Bethel, Alabama
17 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1888 and the latest in 1984. It stands in the Logan census division. It lies in ZIP code area 35057. The Survey maps it on the West Point quadrangle.
Topographic sheets covering this place
8 surveys from 17 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1888 USGS Cullman quadrangle1:125000
- 1892 USGS Cullman quadrangle1:125000, 4 printings
- 1956 USGS Gadsden quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1958 USGS Gadsden quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS West Point quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
- 1960 USGS Gadsden quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1963 USGS Gadsden quadrangle1:250000
- 1984 USGS Guntersville quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
117 since 1997Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 117 fires within 5 miles of Bethel between 1997 and 2020, burning about 1,194 acres in total. None started naturally. 53 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Arson/incendiarism | 53 |
| Debris and open burning | 35 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 22 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 3 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 1 |
| Smoking | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 September 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 10 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 4 September 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | 33 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 4 September 1998 | Debris and open burning | 5.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 3 September 2008 | Arson/incendiarism | 17 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | 1925 COUNTY ROAD 998, AL |
| 29 September 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | NER-20140929-002 |
| 29 September 2004 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 24 September 2019 | Debris and open burning | 10 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | 20190924-6 |
| 23 September 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
13 since 1999Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Bethel in 13 storm reports between 1999 and 2025: 5 hail, 5 thunderstorm wind, 3 flash flood. The reports record 1 death. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bethel | 1 killed | A tree was uprooted, falling onto a male, along County Road 1135. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bethel | $50,000 | Damage was reported damage to a livestock farm structure and pole barn at 921 CR 813. A tree was knocked down onto a home and other trees uprooted. Time estimated by radar. |
| October 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bethel | $6,000 | A utility pole and power lines were knocked down on Highway 278. |
| June 1999 | Hail | Bethel | $2,000 | Quarter size hail was reported at Bethel west of Cullman. Dime size hail was also reported in the northwest corner of the county. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bethel | $1,000 | A tree was knocked down at 1985 CR 831. Time estimated by radar. |
| December 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bethel | $1,000 | Thunderstorm winds snapped a treetop off near a house east southeast of Bethel. |
| April 2025 | Hail | Bethel | - | Golfball size hail was reported at this location off of CR 1043. |
| June 2025 | Flash Flood | Bethel | - | Flash flooding was occurring based on a photo at 255 CR 825. Depth of water estimated at 6 to 8 inches and rising. |
| June 2025 | Flash Flood | Bethel | - | Flash flooding was occurring at the Rock Creek bridge along CR 1133. Time estimated by radar. Depth of water unknown. |
| March 2021 | Flash Flood | Bethel | - | Highway 278 at CR866 closed due to water over the road. Depth of water unknown at this time. |
| April 2020 | Hail | Bethel | - | Nickel sized hail was reported. |
| March 2012 | Hail | Bethel | - | Nickel sized hail was reported. |
| May 2008 | Hail | Bethel | - | Golf ball sized hail was reported between Cullman and Jones Chapel near the Central community. |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Hill | 1.4 miles | 17 | |
| Central | 2.5 miles | 11 | |
| West Point | 3.3 miles | 17 | |
| Dripping Springs | 3.5 miles | 11 | |
| Baldwin | 3.5 miles | 17 | |
| Jones Chapel | 3.8 miles | 11 | |
| Logan | 4.1 miles | 11 | |
| Chances Crossroad | 4.3 miles | 11 |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 114006. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.







