Lee County, Alabama
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 01081 · population 173,871 · 608 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 553 records for Lee County, Alabama from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 389 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (215 records). The deadliest single record is the March 3, 2019 tornado: 23 deaths and 90 injuries. FEMA has issued 22 declarations naming the county since 1975, 20 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
- 553on 389 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 34387 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $74Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 44strongest EF4
- FEMA declarations
- 22latest 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 Lee County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 215 since 1966. 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 | 215 | 154 | 1966-2026 | 2 | 3 | $1.4M | 32 of 67 |
| Hail | 128 | 87 | 1965-2025 | 0 | 0 | $611K | 16 of 67 |
| Drought | 73 | 70 | 2006-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 2 of 67 |
| Tornadoes | 44 | 32 | 1953-2025 | 29 | 322 | $61M | 26 of 67 |
| Floods | 28 | 28 | 1998-2026 | 0 | 0 | $6.5M | 27 of 67 |
| Lightning | 15 | 14 | 1996-2024 | 2 | 2 | $516K | 10 of 67 |
| Winter storms | 14 | 14 | 1996-2026 | 1 | 0 | $104K | 28 of 67 |
| High wind and dust storms | 9 | 8 | 2004-2024 | 0 | 0 | $1.7M | 28 of 67 |
| Heat | 7 | 7 | 1996-2025 | 0 | 60 | – | 34 of 67 |
| Extreme cold | 6 | 6 | 1996-2014 | 0 | 0 | $1.9M | 25 of 67 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 6 | 6 | 2005-2020 | 0 | 0 | $93K | 20 of 67 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 6 | 5 | 1996-2007 | 0 | 0 | – | 13 of 67 |
| Heavy rain | 2 | 2 | 2009-2012 | 0 | 0 | – | 25 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 Lee County had?
NOAA records 44 tornadoes in Lee County from 1953 to 2025, the strongest rated EF4, with 29 deaths and 322 injuries recorded in the county. That is 26th 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 45 tornadoes whose track touched Lee County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 44: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 31 people, 29 of them in Lee County.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-03-03 14:00, as SPC files it | ColumbusCrossed AL, GA | EF4 | 68.04 mi | 23 |
| 1953-04-18 17:00, as SPC files it | Auburn to PhenixCrossed AL, GA | F3 | 39.8 mi | 8 |
| 2014-04-29 02:56, as SPC files it | Smiths Station | EF3 | 11.45 mi | 0 |
| 1954-12-05 12:00, as SPC files it | ManchesterCrossed AL, GA | F3 | 51 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Alabama.
Every tornado record filed for Lee County (44)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-05-03 | Chewacla, Lee County | EF0 3.76 mi x 175 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2023-12-10 | Bupree, Lee County | EF0 2.43 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2019-03-03 | Bupree, Lee County | EF4 23.55 mi x 1,600 yd | 23 | 90 | – |
| 2019-03-03 | Marvyn, Lee County | EF1 9.91 mi x 1,300 yd | 0 | 1 | – |
| 2018-11-01 | Pine Grove, Lee County | EF0 0.04 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2018-07-21 | Opelika, Lee County | EF0 5.73 mi x 500 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2017-01-22 | Auburn Opelika, Lee County | EF1 3.08 mi x 540 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2017-01-22 | Beehive, Lee County | EF0 4.76 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2017-01-21 | Smiths Station, Lee County | EF1 0.92 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2017-01-21 | Prince Xrd, Lee County | EF0 0.12 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2017-01-21 | Pepperell, Lee County | EF0 0.83 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2017-01-21 | Mitchell Xrd, Lee County | EF0 1.07 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2017-01-21 | Beehive, Lee County | EF0 2.38 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2017-01-21 | Mitchell Xrd, Lee County | EF1 0.98 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2016-11-30 | Middle Brooks Xrds, Lee County | EF1 2.7 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2016-04-06 | Mitchell Xrd, Lee County | EF0 4.71 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2016-04-06 | Beehive, Lee County | EF0 0.72 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2016-03-31 | Mitchell Xrd, Lee County | EF0 2.09 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2016-03-01 | Roanoke Jct, Lee County | EF0 3.08 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2016-02-15 | J C Meadows Xrds, Lee County | EF0 0.51 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2014-04-29 | Prince Xrd, Lee County | EF3 11.14 mi x 1,200 yd | 0 | 13 | – |
| 2013-04-11 | Roxana, Lee County | EF0 0.22 mi x 52 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2012-05-13 | Roxana, Lee County | EF0 2.3 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2011-11-16 | Loachapoka, Lee County | EF1 31.38 mi x 700 yd | 0 | 2 | $5.2M |
| 2009-05-23 | Cawatchee, Lee County | EF0 1.22 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $138K |
| 2009-04-10 | Bupree, Lee County | EF1 4.4 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $7K |
| 2009-04-10 | Roxana, Lee County | EF0 0.64 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K |
| 2009-04-10 | Mitchell Xrd, Lee County | EF1 2.19 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $41K |
| 2009-04-10 | Loachapoka, Lee County | EF1 5.5 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $206K |
| 2009-02-28 | Salem, Lee County | EF2 8.29 mi x 500 yd | 0 | 3 | $1.5M |
| 2009-02-28 | Ridge Grove, Lee County | EF1 0.31 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $89K |
| 2007-03-01 | Smiths, Lee County | EF1 1.9 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $142K |
| 2005-07-06 | Opelika, Lee County | F0 1.2 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $51K |
| 2004-11-24 | Opelika, Lee County | F0 0.2 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $44K |
| 1998-09-28 | J C Meadows Xrds, Lee County | F0 0.5 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1997-07-22 | Opelika, Lee County | F0 0.3 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | $22K |
| 1994-08-02 | Opelika, Lee County | F0 2.6 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $100K |
| 1984-05-03 | Lee County | F2 0.4 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 1 | $250K step |
| 1980-04-13 | Lee County | F2 11.3 mi x 440 yd | 0 | 13 | $2.5M step |
| 1978-06-08 | Lee County | F1 1.5 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1975-01-10 | Lee County | F2 | 0 | 0 | $2.5M step |
| 1957-08-15 | Lee County | F1 | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1954-12-05 | Lee County | F3 19.4 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 4 | $250K step |
| 1953-04-18 | Lee County | F3 34.7 mi x 33 yd | 6 | 195 | $2.5M 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 Lee County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the July 20, 2024 lightning (1 death).
A lightning strike at the Lee County Flea Market in Smiths Station at approximately 12:45 PM CDT resulted in a fatality.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1184921)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-09 | Flash FloodAuburn, Lee County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-01 | Thunderstorm WindAuburn, Lee County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-01 | DroughtLee County · forecast zone Lee | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-01 | DroughtLee County · forecast zone Lee | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-01 | DroughtLee County · forecast zone Lee | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Thunderstorm WindJ C Meadows Xrds, Lee County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-12 | Thunderstorm WindSmiths, Lee County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-12 | Thunderstorm WindSmiths, Lee County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-12 | Thunderstorm WindMotts, Lee County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-12 | Thunderstorm WindMitchell Xrd, Lee County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-12 | Thunderstorm WindPepperell, Lee County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-01 | DroughtLee County · forecast zone Lee | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-03-03 | TornadoBupree, Lee County National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in far southern Lee County and determined that it was consistent with an EF4 tornado, with maximum sustained winds near 170 mph. This track is a continuation of a track that began in Macon County. The tornado crossed into Lee County near Lee Road 812 and tracked ... | EF4 23.55 mi x 1,600 yd | 23 | 90 | – |
| 1953-04-18 | TornadoLee County | F3 34.7 mi x 33 yd | 6 | 195 | $2.5M step |
| 2024-07-20 | LightningMotts, Lee County A lightning strike at the Lee County Flea Market in Smiths Station at approximately 12:45 PM CDT resulted in a fatality. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2017-07-21 | LightningCawatchee, Lee County A 34 year old male died when he was struck by lightning while boating on Lake Harding. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2014-01-28 | Winter StormLee County · forecast zone Lee A mix of winter precipitation resulted in ice and snow accumulations across Lee county, causing hazardous travel conditions. Freezing rain resulted in ice accumulations on area roadways and Interstate 85 early Tuesday morning, before precipitation transitioned to all snow. Ice accumulations of one quarter inch were ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1998-06-05 | Thunderstorm WindAuburn, Lee County Dime size hail was reported just south of Opelika. An Auburn University student was critically injured when he was blown under his car during the thunderstorm. He later died in the hospital. Several trees were down in the Auburn area. | 1 | 0 | $18K | |
| 1996-03-06 | Thunderstorm WindOpelika, Lee County What was believed to be a downburst produced a damage path about two miles long through the Smiths community (also known as Smith Station) in southeast Lee County. The damage path extended from about 2 miles west of Smiths into the central section of Smiths. On the western end of the path very close to where it began ... | 1 | 0 | $94K | |
| 2007-08-08 | HeatLee County · forecast zone Lee A large ridge of high pressure, combined with very dry ground from the recent drought, combined to produce the hottest month on record across Central Alabama in the month of August. The core of the heat wave started around August 4th, when the temepartures first topped the 100 degree mark in several cities. The heat ... | 0 | 60 | – |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-11-16 | TornadoLoachapoka, Lee County | EF1 31.38 mi x 700 yd | 0 | 2 | $5.2M |
| 2003-05-08 | FloodLee County · forecast zone Lee | 0 | 0 | $3.0M | |
| 2004-09-16 | High WindLee County · forecast zone Lee | 60 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1.6M |
| 2009-02-28 | TornadoSalem, Lee County | EF2 8.29 mi x 500 yd | 0 | 3 | $1.5M |
| 2005-04-01 | Flash FloodCountywide, Lee County | 0 | 0 | $453K | |
| 2009-04-10 | TornadoLoachapoka, Lee County | EF1 5.5 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $206K |
| 2007-03-01 | TornadoSmiths, Lee County | EF1 1.9 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $142K |
| 2009-05-23 | TornadoCawatchee, Lee County | EF0 1.22 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $138K |
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, 1953 (tornado, Lee County, 6 killed); April 13, 1980 (tornado, Lee County); January 10, 1975 (tornado, Lee 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 Lee 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 | 12 | 25 | 38 | 46 | 43 | 48 |
| Hail | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 30 | 46 | 23 | 17 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 0 | 19 | 44 | 10 |
| Tornadoes | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 22 | 2 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 2 | 10 | 8 | 8 |
| Lightning | – | – | – | – | 5 | 7 | 1 | 2 |
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 Lee County. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 43 · Feb 30 · Mar 63 · Apr 89 · May 58 · Jun 67 · Jul 64 · Aug 48 · Sep 20 · Oct 23 · Nov 21 · Dec 27 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Lee County
FEMA's register lists 22 declarations that include Lee County: 12 major disasters, 10 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (8) and severe storm (7).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-09-26 | EM-3618 | Hurricane | Hurricane Helene |
| 2020-09-14 | EM-3545 | Hurricane | Hurricane Sally |
| 2020-03-29 | DR-4503 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3472 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2019-03-05 | DR-4419 | Tornado | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 2003-05-12 | DR-1466 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 1995-10-04 | DR-1070 | Hurricane | Hurricane Opal |
| 1993-03-15 | EM-3096 | Snowstorm | Severe Snowfall, Winter Storm |
| 1980-04-20 | DR-619 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding |
| 1977-07-20 | EM-3045 | Drought | Drought |
| 1975-10-02 | DR-488 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding |
| 1975-03-14 | DR-458 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1975-01-18 | EM-3007 | Tornado | Tornadoes |
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 Lee County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 28 flood or flash flood records for Lee County from 1998 to 2026, on 28 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Lee County ranks 1551st of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $511,000 on 62 claims filed in Lee County; the most in one year was 9 in 1981. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1979: 2 · 1981: 9 · 1983: 3 · 1990: 1 · 1996: 2 · 1999: 8 · 2000: 1 · 2001: 3 · 2004: 2 · 2007: 1 · 2009: 1 · 2011: 1 · 2012: 1 · 2013: 1 · 2014: 1 · 2015: 8 · 2017: 2 · 2018: 2 · 2019: 1 · 2020: 2 · 2022: 3 · 2023: 1 · 2024: 4 · 2025: 1 · 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 Lee County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lee County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $40.4 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 | $1.2M | 66 a year (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | $3.5M | 6.4 modeled event-days a year |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | $25M | about once a year (modeled) |
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | $2.5M | once in about 10 years (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | $868K | 52 modeled event-days a year |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | $1.2M | 1.3 a year (modeled) |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | $3.1M | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | $1.9M | once in about 672 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Lee 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 Lee CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Lee County's FEMA declarations (CSV)22 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis