Tornadoes · United States · Alabama

Tornadoes in Calhoun County, Alabama

32 tornadoes have crossed Calhoun County since 1950, 51st of the 67 counties in Alabama with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.4 years. They have killed 54 people and injured 350. 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
32
Deaths
54
Injuries
350
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
EF4, April 27, 2011

The deadliest in Calhoun County

  1. F4 Piedmont tornado, AlabamaMarch 27, 199422 killed, 150 injured
  2. EF4 Shoal Creek Valley–Ohatchee tornado, Alabama and GeorgiaApril 27, 201122 killed, 85 injured
  3. EF3 Ohatchee–Piedmont tornado, AlabamaMarch 25, 20216 killed, 10 injured
  4. F3, Calhoun County, AlabamaDecember 3, 19832 killed, 51 injured
  5. F2, Cleburne and Calhoun counties, AlabamaApril 2, 20001 killed, 6 injured
  6. F2, Talladega and Calhoun counties, AlabamaNovember 24, 20041 killed

The strongest

  1. EF4 Shoal Creek Valley–Ohatchee tornado, Alabama and GeorgiaApril 27, 2011EF4, 97.3 mi (157 km)
  2. F4 Piedmont tornado, AlabamaMarch 27, 1994F4, 50.0 mi (80 km)
  3. EF3 Ohatchee–Piedmont tornado, AlabamaMarch 25, 2021EF3, 38.2 mi (61 km)
  4. EF3, Calhoun, Cleburne and Haralson counties, Alabama and GeorgiaMarch 19, 2018EF3, 35.2 mi (57 km)
  5. F3, Calhoun County, AlabamaDecember 5, 1954F3, 24.7 mi (40 km)
  6. F3, Calhoun County, AlabamaDecember 3, 1983F3, 4.0 mi (6 km)
  7. F3, Calhoun County, AlabamaDecember 11, 1961F3, 3.3 mi (5 km)
  8. EF2, St. Clair, Etowah and Calhoun counties, AlabamaMarch 19, 2018EF2, 15.7 mi (25 km)
  9. F2, Calhoun and Etowah counties, AlabamaDecember 30, 1969F2, 15.7 mi (25 km)
  10. F2, Talladega and Calhoun counties, AlabamaNovember 24, 2004F2, 15.2 mi (24 km)

Every year with a tornado

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

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251EF1
20221EF0
20211610EF3
20191EF0
201835EF3
201112285EF4
20083EF1
20061F1
20051F1
200411F2
200313F1
200115F1
2000216F2
19981F1
1994122150F4
198515F2
19831251F3
19821F1
19761F2
19751F0
19741F1
196912F2
196722F2
19641F2
19611F3
1954126F3

Every tornado that crossed Calhoun County

32 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 20, 202511:38 PM CDTEF1Calhoun3.51,000
November 30, 20221:37 AM CSTEF0Calhoun0.8300
March 25, 20212:31 PM CDTEF3Ohatchee–Piedmont tornado38.21,700610
March 14, 20196:22 PM CDTEF0Calhoun1.2200
March 19, 20189:07 PM CDTEF0Calhoun0.8138
March 19, 20188:23 PM CDTEF3Calhoun to GA35.22,1754$300,000
March 19, 20188:02 PM CDTEF2St. Clair15.72,0001
April 27, 20116:28 PM CDTEF4Shoal Creek Valley–Ohatchee tornado97.31,7602285$367 million
August 25, 200812:19 PM CDTEF1Calhoun1.1250$150,000
August 25, 200812:11 PM CDTEF1Calhoun0.050$10,000
April 4, 20083:24 PM CDTEF0Calhoun0.150
April 8, 20061:52 AM CDTF1Calhoun0.8120$10,000
August 29, 20053:53 PM CDTF1Calhoun1.530$120,000
November 24, 20046:59 AM CSTF2Talladega15.25001$210,000
March 6, 20032:48 AM CSTF1Calhoun9.02503$200,000
November 24, 20014:03 PM CSTF1Calhoun7.72505$250,000
December 16, 20003:17 PM CSTF0Calhoun0.320
April 2, 200012:34 AM CDTF2Cleburne1.910016$300,000
April 18, 19984:58 PM CDTF1Calhoun4.280$70,000
March 27, 199410:55 AM CSTF4Piedmont tornado50.088022150$5 million to $50 million
April 5, 19855:45 PM CSTF2Calhoun3.02005$50,000 to $500,000
December 3, 19836:37 PM CSTF3Calhoun4.0150251$500,000 to $5 million
March 15, 19823:15 PM CSTF1Calhoun8.077$5,000 to $50,000
March 29, 19768:10 PM CSTF2Calhoun1.040$5,000 to $50,000
February 23, 19753:35 PM CDTF0Calhoun1.0100under $50
April 3, 19745:21 PM CDTF1Calhoun1.0800$500 to $5,000
December 30, 19691:45 PM GMT-6F2Calhoun15.71002$50,000 to $500,000
November 22, 19674:00 PM GMT-6F2Calhoun3.8102$50,000 to $500,000
March 6, 19677:00 PM GMT-6F2Calhoun0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 28, 19644:45 PM GMT-5F2Calhoun4.310$5,000 to $50,000
December 11, 19616:05 PM GMT-6F3Calhoun3.3200$50,000 to $500,000
December 5, 19541:30 PM GMT-6F3Calhoun24.710026$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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