hail locations, Tuscaloosa 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 hail1.25 in hail1.5 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail2.5 in hail Tuscaloosa
  • 141 to 1.74 in
  • 51.75 to 2.74 in, golf ball to tennis ball
  • 02.75 in and up, baseball

Largest plotted stone: 2.5 in. Bigger dots are bigger stones.

19 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 Tuscaloosa County

Fastest gusts in Tuscaloosa County

DateGustNear
May 18, 2025100 mphSamantha
April 28, 201498 mphMaxwell
June 16, 202396 mphRalph
April 28, 201487 mphGrimes

Strongest tornado tracks in Tuscaloosa County

DateScaleLengthInjured / killedNear
January 12, 2023EF26.49 mi0 / 0Duncanville
March 15, 2025EF113.4 mi0 / 0Samantha
March 15, 2025EF111.54 mi0 / 0Samantha
March 30, 2022EF13.88 mi0 / 0Fox

26 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 Tuscaloosa County’s 2014 to 2025 pace of 1.17 such days a year. Most roofs have been replaced since; the row shows what a roof that never was would have taken.

Tuscaloosa 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: 3.2% of homes3.2%<19401061940s: 2.8% of homes2.8%1940s941950s: 5.3% of homes5.3%1950s831960s: 8.3% of homes8.3%1960s711970s: 14.5% of homes14.5%1970s601980s: 11.8% of homes11.8%1980s481990s: 16.6% of homes16.6%1990s362000s: 20.2% of homes20.2%2000s242010s: 16.1% of homes16.1%2010s132020+: 1.1% of homes1.1%2020+4

Bars: share of 102,935 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 built1992
Built before 198034.1%
Built before 200062.6%
Built since 201017.2%
Owner-occupied62.2%
Median home value$233,700
Single-family permits, 2014 to 20256,467
Permits per 1,000 homes62.8

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 Tuscaloosa County

Roofing firms in Tuscaloosa County

Roofing contractor establishments, 202320
Change since 2016+6 (+43%)
Homes per roofing firm5,147
Median across counties5,189
Employees, 2023140

Source for Tuscaloosa 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 Tuscaloosa County's.

CountyMilesOverallHail lossHail, times hereWind lossWind, times hereNOAA hail reports
Jefferson County, AL34 Relatively High $0.680.30$4.710.3155
Morgan County, AL90 Relatively Moderate $7.873.50$221.4645
Etowah County, AL94 Relatively Moderate $125.48$120.8136
Montgomery County, AL104 Relatively Moderate $5.702.53$181.2016
Madison County, AL112 Relatively High $3.371.50$171.11146
Lee County, AL132 Relatively Low $104.58$4.880.3325

More Alabama counties, nearest first

All 194 counties, with a filter by state and sorting

Cities and ZIP areas in Tuscaloosa 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. 18 such areas have more than half their land here.

CityZIP areas (share of land in the county)Pages
Tuscaloosa 35401 (100%), 35404 (100%), 35405 (100%), 35406 (100%), 35487 (100%) Roofers

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Questions

How high is storm risk in Tuscaloosa County?

FEMA's National Risk Index gives Tuscaloosa County an overall score of 90.81 (Relatively Moderate), 290th of 3,144. Hail scores 72.46 (Relatively Low), strong wind 94.50 (Relatively High) and tornado 97.52 (Relatively High).

In Tuscaloosa 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 27 for Tuscaloosa County between 2014 and June 2026, on 14 days with hail of 1 inch or more; the largest stone was 2.5 inches.

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

Applying FEMA's county rates to its median home value of $233,700: FEMA's estimate is about $0.53 a year for hail and $3.51 for wind, before any deductible, against $5.22 and $4.76 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 Tuscaloosa County compare with the rest of Alabama?

Per $1 million of buildings Tuscaloosa County loses $2.25 to hail a year, against $7.87 in the median county of the state. Among 67 rated counties it is 4th for hail, 7th for strong wind and 8th for tornado.

How old are the roofs in Tuscaloosa County?

The median home was built in 1992, 34 years ago, and 62.6% of the 102,935 housing units in Tuscaloosa 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 Tuscaloosa County: FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026; NOAA Storm Events Database hail reports for Tuscaloosa County; Census Bureau ZCTA-to-county relationship file (2020); Census ACS and Building Permits Survey, homes in Tuscaloosa County; Census County Business Patterns, roofing firms in Tuscaloosa County. Planning-level information about Tuscaloosa 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).