Monroe County, Alabama severe weather history spans 295 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 50.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,807 nationally and #48 in Alabama.
295
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
43
Direct injuries
$8.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Monroe County, Alabama severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Monroe County, Alabama severe weather history averages 4.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 81 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 43 events fall before 1990 and 252 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Monroe County, Alabama record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $5.7M 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 Monroe County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 150 | 0 | $1.2M | 87 | 1969–2026 |
| Hail | 82 | 0 | $100K | 2.75 | 1968–2025 |
| Tornado | 28 | 0 | $5.7M | F4 | 1956–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 24 | 0 | $157K | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Lightning | 4 | 1 | $535K | 0 | 1997–2012 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2011 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $275K | 0 | 2015–2020 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Monroe County, Alabama severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
30 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 28 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971-04-23 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 25.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-04-18 | EF3 | 0 | 30 | 10.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-12-20 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 24.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 22.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-03-18 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 11.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-12-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-03-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.7 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Monroe County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 7, 2007 | Lightning | FRANKLIN | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 18, 1978 | Tornado | 0 | 30 | $2.5M | |
| Mar 19, 1996 | Tornado | CLAIBORNE | 0 | 5 | $150K |
| Jun 28, 1957 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| May 8, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Jun 10, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | MONROEVILLE | 0 | 1 | $10K |
| Dec 20, 1971 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A few minutes after the huge microburst occurred, a tornado touched down just southwest of County Road 56 south of Vredenburgh. Most of the structural damage occurred north of County Road 56. A very old home was pushed from its blocks and roof was lifted off. The tornado then moved northeast and damaged a church that was located near the home. Many trees were blown down in this area. Another church a few hundred yards to the northeast of the first church had part of the back of the building blown off. A convergence pattern was observed in the fallen trees from southwest of County Road 56 to northeast of the home. The tornado either dissipated or went back into the clouds near the second church. The tornado wind speed was estimated at 105 mph. No injuries were reported. People who lived only a short distance away said they never heard or observed the tornado. The tornado ended near where a huge microburst had occurred a few minutes earlier.
Lightning struck a tree near Beatrice Elementary School just before school opened. The lightning ran through the roots of the tree and caught the gymnasium on fire. The gym was completely destroyed. The remainder of the school suffered only minor damage from the fire.
Tornado snapped or uprooted trees along a 400 yard wide path then produced significant damage to 3 homes and 1 church in the Riley's Crossroads area. One home had 2 exterior walls collapsed, another had a large section of the roof removed. The tornado significantly damaged the roof of the Savannah Missionary Baptist Church removing large sections of the sheathing and removing the steeple.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
19,388
Population (ACS)
$121K
Median home value
26
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Dec 10, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ZETA | DR |
| Sep 20, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SALLY | DR |
| Sep 14, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SALLY | EM |
| 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 Monroe County, Alabama?
295 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $8.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Monroe County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 150 recorded events — 50.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Monroe County?
30 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 28 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Monroe County?
26 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Monroe County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Monroe County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Monroe County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 49 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Monroe 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
- Mobile County 1,121
- Montgomery County 519
- Marshall County 902
- Morgan County 1,097
- Marion County 518
- Perry County 161
Cite this page
“Monroe County, Alabama.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/alabama/monroe-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.