Butler County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Butler County: 2.
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.

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.

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.

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 county boundary (or inside the county).
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. Mar 8, 1998Flash Flood$800,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A slow moving complex weather system moved through southwest Alabama on March 8, bringing with it copious amounts of rainfall. The Mobile WSR-88D estimated rainfall totals of six to ten inches across the area on March 8 with Brewton recording 9.54 inches. Some areas in north Baldwin county estimated up to fifteen inches of rain with Covington county estimating up to twelve inches of rain. The heavy rains began on the evening of March 7 and continued through the night before tapering off on the afternoon of March 8. The heaviest rainfall fell from midnight until around noon on March 8. The heavy rainfall caused widespread flooding across the area. The flooding began in Mobile…

2. Sep 25, 1998Hurricane (Typhoon), Butler$800,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   For the second time in less than a month, the area was again threatened by a hurricane. Hurricane Georges affected the region September 25 through the 29. The coastal areas from Dauphin Island to east of Destin were put under a hurricane watch at 900 AM CST, September 25. A hurricane warning was issued for the area at 900 AM CST, September 26. The hurricane warning was changed to a tropical storm warning for the area at 300 PM CST, September 28. All tropical storm warnings for the area were dropped at 900 AM CST, September 29.Georges made landfall along the Mississippi coast near Biloxi between 300 and 500 AM CST, September 28.Some of the winds recorded across Southwest Alabama…

3. Dec 24, 2015Flood$600,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous roads were closed across Butler County for much of December 24th into early Christmas Day. Numerous dirt roads were damaged in the county, along with some minor damage to a few paved roads.

4. Apr 30, 2005Thunderstorm Wind$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A large microburst from a thunderstorm blew down numerous trees in and around Chapman. Several of the trees fell on homes. One home had thirty four trees blown down in their yard. Luckily none fell on their house. They had just gotten their home repaired from the damage they received from Hurricane Ivan. Another home had a large tree break through their roof. They were asleep and the branches fell into their bedroom. They rushed into another room and the branches fell through the roof there and they were eventually able to escape into the garage. In all about 300 trees were blown down with several homes suffering damage, mostly from fallen trees. No one was injured.

5. Sep 15, 2020Tropical Storm, Butler$234,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hurricane Sally made landfall in Gulf Shores, AL at 5am on Wednesday, September 16th as a strong Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph. Sally produced widespread wind, storm surge, and freshwater flooding across coastal AL and the western Florida Panhandle. Flood and wind damage also extended well inland into inland southwest Alabama and south central Alabama. Sally was an extremely slow moving hurricane, which prolonged and exacerbated the local impacts. The storm was moving at less than 5 mph at the time of landfall, resulting in a long duration of tropical storm and hurricane force winds, storm surge, and torrential rainfall. ||Storm surge and resultant…

6. Aug 6, 2001Tropical Storm, Butler$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Tropical storm Barry moved inland on the morning of August 6. An Inland Tropical Storm Wind Warning was in effect as Barry tracked across Covington, Conecuh, Monroe and Wilcox counties between 500 am and noon. Near the center and just to the right of the center, numerous trees and light weight structures were damaged. The counties with the most damage were Covington, Crenshaw and Butler. About one hundred thousand dollars worth of damage occurred in Covington county, where numerous trees were blown down from Florala to Andalusia. Some damage to awnings and light weight structures also occurred in Florala. Trees were blown down across Butler and Crenshaw counties. Minor damage…

7. Apr 15, 2011Tornado$150,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado touched down at the intersection of Ridge Road and Sherling Lake Road northwest of Greenville, and continued east along Sherling Lake Road strengthening to EF-2 intensity as it passed over the eastern-most sections of the Cambrian Ridge Golf Course. The tornado then crossed the Sherling Lake RV Park snapping numerous pine trees in a 300 to 400 yard wide path. The tornado crossed Highway 263 then lifted west of Highway 185.

8. Nov 24, 2001Tornado$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tornado touched down in a wooded area just north of Odom Crossroads, which is to the west of McKenzie. The tornado then crossed County Road 29, where a mobile home was destroyed. Three occupants of the mobile home were injured. The tornado continued to move toward the northeast over mostly wooded areas, but crossed over County Roads 28 and 8. Tree damage occurred along this portion of the storms path. The tornado eventually crossed US Highway 31 and into a mainly wooded area south of Georgiana. The damage path of the tornado, which was again mostly to trees north of Highway 31, ended near Rocky Creek, where the tornado lifted back into the clouds.

9. Nov 17, 2014Tornado$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado touched down near Norrell Ave. and tracked northeast across Palmer and Veneer Ave. It was at these locations where the tornado reached its peak intensity. Significant tree damage was observed and many power lines were downed. A few sheds and outbuildings were destroyed with minor shingle damage noted to a couple of homes. The tornado tracked northeast across highway 31 and 106, producing sporadic tree damage. The tornado lifted near Bushy Creek Drive and Mccall Road. Prior to lifting the tornado produced minor damage to a couple of mobile homes and two cars were heavily damaged by trees.

10. Apr 15, 2011Tornado$90,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Roof blown off of a mobile home and a tree was blown over onto a house. Several homes sustained damage to shingles. Numerous trees blown over along the tornado path.

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

108°FJun 28, 1954

All-time low

−1°FJan 21, 1985

Warmest night

80°F4 times, most recently Jul 16, 1932

Coldest day

22°FDec 23, 1989

Wettest day

15.36 inSep 29, 1998

Snowiest day

6.7 inJan 22, 2025

Hottest year

1933mean 68.9°F

Coldest year

2010mean 62.3°F

Wettest year

200986.88 in

Driest year

190429.17 in

Station Greenville (USC00013519), 342 ft elevation, 2.7 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1920 to September 30, 2026; 93.9% 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.

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.

Neighbouring counties

• 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 USC00013519.
• 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.