Alabama, 1997

Tornado in Alabama, May 2, 1997

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.

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
12
Property damage
$2.3 million
Crop damage
$50,000
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.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Limestone

When
May 2, 4:02 PM CST to 4:07 PM CST
Where
Limestone County, Athens to 2 mi ENE of Athens
Rating
F2
Path length
3.2 mi
Path width
75 yd
Injuries
12 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$2.3 million
Crop damage
$50,000
Coordinates
34.770, -87.000

A tornado, rated at F2 on the Fujita scale, struck the southern and eastern sections of Athens in Limestone County. The tornado path began about 2 miles south-southwest of Athens near the intersection of Sanderfer Road and County Road 45. The tornado moved northeasterly crossing through southern and eastern sections of Athens. It crossed the intersection of State Road 127 and US 72 where several businesses were damaged. Some damage was caused at Athens Middle School.The tornado continued northeast dissipating near the intersection of Proyr Street and US 31 near Athens High School.According to EMA officals, siz homes were destroyed, 14 homes sustained major damage, and an additional 14 homes had minor damage. Three apartment buildings, each with eight units, were damaged, 13 businesses had major damage, and two businesses reported minor damage.Of the 12 injuries, two were described as serious.

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, 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: 5599097.