44
Recorded events
29
Direct deaths
322
Direct injuries
$13.7M
Property damage
Tornado in Lee County, Alabama: 44 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #513 nationally and #29 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Lee County, Alabama: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Lee County is the 2010s, when 22 of the county's 44 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 Lee County archive, tornado makes up 10.1% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #513 for this hazard and #29 within Alabama, putting it in the 82.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Apr is the peak month for tornado in Lee County with 11 recorded events, while Oct 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-03-03 | EF4 | 68.0 mi | 1,600 yd | Crossed in |
| 1953-04-18 | EF3 | 39.8 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 2014-04-29 | EF3 | 11.5 mi | 1,200 yd | Crossed in |
| 1954-12-05 | EF3 | 51.0 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 2019-03-03 | EF2 | 29.1 mi | 1,300 yd | Crossed in |
| 2013-04-11 | EF2 | 5.1 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 2011-11-16 | EF2 | 61.5 mi | 880 yd | Crossed in |
| 2009-02-28 | EF2 | 8.3 mi | 500 yd | Touched down here |
| 2007-03-01 | EF2 | 11.7 mi | 300 yd | Crossed in |
| 1984-05-03 | EF2 | 0.4 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3, 2019 | BUPREE | EF4 | 23 | 90 | $0 |
| Apr 18, 1953 | F3 | 6 | 195 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 29, 2014 | PRINCE XRD | EF3 | 0 | 13 | $0 |
| Apr 13, 1980 | F2 | 0 | 13 | $2.5M | |
| Dec 5, 1954 | F3 | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| Feb 28, 2009 | SALEM | EF2 | 0 | 3 | $1.1M |
| Nov 16, 2011 | LOACHAPOKA | EF1 | 0 | 2 | $4.0M |
| Mar 3, 2019 | MARVYN | EF1 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 4, 2025 | CHEWACLA | EF0 | $0 |
| Dec 10, 2023 | BUPREE | EF0 | $0 |
| Mar 3, 2019 | MARVYN | EF1 | $0 |
| Mar 3, 2019 | BUPREE | EF4 | $0 |
| Nov 1, 2018 | PINE GROVE | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 21, 2018 | OPELIKA | EF0 | $0 |
| Jan 22, 2017 | (AUO)AUBURN OPELIKA | EF1 | $0 |
| Jan 22, 2017 | BEEHIVE | EF0 | $0 |
| Jan 21, 2017 | SMITHS STATION | EF1 | $0 |
| Jan 21, 2017 | PRINCE XRD | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Lee County
- Thunderstorm Wind 213
- Hail 128
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado initially touched down in Macon County Alabama and crossed into Lee County approximately 1 mile southwest of Lee Road 3. It continued its northeastward path causing extensive tree damage across western Lee County. Dozens of houses and mobile homes on the western side of Auburn were heavily damaged due to falling trees. Several residences were destroyed. One female and one child were injured when trees fell on a mobile home. Significant damage was also noted in the Terrace Acres neighborhood, where homes were heavily damaged from falling trees. The tornado crossed the southern edge of Auburn University's campus and caused damage to the baseball facilities at Auburn High School and nearby homes. The tornado crossed interstate 85 at US highway 280 and continued moving to the northeast toward Lake Harding. Along the lake, extensive tree damage and damage to numerous homes and boathouses occurred. Several residences were destroyed or sustained complete roof loss. The tornado continued into Harris County Georgia (See November Storm Data from WFO Peachtree City).
The tornado touched down southwest of the community of Salem. It then moved just north of due east, crossing US-280 and several smaller county roads, before lifting at CR-379. Winds estimated at 125-130 mph destroyed 6 mobile homes and 4 site built homes, badly damaged 8 homes, and caused minor damage to 9 others. Two area businesses were destroyed, one other received minor damage, and one school building was damaged. Hundreds of trees were snapped off and uprooted, and one 18-wheeler was overturned. There were three minor injuries reported, only one that required hospitalization.
The tornado touched down just west of the town of Loachapoka along CR-64. It then moved through Loachapoka, and nearly paralleled AL-14 for several miles, before lifting just south of AL-14 east of CR-51. Hundreds of trees were snapped off and uprooted along the path. In Loachapoka, a church sustained moderate roof damage, several barns and outbuildings suffered varying degrees of damage, and a few vehicles were damaged by the fallen trees.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Lee County, Alabama?
44 tornado events are recorded in Lee County between 1953 and 2025, causing 29 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Lee County?
The strongest tornado on record in Lee County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Lee 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 Lee County, Alabama.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/alabama/lee-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.