Tornadoes · United States · Alabama

Tornadoes in Lee County, Alabama

45 tornadoes have crossed Lee County since 1950, 32nd of the 67 counties in Alabama with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.7 years. They have killed 31 people and injured 629. 1 was rated F4 or EF4 and above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
45
Deaths
31
Injuries
629
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
EF4, March 3, 2019

The deadliest in Lee County

  1. EF4 Beauregard tornado, Alabama and GeorgiaMarch 3, 201923 killed, 90 injured
  2. F3, Lee and Muscogee counties, Alabama and GeorgiaApril 18, 19538 killed, 495 injured

The strongest

  1. EF4 Beauregard tornado, Alabama and GeorgiaMarch 3, 2019EF4, 68.0 mi (109 km)
  2. F3, Lee, Harris and Meriwether counties, Alabama and GeorgiaDecember 5, 1954F3, 51.0 mi (82 km)
  3. F3, Lee and Muscogee counties, Alabama and GeorgiaApril 18, 1953F3, 39.8 mi (64 km)
  4. EF3, Lee and Russell counties, AlabamaApril 29, 2014EF3, 11.4 mi (18 km)
  5. EF2, Macon, Lee, Harris and Talbot counties, Alabama and GeorgiaNovember 16, 2011EF2, 61.5 mi (99 km)
  6. EF2, Macon and Lee counties, AlabamaMarch 3, 2019EF2, 29.1 mi (47 km)
  7. EF2, Muscogee, Russell and Lee counties, Alabama and GeorgiaMarch 1, 2007EF2, 11.7 mi (19 km)
  8. F2, Lee County, AlabamaApril 13, 1980F2, 11.3 mi (18 km)
  9. EF2, Lee County, AlabamaFebruary 28, 2009EF2, 8.3 mi (13 km)
  10. EF2, Macon and Lee counties, AlabamaApril 11, 2013EF2, 5.1 mi (8 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 25 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Lee County. Each year links to every tornado in Alabama that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251EF0
20231EF0
201922391EF4
20182EF0
20178EF1
20166EF1
2014113EF3
201311EF2
20121EF0
201114EF2
200973EF2
200711EF2
20051F0
20041F0
19981F0
19971F0
19941F0
198411F2
1980113F2
19781F1
19751F2
19711F1
19571F1
195417F3
195318495F3

Every tornado that crossed Lee County

45 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 3, 20257:21 PM CDTEF0Lee3.8175
December 10, 20234:36 AM CSTEF0Lee2.4400
March 3, 20192:27 PM CSTEF2Macon29.11,3001
March 3, 20192:00 PM CSTEF4Beauregard tornado68.01,6002390$1.8 million
November 1, 201812:12 PM CDTEF0Lee2.650
July 21, 20185:43 PM CDTEF0Lee5.7500
January 22, 20172:00 PM CSTEF1Lee3.1540
January 22, 20171:46 PM CSTEF0Lee4.8200
January 21, 20179:19 AM CSTEF1Lee0.9300
January 21, 20179:08 AM CSTEF0Lee0.150
January 21, 20179:00 AM CSTEF0Lee0.8150
January 21, 20178:56 AM CSTEF0Lee1.1150
January 21, 20178:49 AM CSTEF0Lee2.4150
January 21, 20178:48 AM CSTEF1Lee2.8100
November 30, 201612:35 PM CSTEF1Lee3.2300
April 6, 201611:44 PM CDTEF0Lee4.7200
April 6, 201611:32 PM CDTEF0Lee0.7250
March 31, 201612:19 AM CDTEF0Lee2.150
March 1, 20168:27 PM CSTEF0Lee3.1100
February 15, 20167:00 PM CSTEF0Russell7.1250
April 29, 20143:56 AM CDTEF3Lee11.41,20013
April 11, 20138:34 PM CDTEF2Macon5.12001
May 13, 20122:02 PM CDTEF0Lee2.350
November 16, 201111:52 AM CSTEF2Macon to GA61.58804$9.5 million
May 23, 20094:59 PM CDTEF0Lee1.250$100,000
April 10, 20098:26 PM CDTEF1Macon25.5440$210,000
April 10, 20097:51 PM CDTEF1Lee2.2100$30,000
April 10, 20097:30 PM CDTEF1Lee5.5300$150,000
April 10, 20097:12 PM CDTEF1Tallapoosa10.1250$52,000
February 28, 20098:25 AM CSTEF2Lee8.35003$1.1 million
February 28, 20097:56 AM CSTEF1Lee0.3100$65,000
March 1, 20075:27 PM CSTEF2Muscogee to GA11.73001$28 million
July 6, 20053:40 PM CDTF0Lee1.2200$30,000
November 24, 20048:09 AM CSTF0Lee0.230$30,000
September 28, 19985:26 PM CDTF0Lee2.030
July 22, 19972:48 PM CDTF0Lee0.323
August 2, 19946:25 PM CDTF0Lee2.6300$5,000 to $50,000
May 3, 19842:30 PM CDTF2Lee0.41001$50,000 to $500,000
April 13, 19802:30 PM CSTF2Lee11.344013$500,000 to $5 million
June 8, 19782:00 PM CDTF1Lee1.5100$5,000 to $50,000
January 10, 19756:30 PM CSTF2Lee0.110$500,000 to $5 million
February 26, 19712:05 PM CSTF1Lee7.350$5,000 to $50,000
August 15, 19576:30 PM GMT-5F1Lee0.1133$500 to $5,000
December 5, 195412:00 PM GMT-6F3Lee to GA51.02007$50,000 to $500,000
April 18, 19535:00 PM GMT-6F3Lee to GA39.84008495$5 million to $50 million

Nearby

Warnings in force in Lee CountyThe forecast for Lee CountyThe live radar over Lee CountyEvery county in Alabama

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.