Natural hazards · Dayton

Dayton, AL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Dayton comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. 3 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Dayton?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Dayton to be higher than in 74% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding36%Tornadoes19%Hurricanes10%Strong wind8%Drought7%Heat waves6%Everything else14%

By hazard

What Dayton faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

36% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 75% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

19% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 97% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Hurricanes

10% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 10 years in the area

Strong wind

8% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Drought

7% of expected damage

Recorded about 21 times a year in the area

Heat waves

6% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 62% of U.S. places

Recorded about 10 times a year in the area

Lower here

HailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Dayton flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Dayton.

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Dayton isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Marengo County.

Disasters that hit Dayton

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Dayton itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the Town of Dayton.

Brought FEMA money into DaytonDeclared for Marengo County only

2020

Hurricane Zeta

1 household applied for aid

2011

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding

3 households applied for aid

2004

Hurricane Ivan

6 households applied for aid $11K aid approved

Marengo County has had 17 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Dayton is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Dayton’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Dayton. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.