Anniston

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.

Every large fire

1. Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Flood insurance figures are for Calhoun County, the county that contains Anniston.

Claims by ZIP code

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, 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).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

The drought index is for Calhoun County, the county that contains Anniston.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the city centre.
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Mapped landslides

Landslides mapped in Calhoun County.

Mapped by NASA (1).

1. Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.

USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Apr 27, 2011Tornado$122 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado initially touched down in eastern Jefferson County, north northeast of Trussville and moved northeast through portions of St. Clair, Calhoun, Etowah and Cherokee Counties, before it moved into Georgia, across Polk, Floyd and Bartow (See Storm Data Peachtree City) Counties. The tornado crossed Neely Henry Lake and into Calhoun County at Eagle Cove Rd., northwest of Ohatchee. At this point, the tornado had winds of 180 mph, an EF4 rating, and a path width of 1 mile. As the tornado crossed AL Hwy 77, numerous homes were leveled and mobile homes were demolished. Trees were left as stumps. Four fatalities occurred in this area. The tornado continued to cause extensive…

2. Apr 27, 2011Tornado$4.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado initially touched down in eastern Jefferson County, north northeast of Trussville and moved northeast through portions of St. Clair, Calhoun, Etowah and Cherokee Counties. The tornado then moved into Georgia, across Polk, Floyd and Bartow (See Storm Data Peachtree City) Counties. The tornado moved into Calhoun County for the second time, where it quickly tracked across the far northwestern corner of the county, west of Knightens Crossroads. As the tornado crossed US Hwy 278, several homes sustained significant roof damage, consistent with an EF1 rating and winds of 95 mph. Additional homes were damaged along the Calhoun/Cherokee County line. Significant tree damage…

3. May 7, 2003Flash Flood$700,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Several roads across the county were flooded and impassable. Ohatchee City Park was flooded and damage occurred to the ball fields. Oxford Lake also had some damaged ball fields. Numerous homes and businesses in Hobson City were damaged by flood waters. Oxford Fire Department rescued several individuals using boats. Three structures were struck by lightning, one in Hobson City and two in Anniston. Each resulted in a fire that produced varying degrees of damage.

4. Jul 1, 2007Lightning$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Lightning struck a house in the Indian Oaks area of Saks, causing it to catch fire. The fire completely destroyed the attic and second story of the home, which collapsed onto the first floor, causing extensive damage throughout. The owners, after first attempting to extinguish the fire, escaped unharmed.

5. Sep 16, 2004High Wind, Calhoun$350,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hundreds, if not thousands, of trees and power lines were blown down countywide. Only 3 or 4 homes suffered significant damage, while 30 to 50 homes received mainly minor roof damage. Maximum wind gust were estimated between 55 and 65 miles an hour. Doppler radar and ground observations indicate 3 to 5 inches of rain fell across the area associated with Ivan. A few roadways became temporarily impassable but more roads were blocked by fallen trees.

6. Apr 2, 2000Tornado$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado began at 12:34 am just south of Vigo at the end of Helen Drive. Vigo is located east of Piedmont, AL. The tornado traveled on a northeast track crossing Bethel Church Road and continuing along Vigo Road (County Road 70). The tornado straddled the road moving up a hill and crossing a few hundred feet into Cleburne County. Damage in Cleburne County was confined to downed trees.The tornado path was 1.9 miles long and approximately 100 yards wide.Most of the property that was damaged or destroyed was located in the area of Helen Drive and Bethel Church Road. Six mobile homes were destroyed along with two houses, one of which was under construction. One elderly woman was…

7. Feb 26, 2008Thunderstorm Wind$260,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Wind damage was widespread from near the Anniston/Oxford Airport, eastward to Douglas Drive and Glover Drive, southeast of Oxford. Most of the damage near the airport was in the form of snapped and uprooted trees and broken tree limbs. There were some blown down signs and some damage to billboards. Farther to the east, numerous oak trees were uprooted and numerous pine trees were snapped, with an estimated 50 to 100 trees damaged total. There was some roof damage to a few homes, a roof was blown off a barn, and a few fences were also blown down.

8. May 2, 2003Hail$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Large hail fell across many locations in eastern and southern Calhoun County. The largest hail reported was golf ball size and in many spots the hail covered the ground. A few homes received roof damage from the large hail. Some locations that reported hail were Jacksonville, Anniston, Oxford, Alexandria, and Weaver. Several funnel cloud reports were received as these storms moved across the county. Several trees and power lines were also blown down leaving as many as 1000 customers temporarily without power.

9. Nov 24, 2001Tornado$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A supercell thunderstorm produced a tornado just north of Anniston in Calhoun County. The tornado began at 4:03 pm near Cane Creek and US 431. The tornado proceeded northeast and ended at 4:10 pm near Broadwells Mill just west of Jacksonville. Preliminary estimates have 10 to 20 homes damaged, numerous outbuildings and barns destroyed, and several mobile homes damaged. Two farming operations had several buildings destroyed. A cemetery on US 431 sustained damage and 5 people received minor injuries when struck by flying debris. The tornado was 7.7 miles long and 250 yards wide at its widest point. Beg: 33 44.218/85 53.709 End: 33 48.425/85 47.488

10. Mar 6, 2003Tornado$200,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Alabama's second tornado of 2003 touched down in the early morning hours of Thursday, March 6, and affected portions of eastern Calhoun and western Cleburne counties. No deaths and only three minor injuries were reported with this tornado. The tornado first touched down in the White Plains community of Calhoun County, just west of the intersection of SR-9 and Cottaquilla Road. Damage at this location was light and scattered consisting mainly of downed trees and damaged roofs. From there, the tornado traveled east-northeast across SR-9 and County Road 55, where it caused considerable damage to greenhouses at a nursery business as well as chicken houses and other farm structures.The…

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

106°FAug 21, 1983

All-time low

−5°FJan 21, 1985

Warmest night

78°F8 times, most recently Aug 17, 2010

Coldest day

14°FFeb 14, 1905

Wettest day

7.96 inMar 29, 1977

Snowiest day

11.2 inMar 13, 1993

Hottest year

2016mean 65.3°F

Coldest year

1968mean 60.3°F

Wettest year

201375.28 in

Driest year

200722.39 in

Snowiest season

13.0 in1992-93

Station Anniston Metro Airport (USW00013871), 597 ft elevation, 6.1 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1903 to October 26, 2026; 99.6% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

Declarations for Calhoun County.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, 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).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USW00013871.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.