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Elmore County, Alabama severe weather history spans 550 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 57.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #727 nationally and #22 in Alabama.
550
Recorded events
8
Direct deaths
49
Direct injuries
$69.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Elmore County, Alabama severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Elmore County, Alabama severe weather history averages 7.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 163 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 64 events fall before 1990 and 486 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Elmore County, Alabama record is tornado, responsible for 6 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $61.8M 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 Elmore County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 317 | 1 | $1.6M | 75 | 1960–2026 |
| Hail | 111 | 0 | $719K | 2.75 | 1966–2024 |
| Tornado | 56 | 6 | $61.8M | F3 | 1956–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 43 | 0 | $5.2M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Lightning | 13 | 1 | $155K | 0 | 1997–2019 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2007 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2011 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2015 |
Decade by decade
Elmore County, Alabama severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
57 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 42 touched down inside it and 15 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 | EF4 | 7 | 30 | 44.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-01-12 | EF3 | 7 | 16 | 82.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-05-03 | EF3 | 5 | 37 | 7.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-02-17 | EF3 | 0 | 50 | 14.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1996-03-18 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 24.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-11-25 | EF3 | 0 | 20 | 10.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1976-03-12 | EF3 | 0 | 15 | 4.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-11-30 | EF2 | 2 | 2 | 9.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-01-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-11-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Elmore County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 2011 | Tornado | WALLSBURG | 6 | 20 | $50.0M |
| Jul 23, 2015 | Lightning | ROBINSON SPGS | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 3, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | MILLBROOK | 1 | 0 | $135K |
| Mar 13, 1976 | Tornado | 0 | 15 | $2.5M | |
| Jan 19, 2019 | Tornado | WETUMPKA | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Dec 6, 1983 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Mar 29, 1977 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Jun 15, 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | NEMAN | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Strong thunderstorm wind downed numerous trees along CR2 just west of the intersection with SR 143. At that intersection, a number of very large trees were uprooted falling on several mobile homes. A 23-year-old man was killed when one of the trees fell on his mobile home crushing him while he slept. Additional tree damage occurred east of the mobile home park producing a path of damage about 1.7 miles long. Minor roof damage also occurred to several structures west of SR 143 along CR 2.
Numerous county roads and city streets became impassable and suffered extensive damage due to flooding caused by torrential rainfall. The cities of Wetumpka, Millbrook, and Deatsville were especially hard hit. At least 43 homes, 10 business, and 2 churches also suffered damage due to the flooding. The Millbrook city parks and recreation areas suffered substantial damage.
A tornado touched down 6.4 miles west of Central, along County Road 334 in Elmore County. The tornado moved to the northeast and crossed the Coosa County line. The tornado then crossed State Highway 9 and continued moving east, eventually crossing into Tallapoosa County. The tornado lifted on the east side of northern Lake Martin. In Elmore County, numerous trees were snapped or uprooted along the path.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
89,526
Population (ACS)
$224K
Median home value
24
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| May 5, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Jan 15, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Dec 10, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ZETA | DR |
| Sep 14, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SALLY | EM |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Wetumpka 115
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Elmore County, Alabama?
550 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 8 direct deaths and $69.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Elmore County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 317 recorded events — 57.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Elmore County?
57 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 42 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Elmore County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Elmore County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Elmore County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Elmore County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 72 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Elmore 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
- DeKalb County 965
- Escambia County 343
- Dallas County 373
- Etowah County 547
- Dale County 601
- Fayette County 317
Cite this page
“Elmore County, Alabama.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/alabama/elmore-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.