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Lauderdale County, Alabama severe weather history spans 1,849 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 71.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #19 nationally and #2 in Alabama.
1,849
Recorded events
8
Direct deaths
38
Direct injuries
$29.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Lauderdale County, Alabama severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lauderdale County, Alabama severe weather history averages 24.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 726 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 77 events fall before 1990 and 1,772 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lauderdale County, Alabama record is flash flood, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $13.6M 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 Lauderdale County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 1,328 | 2 | $13.4M | 87 | 1961–2026 |
| Hail | 212 | 0 | $164K | 3.75 | 1969–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 162 | 3 | $999K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 48 | 2 | $13.6M | F3 | 1951–2025 |
| Flood | 48 | 0 | $1.0M | 0 | 2008–2023 |
| Lightning | 33 | 1 | $170K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2010 |
| Heavy Rain | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2012 |
Decade by decade
Lauderdale County, Alabama severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
60 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 47 touched down inside it and 13 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-05-18 | EF4 | 3 | 32 | 29.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-03-09 | EF3 | 2 | 2 | 5.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-06-26 | EF3 | 0 | 22 | 38.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1988-11-04 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1967-10-24 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 11.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-03-17 | EF3 | 0 | 22 | 29.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1958-04-05 | EF2 | 1 | 1 | 19.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-03-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-12-23 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 14.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.6 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lauderdale County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 9, 1964 | Tornado | 2 | 2 | $250K | |
| Dec 30, 2019 | Flash Flood | ANDERSON | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| Mar 10, 1992 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 1 | $0 | |
| Aug 7, 2023 | Lightning | JACKSONBURG | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 1, 2015 | Flash Flood | WATERLOO | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 27, 2008 | Flash Flood | THREET | 1 | 0 | $30K |
| May 31, 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | WRIGHT | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Nov 16, 1951 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $3K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Rounds of thunderstorms producing very heavy rainfall caused several inches of water to cover the roadway on the Natchez Parkway, about a half mile from the Alabama Highway 20 intersection near Central Heights. This caused a 72 year old man to hydroplane off the road at this location into a nearby creek, which was 7 to 8 feet deep. Tragically, he was unable to swim to shore and passed away.
Three vehicles were swept by flash flooding on Anderson Creek along CR 50 and CR 52. A 20 year old woman was killed in the vehicle. Two others including the victim's mother in the other vehicles were rescued. Time of occurrence from Times Daily news article.
A bow echo from an embedded supercell within a line of thunderstorms intensified and produced a long-lived and at times wide swath of wind damage as it entered the Shoals, including Florence and Killen, to the east central part of Lauderdale County north of Elgin. Widespread wind damage occurred in south, southeast and eastern Florence to Killen, becoming more sporadic further east. Wind speeds of 60-65 mph occurred in much of this area, with a few gusts of 80-90 mph in a few locations. One of the hardest hit locations was between Killen and Florence where the entire roof was taken off of antique mall, a sign was blown out at a church, and roofing was taken off of a fire station. Trees, power poles and power lines were taken down in numerous locations, stormwater and gas lines were damaged, and debris and utility restoration costs were extensive. Schools buses were damaged, parks were damaged with extensive cleanup. A significant number of residences experienced damage due to falling trees. Damage, cleanup and repair costs are in the millions of dollars.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
95,830
Population (ACS)
$200K
Median home value
20
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| May 5, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Sep 14, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SALLY | EM |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 11, 2017 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IRMA | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Florence 257
- Anderson 134
- Rogersville 108
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lauderdale County, Alabama?
1,849 events are on record between 1951 and 2026, causing 8 direct deaths and $29.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lauderdale County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 1,328 recorded events — 71.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lauderdale County?
60 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 47 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lauderdale County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lauderdale County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lauderdale County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lauderdale County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 86 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lauderdale 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
- Lamar County 502
- Lawrence County 670
- Jefferson County 1,606
- Lee County 434
- Jackson County 945
- Limestone County 909
Cite this page
“Lauderdale County, Alabama.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/alabama/lauderdale-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.