Huntsville Foundation Guide

Data update

What the 2026 North Alabama storm record adds to a home check

NOAA's current Storm Events files extend the three-county atlas through April 29, 2026. The useful next step is connecting an event record to dated observations from the property.

Published August 10, 2026Updated August 10, 2026By Neffles editorial team

Primary public sources are linked below. Dates, limitations, and material revisions stay visible.

Read the editorial policy
Rain-darkened brick foundation corner with a tape measure and field notebook prepared for a property inspection
Illustrative property-record scene. County storm history should be paired with dated observations from the house.

Why this matters now

The NOAA bulk files reviewed for the North Alabama Home Risk Atlas were updated July 28, 2026. The latest event date present for Madison, Limestone, and Morgan county records is April 29, 2026, so homeowners and researchers can now use a newer official snapshot.

What changed in the source snapshot

The updated atlas contains 3,485 county event records from 1996 through April 29, 2026. Madison County accounts for 1,764 records, Morgan County for 948, and Limestone County for 773. Thunderstorm wind is the most frequently recorded event type in all three counties.

Those counts describe database records, not houses damaged. One weather episode can generate multiple county records, and an event recorded for a county does not establish the conditions at a particular address.

  • Use the event date and type to identify a relevant property record.
  • Keep county history separate from a property-level probability.
  • Treat damage amounts as reported estimates that may be missing, rounded, or revised.

Connect an event to the house

Start with dated photographs, repair invoices, insurance correspondence, weather alerts, and notes from the people who occupied the property. Compare the record with the roof plane, wall, crawl space, drainage path, or room where a symptom appeared.

For wind or hail, photograph roof edges, flashing, vents, siding, window trim, gutters, and interior stains from safe locations. For heavy rain or flooding, trace the highest visible water entry point through adjoining materials and spaces below.

  • Event date and approximate time
  • Wide and close photographs from fixed viewpoints
  • The first place water, movement, or damage appeared
  • Temporary protection and permanent repair records
  • Final moisture readings when drying was required

Add address-level public records

County storm history becomes more useful when paired with property-specific research. FEMA's Flood Map Service Center can identify the effective flood map for an address. USDA Web Soil Survey can show mapped soil units and interpretations after the user defines an area of interest.

Neither source diagnoses a foundation, predicts a loss, or replaces an inspection. Save the map title, effective date, soil map unit, and exact area reviewed so another person can reproduce the research.

  • Confirm the property address and parcel before saving a map.
  • Record the map or survey publication date.
  • Separate mapped conditions from observed conditions at the house.

Use the record to improve the next scope

A useful repair proposal should explain what was observed, what caused it, which locations and materials are included, and what evidence will show completion. Historical weather can support the timeline, but it should not substitute for current measurements and a written diagnosis.

When two proposals differ, compare the problem each one claims to solve. Drainage correction, structural repair, source repair, drying, demolition, and finish restoration can be separate scopes even when they follow the same storm.

  • Ask which evidence supports the proposed cause.
  • List work included and excluded by location.
  • Record permits, engineering, cleanup, and warranty responsibility.
  • Keep before, during, and closeout evidence together.

Sources reviewed

Sources last checked August 10, 2026.