Alabama, 1971

Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in Alabama, February 4, 1971

February 4, 1971 · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

2 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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

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The toll

Deaths
1
Injuries
13
Property damage
$50,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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.

Event by event

2 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Marion

When
February 4, 7:45 PM CST
Where
Marion County
Rating
F3
Path length
24.5 mi
Path width
750 yd
Injuries
12 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
34.030, -87.950

Tornado, Franklin

When
February 4, 8:15 PM CST
Where
Franklin County
Rating
F3
Path length
9.6 mi
Path width
750 yd
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
34.300, -87.670

Thunderstorm Wind, Limestone

When
February 4, 8:50 PM CST
Where
Limestone County
Coordinates
34.780, -87.000

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.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Tornado, Franklin1971-02-04Direct

What these are

Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
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

More

Every storm in Alabama in 1971Every state in 1971This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Alabama, 1971

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: 9976287, 9976288, 9976289.