Data current as of 2026-10-16 · Sourced from NOAA Storm Events
Over the past five years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has recorded 16 hail storms within 25 miles of Tuscaloosa, AL. Of those, 12 produced hail at least quarter-size — the threshold most insurance carriers consider potentially damaging to asphalt shingles. The largest reported hail in this window was egg-sized, which can fracture shingle mat and dent metal flashing on contact. 2024 was the most active year on record locally, with 6 documented hail events.
Check Hail History for a Specific Address in Tuscaloosa| Severity | Count | What it means for roofs |
|---|---|---|
| Destructive | 2 events | Egg-size, expect mat fractures and gutter damage |
| Severe | 1 event | Ping pong-size, granule loss and bruising common |
| Significant | 9 events | Quarter-size, the standard insurance damage threshold |
| Moderate | 4 events | Marble-size, possible cosmetic damage |
| Year | Reported Hail Events Within 25 mi |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 events |
| 2024 | 6 events |
| 2023 | 5 events |
| 2022 | 3 events |
2024 was the busiest hail year on record locally for Tuscaloosa, with 6 documented events inside the 25-mile radius. Storm activity in Tuscaloosa typically peaks in spring and early summer, when the jet stream pushes Gulf moisture into the area and supercell thunderstorms become more frequent.
| Date | Location | Severity | Size | NOAA Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-05-08 | UNION, AL | Significant | 1.00" | Quarter-size hail covered the ground near Union. |
| 2025-03-15 | GORDO, AL | Severe | 1.50" | Social media photos of half dollar to ping pong ball size hail in Gordo. |
| 2024-08-18 | SYLVAN, AL | Significant | 1.00" | Quarter-size hail fell between Fosters and Ralph. |
| 2024-05-25 | COKER, AL | Significant | 1.00" | Quarter-size hail report from image relayed via broadcast media. |
| 2024-05-24 | SAMANTHA, AL | Significant | 1.00" | Quarter-size hail was reported via broadcast media. |
| 2024-05-18 | FOSTERS, AL | Moderate | 0.88" | Nickel-size hail fell along US 11/43 near the Black Warrior River. |
| 2024-05-09 | COTTONDALE, AL | Moderate | 0.88" | Nickel-size hail was reported in the Cottondale area. |
| 2024-02-12 | RIVER VIEW, AL | Moderate | 0.75" | A thunderstorm produced several reports of penny-size hail around the city of Tuscaloosa. Some of the hail had cylindrical formations, as opposed to spherical. |
| 2023-06-29 | SAMANTHA, AL | Significant | 1.00" | Quarter size hail reported near the intersection of Highway 69 and Yellow Creek Road. |
| 2023-06-16 | GORDO, AL | Destructive | 2.50" | Baseball size hail reported southwest of Gordo with several car windows shattered and destroyed. |
| 2023-05-18 | PHIPPS, AL | Significant | 1.00" | Hail up to the size of quarters reported on County Road 49. |
| 2023-04-27 | SAMANTHA, AL | Moderate | 0.88" | Nickle size hail reported between Northport and Samantha along Highway 43. |
| 2023-04-03 | SNODDY, AL | Significant | 1.00" | Quarter size hail reported near the intersection of Joseph Wilder Road and Highway 191. |
| 2022-04-15 | HAVANA, AL | Destructive | 2.00" | Hen egg size hail reported in Havana. |
| 2022-03-22 | HOLT JCT, AL | Significant | 1.00" | Quarter size hail in Alberta City. |
| 2022-02-17 | TUSCALOOSA, AL | Significant | 1.00" | — |
NOAA has recorded 60 high-wind events within 25 miles of Tuscaloosa, AL in the past five years. Of those, 58 reached severe-thunderstorm thresholds (58+ mph). The highest measured gust was 100 mph.
| Severity | Count |
|---|---|
| Destructive | 1 event |
| Severe | 14 events |
| Significant | 43 events |
| Moderate | 2 events |
| Date | Location | Gust (mph) | Severity | NOAA Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-25 | 0 N Tuscaloosa Regional, AL | 47 | Significant | TCL measured wind gust of 47 mph. |
| 2026-06-01 | HAVANA, AL | 58 | Significant | Trees were downed in various parts of northern Hale County, with some blocking roads. |
| 2026-06-01 | STOKES, AL | 58 | Significant | Multiple reports of downed trees across southern Tuscaloosa County. |
| 2026-06-01 | NORTHPORT, AL | 58 | Significant | Multiple reports of downed trees across northern Tuscaloosa County. |
| 2026-06-01 | GILES, AL | 58 | Significant | A tree fell on a manufactured home in Woodstock. |
| 2026-03-16 | FOSTERS, AL | 58 | Significant | Power lines were downed in Fosters. |
| 2026-03-16 | HOWTON, AL | 58 | Significant | A tree fell onto a car in Brookwood, injuring the occupant. |
| 2026-03-15 | SAMANTHA, AL | 58 | Significant | Trees were downed on Ben Clements Rd. |
| 2025-06-16 | SAMANTHA, AL | 58 | Significant | Trees were downed in the Samantha area. |
| 2025-06-16 | VANCE, AL | 58 | Significant | Trees were downed in the Vance area. |
| 2025-06-16 | DUNCANVILLE, AL | 58 | Significant | Trees were downed in the Duncanville area. |
| 2025-05-25 | GORDO, AL | 60 | Significant | Several trees were downed in the Gordo area. |
| 2025-05-25 | SAMANTHA, AL | 58 | Significant | Trees were downed along Highway 171 and along Tierce Patton Rd. |
| 2025-05-18 | MOORES BRIDGE, AL | 64 | Severe | Trees and power lines were downed in the area of Parker Rd, with one tree on a home. |
| 2025-05-18 | REFORM NO PICKENS AR, AL | 64 | Severe | Multiple trees were downed along U.S. Highway 82 near mile marker 23 west of Gordo. |
| 2025-05-18 | SAMANTHA, AL | 100 | Destructive | NWS Meteorologists surveyed extensive damage in Tuscaloosa County north of the city of Northport|and found damage consistent with high-end straight line winds. The communities of Clearwater |Estates, Four Winds, Vista Granda, east to Searles and Bull City were particularly hard hit.|The bulk of the damage likely occurred roughly between 550 AM CDT and 612 AM CDT.||The damage was very widespread from north to south starting west of U.S. Highway 43 extending|over to near Alabama Highway 59 in Bull City. The survey crew estimated a nearly solid 4-mile|swath north to south of extensive high end tree damage with embedded minor to moderate structural|damage. Extensive power line and infrastructure impacts were also observed. More sporadic damage|was observed up to 2 miles on either side of the primary swath of damage. The survey crew noted|a slightly more concentrated area of damage in the Tierce Patton Road area just south of where|a tornado tracked on 3/15 of this year. A large swath of trees was mowed down in this area and|some more notable structural damage was observed. The survey crew noted that all of the damage|was pointing generally in an east to east-northeast direction with limited debris lofting |or westward (upstream) facing debris. The extensive tree blowdown appeared to have been aided|by rain soaked and saturated soils, as a majority of the trees were uprooted.||Based on the widespread nature of the damage and the overall characteristics of the debris|observed, survey crews made the determination that straight-line winds likely caused the damage.|Maximum wind speeds based on the damage observed were estimated between 90 and 100 mph which matches|radar velocity estimates from KBMX radar. |
| 2025-05-18 | RIVER VIEW, AL | 64 | Severe | A tree was downed at the National Water Center on the UA campus, while another tree fell on a home in Holt. |
| 2025-05-18 | GREELEY, AL | 64 | Severe | Trees and power lines were downed across Hepzibah Church Rd. |
| 2025-05-18 | KELLERMAN, AL | 75 | Severe | Antioch Fire Department reported numerous trees were downed along Lock 17 Rd. Relayed by a trained spotter. |
| 2025-05-18 | SHOOK, AL | 58 | Significant | A tree fell on a home and vehicle near Burchfield Rd. |
The most recent quarter-size-or-larger hail storm recorded by NOAA within 25 miles of Tuscaloosa was on May 8, 2025. HailCheck refreshes from the NOAA Storm Events database daily, so newer events appear here as they are reported.
Tuscaloosa averages roughly 3 reported hail events per year within a 25-mile radius. Significant storms (quarter-size or larger) account for 12 of the 16 events recorded over the last five years.
The largest documented hail near Tuscaloosa in the last five years was egg-sized. Most Tuscaloosa-area hail falls in the marble-to-quarter range, with destructive storms (egg-size or larger) appearing roughly once every few years.
Most homeowners insurance policies in AL cover hail damage to roofs, siding, and gutters under the dwelling and other-structures coverage. Coverage typically requires the damage to be tied to a verifiable storm date — which is where the NOAA hail history above (and a HAAG-style test square validation) becomes important for the claim file.
Use the HailCheck address search to enter any street address in or near Tuscaloosa. HailCheck returns every NOAA hail event within a configurable radius, along with severity bands, dates, and storm narratives for Pro members.
If your property in or near Tuscaloosa took on hail during one of the storms above, the standard process for documenting damage is a 10×10 foot test square inspection. A HAAG-trained reviewer counts impact indicators — granule displacement, mat fractures, and bruising — within the marked square and produces a PASS or FAIL document for the claim file.
HailCheck offers a $99 photo-based HAAG-style test square validation. You submit photos from the field, our reviewer evaluates the impact indicators and cross-references the NOAA storm dates listed above, and a written PASS/FAIL determination is returned within one business day. We do not send anyone to the roof — the validation is built around the photos you submit.
Learn About $99 HAAG-Style ValidationTuscaloosa sits east of the traditional hail alley, where hail events are less frequent than the central plains but tend to be associated with strong squall lines and tropical systems. Local roof systems are less commonly hardened for hail, which can mean even moderate impacts produce claim-worthy damage.