Tornado in Alabama, May 2, 1997

Name: Tornado in Alabama, May 2, 1997
Start: 1997-05-02T16:26
End: 1997-05-02T16:28
Location: Alabama

May 2, 1997 · NWS BMX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 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: 1
Property damage: $600,000
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.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Madison

When: May 2, 4:26 PM CST to 4:28 PM CST
Where: Madison County, Meridianville to 2 mi NNW of Meridianville
Rating: F2
Path length: 1.3 mi
Path width: 70 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $600,000
Coordinates: 34.870, -86.580

A short but powerful tornado struck the area northwest of Meridianville destroying four homes along with major damage to two otehrs and minor damage to twelve more. The tornado path began in an hope area just southwest of the Colonial Golf Course. The torndo moved through a small subdivision on the north and east sides of the golf course and moved into an open area again as it dissipated.

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

Every storm in Alabama in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Alabama, 1997 Warnings in Alabama, May 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: 5599183.