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Limestone County, Alabama severe weather history spans 909 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 54.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #203 nationally and #10 in Alabama.
909
Recorded events
24
Direct deaths
276
Direct injuries
$1.0B
Property damage
The record
What the Limestone County, Alabama severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Limestone County, Alabama severe weather history averages 12.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 340 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 85 events fall before 1990 and 824 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Limestone County, Alabama record is tornado, responsible for 24 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $1.0B 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 Limestone County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 499 | 0 | $10.7M | 80 | 1965–2025 |
| Hail | 198 | 0 | $75K | 3.75 | 1955–2026 |
| Tornado | 77 | 24 | $1.0B | F5 | 1958–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 67 | 0 | $363K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Lightning | 30 | 0 | $1.2M | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Flood | 20 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 10 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 8 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2013 |
Decade by decade
Limestone County, Alabama severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
83 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 65 touched down inside it and 18 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-04-27 | EF5 | 72 | 145 | 132.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-03 | EF5 | 28 | 267 | 52.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-03 | EF5 | 16 | 190 | 83.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1952-03-22 | EF4 | 4 | 50 | 21.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1995-05-18 | EF4 | 1 | 55 | 39.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-04-28 | EF3 | 2 | 30 | 15.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF3 | 2 | 7 | 46.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-05-08 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 3.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2012-03-02 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 34.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-06-26 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Limestone County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 1974 | Tornado | 11 | 80 | $0 | |
| Apr 3, 1974 | Tornado | 5 | 41 | $0 | |
| Apr 27, 2011 | Tornado | LAWNGATE | 4 | 45 | $1.0B |
| Apr 28, 2014 | Tornado | WHEELER LAKE NORTH | 2 | 30 | $0 |
| May 18, 1995 | Tornado | Limestone | 1 | 55 | $5.0M |
| Mar 11, 1963 | Tornado | 1 | 3 | $2.5M | |
| May 2, 1997 | Tornado | ATHENS | 0 | 12 | $2.3M |
| May 31, 2004 | Tornado | CAIRO | 0 | 3 | $200K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado, rated at F2 on the Fujita scale, struck the southern and eastern sections of Athens in Limestone County. The tornado path began about 2 miles south-southwest of Athens near the intersection of Sanderfer Road and County Road 45. The tornado moved northeasterly crossing through southern and eastern sections of Athens. It crossed the intersection of State Road 127 and US 72 where several businesses were damaged. Some damage was caused at Athens Middle School.The tornado continued northeast dissipating near the intersection of Proyr Street and US 31 near Athens High School.According to EMA officals, siz homes were destroyed, 14 homes sustained major damage, and an additional 14 homes had minor damage. Three apartment buildings, each with eight units, were damaged, 13 businesses had major damage, and two businesses reported minor damage.Of the 12 injuries, two were described as serious.
The tornado began south of Highway 72, between York Lane and Lucas Ferry Road. Significant impacts were observed near the intersection of Lucas Ferry Road and Sanderfer Road, where numerous wooden power poles were snapped, and cross members were broken. Uprooted trees and additional snapped power poles were |documented along Sanderfer Road. The tornado tracked in an east-northeast direction, continuing through the Jefferson Road and Highway 72 vicinity before dissipating.
A narrow swath of damage occurred along and near Shaw Road from Lawngate Road through McCormack Road to Ripley Road. A warehouse had severe damage, and several properties had roof damage. Two other barns had damage with metal siding pulled off. Trees were also snapped at multiple locations along this path.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
111,233
Population (ACS)
$281K
Median home value
22
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 |
| Sep 11, 2017 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IRMA | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Athens 202
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Limestone County, Alabama?
909 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 24 direct deaths and $1.0B in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Limestone County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 499 recorded events — 54.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Limestone County?
83 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 65 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Limestone County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Limestone County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Limestone County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Limestone County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 80 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Limestone 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
- Lee County 434
- Lowndes County 199
- Lawrence County 670
- Macon County 189
- Lauderdale County 1,849
- Madison County 1,981
Cite this page
“Limestone County, Alabama.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/alabama/limestone-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.