Thunderstorm Wind, Lee
- When
- March 6, 11:50 PM CST to 11:52 PM CST
- Where
- Lee County, 19 mi SE of Opelika
- Measured
- 70 kt (81 mph)
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Coordinates
- 32.450, -85.130
Damaging Wind in Alabama, March 6, 1996
What was believed to be a downburst produced a damage path about two miles long through the Smiths community (also known as Smith Station) in southeast Lee County. The damage path extended from about 2 miles west of Smiths into the central section of Smiths.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 1
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS BMX wrote it up.
What was believed to be a downburst produced a damage path about two miles long through the Smiths community (also known as Smith Station) in southeast Lee County. The damage path extended from about 2 miles west of Smiths into the central section of Smiths. On the western end of the path very close to where it began a mobile home was destroyed and a 52-year-old woman was killed. Another mobile home was destroyed in Smiths along with plate glas window at a retail shop. Shingles were taken off a church roof and several trees were downed, at least one falling on a building.Another short path of damaged was also noted in a treed area about 8 miles northwest of Smiths on the west side of US Highway 280.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind, Lee | 1996-03-06 | 52 | Female | Mobile/Trailer Home | Direct |
What these are
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornado in Alabama, March 6, 1996
- Tornado in Alabama, March 6, 1996
- Heavy Snow in New York, March 6 to 7, 1996
- Tornado in Georgia, March 6, 1996
- Tornado in Alabama, March 6, 1996
- Tornado in Alabama, March 6, 1996
- Tornado in Alabama, March 6, 1996
- Tornado in Florida, March 6, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, March 6, 1996
- Tornado in Georgia, March 6, 1996
- Tornado in Georgia, March 6, 1996
- Tornado in Alabama, March 6, 1996
More
Every storm in Alabama in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Alabama, March 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5546533.