Coffee County, Alabama severe weather history spans 594 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 72.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #602 nationally and #19 in Alabama.
594
Recorded events
17
Direct deaths
95
Direct injuries
$382.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Coffee County, Alabama severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Coffee County, Alabama severe weather history averages 8.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 250 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 54 events fall before 1990 and 540 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Coffee County, Alabama record is tornado, responsible for 9 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $269.0M 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 Coffee County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 430 | 1 | $3.0M | 70 | 1960–2026 |
| Hail | 55 | 0 | $55K | 2 | 1960–2025 |
| Tornado | 41 | 9 | $269.0M | F3 | 1954–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 38 | 4 | $108.1M | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Lightning | 13 | 1 | $606K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 8 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2015 |
| Flood | 7 | 2 | $1.8M | 0 | 2008–2017 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
Decade by decade
Coffee County, Alabama severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
43 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 39 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-03-01 | EF4 | 9 | 50 | 10.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-11-25 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 44.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-05-16 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-12-29 | EF3 | 0 | 11 | 11.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-09-17 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-01-13 | EF2 | 4 | 88 | 6.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-11-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 19.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-03-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-03-05 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-04-18 | EF2 | 0 | 14 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Coffee County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1, 2007 | Tornado | ENTERPRISE MUNI ARPT | 9 | 50 | $250.0M |
| Mar 8, 1998 | Flash Flood | ELBA | 4 | 0 | $105.0M |
| Dec 24, 2015 | Flood | ROETON | 2 | 0 | $1.7M |
| Jun 26, 1996 | Lightning | ENTERPRISE | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 22, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | ELBA | 1 | 0 | $10K |
| Apr 18, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 14 | $2.5M | |
| Dec 29, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 11 | $2.5M | |
| Mar 5, 1984 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A vigorous Gulf storm dumped up to 14 inches of rain across the northern half of Coffee County. The earthen levee on the Beaver Dam Creek breached. A six foot wall of water rushed into the city of Elba. Two thousand residents were forced to evacuate. Nearly 400 homes and businesses sustained flood damage. Approximately 52 county roads were washed out or flooded. The Pea River at Elba crested near 39.3 feet on March 9. Four people were killed when their vehicles were swept away by floodwaters. Coffee County was declared a federal disaster area.
Significant flooding occurred across Coffee county during the last week in December due to 10-20 inches of rain falling in the Pea River basin. The Pea River at Elba reached its third highest crest on record on December 26th. An aerial survey indicated 117 structures submerged with numerous others impacted near Elba. A later survey by the Red Cross indicated that 14 structures were destroyed, 48 received major damage, and 31 received minor damage. A family tried to cross the Pea River on Highway 107 and their vehicle was swept away on December 25th. Two fatalities resulted. The monetary damage to Coffee county is estimated at $1,717,980. Of that amount, $1,039,500 was due to mainly road and bridge damage in the county, $15,219.50 was from the Sheriff's department, $440,260.94 was from the city of Elba, $200,000 was from the city of Enterprise, and $23,000 was from the city of New Brockton.
A tornado touched down just south of the Enterprise Civic Center. It moved to the east-northeast and lifted just east of Boll Weevil Circle near the Walmart. It caused extensive damage to the civic center, with several windows blown out and much of its roof removed. The winds damaged several vehicles outside the Enterprise Senior Center. A building attached to the old Bama Cotton Mill collapsed. More than a hundred homes and businesses were also damaged. Fortunately, no injuries or deaths were reported. The tornado was rated an EF-1 with winds estimated from 100 to 105 mph.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
54,920
Population (ACS)
$189K
Median home value
30
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Sep 20, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SALLY | DR |
| Sep 14, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SALLY | EM |
| Jul 10, 2020 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Coffee County, Alabama?
594 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 17 direct deaths and $382.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Coffee County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 430 recorded events — 72.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Coffee County?
43 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 39 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Coffee County?
30 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Coffee County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Coffee County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Coffee County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 83 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Coffee 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
- Cleburne County 180
- Colbert County 1,364
- Clay County 246
- Conecuh County 206
- Clarke County 555
- Coosa County 171
Cite this page
“Coffee County, Alabama.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/alabama/coffee-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.