715
Recorded events
63
Counties affected
39
Direct deaths
$34.5M
Property damage
Alabama lightning history: 715 recorded events across 63 counties between 1996 and 2025.
Decade by decade
Alabama lightning history by decade
The 2000s are the busiest decade on record with 323 reported lightning events across Alabama. Earlier decades are thinner because systematic reporting for this hazard expanded over time, not because the weather was calmer.
County ranking
Counties with the most lightning events in Alabama
| Rank | County | Events | Deaths | Damage | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Madison County | 69 | 4 | $3.1M | 1996–2025 |
| #2 | Mobile County | 63 | 3 | $3.5M | 1996–2019 |
| #3 | Baldwin County | 43 | 7 | $932K | 1996–2022 |
| #4 | Lauderdale County | 33 | 1 | $170K | 1996–2025 |
| #5 | Tuscaloosa County | 31 | 0 | $795K | 1996–2023 |
| #6 | Limestone County | 30 | 0 | $1.2M | 1996–2023 |
| #7 | Colbert County | 25 | 1 | $175K | 2000–2023 |
| #8 | Morgan County | 25 | 0 | $3.4M | 1996–2020 |
| #9 | Marshall County | 24 | 1 | $8.3M | 1996–2025 |
| #10 | Winston County | 23 | 0 | $298K | 1996–2011 |
| #11 | Jefferson County | 22 | 0 | $636K | 1996–2017 |
| #12 | Clarke County | 17 | 0 | $394K | 1996–2022 |
| #13 | DeKalb County | 17 | 0 | $436K | 1996–2015 |
| #14 | Cullman County | 15 | 0 | $209K | 2000–2025 |
| #15 | Lee County | 15 | 2 | $334K | 1996–2024 |
| #16 | Etowah County | 14 | 0 | $302K | 1996–2010 |
| #17 | Elmore County | 13 | 1 | $155K | 1997–2019 |
| #18 | Coffee County | 13 | 1 | $606K | 1996–2025 |
| #19 | Shelby County | 13 | 0 | $949K | 1998–2024 |
| #20 | Washington County | 11 | 0 | $249K | 1996–2024 |
| #21 | Tallapoosa County | 11 | 0 | $556K | 1996–2025 |
| #22 | Blount County | 11 | 1 | $327K | 1996–2010 |
| #23 | Montgomery County | 11 | 1 | $1.1M | 1996–2021 |
| #24 | Lawrence County | 11 | 1 | $237K | 1997–2016 |
| #25 | Houston County | 10 | 1 | $684K | 1999–2022 |
Significant events
Deadliest lightning events in Alabama
| Date | County | Scale | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 26, 2002 | Marion County | — | 3 | 4 |
| May 29, 1999 | Hale County | — | 2 | 1 |
| Jul 23, 2005 | Baldwin County | — | 2 | 0 |
| Jun 24, 2015 | Covington County | — | 2 | 0 |
| Mar 7, 1998 | Mobile County | — | 1 | 0 |
| Jul 29, 2002 | Blount County | — | 1 | 0 |
| Jul 9, 2022 | Escambia County | — | 1 | 0 |
| Jul 21, 2024 | Lee County | — | 1 | 0 |
| Jun 16, 2019 | Mobile County | — | 1 | 0 |
| Mar 30, 2012 | Butler County | — | 1 | 0 |