Tornadoes · United States · Alabama

Tornadoes in Barbour County, Alabama

46 tornadoes have crossed Barbour County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 29th of the 67 counties in Alabama with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.7 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 50. None was rated F4 or above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
46
Deaths
1
Injuries
50
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, November 25, 1986

The deadliest in Barbour County

  1. F2, Barbour, Quitman, Stewart, Webster and Schley counties, Alabama and GeorgiaDecember 5, 19541 killed, 35 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Coffee, Dale and Barbour counties, AlabamaNovember 25, 1986F3, 44.0 mi (71 km)
  2. F3, Pike and Barbour counties, AlabamaMarch 2, 1971F3, 23.8 mi (38 km)
  3. F3, Henry and Barbour counties, AlabamaJanuary 13, 1972F3, 16.8 mi (27 km)
  4. F2, Barbour, Quitman, Stewart, Webster and Schley counties, Alabama and GeorgiaDecember 5, 1954F2, 71.5 mi (115 km)
  5. EF2, Quitman, Barbour, Stewart and Webster counties, Alabama and GeorgiaMarch 3, 2019EF2, 30.9 mi (50 km)
  6. EF2, Barbour, Quitman and Randolph counties, Alabama and GeorgiaMarch 31, 2020EF2, 30.0 mi (48 km)
  7. F2, Pike, Coffee and Barbour counties, AlabamaNovember 15, 2006F2, 19.8 mi (32 km)
  8. F2, Barbour County, AlabamaJune 28, 1957F2, 16.5 mi (27 km)
  9. F2, Barbour County, AlabamaMay 20, 1980F2, 11.5 mi (19 km)
  10. EF2, Quitman, Clay, Barbour and Henry counties, Alabama and GeorgiaApril 5, 2017EF2, 10.4 mi (17 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 26 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Barbour County. Each year links to every tornado in Alabama that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF0
20251EF0
20233EF1
20223EF1
202021EF2
20194EF2
201743EF2
20161EF0
20152EF0
20141EF1
20084EF1
20073EF1
200631F2
20051F1
20042F0
20021F0
198614F3
19851F1
198011F2
197212F3
19711F3
19681F1
196412F2
19611F1
195711F2
19541135F2

Every tornado that crossed Barbour County

46 tornadoes, newest first. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 12, 20263:36 AM CDTEF0Barbour0.5150
April 6, 202510:21 PM CDTEF0Barbour0.550
December 10, 20231:19 AM CSTEF0Henry8.0200$50,000
June 14, 202312:09 PM CDTEF1Barbour3.9350
January 12, 20233:25 PM CSTEF1Barbour11.0900
November 30, 20226:06 AM CSTEF0Barbour6.6300
April 5, 202212:38 PM CDTEF1Barbour1.5200
March 9, 20224:50 AM CSTEF1Barbour9.1280
March 31, 202011:34 AM CDTEF2Barbour to GA30.03501$50,000
January 11, 20204:33 PM CSTEF1Barbour5.8275
November 27, 20199:26 AM CSTEF0Barbour2.155
November 27, 20199:19 AM CSTEF0Barbour1.140
March 3, 20193:58 PM CSTEF2Quitman to GA30.9860$415,000
March 3, 20193:45 PM CSTEF2Barbour6.7700
April 27, 20175:59 PM CDTEF0Barbour1.31753
April 27, 20174:18 PM CDTEF0Barbour1.275
April 5, 201710:49 AM CDTEF2Quitman to GA10.41,140$600,000
January 21, 20178:55 AM CSTEF1Pike37.3400
April 6, 201612:16 AM CDTEF0Barbour5.4200
December 24, 20154:34 AM CSTEF0Barbour3.2125
December 24, 20153:41 AM CSTEF0Barbour3.6100
November 23, 20142:03 PM CSTEF1Stewart to GA16.7400$25,000
February 17, 20084:38 PM CSTEF0Barbour0.4300$6,000
February 17, 20084:17 PM CSTEF1Barbour21.475$35,000
February 17, 200812:00 AM CSTEF1Barbour2.350$75,000
January 11, 20082:04 AM CSTEF1Barbour3.5150$70,000
September 21, 20075:34 PM CDTEF0Barbour0.420
March 1, 20073:12 PM CSTEF1Barbour2.475
January 7, 20078:29 PM CSTUnratedBarbour2.7200$250,000
November 15, 200612:53 PM CSTF0Barbour0.150$10,000
November 15, 200612:12 PM CSTF2Pike19.8650$507,000
January 13, 200612:20 PM CSTF0Barbour8.51001$250,000
April 30, 20058:12 AM CDTF1Barbour10.075$40,000
September 16, 20045:05 AM CDTF0Barbour0.140$2,000
September 16, 20042:56 AM CDTF0Barbour0.240$2,000
April 30, 20024:57 PM CDTF0Barbour1.525
November 25, 19869:20 PM CSTF3Coffee44.02004$500,000 to $5 million
November 29, 198511:20 AM CSTF1Barbour0.240$5,000 to $50,000
May 20, 19804:55 AM CDTF2Barbour11.5501$5,000 to $50,000
January 13, 19722:15 AM CSTF3Henry16.82002$50,000 to $500,000
March 2, 197110:00 AM CSTF3Pike23.810$5,000 to $50,000
January 23, 19684:30 PM GMT-6F1Dale11.8200$50,000 to $500,000
October 4, 19644:00 PM GMT-5F2Barbour0.1102$500 to $5,000
April 9, 19619:30 AM GMT-6F1Coffee54.110$50,000 to $500,000
June 28, 19576:45 PM GMT-5F2Barbour16.51001$5,000 to $50,000
December 5, 19541:45 PM GMT-6F2Barbour to GA71.5100135$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Barbour CountyThe forecast for Barbour CountyThe live radar over Barbour CountyEvery county in Alabama

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.