Needham, AL Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Needham is higher than Alabama average and is lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Needham is much lower than Alabama average and is about the same as the national average.
Earthquake Index, #26
| Needham, AL | 0.47 |
| Alabama | 0.08 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #1
| Needham, AL | 0.0000 |
| Alabama | 0.0000 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #662
| Needham, AL | 136.84 |
| Alabama | 255.80 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 2,504 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Needham, AL were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 0 | Cold: | 33 | Dense Fog: | 0 | Drought: | 55 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 168 | Hail: | 769 | Heat: | 66 | Heavy Snow: | 20 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 7 | Ice Storm: | 8 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 46 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 1,231 | Tropical Storm: | 9 | Wildfire: | 0 | Winter Storm: | 18 | Winter Weather: | 18 |
| Other: | 56 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Needham, AL.
Historical Earthquake Events
A total of 2 historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Needham, AL.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
| 4.9 | 1977-05-04 | 3.6 | 5 | 31.98 | -88.42 |
| 8.8 | 1978-12-11 | 3.5 | 5 | 31.95 | -88.48 |
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 57 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Needham, AL.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 3.6 | 1968-11-17 | 2 | 31°58'N / 88°22'W | 32°06'N / 88°15'W | 11.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Choctaw |
| 6.6 | 1958-02-26 | 2 | 31°47'N / 88°27'W | 32°00'N / 88°12'W | 20.90 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Choctaw |
| 13.4 | 1969-05-08 | 2 | 32°02'N / 88°38'W | 32°05'N / 88°28'W | 10.40 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Clarke |
| 14.5 | 1973-05-27 | 2 | 31°58'N / 88°35'W | 3.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Clarke | |
| 18.2 | 1973-05-27 | 2 | 32°04'N / 88°38'W | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Clarke | |||
| 18.4 | 1953-05-01 | 4 | 32°15'N / 88°23'W | 2 | 3 | 25K | 0 | Choctaw | |||
| 21.8 | 1957-11-18 | 3 | 31°58'N / 88°47'W | 32°00'N / 88°38'W | 9.00 Miles | 77 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Clarke |
| 23.5 | 2008-03-03 | 2 | 31°51'N / 88°46'W | 31°57'N / 88°41'W | 8.00 Miles | 350 Yards | 0 | 0 | 400K | 500K | Clarke |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado started in a rural area and downed trees and limbs along its path until causing its most intense damage at it crossed County Road 250. Here, it moved a large two story frame house several feet off its foundation, along with blowing out numerous windows and causing roof damage. Additionally, many dozens of large trees were snapped and uprooted in the vicinity. The tornado continued to move north northeast, causing extensive tree damage with hundreds of trees snapped or uprooted. Very near the end point, just east southeast of the DeSoto Community, roof damage occurred to two homes. Maximum wind speed was 115 mph. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A strong upper level system and evolving surface low moved across the region late on March 3rd. These features combined to bring a potent weather system to the area and a healthy round of severe thunderstorms from late afternoon through around midnight. It was a line of thunderstorms which brought most of the severe weather, but a few supercells did occur just ahead of the line. Ten tornadoes occurred, two of which were strong (EF-2), along with a good deal of wind damage as the line pushed east across Mississippi. | |||||||||||
| 25.8 | 1992-03-10 | 3 | 32°15'N / 88°47'W | 32°18'N / 88°27'W | 20.00 Miles | 1760 Yards | 3 | 57 | 2.5M | 0 | Lauderdale |
| 27.1 | 1979-11-25 | 2 | 31°37'N / 88°01'W | 32°00'N / 87°50'W | 28.60 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Clarke |
| 27.9 | 1988-11-04 | 3 | 31°37'N / 88°36'W | 31°37'N / 88°27'W | 8.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Wayne |
| 28.6 | 1973-05-27 | 2 | 32°04'N / 88°49'W | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Clarke | |||
| 29.3 | 1988-11-04 | 2 | 31°38'N / 88°19'W | 31°32'N / 88°03'W | 12.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Washington |
| 29.5 | 1957-06-28 | 2 | 31°35'N / 88°41'W | 31°42'N / 88°35'W | 10.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Wayne |
| 32.8 | 1987-02-28 | 4 | 31°52'N / 88°54'W | 31°51'N / 88°51'W | 5.00 Miles | 1230 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Clarke |
| 33.3 | 1971-03-02 | 3 | 31°54'N / 87°49'W | 31°55'N / 87°44'W | 4.90 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Clarke |
| 34.1 | 1972-01-09 | 3 | 31°46'N / 88°57'W | 31°48'N / 88°47'W | 10.10 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Wayne |
| 34.2 | 1961-12-12 | 2 | 32°24'N / 88°23'W | 32°32'N / 88°00'W | 24.20 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Sumter |
| 34.5 | 1986-03-12 | 2 | 32°14'N / 88°49'W | 32°14'N / 88°53'W | 2.00 Miles | 120 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Clarke |
| 34.6 | 1987-02-28 | 4 | 31°47'N / 88°54'W | 31°51'N / 88°53'W | 4.00 Miles | 1230 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Wayne |
| 34.7 | 1986-03-12 | 2 | 32°15'N / 88°51'W | 32°21'N / 88°45'W | 12.00 Miles | 120 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Lauderdale |
| 34.8 | 2010-04-24 | 2 | 32°15'N / 88°54'W | 32°18'N / 88°45'W | 10.00 Miles | 1056 Yards | 0 | 0 | 650K | 300K | Lauderdale |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado touched down just to the northeast of Montrose near County Road 2414, in Jasper County. This tornado tracked across 3 counties before it dissipated just before it reached Meridian. Along the path, it produced major structural roof damage to a church. Shingles and siding were blown off of a house. An outbuilding was destroyed along with damage to a grain silo. Thousands of large softwood and hardwood trees were snapped and uprooted. In addition, numerous power lines were blown down. This EF2 tornado had a total path length of 23 miles and a width of 0.6 miles. Maximum winds were around 125 mph. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A powerful spring storm system moved across the region on April 24th and brought an outbreak of severe storms and tornadoes to the area. The most powerful and destructive storm during this event was the long track EF4 tornado which ripped a 149 mile path across the forecast area. In addition to this violent tornado, many other storms became severe and produced 5 additional tornadoes along with numerous reports of quarter to golf ball sized hail. Of the 5 tornadoes, 3 of these were strong (EF2) and occurred across, Jasper, Newton, Lauderdale, Oktibbeha, and Clay Counties. | |||||||||||
| 35.1 | 2000-12-16 | 2 | 32°24'N / 88°40'W | 32°30'N / 88°30'W | 12.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 17 | 2.1M | 0 | Lauderdale |
| Brief Description: An F2 tornado caused major damage in the Marion and Dalewood Shore Lake communities, northeast of Meridian. Two houses and thirteen mobile homes were destroyed. Eleven houses and twelve mobile homes received major damage. Thirty-three houses and twenty-two mobile homes received minor damage. Three businesses were destroyed and one business had minor damage. Thousands of trees were blown down or snapped off, and numerous power poles and power lines were also downed. Seventeen people were injured, including one in critical condition. | |||||||||||
| 35.8 | 1983-05-19 | 2 | 31°37'N / 88°01'W | 31°45'N / 87°40'W | 22.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Clarke |
| 35.9 | 1967-12-18 | 3 | 32°26'N / 88°09'W | 32°30'N / 88°03'W | 7.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Sumter |
| 36.3 | 1970-03-03 | 2 | 31°28'N / 88°15'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Washington | |||
| 36.6 | 1984-03-24 | 2 | 31°31'N / 88°03'W | 2.00 Miles | 80 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Washington | |
| 37.3 | 1958-02-26 | 3 | 31°26'N / 88°46'W | 31°36'N / 88°32'W | 17.90 Miles | 100 Yards | 2 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Wayne |
| 37.7 | 1971-02-26 | 2 | 32°06'N / 88°58'W | 1.00 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Jasper | |
| 37.7 | 1963-01-19 | 2 | 31°43'N / 87°47'W | 31°45'N / 87°45'W | 3.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Clarke |
| 37.8 | 1953-01-23 | 3 | 31°32'N / 88°00'W | 31°34'N / 87°54'W | 6.50 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Clarke |
| 38.3 | 1976-03-29 | 4 | 32°22'N / 88°54'W | 32°26'N / 88°39'W | 15.40 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Lauderdale |
| 38.8 | 2010-04-24 | 2 | 32°13'N / 88°58'W | 32°15'N / 88°54'W | 4.00 Miles | 1056 Yards | 0 | 0 | 200K | 100K | Newton |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado touched down just to the northeast of Montrose near county road 2414, in Jasper County. This tornado tracked across 3 counties before it dissipated just before it reached Meridian. Along the path, it produced major structural roof damage to a church. Shingles and siding were blown off of a house. An outbuilding was destroyed along with damage to a grain silo. Thousands of large softwood and hardwood trees were snapped and uprooted. In addition, numerous power lines were blown. This EF2 tornado had a total path length of 23 miles and a width of 0.6 miles. Maximum winds were around 125 mph. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A powerful spring storm system moved across the region on April 24th and brought an outbreak of severe storms and tornadoes to the area. The most powerful and destructive storm during this event was the long track EF4 tornado which ripped a 149 mile path across the forecast area. In addition to this violent tornado, many other storms became severe and produced 5 additional tornadoes along with numerous reports of quarter to golf ball sized hail. Of the 5 tornadoes, 3 of these were strong (EF2) and occurred across, Jasper, Newton, Lauderdale, Oktibbeha, and Clay Counties. | |||||||||||
| 38.9 | 1972-01-04 | 2 | 32°18'N / 87°47'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Marengo | |
| 39.5 | 1972-03-02 | 2 | 31°26'N / 88°03'W | 31°32'N / 87°59'W | 8.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Washington |
| 40.6 | 1984-03-24 | 3 | 31°31'N / 87°56'W | 31°32'N / 87°53'W | 4.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Jackson |
| 42.4 | 1971-09-16 | 2 | 31°22'N / 88°15'W | 31°24'N / 88°10'W | 5.70 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Washington |
| 42.8 | 2004-11-24 | 2 | 32°10'N / 87°44'W | 32°14'N / 87°34'W | 11.90 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 2 | 135K | 0 | Marengo |
| Brief Description: A tornado touched down just north of the Shiloh Community on CR 73. Three mobile homes received extensive damage and two homes suffered moderate damage. The tornado moved northeast and damaged a carport and mobile home near Thomaston. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down or snapped off along the entire path of the tornado. Two people suffered minor injuries. The tornado damage path was 11.9 miles long and 200 yards wide at its widest point. Begin: 32 09.23/87 44.23 End: 32 14.79/87 33.97 | |||||||||||
| 42.8 | 1986-03-12 | 4 | 32°25'N / 88°46'W | 32°36'N / 88°42'W | 16.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 8 | 2.5M | 0 | Lauderdale |
| 43.0 | 2010-04-24 | 2 | 32°09'N / 89°06'W | 32°13'N / 88°58'W | 10.00 Miles | 1056 Yards | 0 | 0 | 400K | 600K | Jasper |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado touched down just to the northeast of Montrose near County Road 2414, in Jasper County. This tornado tracked across 3 counties before it dissipated just before it reached Meridian. Along the path, it produced major structural roof damage to a church. Shingles and siding were blown off of a house. An outbuilding was destroyed along with damage to a grain silo. Thousands of large softwood and hardwood trees were snapped and uprooted. In addition, numerous power lines were blown down. This EF2 tornado had a total path length of 23 miles and a width of 0.6 miles. Maximum winds were around 125 mph. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A powerful spring storm system moved across the region on April 24th and brought an outbreak of severe storms and tornadoes to the area. The most powerful and destructive storm during this event was the long track EF4 tornado which ripped a 149 mile path across the forecast area. In addition to this violent tornado, many other storms became severe and produced 5 additional tornadoes along with numerous reports of quarter to golf ball sized hail. Of the 5 tornadoes, 3 of these were strong (EF2) and occurred across, Jasper, Newton, Lauderdale, Oktibbeha, and Clay Counties. | |||||||||||
| 44.3 | 1957-11-18 | 2 | 31°44'N / 89°05'W | 31°47'N / 89°00'W | 6.20 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Jones |
| 45.4 | 1976-03-16 | 2 | 31°20'N / 88°25'W | 0.10 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Washington | |
| 45.8 | 2006-11-15 | 3 | 31°37'N / 89°04'W | 31°41'N / 88°57'W | 11.00 Miles | 850 Yards | 0 | 1 | 1.7M | 0K | Jones |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This strong tornado touched down near the Glade and Tuckers Crossing Communities and tracked east northeast to near the Mill Creek Community before entering Wayne County near Highway 84. Around 25 homes suffered significant damage. The most intense damage was along a path from near the intersection of Highway 15 and Orange Drive northeast to the area along Township Road. Two metal high tension electric power truss towers were destroyed, hundreds of trees were snapped and uprooted, at least two mobile homes were destroyed, a travel trailer being used for post-Katrina housing was annihilated, and several houses suffered significant structural damage. Northeast of this area, the path continued all the way to the county line with Wayne County, but damage was generally less, F0 to occasionally F1, and limited to tree damage. The one exception was near the Mill Creek community, where a storage building was destroyed and a couple of homes suffered roof damage. Total path length across Jones and Wayne Counties was 17 miles. EPISODE NARRATIVE: An intense fall cyclone developed over the region and produced an episode of severe weather which included tornadoes. This strong weather system developed as a very strong jet stream, with winds between 160-200 mph, slammed into Oregon and Washington State. All that energy moved over the Rocky Mountains and caused a strong area of surface low pressure to develop. This low intensified as it moved east across the Red River Valley and then lifted across Arkansas and into Tennessee as it deepened to 990 mb! The strength of this deepening low caused warm and unstable air to lift northward across Louisiana and into central Mississippi. It was this northward moving warm front that became the focus of an area where tornadic supercell thunderstorms could thrive in an unstable and highly sheared environment. This large and powerful storm system produced numerous tornadoes across the south and south eastern United States where many were of the strong (F2 or F3) variety. Within the Jackson, MS forecast area, there were a total of 5 tornadoes to impact the counties serviced. Two F3s, one in Lamar County and the other in Jones County. The Jones County tornado actually contained a satellite tornado, F1, which briefly rotated around the parent tornado. Next was an F1 tornado in southern Marion County which was actually the end of a strong tornado that moved out of Walthall County. Lastly, a brief F1 tornado occurred in central Lamar County. Tornadoes were not the only type of severe weather, scattered wind damage also occurred across northeast Louisiana and portions of central Mississippi between midnight and 10 am Wednesday November 15th 2006. | |||||||||||
| 45.8 | 1972-01-09 | 3 | 31°42'N / 89°10'W | 31°46'N / 88°57'W | 13.50 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 12 | 2.5M | 0 | Jones |
| 45.8 | 1971-12-15 | 2 | 31°47'N / 89°08'W | 31°48'N / 89°02'W | 6.10 Miles | 77 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Jones |
| 46.4 | 1976-03-12 | 2 | 32°23'N / 87°53'W | 32°28'N / 87°35'W | 18.40 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Marengo |
| 48.1 | 1951-04-21 | 3 | 31°48'N / 89°12'W | 32°09'N / 89°07'W | 24.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 6 | 25K | 0 | Jasper |
| 48.6 | 2000-01-03 | 2 | 32°11'N / 89°09'W | 32°14'N / 89°06'W | 4.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 125K | 0 | Jasper |
| Brief Description: This strong tornado nearly destroyed a cinder-block convenience store. One house received major damage as its roof was thrown about fifty yards away. A mobile home was blown off of its foundation and thrown about fifty yards into adjacent woods where it was left in total destruction. Several barns and sheds were either destroyed or received major damage. Several hundred trees were either blown down or snapped off. There were no injuries or fatalities. The tornado left north central Jasper County and moved into south central Newton County. | |||||||||||
| 48.7 | 2007-01-05 | 2 | 32°36'N / 88°42'W | 32°39'N / 88°41'W | 2.00 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 9 | 600K | 0K | Kemper |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This strong tornado touched down in the Blackwater Community and caused extensive damage along its 2 mile path. Six homes were destroyed, five of which were mobile homes and one modular home. Nine people were injured with three serious. One car was flipped over and rolled along with extensive damage to trees and power lines along the path of this high end F2 tornado. EPISODE NARRATIVE: During the evening of Jan 4th and early morning hours of Jan 5th, a potent storm system moved across the Lower Mississippi Valley. This system was dynamic enough to generate a line of thunderstorms across Central Mississippi. This line developed within a strongly sheared environment and evolved into a squall line with bowing segments. These bowing segments proved very efficient with respect to producing damaging wind gusts and six tornadoes. The squall line matured just east of Interstate 55 around 11 pm and raced east before exiting into Alabama around 3 am. | |||||||||||
| 49.1 | 1958-02-26 | 3 | 31°22'N / 88°51'W | 31°26'N / 88°46'W | 7.10 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Greene |
| 49.1 | 1986-03-12 | 4 | 32°36'N / 88°42'W | 32°42'N / 88°35'W | 7.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Kemper |
| 49.4 | 2004-11-24 | 2 | 32°05'N / 89°18'W | 32°13'N / 89°01'W | 20.00 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 2 | 3.0M | 0 | Jasper |
| Brief Description: This tornado moved into Jasper county from Smith county 5.5 miles southwest of Montrose and tracked northeast for 20 miles before moving into Newton county 6 miles east of Garlandville. As this strong tornado tracked across Jasper county a few thousand trees were uprooted and snapped. Seven residential homes sustained major damage along with eleven sustaining minor damage. Eight chicken houses were destroyed with five more sustaining major damage. The total path length of this tornado was 38 miles across Smith, Jasper and Newton counties. | |||||||||||
| 49.6 | 1996-02-19 | 2 | 31°21'N / 88°51'W | 31°26'N / 88°46'W | 5.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 4 | 150K | 0 | Greene |
| Brief Description: NUMEROUS TREES WERE TOPPLED AND SEVERAL MOBILE HOMES WERE DAMAGED BY A TORNADO THAT FIRST TOUCHED DOWN IN THE NORTHWEST PART OF GREENE COUNTY. THE TORNADO FIRST TOUCHED DOWN ABOUT SIX MILES EAST OF RICHTON ON MS HWY 42 AT ABOUT 220 PM CDT. THE TORNADO THEN SKIPPED ALONG THE GROUND TO THE NORTHEAST AND MOVED INTO WAYNE COUNTY ALONG MS HWY 63. NUMEROUS TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN ALONG THE PATH OF THE TORNADO AND SEVERAL MOBILE HOMES WERE DAMAGED. FOUR PEOPLE IN ONE OF THE MOBILE HOMES WERE INJURED. THE TORNADO WAS ON THE GROUND FOR ABOUT 5 MILES IN GREENE COUNTY. | |||||||||||
| 49.6 | 1973-05-27 | 3 | 31°32'N / 89°08'W | 31°43'N / 89°00'W | 15.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 1 | 35 | 2.5M | 0 | Jones |
| 49.6 | 1972-01-09 | 3 | 31°52'N / 89°17'W | 32°04'N / 89°05'W | 18.20 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Jasper |
| 49.7 | 1999-04-14 | 3 | 31°48'N / 89°13'W | 31°53'N / 89°07'W | 7.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 3 | 2.0M | 0 | Jasper |
| Brief Description: This strong tornado entered from Jones County and crossed portions of southern Jasper County. There were three injuries. Several houses and businesses were destroyed along with the Moss Firehouse. Overall, many homes and businesses received at least minor damage and numerous trees and power lines were blown down. | |||||||||||
| 49.8 | 1986-03-12 | 3 | 32°16'N / 89°07'W | 32°19'N / 89°06'W | 10.00 Miles | 123 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | Newton |
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.