Alabama, 1997

Tornadoes in Alabama, December 24, 1997

December 24, 1997 · NWS TAE · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

3 tornado, 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
0
Injuries
10
Property damage
$1.0 million
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.

The radar

The Eglin Afb radar (KEVX), 54 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 12:37 UTC.

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Event by event

3 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Geneva

When
December 24, 7:39 AM EST
Where
Geneva County, Eunola
Rating
F1
Path length
1 mi
Path width
100 yd
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
31.050, -85.850

Tornado touchdown one mile east of Geneva at the intersection of County Roads 4 and 6 damaging 6 to 10 residences. 10 to 15 homes and trailers damaged on J.P. Jones Road near Oak Grove. Numerous trees and power lines down. Considerable damage to Christmas decorations at Fowler Park in Geneva.

Tornado, Houston

When
December 24, 8:17 AM EST
Where
Houston County, Wicksburg
Rating
F2
Path length
3 mi
Path width
300 yd
Injuries
5 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$500,000
Coordinates
31.200, -85.630

Tornado skipped through a mobile home park along County Road 9 and Market Street. Two mobile homes destroyed with more than a dozen damaged. Large power poles and trees toppled. Winds overturned small airplane off County Road 81 near Harmon School. A large tree blown onto a house on County Road 75. Residence destroyed on Alabama Highway 84 West in Wicksburg.

Tornado, Dale

When
December 24, 8:26 AM EST
Where
Dale County, Newton
Rating
F1
Path length
1.5 mi
Path width
150 yd
Injuries
4 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
31.330, -85.600

Tornado touchdown in Currytown community trailer park along Dale County Road 49, Dean Road, and Alabama 134 between Pinckard and Midland City. Three mobile homes were destroyed and four were heavily damaged. 16-18 residences sustained structural damage. Six barns were leveled and four were damaged. Numerous large trees and power poles down.

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.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Alabama in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Alabama, 1997Warnings in Alabama, December 1997

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: 5627053, 5627054, 5627055.