Lamar County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Lamar County: 2.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Claims by ZIP code

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

River crests

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the county boundary (or inside the county).
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Aug 29, 2005Tropical Storm, Lamar$1.8 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Extensive tree and power line damage occurred across Lamar County during Katrina. Power outages were widespread and lengthy. Several roadways were impassable due to fallen trees. Many structures, homes and vehicles were damaged.

2. Nov 24, 2001Tornado$600,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   What was the longest tornado of the day began at 10:55 am about a two tenths of a mile inside Pickens County or about 5.8 miles southwest of Kennedy. The tornado traveled across southeastern Lamar County damaging or destroying a number of structures south and east of Kennedy. The tornado traveled on a northeast track moving into Fayette County at 11:07 am. Traveling northeast it went across western and northern sections of the city of Fayette doing serious damage to a number of structures. From the city of Fayette the tornado traveled across mostly rural areas damaging occasional structures and downing numerous trees and power lines. The tornado while still strong was weaker than…

3. Sep 16, 2004High Wind, Lamar$325,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hundreds of trees and power lines were blown down during the tropical system. At least 64 roadways were blocked by fallen trees and were temporarily impassable. At least 22 homes were damaged and 4 of those homes suffered major damage. Most of the power outages were restored within 12 hours, but a few spots did not receive power back for 4 days. One person was slightly injured when their automobile ran into a fallen tree. Maximum wind gusts were estimated around 60 miles an hour.

4. Feb 16, 2001Thunderstorm Wind$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Lamar County reported numerous trees and power lines blown down. Numerous homes were damaged and at least 5 homes were totally destroyed. The most concentrated damage occurred in the southern part of the county southwest of Vernon. Small hail also fell with these storms. There were no reports of any injuries.

5. Nov 23, 2004Tornado$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado touched down approximately 1.2 miles southeast of Detroit, just east of US 17 in northern Lamar County. The tornado moved northeast crossing County Road 16 and Dinky Line Road. The tornado continued northeast and moved into Marion County. The tornado crossed CR 10, CR 35, US 78 and CR 42. The most extensive damage occurred in Lamar County close to the tornado touch down point while Marion County damage was mainly limited to tree damage. Several manufactured homes suffered varying degrees of damage, numerous out-buildings were damaged or destroyed, three large grain silos were damaged and several homes were damaged. A few homes were left standing but were uninhabitable.…

6. Apr 12, 2009Strong Wind, Lamar$240,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Wind gusts estimated around 50 mph blew down numerous trees around the county, including the cities of Vernon and Sulligent. The wind indirectly caused a two separate vehicle accidents, one with no injuries and with with two injuries (indirect). Falling trees also caused 3 injuries. Approximately 8 to 10 homes also sustained damage from fallen trees.

7. Nov 10, 2002Tornado$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Fernbank Tornado was the second tornado of the evening in Alabama, but it actually began in Mississippi. The tornado crossed the Alabama-Mississippi State Line at 7:31 pm, downing trees in Luxapallila Creek. When it reached County Road 12, a well built home was deroofed along with damage to the upper floor of the house and tremendous tree destruction. The tornado continued on a northeast track, damaging mostly trees before knocking over head stones at the Ebenezer Church and flipping automobiles. The tornado weakened fairly quickly after it passed the church and ended about 7:42 pm.This tornado was rated an F2 in Alabama but was rated an F3 in Mississippi. No deaths and two…

8. Dec 23, 1998Ice Storm, Lamar$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A winter storm brought a mixture of freezing rain...sleet...and rain to the northern half of Alabama. The northwestern quarter of Alabama was especially hard hit. The precipitation began in a narrow band across Fayette, Walker, Cullman, and Marshall counties around 2 am and then around 5am in the rest of the counties and lasted until early afternoon on the 24th. The northwestern quarter of the state saw temperatures at or below freezing for the majority of the event. Liquid equivalent precipitation ranged from one to three inches. Significant ice accumulations of one half to one inch were common across the area. Numerous trees were down across every county. Significant power…

9. Mar 18, 2022Lightning$150,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Lightning struck a home that caused the structure to burn to the ground.

10. Nov 30, 2010Tornado$145,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    The tornado touched down about 1 mile southwest of the city of Millport, where it uprooted several trees. From there, it moved northeastward and crossed AL-17 about a half mile west of Millport. On both sides of the highway, 50 to 70 trees were either snapped off or uprooted, and a few homes sustained shingle damage. Tree limbs were actually embedded into the roof of one home. In the same general area, a tractor trailer was overturned and a metal roof was blown off a garage building. In addition, Metal roof stripping was blown off a barn roof and was transported 100 yards downstream into the top of a 60 foot tree. The tornado lifted on the north side of Millport, near James…

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

109°FAug 30, 2000

All-time low

−11°FJan 30, 1966

Warmest night

79°F3 times, most recently Jul 30, 2026

Coldest day

7°FJan 21, 1985

Wettest day

6.95 inJan 4, 1982

Snowiest day

12.0 inJan 1, 1964

Hottest year

2016mean 66.2°F

Coldest year

1976mean 58.3°F

Wettest year

197984.90 in

Driest year

198140.61 in

Station Vernon (USC00018517), 297 ft elevation, 1.6 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1956 to October 27, 2026; 88.6% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

Neighbouring counties

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USC00018517.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.