Tornadoes · United States · Alabama

Tornadoes in Blount County, Alabama

56 tornadoes have crossed Blount County since 1950, 14th of the 67 counties in Alabama with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.4 years. They have killed 3 people and injured 90. 2 were rated F4 or EF4 and 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
56
Deaths
3
Injuries
90
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F4, November 18, 1957

The deadliest in Blount County

  1. F4, Blount and Marshall counties, AlabamaNovember 18, 19573 killed, 12 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Blount and Marshall counties, AlabamaNovember 18, 1957F4, 26.1 mi (42 km)
  2. F4 Highland Lake–Oneonta tornado, AlabamaNovember 24, 2001F4, 10.1 mi (16 km)
  3. EF3, Walker, Jefferson and Blount counties, AlabamaApril 24, 2010EF3, 29.6 mi (48 km)
  4. F3, Blount County, AlabamaMarch 20, 1976F3, 19.2 mi (31 km)
  5. EF2, Blount, Etowah, Marshall and DeKalb counties, AlabamaApril 12, 2020EF2, 21.7 mi (35 km)
  6. F2, Blount County, AlabamaApril 1, 1974F2, 16.9 mi (27 km)
  7. EF2, Blount and St. Clair counties, AlabamaApril 28, 2014EF2, 14.6 mi (23 km)
  8. EF2, Blount County, AlabamaApril 19, 2009EF2, 6.3 mi (10 km)
  9. EF2, Blount County, AlabamaMarch 15, 2008EF2, 6.0 mi (10 km)
  10. EF2, Blount County, AlabamaApril 12, 2020EF2, 5.6 mi (9 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 29 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Blount County. Each year links to every tornado in Alabama that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20221EF0
20212EF1
202063EF2
20194EF1
20182EF1
20161EF1
201436EF2
201123EF2
20104EF3
20092EF2
20082EF2
200643F2
20021F1
2001222F4
199911F2
19982F1
199426F1
19861F2
19851F1
19831F2
1976211F3
197513F1
1974212F2
19731F1
19711F0
19571312F4
195321F1
195216F1
195111F2

Every tornado that crossed Blount County

56 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
November 30, 202212:57 AM CSTEF0Blount3.5500
March 31, 20218:15 AM CDTEF0Blount0.265
March 17, 20215:43 PM CDTEF1Blount12.9300
April 12, 20209:27 PM CDTEF1Marshall5.0200
April 12, 20206:10 PM CDTEF2Blount21.74403
April 12, 20206:04 PM CDTEF1Blount0.8115
April 12, 20205:50 PM CDTEF2Blount5.6500
April 12, 20205:47 PM CDTEF1Blount3.8225
April 12, 20205:44 PM CDTEF0Blount0.5125
April 8, 20195:44 AM CDTEF1Blount6.31,175
April 8, 20195:15 AM CDTEF0Blount2.2325
March 14, 20195:05 PM CDTEF1Blount17.21,175
March 14, 20195:04 PM CDTEF0Blount2.6115
March 19, 20187:50 PM CDTEF1St. Clair6.4880
March 19, 20187:09 PM CDTEF0Blount0.9100
March 31, 20169:42 PM CDTEF1Blount0.3275
April 28, 201412:24 AM CDTEF2Blount14.61,3002
April 28, 201411:22 PM CDTEF1Blount7.81,000
April 28, 201410:00 PM CDTEF1Jefferson8.88004
April 27, 20116:12 AM CDTEF1Blount14.8200$42,000
April 27, 20115:53 AM CDTEF2Blount3.22003$9.3 million
November 30, 20107:09 AM CSTEF1Blount1.7150$26,000
April 24, 201010:01 PM CDTEF3Walker29.6400$658,000
April 24, 20109:59 PM CDTEF1Blount0.9200$50,000
April 8, 20104:42 AM CDTEF0Blount0.250$15,000
May 6, 20099:45 AM CDTEF0Blount0.130$2,000
April 19, 20098:59 PM CDTEF2Blount6.3300$400,000
August 25, 200811:25 AM CDTEF1Blount0.460$10,000
March 15, 20089:47 AM CDTEF2Blount6.0675$960,000
September 22, 20066:52 PM CDTF2Blount4.42003$1.5 million
September 22, 20066:40 PM CDTF2Blount0.3200$50,000
September 22, 20066:02 PM CDTF2Blount1.3100$70,000
March 13, 20066:15 PM CSTF0Blount0.125$10,000
November 10, 200210:22 PM CSTF1Blount10.6300$400,000
November 24, 20011:19 PM CSTF4Highland Lake–Oneonta tornado10.150022$1.1 million
May 24, 20017:02 PM CDTF0Blount1.030
February 27, 19997:15 PM CSTF2Blount0.4501$90,000
April 16, 19989:35 PM CDTF0Blount2.180$10,000
April 16, 19989:15 PM CDTF1Cullman3.7100$70,000
November 28, 199412:30 AM CSTF1Blount1.61005$50,000 to $500,000
March 27, 199411:57 AM CSTF0Blount2.51501$50,000 to $500,000
March 19, 19862:00 AM CSTF2Blount0.273$5,000 to $50,000
April 5, 19855:15 PM CSTF1Blount1.0100$50,000 to $500,000
November 15, 19831:30 AM CSTF2Blount0.533$5,000 to $50,000
March 20, 197610:50 PM CSTF3Blount19.24011$50,000 to $500,000
March 20, 197610:49 PM CSTF0Blount0.110$50 to $500
March 29, 19757:05 AM CDTF1Blount3.0303$5,000 to $50,000
October 15, 19744:30 PM CDTF1Blount28.8101$500 to $5,000
April 1, 197410:30 PM CDTF2Blount16.980011$50,000 to $500,000
December 29, 19732:55 PM CSTF1Blount0.130$50 to $500
January 25, 19713:00 PM CSTF0Blount2.010$5,000 to $50,000
November 18, 19575:30 PM GMT-6F4Blount26.1100312$50,000 to $500,000
April 12, 19533:40 AM GMT-6F1Blount0.5100$5,000 to $50,000
January 20, 19534:30 PM GMT-6F1Blount0.1101$5,000 to $50,000
February 13, 19528:30 PM GMT-6F1Cullman6.04006$500,000 to $5 million
November 16, 19511:00 AM GMT-6F2Blount1.5101$500 to $5,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Blount CountyThe forecast for Blount CountyThe live radar over Blount 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.