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Alabama · County tornado history

Lauderdale County, Alabama tornadoes

NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center has recorded 42 tornadoes in Lauderdale County, Alabama from 1950 through 2024, about one every 1.8 years. That ranks it 33 of 67 counties in Alabama with a recorded tornado. The most recent was an EF1 on March 24, 2023.

By Twisters.us · Updated · How we count

Tornadoes since 1950
42
Since 2000
25
Strongest
F3, June 26, 1994
Most recent
EF1, March 24, 2023
Peak month
May (13)
Per 1,000 sq mi
58
FEMA tornado risk
Relatively High

F0/EF0 1 2 3 4 5 · Lines run from where each tornado touched down to where it lifted; dots are short paths. Neighboring counties are outlined.

When tornadoes hit Lauderdale County

May has brought the most, 13 of 42. About 55% touched down between 5 pm and 11 pm (Central Standard Time, as the Storm Prediction Center records it).

By decade

More tornadoes in recent decades mostly reflects better detection and reporting (Doppler radar, storm spotters, damage surveys), especially for weak EF0 tornadoes, not necessarily more storms. The 2020s bar covers only 2020 to 2024.

How strong they were

Rating Estimated 3-second gust Tornadoes
F0 / EF0 Light damage: 65 to 85 mph (EF scale) 4
F1 / EF1 Moderate: 86 to 110 mph 26
F2 / EF2 Considerable: 111 to 135 mph 8
F3 / EF3 Severe: 136 to 165 mph 4
F4 / EF4 Devastating: 166 to 200 mph 0
F5 / EF5 Incredible: over 200 mph 0

Tornadoes before February 2007 were rated on the original Fujita (F) scale; since then the National Weather Service uses the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale. Wind speeds above are EF-scale estimates from damage, not measurements. See what the EF scale means.

The strongest tornadoes in Lauderdale County

Date Rating Path length Path width Deaths Injuries
March 9, 1964 F3 5.2 mi 10 yd 2 2
March 17, 1965 F3 29.8 mi 10 yd 22
June 26, 1994 F3 38 mi 880 yd 22
October 24, 1967 F3 11.9 mi 100 yd 1
April 5, 1958 F2 19.2 mi 100 yd 1 1
November 15, 1951 F2 1.5 mi 177 yd 6
March 20, 1976 F2 1 mi 30 yd 2
December 23, 2015 EF2 14.9 mi 400 yd 1
March 22, 1953 F2 1 mi 200 yd
February 27, 1999 F2 1.7 mi 150 yd

Deaths and injuries are for each tornado’s whole path, which can cross other counties.

The deadliest

The deadliest tornado to touch Lauderdale County was an F3 on March 9, 1964. It killed 2 people and injured 2 along its 5.2-mile path.

Most recent tornadoes

Date Rating Path length Path width Deaths Injuries
March 24, 2023 EF1 4.1 mi 120 yd
March 24, 2023 EF2 3.8 mi 300 yd
March 22, 2022 EF0 1.9 mi 140 yd
February 12, 2020 EF1 3.8 mi 400 yd
December 16, 2019 EF1 2.9 mi 500 yd
November 5, 2018 EF1 6.3 mi 200 yd
December 23, 2015 EF2 14.9 mi 400 yd 1
February 20, 2014 EF1 2.7 mi 500 yd 1

The official database ends with 2024. For storms since then, see the Storm Prediction Center’s reports and your local National Weather Service office.

FEMA’s tornado risk rating

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates the tornado risk in Lauderdale County as relatively high, with a score of 92 out of 100 compared with every other U.S. county. It estimates about 0.65 tornadoes a year here and an expected annual loss of about $7,910,346 to buildings, people and farming. The index mixes how often tornadoes strike with what is exposed and how well a community can recover, so a busy rural county can rate lower than a less active city.

Neighboring counties

Staying safe

When a tornado warning is issued, act at once. Go to a basement, storm shelter or safe room. With none, use a small windowless room on the lowest floor, as far from outside walls as you can, and cover your head and neck. Mobile homes and cars are not safe places to ride out a tornado: leave early for a sturdy building or shelter. Read the full tornado safety guide and the National Weather Service advice linked below.

Sources

Sources last checked 1 November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How many tornadoes has Lauderdale County had?

42 from 1950 through 2024 in NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center database, 25 of them since 2000.

When was the last tornado in Lauderdale County?

The most recent in the official record was an EF1 on March 24, 2023. Later storms are not yet in the final database.

What was the strongest tornado in Lauderdale County?

An F3 on June 26, 1994, with a 38-mile path.

When is tornado season in Lauderdale County?

May has had the most tornadoes here. Across the U.S. the peak runs from spring into early summer, and the South also sees tornadoes in late fall and winter.