Coffee County, Alabama

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 01031 · population 53,391 · 679 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 673 records for Coffee County, Alabama from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 352 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (436 records). The deadliest single record is the March 1, 2007 tornado: 9 deaths, 50 injuries and $356 million in damage in 2025 dollars. FEMA has issued 30 declarations naming the county since 1975, 28 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Hurricane Helene” on September 26, 2024.

The record, 1950 to 2026

Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).

  • recorded, no damage figure
  • under $100,000
  • $100,000 or more
  • $1 million or more
  • $10 million or more, or a death
  • $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
  • a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
  • a year with a death
  • 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
  • 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
Storm records
673on 352 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
1795 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$679Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
42strongest EF4
FEMA declarations
30latest 2024

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.

What hazards hit Coffee County most?

The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 436 since 1960. The rank column places the county among Alabama's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.

Coffee County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Severe thunderstorm wind 436 209 1960-2026 1 2 $4.6M 17 of 67
Hail 55 44 1960-2025 0 0 $80K 47 of 67
Drought 46 46 2010-2026 0 0 – 28 of 67
Floods 45 20 1998-2024 6 0 $225M 39 of 67
Tornadoes 42 37 1954-2026 9 88 $445M 23 of 67
Lightning 13 12 1996-2025 1 5 $729K 17 of 67
Hurricanes and tropical storms 12 12 1998-2024 0 0 $3.0M 7 of 67
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 8 7 1998-2015 0 0 – 8 of 67
Heat 5 5 2023-2023 0 0 – 55 of 67
Winter storms 5 5 2010-2026 0 0 $249K 61 of 67
Extreme cold 2 2 2025-2026 0 0 – 55 of 67
Heavy rain 2 1 2011-2011 0 0 – 48 of 67
High wind and dust storms 2 2 2008-2013 0 0 $70K 55 of 67

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.

How many tornadoes has Coffee County had?

NOAA records 42 tornadoes in Coffee County from 1954 to 2026, the strongest rated EF4, with 9 deaths and 88 injuries recorded in the county. That is 23rd of 67 Alabama counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.

Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 41 tornadoes whose track touched Coffee County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 42: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 13 people, 9 of them in Coffee County.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched Coffee County, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
2007-03-01 13:08, as SPC files itEnterpriseEF410.33 mi9
1972-01-13 01:00, as SPC files itEnterpriseF26.3 mi4
1986-11-25 21:20, as SPC files itNew Brockton to ClioF344 mi0
1983-05-16 03:10, as SPC files itNew BrocktonF31.5 mi0
1973-12-29 16:25, as SPC files itEnterprise to DalevilleF311.6 mi0
1971-09-17 00:35, as SPC files itUnnamedF30.3 mi0

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Alabama.

Every tornado record filed for Coffee County (42)
Every tornado recorded in Coffee County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-17 Enterprise Municipal Airport, Coffee County EF0 0.53 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $2K
2023-04-03 Shell Army Field, Coffee County EF0 0.27 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $24K
2020-04-19 Lowry Mill, Coffee County EF0 4.4 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $57K
2012-12-25 Damascus, Coffee County EF0 13.87 mi x 25 yd 0 0 $6K
2012-12-25 Basin, Coffee County EF0 0.01 mi x 10 yd 0 0 $3K
2012-08-30 Kinston, Coffee County EF0 2.56 mi x 35 yd 0 0 $6K
2012-06-10 Cool Springs, Coffee County EF0 0.26 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2012-03-02 Brooklyn, Coffee County EF0 0.46 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2010-04-08 Damascus, Coffee County EF0 3 mi x 75 yd 0 0 –
2009-12-14 Java, Coffee County EF0 0.1 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
2008-10-08 Enterprise, Coffee County EF1 1.9 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $5.5M
2008-02-17 Jack, Coffee County EF1 1.2 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $34K
2007-03-01 Enterprise Municipal Airport, Coffee County EF4 10.33 mi x 500 yd 9 50 $356M
2006-11-15 Roeton, Coffee County F0 1.06 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $2K
2006-11-15 Elba, Coffee County F0 3 mi x 150 yd 0 2 $512K
2000-04-03 Enterprise, Coffee County F0 0 0 –
1998-09-29 New Brockton, Coffee County F1 1 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $905K
1998-09-29 Enterprise, Coffee County F1 1 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $2.7M
1998-05-03 New Brockton, Coffee County F0 0.3 mi x 0 yd 0 0 $9K
1996-01-11 Kinston, Coffee County F1 1 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $188K
1995-12-06 Jack, Coffee County 0 1 $58K
1994-03-09 Frisco, Coffee County F2 3 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $1.1M
1986-11-26 Coffee County F1 8 mi x 150 yd 0 2 $250K step
1986-11-25 Coffee County F3 14 mi x 200 yd 0 3 $2.5M step
1984-03-05 Coffee County F2 0.9 mi x 50 yd 0 4 $250K step
1983-05-16 Coffee County F3 1.5 mi x 150 yd 0 1 $250K step
1980-05-20 Coffee County F1 14.6 mi x 33 yd 0 0 $25K step
1978-04-18 Coffee County F0 0.2 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $25K step
1976-03-21 Coffee County F1 0 0 $250K step
1976-03-16 Coffee County F0 0.5 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $3K step
1975-10-17 Coffee County F0 0 0 –
1973-12-29 Coffee County F3 5.9 mi x 67 yd 0 11 $2.5M step
1973-04-18 Coffee County F2 1 mi x 100 yd 0 14 $2.5M step
1972-01-13 Coffee County F2 1.1 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $250K step
1971-09-17 Coffee County F3 0.3 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $25K step
1963-01-20 Coffee County F1 14.1 mi x 33 yd 0 0 $250K step
1961-04-09 Coffee County F1 54.1 mi x 33 yd 0 0 $250K step
1959-03-21 Coffee County F2 2.7 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $25K step
1955-10-16 Coffee County F2 1.9 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $2.5M step
1955-10-16 Coffee County F1 14 mi x 167 yd 0 0 $25K step
1955-10-16 Coffee County 0 0 $3K step
1954-04-16 Coffee County F2 1.3 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $30 step

A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.

When was the last damaging storm in Coffee County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 17, 2026 tornado ($2,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

A tornado briefly touched down just west of Coppinville Junior High School. The tornado damaged an awning on the westernmost building of the school and tossed some debris around the lawn. The tornado then crossed a wooded area snapping some branches before lifting northwest of Thornbird Loop. The track was flown by drone and video footage also captured the tornado. Damage was minor, consistent with EF0 strength with maximum wind estimated to be 70 mph.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1345605)
The 12 most recent records kept for Coffee County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-22 Thunderstorm WindFrisco, Coffee County 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-17 TornadoEnterprise Municipal Airport, Coffee County EF0 0.53 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $2K
2026-06-01 Thunderstorm WindClintonville, Coffee County 55 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-01 Thunderstorm WindCarl Folsom Elba Airport, Coffee County 55 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-01 Thunderstorm WindVictoria, Coffee County 55 kt wind 0 0 $5K
2026-05-22 Thunderstorm WindElba, Coffee County 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-05-01 DroughtCoffee County · forecast zone Coffee 0 0 –
2026-04-01 DroughtCoffee County · forecast zone Coffee 0 0 –
2026-03-12 Thunderstorm WindMarvin Chapel, Coffee County 60 kt wind 0 0 $10K
2026-03-12 Thunderstorm WindEnterprise, Coffee County 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-01 DroughtCoffee County · forecast zone Coffee 0 0 –
2026-02-01 DroughtCoffee County · forecast zone Coffee 0 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.

The deadliest and costliest records

Records with deaths or injuries in Coffee County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2007-03-01 TornadoEnterprise Municipal Airport, Coffee County A tornado touched down just southwest of the Enterprise Municipal Airport. It caused minor damage to some houses. Four chicken houses were destroyed. The tornado then traveled northeast and quickly intensified as it moved into the Enterprise city limits. It severely damaged the high school just north of the downtown. ... EF4 10.33 mi x 500 yd 9 50 $356M
1998-03-08 Flash FloodElba, Coffee County A vigorous Gulf storm dumped up to 14 inches of rain across the northern half of Coffee County. The earthen levee on the Beaver Dam Creek breached. A six foot wall of water rushed into the city of Elba. Two thousand residents were forced to evacuate. Nearly 400 homes and businesses sustained flood damage. ... 4 0 $190M
2015-12-24 FloodRoeton, Coffee County Significant flooding occurred across Coffee county during the last week in December due to 10-20 inches of rain falling in the Pea River basin. The Pea River at Elba reached its third highest crest on record on December 26th. An aerial survey indicated 117 structures submerged with numerous others impacted near Elba. ... 2 0 $2.1M
1996-06-26 LightningEnterprise, Coffee County Three children playing on an unfinished soccer field next to a YMCA were struck by lightning. One child was fatally injured while the 2 other children received only minor injuries. 1 2 –
2000-06-22 Thunderstorm WindElba, Coffee County Numerous trees and power lines down. An elderly woman was killed when a tree fell on her vehicle at the intersection of County Roads 349 and 306. Reported by the Coffee County EMA. 1 0 $17K
1973-04-18 TornadoCoffee County F2 1 mi x 100 yd 0 14 $2.5M step
1973-12-29 TornadoCoffee County F3 5.9 mi x 67 yd 0 11 $2.5M step
1984-03-05 TornadoCoffee County F2 0.9 mi x 50 yd 0 4 $250K step

A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.

The costliest records in Coffee County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2007-03-01 TornadoEnterprise Municipal Airport, Coffee County EF4 10.33 mi x 500 yd 9 50 $356M
1998-03-08 Flash FloodElba, Coffee County 4 0 $190M
1998-09-28 Flash FloodElba, Coffee County 0 0 $32M
2008-10-08 TornadoEnterprise, Coffee County EF1 1.9 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $5.5M
1998-09-29 TornadoEnterprise, Coffee County F1 1 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $2.7M
2015-12-24 FloodRoeton, Coffee County 2 0 $2.1M
2004-09-15 Tropical StormCoffee County · forecast zone Coffee 0 0 $2.0M
1999-05-13 Thunderstorm WindCountywide, Coffee County 0 0 $1.3M

Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $2.5M, in the dollars of the day) holds: April 18, 1973 (tornado, Coffee County); December 29, 1973 (tornado, Coffee County); November 25, 1986 (tornado, Coffee County).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.

Is it getting more frequent?

Records per decade for Coffee County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).

Coffee County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Severe thunderstorm wind0213132449116219
Hail01231019812
Drought––––003412
Floods––––242118
Tornadoes52856763
Lightning––––2344

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).

What time of year?

Records by month in Coffee County. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 63 · Feb 35 · Mar 84 · Apr 144 · May 52 · Jun 89 · Jul 56 · Aug 46 · Sep 28 · Oct 16 · Nov 26 · Dec 34 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.

Federal disaster declarations for Coffee County

FEMA's register lists 30 declarations that include Coffee County: 18 major disasters, 12 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (13) and severe storm (11).

Declarations including Coffee County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2024-09-26EM-3618HurricaneHurricane Helene
2020-09-20DR-4563HurricaneHurricane Sally
2020-09-14EM-3545HurricaneHurricane Sally
2020-07-10DR-4554Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes
2020-03-29DR-4503BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3472BiologicalCovid-19
2018-10-12EM-3407HurricaneHurricane Michael
2017-10-08EM-3394HurricaneHurricane Nate
2017-09-11EM-3389HurricaneHurricane Irma
2016-01-21DR-4251Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding
2011-04-28DR-1971Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding
2011-04-27EM-3319Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Straight-Line Winds
2009-12-31DR-1870Severe StormSevere Storms and Flooding
2009-04-28DR-1835Severe StormSevere Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes & Straight-Line
2008-08-30EM-3292HurricaneHurricane Gustav
2007-03-03DR-1687Severe StormSevere Storms and Tornadoes
2005-09-10EM-3237HurricaneHurricane Katrina Evacuation
2005-07-10DR-1593HurricaneHurricane Dennis
2004-09-15DR-1549HurricaneHurricane Ivan
1998-09-30DR-1250HurricaneHurricane Georges - 18 Sep 98
1998-09-28EM-3133HurricaneHurricane Georges
1998-03-09DR-1208Severe StormSevere Storms and Flooding
1995-10-04DR-1070HurricaneHurricane Opal
1994-07-08DR-1034Severe StormSevere Storms and Flooding (Tropical Storm Alberto)
1993-03-15EM-3096SnowstormSevere Snowfall, Winter Storm
1990-03-21DR-861Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding
1977-07-20EM-3045DroughtDrought
1975-10-02DR-488Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding
1975-04-23DR-464FloodSevere Storms & Flooding
1975-03-14DR-458FloodSevere Storms & Flooding

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.

How many floods has Coffee County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 45 flood or flash flood records for Coffee County from 1998 to 2024, on 20 days, with 6 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Coffee County ranks 454th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

Named storms on Coffee County's flood and tropical record
StormBeganRecordsDeaths in the county
Hurricane Sally2020-09-1610
Hurricane Dennis2005-07-0910
Hurricane Ivan2004-09-1510
Hurricane Georges1998-09-2810

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $17.7 million on 591 claims filed in Coffee County; the most in one year was 334 in 1998. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1978: 1 · 1979: 2 · 1982: 2 · 1983: 2 · 1984: 1 · 1985: 3 · 1989: 1 · 1990: 56 · 1992: 1 · 1993: 2 · 1994: 76 · 1995: 8 · 1996: 1 · 1998: 334 · 2003: 3 · 2005: 2 · 2007: 1 · 2008: 1 · 2009: 10 · 2012: 11 · 2013: 3 · 2014: 8 · 2015: 55 · 2016: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2020: 2 · 2024: 2 · 2026: 1; the other years: 0.

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.

FEMA's modeled risk for Coffee County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Coffee County Relatively Moderate overall, with an expected annual loss of $43.0 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.

National Risk Index ratings for Coffee County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
TornadoRelatively High$6.3Monce in about 2 years (modeled)
LightningRelatively High$816K73 a year (modeled)
HurricaneRelatively Moderate$11Monce in about 6 years (modeled)
Riverine FloodingRelatively Moderate$21Monce in about 2 years (modeled)
Strong WindRelatively Moderate$831K1.8 a year (modeled)
LandslideRelatively Low$6Konce in about 3 years (modeled)
Heat WaveRelatively Low$616K5 modeled event-days a year
Cold WaveRelatively Low$1.2M2.4 a year (modeled)

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.

Counties that share a border with Coffee County

  1. Dale County 720
  2. Coffee County 673
  3. Geneva County 526
  4. Covington County 451
  5. Pike County 338
  6. Crenshaw County 266

Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.

Next