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Lamar County, Alabama severe weather history spans 502 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 51.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #866 nationally and #27 in Alabama.
502
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
18
Direct injuries
$8.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Lamar County, Alabama severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lamar County, Alabama severe weather history averages 7.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 177 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 54 events fall before 1990 and 448 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lamar County, Alabama record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $5.6M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Lamar County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 257 | 0 | $1.6M | 75 | 1957–2026 |
| Hail | 130 | 0 | $268K | 3 | 1958–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 57 | 0 | $421K | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Tornado | 42 | 2 | $5.6M | F5 | 1957–2024 |
| Lightning | 6 | 1 | $272K | 0 | 2001–2022 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2007 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
Decade by decade
Lamar County, Alabama severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
43 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 36 touched down inside it and 7 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-04-03 | EF5 | 28 | 272 | 79.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-11-24 | EF3 | 2 | 1 | 38.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-01-10 | EF3 | 0 | 11 | 13.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2002-11-10 | EF3 | 0 | 55 | 29.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1986-03-12 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-04-26 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-08-31 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 31.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2004-12-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1989-02-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-05-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lamar County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 24, 2001 | Tornado | KENNEDY | 2 | 1 | $600K |
| Sep 6, 2001 | Lightning | VERNON | 1 | 6 | $0 |
| Apr 21, 1995 | Tornado | Vernon | 0 | 6 | $650K |
| Nov 11, 2002 | Tornado | FERNBANK | 0 | 2 | $200K |
| Jan 10, 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | VERNON | 0 | 1 | $10K |
| Jul 21, 2005 | Lightning | SULLIGENT | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Mar 21, 1976 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
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 Birmingham where he died three days later. Several other students including football players and band members were also injured, none seriously.
A tornado began about six miles southwest of Vernon just north of the location where County 9 crosses the Yellow Creek. The tornado moved north directly toward Vernon, but lifted about two miles southwest of the center of town.
Lamar County reported numerous trees and power lines blown down. Numerous homes were damaged and at least 5 homes were totally destroyed. The most concentrated damage occurred in the southern part of the county southwest of Vernon. Small hail also fell with these storms. There were no reports of any injuries.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
13,693
Population (ACS)
$114K
Median home value
26
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Sep 14, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SALLY | EM |
| May 21, 2020 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Apr 17, 2019 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Vernon 171
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lamar County, Alabama?
502 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $8.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lamar County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 257 recorded events — 51.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lamar County?
43 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 36 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lamar County?
26 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lamar County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lamar County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lamar County as very low risk, placing it in the 31 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lamar County, Alabama severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Jefferson County 1,606
- Lauderdale County 1,849
- Jackson County 945
- Lawrence County 670
- Houston County 758
- Lee County 434
Cite this page
“Lamar County, Alabama.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/alabama/lamar-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.