BlockWilburn, Alabama
20 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1893 and the latest in 1984. It stands in the Bremen census division. It lies in ZIP code area 35033. It lies near Hammonds Shinbone Mountain. The Survey maps it on the Cold Springs quadrangle. It stands 522 feet above sea level.
Topographic sheets covering this place
7 surveys from 20 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
- 1949 USGS Cold Springs quadrangle1:24000, 5 printings
- 1951 USGS Cold Springs quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1953 USGS Birmingham quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1956 USGS Birmingham quadrangle1:250000
- 1957 USGS Birmingham quadrangle1:250000
- 1984 USGS Jasper quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
187 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 187 fires within 5 miles of Wilburn between 1994 and 2020, burning about 2,756 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 48 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 |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 63 |
| Debris and open burning | 53 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 48 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 12 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 3 |
| Smoking | 3 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 1 |
| Natural | 1 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 1 |
| Other causes | 1 |
| Fireworks | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 September 1998 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 26 September 2016 | Debris and open burning | 3.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | 20160926-3 |
| 23 September 2016 | Debris and open burning | 200 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | 20160923-22 |
| 20 September 2000 | Natural | 5.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 2 September 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | 3.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | 20180902-3 |
| 17 September 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | 20180917-6 |
| 16 September 2016 | Debris and open burning | 50 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | 20160916-7 |
| 16 September 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | NWR-20150916-003 |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
16 since 1995Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Wilburn in 16 storm reports between 1995 and 2025: 8 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado, 3 flash flood, 2 hail. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2011 | Tornado (EF2) | Wilburn | 1 killed | A weak tornado touched down east of Cold Springs, toppling and snapping numerous trees. Several sheds sustained minor damage in this early part of the track. The storm crossed Highway 69 where it damaged a large shed. Additional damage was noted as the tornado tracked northeast across County Road 46, where trees continued to be snapped and damage sustained to many chicken coops, some of which collapsed. After crossing Interstate 65 just south of Dodge City, additional chicken coops and trees were damaged along the path of the storm.||The tornado then increased in strength as it approached Wallace State College in Hanceville, where winds were estimated to peak at 120 mph (EF-2 intensity). Eight large metal power poles were bent over just above the base and several campus buildings had significant portions of metal roofing torn off. A mid-rise under construction had its windows blown out, while the high-rise building sustained additional minor damage. The connected construction crane remained standing. To the south of the main track, in Hanceville proper, significant numbers of large pine, poplar and other hardwood trees were toppled onto houses. The roof of the high school gym in town was partly destroyed and additional small buildings near downtown Hanceville sustained damage..||The tornado continued its track northeast from Hanceville, nearly paralleling Highway 91. Between Center Hill and Walter, large hardwood trees were found snapped and twisted. In addition along County Road 645, a barn was nearly destroyed. Continuing northeast along a path, just south of Holly Pond along Highway 91, a portion (1/3 to 1/2) of a residential shelter or shed was destroyed and a portion of a chicken house was badly damaged.||Additional damage was seen along County Road 1742 and 1753, several miles northeast of Holly Pond, and along Highway 231 in extreme northeast Cullman county. This damage is considered to be with the same complex of storms that rolled across the area during the early morning hours April 27th, however there is too much distance between damage points to be considered one long track tornado. |
| April 1998 | Tornado (F0) | Wilburn | $25,000 | A small tornado touched down in extreme southwestern Cullman County. A few structures were damaged along with numerous trees downed or uprooted. |
| April 1998 | Tornado (F1) | Wilburn | $20,000 | no account filed |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wilburn | $3,000 | A few trees were downed by thunderstorm winds. |
| February 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wilburn | $1,000 | Two trees were knocked down and blocking the road at 1718 Alabama Highway 91. Time estimated by radar. |
| February 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wilburn | $500 | A tree was knocked down at 1718 Alabama Highway 91. Time estimated by radar. |
| November 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wilburn | $500 | A tree was knocked down near the intersection of Highway 91 and CR 27. Time was estimated from radar. |
| April 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wilburn | - | Trees were knocked down along Highway 69 near the Walker County line. Time estimated by radar. |
| April 2020 | Flash Flood | Wilburn | - | CR 27 flooded near Arkadelphia. Depth of water unknown. |
| March 2017 | Hail | Wilburn | - | Quarter sized hail was reported. |
| April 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wilburn | - | A large peach tree was knocked down. |
| April 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wilburn | - | Several trees were knocked down or broken off along CR 18, CR 19, CR 21, and CR 25. |
| May 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wilburn | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down a medium sized pine tree, slightly damaging a mobile home at the intersection of CR 18 and CR 25 south of the Wilburn area. |
| July 2005 | Flash Flood | Wilburn | - | Torrential rains from a thunderstorm resulted in several inches of water covering County Road 30 near the Bug Tussle community. |
| July 2005 | Flash Flood | Wilburn | - | Torrential rains from a thunderstorm resulted in several inches of water covering County Road 36 in southwestern Cullman County. |
| April 1995 | Hail | Wilburn | - | Quarter-size hail was reported at Wilburn in the southwest corner of Cullman County. Wilburn is also known as Bug Tussle. A funnel cloud was reported south of Bremen. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cold Springs | 2.1 miles | 20 | |
| Bremen | 4.5 miles | 23 | |
| Ardell | 4.6 miles | 20 | |
| Arkadelphia | 5.0 miles | 23 | |
| Brushy Pond | 5.5 miles | 12 | |
| The Colony | 7.0 miles | 23 | |
| Misty Harbor | 7.6 miles | 18 | |
| Sulphur Springs | 7.8 miles | 12 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Wilburn | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q8000260 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 153986. 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.