49
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
22
Direct injuries
$9.3M
Property damage
Tornado in Covington County, Alabama: 49 recorded events between 1956 and 2023. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #400 nationally and #23 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Covington County, Alabama: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Covington County is the 2000s, when 13 of the county's 49 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Covington County archive, tornado makes up 11.4% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #400 for this hazard and #23 within Alabama, putting it in the 86.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Covington County with 7 recorded events, while Aug is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-04-19 | EF2 | 1.2 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-15 | EF2 | 23.0 mi | 300 yd | Crossed in |
| 2008-02-17 | EF2 | 14.4 mi | 500 yd | Crossed in |
| 2006-11-15 | EF2 | 15.8 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 1983-12-28 | EF2 | 15.0 mi | 80 yd | Touched down here |
| 1979-07-11 | EF2 | 7.1 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1976-03-31 | EF2 | 3.8 mi | 40 yd | Touched down here |
| 1962-01-05 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1957-06-28 | EF2 | 11.5 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 2001-03-12 | EF1 | 3.2 mi | 75 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 12, 2001 | RED LEVEL | F1 | 2 | 1 | $1.0M |
| Feb 22, 1990 | F1 | 0 | 10 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 11, 1979 | F2 | 0 | 4 | $250 | |
| Jun 28, 1957 | F2 | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| May 3, 1956 | F3 | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Feb 7, 2017 | ANDALUSIA | EF0 | 0 | 1 | $100K |
| Feb 15, 2016 | SOUTH | EF1 | 0 | 1 | $100K |
| Dec 28, 1983 | F2 | 0 | 1 | $250K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 12, 2023 | SOUTH | EFU | $0 |
| Jun 19, 2021 | WATKINS BRIDGE | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 23, 2020 | FLORALA | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 23, 2020 | FALCO | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 20, 2020 | ANDALUSIA OPP ARPT | EF2 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2017 | GREEN BAY | EF1 | $50K |
| Feb 7, 2017 | ANDALUSIA | EF0 | $100K |
| Feb 15, 2016 | SOUTH | EF1 | $100K |
| Apr 16, 2011 | BECK | EF1 | $1.5M |
| Oct 8, 2008 | WATKINS BRIDGE | EF0 | $50K |
Other hazards here
More from Covington County
- Thunderstorm Wind 235
- Hail 111
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado continued east from extreme southeastern Conecuh County, Alabama. The tornado snapped or uprooted trees along a 150 yard wide path, producing damage to several homes, outbuildings and structures adjacent to Brooklyn Road. Several homes had significant roof damage with some having trees blown over onto them. The tornado crossed U.S. Highway 29 at County Road 56 then lifted as it moved across the Covington County Arena area producing roof damage to the Kiwanis Building.
A tornado touched down just east of the Opp country club, then moved southeast crossing U S Highway 84 just south of downtown before lifting back into the cloud just west of U S Highway 331. The tornado damaged the Opp mill and tore off part of the roof from the South Highlands Elementary school. The tornado damaged more than ninety homes and several businesses. No injuries were reported.
The tornado first touched down near Hillcrest Ponds around the junction of county roads 34 and 45, then moved northeast, before lifting back into the clouds near county road 70 just west of Friendship. Considerable damage occurred along the path of the tornado. The first residence hit had two large grain silos torn from their foundations. One was thrown roughly 15 yards, the other about 150 yards across the road and into a nearby pasture. Another home sustained considerable damage when an outbuilding was lifted by the tornado and thrown into the home. Several other homes along the path of the tornado suffered roof damage. The most significant and widespread damage along the path of the tornado occurred near Opine, where up to six commercial poultry farm buildings were destroyed or heavily damaged. Approximately 130,000 chickens were killed.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Covington County, Alabama?
49 tornado events are recorded in Covington County between 1956 and 2023, causing 2 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Covington County?
The strongest tornado on record in Covington County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Covington County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Tornado in Covington County, Alabama.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/alabama/covington-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.