BlockDrifton, Alabama
23 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1893 and the latest in 1984. It stands in the Parrish census division. It lies in ZIP code area 35580. It stands on Japanese Creek. The Survey maps it on the Goodsprings quadrangle.
Topographic sheets covering this place
9 surveys from 23 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.
- 1893 USGS Jasper quadrangle1:125000, 5 printings
- 1935 USGS Port Birmingham quadrangle1:48000
- 1938 USGS Port Birmingham quadrangle1:62500, 4 printings
- 1953 USGS Birmingham quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1956 USGS Birmingham quadrangle1:250000
- 1957 USGS Birmingham quadrangle1:250000
- 1971 USGS Goodsprings quadrangle1:24000, 4 printings
- 1975 USGS Goodsprings quadrangle1:24000
- 1984 USGS Jasper quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
337 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 337 fires within 5 miles of Drifton between 1994 and 2020, burning about 4,690 acres in total. None started naturally. 174 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 | 174 |
| Debris and open burning | 96 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 32 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 12 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 5 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 4 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 4 |
| Smoking | 4 |
| Other causes | 3 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 3 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 1.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 7 September 2010 | Debris and open burning | 5.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 7 September 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 3.5 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | 1768 NEW PARRISH HWY, AL |
| 6 September 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 2.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 6 September 1999 | Equipment and vehicle use | 2.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 6 September 1999 | Debris and open burning | 1.2 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 5 September 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 4 September 2019 | Arson/incendiarism | 12 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | 20190904-5 |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
11 since 2007Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Drifton in 11 storm reports between 2007 and 2025: 7 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, 2 hail. The reports record 20 injuries. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2011 | Tornado (EF3) | Drifton | 20 hurt, $13,400,000 | A tornado developed along a Quasi-Linear Convective System and touched down in rural southwestern Walker County, near the Fairview community. The tornado moved north northeast through Cordova before lifting near Lynns Park. The tornado touched down southwest of CR 6 and rapidly intensified to an EF3 rating with winds of 140 mph. Along Horseshoe Bend, a home was completely leveled, where it swept the foundation clean of the structure and debris. The tornado continued north northeast through the Richardson subdivision and across Pleasantville Road. It destroyed at least two single-wide manufactured homes. The tornado crossed US Hwy 269 where it weakened to an EF2 with winds of 120 mph and moved through the Aldridge community, where several homes were damaged, large trees were uprooted, and another single-wide manufactured home was tossed and obliterated. In Cordova, the tornado caused significant roof and parapet damage to brick buildings in the downtown area. The tornado crossed Old US Hwy 78 just east of the Mulberry Fork, where it snapped and uprooted trees and caused minor structural damage. The tornado continued northeast and dissipated south of County Road 22, less than a mile north of Old US Hwy 78. A second tornado, with winds of 140 mph, tracked through Cordova during the afternoon of the same day (between 1535 and 1605 CST) and caused more significant structural damage. |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Drifton | $3,000 | Trees and power lines were blown down in the Tutwiler Community. |
| March 2025 | Tornado (EF2) | Drifton | - | This tornado entered Walker County from Tuscaloosa County. The tornado crossed into|Walker County with notable damage in the CR 6 / Tutwiler Road|area. Here, large trees were uprooted and/or snapped. Several|homes sustained roof damage and at least one home had some|windows blown out. Additional damage occurred along Bruner Hill|Road and Bruner Lane. The tornado then tracked through the|Pleasant Field and Bradleytown communities with mainly tree|damage. A few power lines were also noted down in these areas.|The tornado crossed I-22 with a few trees down along CR 22 on the|south side of Cordova. The tornado damage became more pronounced|and consistent as it tracked toward the Argo community.|Widespread tree damage was noted along Highway 78 with many trees|snapped or uprooted. Minor structural damage occurred to a couple|of homes along Mathas Creek Road. The residents of these homes|mentioned getting the warning and sheltering before the tornado|hit. The tornado began to widen as it crossed the Mulberry Fork|and moved into Sipsey. Widespread tree damage was noted in|Sipsey, with many trees snapped. Multiple structures in downtown|Sipsey also sustained damage. Several homes sustained roof damage|with a few having their windows blown out. An anchored manufactured|home was overturned and destroyed. The tornado was likely at its|widest here with a width of approximately 1,000 yards. The|tornado then tracked northeast along Campbellville Road and the|Sipsey Fork River into the Campbellville community. Large swaths|of softwood trees were snapped or uprooted in this area. In|addition, several conventional homes sustained notable structural|damage. At least three homes had significant roof and siding|damage with uplift and partial roof loss. One two-story home here|lost a significant portion of the roof, second floor, and back of|the home. The family here reported getting the warning and|sheltering in their downstairs basement with the pets. A|significant number of softwood and hardwood trees were also|snapped in this area. Due to this, the maximum rating of EF-2 /120 mph was estimated in this location. Further north, the|tornado began to narrow and slowly wind down with sporadic tree|damage noted along Campbellville Road. With the aid of satellite|data, it was determined that the tornado lifted just south of the|Cullman County line near the Mulberry Fork. The total path length of the tornado was 39.48 miles. |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Drifton | - | Several trees uprooted and power lines downed in the Goodsprings Community. |
| May 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Drifton | - | A metal roof was removed from a mobile home on Tutwiler Road. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Drifton | - | Several trees uprooted and a barn destroyed in the community of Goodsprings. |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Drifton | - | Numerous trees and power lines were blown down in and around Good Springs, with most of the damage concentrated along Alabama Highway 269. |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Drifton | - | Trees and power lines were blown down in the Tutwiler community along County Road 6. |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Drifton | - | Trees were blown down blocking Tutwiler Rd. |
| July 2022 | Hail | Drifton | - | no account filed |
| March 2019 | Hail | Drifton | - | no account filed |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goodsprings | 0.9 miles | 23 | |
| Pennsylvania Camp (historical) | 1.0 miles | 23 | |
| High Level | 1.5 miles | 23 | |
| Bradleytown | 1.6 miles | 23 | |
| Short Camp | 1.7 miles | 23 | |
| Aldridge | 1.8 miles | 23 | |
| Gorgas | 2.6 miles | 23 | |
| Littletons | 3.5 miles | 23 |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 156280. 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.