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Lee County, Alabama severe weather history spans 434 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 49.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,119 nationally and #32 in Alabama.
434
Recorded events
33
Direct deaths
326
Direct injuries
$17.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Lee County, Alabama severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lee County, Alabama severe weather history averages 5.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 124 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 59 events fall before 1990 and 375 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lee County, Alabama record is tornado, responsible for 29 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $13.7M 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 Lee County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 213 | 2 | $808K | 70 | 1966–2026 |
| Hail | 128 | 0 | $360K | 3 | 1965–2025 |
| Tornado | 44 | 29 | $13.7M | F3 | 1953–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 25 | 0 | $2.1M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Lightning | 15 | 2 | $334K | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2007 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2012 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2009 |
Decade by decade
Lee County, Alabama severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
48 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 36 touched down inside it and 12 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-03-03 | EF4 | 23 | 90 | 68.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1953-04-18 | EF3 | 8 | 495 | 39.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-04-29 | EF3 | 0 | 13 | 11.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1954-12-05 | EF3 | 0 | 7 | 51.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-03-03 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 29.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-04-11 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 5.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-11-16 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 61.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2009-02-28 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 8.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-03-01 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 11.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-05-03 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lee County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3, 2019 | Tornado | BUPREE | 23 | 90 | $0 |
| Apr 18, 1953 | Tornado | 6 | 195 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 21, 2024 | Lightning | MOTTS | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 22, 2017 | Lightning | CAWATCHEE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 5, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | AUBURN | 1 | 0 | $10K |
| Mar 7, 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | OPELIKA | 1 | 0 | $50K |
| Apr 29, 2014 | Tornado | PRINCE XRD | 0 | 13 | $0 |
| Apr 13, 1980 | Tornado | 0 | 13 | $2.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado initially touched down in Macon County Alabama and crossed into Lee County approximately 1 mile southwest of Lee Road 3. It continued its northeastward path causing extensive tree damage across western Lee County. Dozens of houses and mobile homes on the western side of Auburn were heavily damaged due to falling trees. Several residences were destroyed. One female and one child were injured when trees fell on a mobile home. Significant damage was also noted in the Terrace Acres neighborhood, where homes were heavily damaged from falling trees. The tornado crossed the southern edge of Auburn University's campus and caused damage to the baseball facilities at Auburn High School and nearby homes. The tornado crossed interstate 85 at US highway 280 and continued moving to the northeast toward Lake Harding. Along the lake, extensive tree damage and damage to numerous homes and boathouses occurred. Several residences were destroyed or sustained complete roof loss. The tornado continued into Harris County Georgia (See November Storm Data from WFO Peachtree City).
Four to six inches of rainfall in a short period of time caused extensive flooding throughout Lee County. The hardest hit areas were Auburn and Opelika. Numerous roads and highways were closed in and around Auburn and Opelika. Numerous motorists drove into the water covered roads and were stranded. A few bridges were washed away and destroyed. Several hundred homes received some sort of flood damage. Many businesses also received damage due to the high water. One small dam also broke in North Auburn.
The tornado touched down southwest of the community of Salem. It then moved just north of due east, crossing US-280 and several smaller county roads, before lifting at CR-379. Winds estimated at 125-130 mph destroyed 6 mobile homes and 4 site built homes, badly damaged 8 homes, and caused minor damage to 9 others. Two area businesses were destroyed, one other received minor damage, and one school building was damaged. Hundreds of trees were snapped off and uprooted, and one 18-wheeler was overturned. There were three minor injuries reported, only one that required hospitalization.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
181,134
Population (ACS)
$262K
Median home value
22
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Sep 14, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SALLY | EM |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Mar 5, 2019 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Sep 11, 2017 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IRMA | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lee County, Alabama?
434 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 33 direct deaths and $17.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lee County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 213 recorded events — 49.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lee County?
48 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 Lee County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lee County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lee County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lee County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 80 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lee 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
- Lawrence County 670
- Limestone County 909
- Lauderdale County 1,849
- Lowndes County 199
- Lamar County 502
- Macon County 189
Cite this page
“Lee County, Alabama.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/alabama/lee-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.