Alabama lightning
Every recorded lightning record since 1996 · 63 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 716 lightning records in Alabama from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 22 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the June 26, 2002 lightning in Marion County: 3 deaths, 4 injuries and $66,000 in damage in 2025 dollars. Alabama ranks 5th of 52 states and territories by count and 13th of 51 per square mile.
Lightning in Alabama, 1996 to 2026
Lightning records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 7161996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 22average
- Deaths
- 40195 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $46Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 200655 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are lightning records common in Alabama?
Alabama averages about 22 lightning records a year since 2000, 5th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2006 (55). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Alabama records 141 lightning records since 1996, 13th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Alabama have the most lightning records?
Per square mile, Madison County leads Alabama: 59 days with a lightning record since 1996, 73.6 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Madison County has the most lightning records (69 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is the lightning season in Alabama?
43% of its lightning records since 1996 fell in July and August. The busiest month is July (176 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 18 · Feb 19 · Mar 48 · Apr 67 · May 71 · Jun 131 · Jul 176 · Aug 134 · Sep 29 · Oct 13 · Nov 3 · Dec 7 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest lightning records in Alabama?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-06-26 | LightningHamilton, Marion County Lightning was believed to be responsible for a fire in a mobile home in the Shiloh community between Hamilton and Hackleburg of SR 187. Three children were killed and two adults and two other children were injured in the fire. The State Fire Marshall said that preliminary investigation indicated the fire started in ... | 3 | 4 | $66K | |
| 1999-05-29 | LightningGallion, Hale County Two men were killed as they took shelter on shore after getting off the water. The two men had headed out for a fishing trip on the Black Warrior River. The event occurred near the Arcola Landing. The wife of the elder man was knocked unconscious when the lightning struck, however, she had moved away from the two men ... | 2 | 1 | – | |
| 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 | – | |
| 2005-07-23 | LightningGulf Shrs, Baldwin County A man and his stepson were trying to retrieve their beach belongings during a thunderstorm along the Gulf Shores beach. They were both struck and killed by a lightning bolt. They were on a weekend outing at the beach. The man's wife was watching them from a condo and observed the strike. Another of the mans stepsons ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2015-07-05 | LightningFt Morgan, Baldwin County Lightning struck a 12 year old girl playing volleyball on Fort Morgan. There were 7 other near her that were affected by the closeness of the strike. However, only the girl was transported to the hospital. She passed away two days later from her injuries. | 1 | 7 | – | |
| 2001-09-06 | LightningVernon, Lamar County A Lamar County High School student, a ninth grader, was killed when he was hit by lightning during football practice according to newspaper reports. A Sheriff's dispatcher said the sky was overcast when the bolt hit the student. He was taken to the hospital immediately and later transferred to Children's Hospital in ... | 1 | 6 | – | |
| 2017-08-26 | LightningGulf Shrs, Baldwin County A group of 6 were struck by lightning on the beach. There were 5 injuries and 1 death. | 1 | 5 | – | |
| 2010-07-25 | LightningCottonville, Marshall County A fifteen year-old female was killed and four others injured by lightning at the Honeycomb campground between 430 and 435 pm. The victims were swimming or at the water's edge of Lake Guntersville when a lightning bolt struck miles away from the parent thunderstorm. | 1 | 4 | – | |
| 2001-08-12 | LightningBryant, Jackson County A minor traffic accident occurred on SR 73 in Bryant. A group of three fire fighters and two other men were standing next to the accident scene when lightning struck a tree nearby. One man in his 60's was killed and four others received injuries of varying intensity. | 1 | 4 | – | |
| 2016-07-14 | LightningChelsea, Madison County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A band of thunderstorms dropped southeast through north Alabama during the middle to late afternoon hours. The storms produced downed trees in the Florence area according to Lauderdale County EMA officials. Unfortunately, lightning killed a man working outdoors at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville with minor injuries to ... | 1 | 4 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest lightning records in Alabama
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-05-20 | LightningSaratoga, Marshall County | 0 | 0 | $8.0M | |
| 2009-05-13 | LightningHartselle, Morgan County | 0 | 0 | $2.8M | |
| 2006-04-22 | LightningSemmes, Mobile County | 0 | 0 | $1.2M | |
| 2013-08-09 | LightningJasper, Walker County | 0 | 0 | $982K | |
| 2021-08-02 | LightningBarachais, Montgomery County | 0 | 0 | $926K | |
| 2001-03-12 | LightningBeatrice, Monroe County | 0 | 0 | $833K | |
| 2009-09-08 | LightningNunn Store, Madison County | 0 | 0 | $825K | |
| 2004-08-20 | LightningSeven Hills, Mobile County | 0 | 0 | $781K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are lightning records becoming more frequent in Alabama?
Alabama's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Alabama | United States | Alabama's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 136 | 3,521 | 3.9% |
| 2000s | 323 | 8,052 | 4.0% |
| 2010s | 204 | 5,103 | 4.0% |
| 2020-26 | 53 | 1,544 | 3.4% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent lightning records in Alabama
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-12-18 | LightningGeorgetown, Lauderdale County | 0 | 0 | $1K | |
| 2025-07-29 | LightningSlocomb, Geneva County | 0 | 0 | $3K | |
| 2025-06-29 | LightningReedtown, Franklin County | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2025-06-29 | LightningSturdivant, Tallapoosa County | 0 | 0 | $10K | |
| 2025-06-29 | LightningEasonville, St. Clair County | 0 | 2 | – | |
| 2025-06-14 | LightningCenter Hall, Cullman County | 0 | 0 | $50K | |
| 2025-05-24 | LightningCottonville, Marshall County | 0 | 1 | $2K | |
| 2025-05-20 | LightningSaratoga, Marshall County | 0 | 0 | $8.0M | |
| 2025-05-19 | LightningAlbertville, Marshall County | 0 | 0 | $100K | |
| 2025-05-02 | LightningFletcher Chapel, Madison County | 0 | 0 | $1K | |
| 2025-05-02 | LightningSkyline, Jackson County | 0 | 0 | $1K | |
| 2025-05-01 | LightningOak Ridge, St. Clair County | 0 | 1 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Next
- Madison County: the county's whole recordThe Alabama county with the most lightning records per square mile
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