Covington County, Alabama
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 01039 · population 37,519 · 1,031 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 451 records for Covington County, Alabama from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 285 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (235 records). The deadliest single record is the March 12, 2001 tornado: 2 deaths, 1 injury and $1.7 million in damage in 2025 dollars. FEMA has issued 33 declarations naming the county since 1975, 31 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
- 451on 285 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 525 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $54Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 49strongest F3
- FEMA declarations
- 33latest 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 Covington County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 235 since 1962. 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.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 235 | 168 | 1962-2026 | 0 | 3 | $2.2M | 43 of 67 |
| Hail | 111 | 76 | 1956-2025 | 0 | 0 | $32K | 42 of 67 |
| Tornadoes | 49 | 41 | 1956-2023 | 2 | 22 | $21M | 45 of 67 |
| Floods | 20 | 18 | 1998-2024 | 0 | 0 | $15M | 58 of 67 |
| Winter storms | 11 | 6 | 2000-2025 | 0 | 0 | – | 64 of 67 |
| Lightning | 10 | 10 | 1998-2015 | 3 | 0 | $131K | 28 of 67 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 5 | 5 | 1998-2020 | 0 | 0 | $16M | 57 of 67 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 4 | 4 | 1996-2012 | 0 | 0 | – | 30 of 67 |
| Drought | 2 | 2 | 2016-2016 | 0 | 0 | – | 66 of 67 |
| Heat | 2 | 2 | 2000-2007 | 0 | 0 | – | 65 of 67 |
| Heavy rain | 2 | 2 | 2020-2023 | 0 | 0 | – | 35 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 Covington County had?
NOAA records 49 tornadoes in Covington County from 1956 to 2023, the strongest rated F3, with 2 deaths and 22 injuries recorded in the county. 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 51 tornadoes whose track touched Covington County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 49: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 2 people.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-03-12 13:00, as SPC files it | Red Level | F1 | 3.2 mi | 2 |
| 1956-05-03 04:40, as SPC files it | Unnamed | F3 | 3.8 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Alabama.
Every tornado record filed for Covington County (49)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-01-12 | South, Covington County | EFU 4.58 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2021-06-19 | Watkins Bridge, Covington County | EF0 0.63 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2020-04-23 | Florala, Covington County | EF0 0.01 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2020-04-23 | Falco, Covington County | EF0 0.37 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2020-04-19 | Andalusia Opp Airport, Covington County | EF2 1.21 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2017-06-21 | Green Bay, Covington County | EF1 4.84 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $60K |
| 2017-02-07 | Andalusia, Covington County | EF0 0.51 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 1 | $120K |
| 2016-02-15 | South, Covington County | EF1 4.53 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 1 | $123K |
| 2011-04-15 | Beck, Covington County | EF1 13.27 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | $2.0M |
| 2008-10-08 | Watkins Bridge, Covington County | EF0 1.89 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $69K |
| 2008-05-15 | Red Level, Covington County | EF0 7.79 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $206K |
| 2008-02-17 | Beck, Covington County | EF1 5.72 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $343K |
| 2006-11-15 | Green Bay, Covington County | F2 15.81 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $1.5M |
| 2005-07-06 | Lockhart, Covington County | F0 1 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $23K |
| 2005-07-06 | Watkins Bridge, Covington County | F0 0.5 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $23K |
| 2005-05-31 | Opp, Covington County | F0 1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $8K |
| 2005-05-31 | Gantt, Covington County | F0 1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $60K |
| 2002-10-20 | Libertyville, Covington County | F0 0.1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $33K |
| 2001-11-24 | Rose Hill, Covington County | F0 0.2 mi x 60 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K |
| 2001-11-24 | River Falls, Covington County | F0 0.1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K |
| 2001-06-11 | Libertyville, Covington County | F0 3.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K |
| 2001-03-12 | Red Level, Covington County | F1 3.2 mi x 75 yd | 2 | 1 | $1.7M |
| 1999-03-13 | Andalusia, Covington County | F1 9 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $177K |
| 1999-03-03 | Opp, Covington County | F0 2 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $106K |
| 1998-09-28 | Andalusia, Covington County | F0 0.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $45K |
| 1998-09-28 | Opp, Covington County | F0 0.2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $9K |
| 1998-04-17 | Opp, Covington County | F1 1 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $1.8M |
| 1998-04-08 | Heath, Covington County | F1 0.1 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | $54K |
| 1997-11-21 | Opp, Covington County | F1 0.5 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | $460K |
| 1995-10-04 | Gantt Lake, Covington County | F0 0.1 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | $19K |
| 1995-10-04 | Andalusia, Covington County | F0 0.1 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | $19K |
| 1995-10-04 | Andalusia, Covington County | F0 0.1 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | $19K |
| 1995-05-09 | Opp, Covington County | F0 2 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $48K |
| 1990-02-22 | Covington County | F1 1.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 10 | $2.5M step |
| 1985-10-28 | Covington County | F1 0.1 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1984-09-15 | Covington County | F1 2 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1984-06-13 | Covington County | F1 0.2 mi x 70 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1983-12-28 | Covington County | F2 15 mi x 80 yd | 0 | 1 | $250K step |
| 1980-05-20 | Covington County | F1 5.1 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1980-05-20 | Covington County | F1 16.2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1979-07-11 | Covington County | F2 7.1 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 4 | $250 step |
| 1978-05-03 | Covington County | F1 0.3 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1976-03-31 | Covington County | F2 3.8 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1975-03-13 | Covington County | F1 9.3 mi x 880 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1974-11-11 | Covington County | F1 | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1964-12-24 | Covington County | F0 21 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1962-01-05 | Covington County | F2 | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1957-06-28 | Covington County | F2 5.2 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 2 | $250K step |
| 1956-05-03 | Covington County | F3 3.8 mi x 83 yd | 0 | 2 | $25K 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 Covington County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the April 19, 2020 thunderstorm wind (2 injuries).
A storm survey identified a one mile area of significant straight line wind damage near the Gantt and Heath areas. Winds were estimated to be between 80 to 90 mph. These winds rolled over a single wide manufactured home, injuring 2 occupants. Numerous trees were downed or snapped and several power lines were downed as well.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 887986)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-25 | Thunderstorm WindFlorala, Covington County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-06-25 | Thunderstorm WindStedman, Covington County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-06-09 | HailLibertyville, Covington County | 1.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-06-08 | HailBabbie, Covington County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-05-27 | Thunderstorm WindBeck, Covington County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-02-16 | Thunderstorm WindAndalusia Opp Airport, Covington County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-02-16 | Thunderstorm WindAndalusia, Covington County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-01-21 | Heavy SnowCovington County · forecast zone Covington | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2023-03-25 | HailGantt, Covington County | 2.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2023-01-12 | TornadoSouth, Covington County | EFU 4.58 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2021-06-19 | TornadoWatkins Bridge, Covington County | EF0 0.63 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2020-04-23 | TornadoFlorala, Covington County | EF0 0.01 mi x 25 yd | 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
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-03-12 | TornadoRed Level, Covington County A tornado touched down along the leading edge of a bow echo in the Pigeon Creek area just north of Red Level. The tornado destroyed a manufactured home with three people inside. Two of the occupants were killed and one was injured. The tornado appeared to have first touched down where the home was located. The ... | F1 3.2 mi x 75 yd | 2 | 1 | $1.7M |
| 2015-06-23 | LightningOpp, Covington County A male and female were struck and killed by lightning as they were attempting to cover a chicken coup which was by a tree. | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2004-07-07 | LightningFlorala, Covington County A 71 year old male was standing in a carport during a thunderstorm. Lightning struck a tree near the carport and then the bolt hit the man in the chest while he was standing underneath the metal carport. The male was not found for a couple of hours and was already dead when help arrived. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1990-02-22 | TornadoCovington County | F1 1.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 10 | $2.5M step |
| 1979-07-11 | TornadoCovington County | F2 7.1 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 4 | $250 step |
| 2020-04-19 | Thunderstorm WindGantt, Covington County A storm survey identified a one mile area of significant straight line wind damage near the Gantt and Heath areas. Winds were estimated to be between 80 to 90 mph. These winds rolled over a single wide manufactured home, injuring 2 occupants. Numerous trees were downed or snapped and several power lines were downed as ... | 78 kt wind | 0 | 2 | – |
| 1957-06-28 | TornadoCovington County | F2 5.2 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 2 | $250K step |
| 1956-05-03 | TornadoCovington County | F3 3.8 mi x 83 yd | 0 | 2 | $25K 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.
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-09-25 | Hurricane (Typhoon)Covington County · forecast zone Covington | 0 | 0 | $16M | |
| 1998-03-08 | Flash FloodCountywide, Covington County | 0 | 0 | $11M | |
| 2015-12-24 | FloodEoda, Covington County | 0 | 0 | $3.9M | |
| 2011-04-15 | TornadoBeck, Covington County | EF1 13.27 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | $2.0M |
| 1998-04-17 | TornadoOpp, Covington County | F1 1 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $1.8M |
| 2001-03-12 | TornadoRed Level, Covington County | F1 3.2 mi x 75 yd | 2 | 1 | $1.7M |
| 2006-11-15 | TornadoGreen Bay, Covington County | F2 15.81 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $1.5M |
| 1997-11-21 | TornadoOpp, Covington County | F1 0.5 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | $460K |
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: February 22, 1990 (tornado, Covington 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 Covington 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).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 3 | 9 | 28 | 55 | 48 | 45 | 47 |
| Hail | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 23 | 45 | 26 | 7 |
| Tornadoes | 2 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 13 | 4 | 5 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 5 | 4 | 8 | 3 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 0 | 2 | 8 | 1 |
| Lightning | – | – | – | – | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
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 Covington County. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 27 · Feb 30 · Mar 72 · Apr 64 · May 71 · Jun 59 · Jul 52 · Aug 21 · Sep 13 · Oct 12 · Nov 12 · Dec 18 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Covington County
FEMA's register lists 33 declarations that include Covington County: 21 major disasters, 12 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (15) and severe storm (13).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-09-26 | EM-3618 | Hurricane | Hurricane Helene |
| 2020-09-20 | DR-4563 | Hurricane | Hurricane Sally |
| 2020-09-14 | EM-3545 | Hurricane | Hurricane Sally |
| 2020-07-10 | DR-4554 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes |
| 2020-05-21 | DR-4546 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2020-03-29 | DR-4503 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3472 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2018-10-12 | EM-3407 | Hurricane | Hurricane Michael |
| 2017-10-08 | EM-3394 | Hurricane | Hurricane Nate |
| 2017-09-11 | EM-3389 | Hurricane | Hurricane Irma |
| 2016-01-21 | DR-4251 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2014-05-02 | DR-4176 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2012-09-21 | DR-4082 | Hurricane | Hurricane Isaac |
| 2011-04-28 | DR-1971 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2011-04-27 | EM-3319 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Straight-Line Winds |
| 2009-12-31 | DR-1870 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2009-04-28 | DR-1835 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes & Straight-Line |
| 2008-08-30 | EM-3292 | Hurricane | Hurricane Gustav |
| 2005-09-10 | EM-3237 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2005-07-10 | DR-1593 | Hurricane | Hurricane Dennis |
| 2004-09-15 | DR-1549 | Hurricane | Hurricane Ivan |
| 1998-09-30 | DR-1250 | Hurricane | Hurricane Georges - 18 Sep 98 |
| 1998-09-28 | EM-3133 | Hurricane | Hurricane Georges |
| 1998-04-09 | DR-1214 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Tornadoes |
| 1998-03-09 | DR-1208 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 1995-10-04 | DR-1070 | Hurricane | Hurricane Opal |
| 1994-07-08 | DR-1034 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding (Tropical Storm Alberto) |
| 1993-03-15 | EM-3096 | Snowstorm | Severe Snowfall, Winter Storm |
| 1990-03-21 | DR-861 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding |
| 1979-09-13 | DR-598 | Hurricane | Hurricane Frederic |
| 1977-07-20 | EM-3045 | Drought | Drought |
| 1975-10-02 | DR-488 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding |
| 1975-04-23 | DR-464 | Flood | Severe 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 Covington County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 20 flood or flash flood records for Covington County from 1998 to 2024, on 18 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Covington County ranks 1811th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
| Storm | Began | Records | Deaths in the county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Georges | 1998-09-25 | 1 | 0 |
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $397,000 on 37 claims filed in Covington County; the most in one year was 27 in 1998. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1994: 1 · 1998: 27 · 1999: 1 · 2001: 2 · 2013: 1 · 2015: 3 · 2020: 2; 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 Covington County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Covington County Relatively Moderate overall, with an expected annual loss of $33.1 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.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning | Relatively High | $1.5M | 75 a year (modeled) |
| Hurricane | Relatively High | $18M | once in about 6 years (modeled) |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | $3.3M | about once a year (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | $610K | 7.3 modeled event-days a year |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | $8.6M | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | $861K | about once a year (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively Low | $143K | 25 modeled event-days a year |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | $295K | 2.1 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 Covington County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in AlabamaEvery Alabama tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Severe thunderstorm wind in AlabamaThe state's severe thunderstorm wind events, by county, year and month
- The Alabama recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Covington CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Covington County's FEMA declarations (CSV)33 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis