Sylacauga

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 Talladega County, the county that contains Sylacauga.

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.

River crests

River gauges in Talladega County, the county that contains Sylacauga.

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

The drought index is for Talladega County, the county that contains Sylacauga.

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.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Sep 16, 2004High Wind, Talladega$2.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hundreds of trees and power lines were blown down across the county. The most significant damage occurred throughout southern areas of the county. At least 12,000 customers were without power at the height of the storm. It took at least three days to restore all the power. Thirty to fifty homes and structures were damaged. In Talladega, one woman injured her shoulder when a tree fell through the roof of her home. In Sylacauga, a man was injured when a tree limb fell on his head. Maximum wind gusts were estimated around 70 miles an hour. Doppler radar and ground observations indicate up to 7 inches of rain fell during Ivan. A few roadways were covered with water and temporarily impassable.

2. Apr 27, 2011Tornado$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tornado initially touched down in far eastern Shelby County, south of Vincent, and tracked north northeast into western Talladega County. The tornado crossed the Coosa River, west of Laniers. The tornado moved northeast and caused tree damage on the east side of Logan Martin Dam and through residential neighborhoods along the southeastern edge of Logan Martin Lake. Several homes were damaged due to fallen trees. Damage was consistent with an EF1 rating and winds of 105 mph. The tornado lifted near the lake edge, along Lakeview Circle.

3. Nov 24, 2001Tornado$800,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The F2 tornado began at 3:42 pm near the intersection of Forest Glen Rd. and Odens Mill Rd., in the Oak Grove Community. It traveled northeast crossing US 280 and ended at 3:45 pm near Shirtee Creek in the Odena Community. The Red Cross and the local Emergency Management Agency estimate that 15 people were injured, two critically. Forty to 50 homes were damaged with 7 of the homes sustaining significant damage. Ten mobile homes were totally destroyed. Several outbuildings and sheds were destroyed and numerous trees were blown down or uprooted along the entire path. The tornado path was 3.1 miles long and 400 yards wide at its widest point. Beg: 33 10.930/86 18.818 End: 33 12.502/86 16.176

4. Mar 10, 2010Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   What began as flash flooding transitioned into widespread long term flooding across a large portion of Talladega County during the late morning of the 10th. Dozens of roads were closed across the county due to high water, and several small bridges became washed out. The initial problem area on the morning of the 10th was the city of Sylacauga, but as the heavy rainfall shifted northward in the afternoon, the cities of Talladega and eventually Munford also experienced flooding issues. Other communities with reports of flooding included Childersburg, Winterboro, and Renfroe.

5. May 7, 2003Flash Flood$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Very heavy rainfall in a short period of time caused extensive flooding across Talladega County. Flooding occurred in most every location from near Lincoln to near Sylacauga. Numerous roads countywide were closed for several hours. At the height of the storms, approximately 5000 customers were without power. Talladega Creek overflowed its banks and destroyed several mobile homes. The flash flooding episode eventually transitioned into a river flood event that lasted a few weeks.

6. Jun 21, 2010Thunderstorm Wind$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An apparent downburst caused an swath of intense damage across the southern portion of the city of Talladega. Around 100 trees were blown down, with some of them falling onto homes causing varying degrees of damage. In addition, hundreds of limbs were broken off, many of them also large enough to cause damage to homes as they fell. Structural damage not the result of falling trees or limbs was confined to outbuildings containing lumber at a hardware store. The total damage swath was more than 2.5 miles long, and up to 100 yards wide, with peak wind gusts estimated around 80 mph.

7. Nov 24, 2001Tornado$230,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The same thunderstorm that spawned the Sylacauga tornado produced another tornado in eastern Talladega County. This tornado was also rated an F2 on the Fujita scale and began at 3:59 pm 4 miles southeast of Winterboro in the Talladega National Forest. The tornado tracked northeast across Germany Mountain and ended at 4:09 pm, 1 mile southeast of Waldo. Several homes were damaged on Germany Mountain with one receiving significant damage. At least 6 mobile homes were totally destroyed and several outbuildings and barns were destroyed. Several trees were blown down or snapped off along the path. No injuries were reported. Beg: 33 17.453/86 08.146 End: 33 22.351/86 00.750

8. Nov 24, 2004Tornado$125,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado touched down in the vicinity of the Talladega Superspeedway. Two concession stands within the infield area of the race track had their roofs blown off. The Bush Garage area received building damage and the garage doors were bowed out. Debris was scattered between the garage area and Victory Lane. One digital leader board was completely destroyed and another one sustained major damage. The tornado continued on a northeast path across northern Talladega County. Numerous trees were blown down or snapped off along the path. Several out-building were destroyed and sheet metal was lofted into trees. The tornado moved into the Eastaboga area where it caused severe damage. Two…

9. Feb 26, 2008Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Widespread wind damage was reported across the northern portion of Talladega County, from near Lincoln eastward to Munford, and as far south as the city of Talladega. Damage consisted mostly of trees and power lines that were blown down, some of which fell onto structures. One mobile home had its roof peeled off in the Bemiston Community.

10. Aug 29, 2005Tropical Storm, Talladega$100,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Numerous trees and power lines were blown down countywide. Many of the fallen trees blocked roadways. At least 5000 customers were without power. At least one mobile home was significantly damaged.

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

104°FAug 19, 1995

All-time low

−4°FJan 21, 1985

Warmest night

78°FJun 14, 1958

Coldest day

14°FJan 21, 1985

Wettest day

6.38 inMay 5, 2021

Snowiest day

10.0 in2 times, most recently Mar 14, 1993

Hottest year

1957mean 64.0°F

Coldest year

1968mean 59.3°F

Wettest year

200978.10 in

Driest year

200729.34 in

Station Sylacauga 4 Ne (USC00017999), 504 ft elevation, 4.8 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1950 to October 26, 2026; 96.3% 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 Talladega 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 USC00017999.
• 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.
• 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.