Guide · Huntsville, AL
Madison County storms and tornadoes, 2010–2025
Sixteen years of NOAA storm reports for Madison County, Alabama, covering wind, tornadoes, hail and ice, and what it means for the trees around your home.
The short version
Wind is what brings trees down here. NOAA's Storm Events Database lists 680 thunderstorm-wind reports in Madison County on 184 separate days from 2010 through 2025, with reports in every year. 520 of them noted property damage.
Thunderstorm wind
June has the most reports (174), then May (136), April (93) and July (87). More than half began between 1 and 6 p.m. The busiest years were 2025 (99 reports), 2011 (83) and 2023 (64).
Most gusts in the record were under 58 mph (627 of 680), but 53 reached 58 mph or more. The highest were an estimated 87 mph near Molder on June 28, 2018 and an estimated 82 mph at the Huntsville airport on May 20, 2025. You do not need a tornado to lose a tree.
Tornadoes
The database lists 41 tornado entries on 24 days in 14 of the 16 years, most in May (13) and April (11). By rating, 14 were EF0, 17 EF1, 6 EF2, 2 EF3 and 1 EF4, with one unrated.
The strongest: an EF4 on April 27, 2011, with a 27.2-mile path in the county starting near Cluttsville; EF3s on March 2, 2012 (near Cluttsville, 23.7 miles) and April 1, 2023 (near Fisk). On May 20, 2025, EF2 tornadoes were logged near Maysville and near Madison.
Hail and ice
There were 204 hail reports on 61 days, the largest 2.75 inches near Haden on May 20, 2025. Ice storms are rare but matter for trees because of the weight they add to limbs; the database lists two, in 2015 and 2021, both in February.
What to do with this
- Have large trees near the house looked at before spring, ahead of the April to June peak.
- Watch for dead limbs, cracks, leaning trunks and roots lifting the soil. Those are the trees most likely to fail in wind.
- After a storm, stay clear of downed lines and call the utility first. Photograph damage before cleanup.
- If a tree is on public property or along the street, contact the City's Urban Forestry & Horticulture division.
The data: Thunderstorm wind reports per year, Madison County, AL
Show the full table
| year | thunderstorm wind reports | tornado reports | hail reports |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 23 | 1 | 8 |
| 2011 | 83 | 10 | 25 |
| 2012 | 24 | 2 | 27 |
| 2013 | 17 | 2 | 5 |
| 2014 | 18 | 2 | 0 |
| 2015 | 14 | 1 | 4 |
| 2016 | 34 | 1 | 4 |
| 2017 | 60 | 0 | 19 |
| 2018 | 24 | 1 | 3 |
| 2019 | 51 | 3 | 4 |
| 2020 | 58 | 1 | 1 |
| 2021 | 36 | 0 | 17 |
| 2022 | 36 | 3 | 10 |
| 2023 | 64 | 4 | 39 |
| 2024 | 39 | 6 | 5 |
| 2025 | 99 | 4 | 33 |
Download the CSV (year-by-year counts)
Cite this data
Huntsville Tree Guide. "Madison County, AL storm and tornado reports by year, 2010–2025." Compiled 2026-10-19 from NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database. https://huntsvilletreeguide.com/guides/madison-county-storm-tornado-record/. NOAA data are in the public domain; please credit "Data: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database."
Related
- Emergency and storm tree removal in Huntsville
- Tree removal in Huntsville
- Tree trimming in Huntsville
- Arborist vs tree service in Huntsville
Sources: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, Madison County AL, 2010–2025 detail files (downloaded 2026-10-17) · City of Huntsville, Urban Forestry & Horticulture · checked 2026-10-19
Ready to request a local tree service?
One local tree service. A written estimate. No obligation.
Get started
Tell us what you need
Your request goes to a local tree service, who will contact you to arrange a look and a written estimate.
Prefer to call? Call (256) 829-7070 and leave a voicemail any time. We'll follow up about your request.