Tornadoes · United States · Alabama

Tornadoes in Colbert County, Alabama

50 tornadoes have crossed Colbert County since 1950, 24th of the 67 counties in Alabama with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.5 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 71. 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
50
Deaths
2
Injuries
71
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, February 20, 1953

The deadliest in Colbert County

  1. F3, Colbert County, AlabamaFebruary 20, 19531 killed, 8 injured
  2. F2, Colbert, Lawrence and Lauderdale counties, AlabamaApril 5, 19581 killed, 1 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Franklin, Colbert and Lawrence counties, AlabamaNovember 4, 1988F3, 60.0 mi (97 km)
  2. F3, Colbert, Lauderdale and Limestone counties, AlabamaMarch 17, 1965F3, 29.8 mi (48 km)
  3. F3, Colbert and Lawrence counties, AlabamaOctober 24, 1967F3, 15.0 mi (24 km)
  4. F3, Colbert County, AlabamaFebruary 20, 1953F3, 0.1 mi (0 km)
  5. F2, Colbert, Lawrence and Lauderdale counties, AlabamaApril 5, 1958F2, 19.2 mi (31 km)
  6. EF2, Lauderdale, Lawrence and Colbert counties, AlabamaMay 8, 2008EF2, 12.6 mi (20 km)
  7. EF2, Franklin and Colbert counties, AlabamaNovember 29, 2016EF2, 10.9 mi (17 km)
  8. EF2, Colbert County, AlabamaDecember 16, 2019EF2, 8.2 mi (13 km)
  9. F2, Colbert County, AlabamaAugust 16, 1985F2, 8.0 mi (13 km)
  10. F2, Colbert County, AlabamaMarch 21, 1955F2, 5.4 mi (9 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 32 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Colbert County. Each year links to every tornado in Alabama that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
202545EF1
20241EF1
20221EF0
20202EF1
20193EF2
20182EF0
20171EF1
201623EF2
20152EF1
201421EF1
20131EF0
20111EF2
20091EF1
20082EF2
20064F1
20043F1
20031F0
19991F0
199711F1
19951F1
199211F1
1988116F3
198512F2
19741F0
19682F1
196713F3
1965222F3
19621F1
1958111F2
195717F2
195511F2
1953118F3

Every tornado that crossed Colbert County

50 tornadoes, newest first. 1 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files it under that state rather than Alabama.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 20, 20255:10 PM CDTEF1Lauderdale17.1575$688,000
April 5, 202510:25 PM CDTEF1Colbert28.82805$3.4 million
April 5, 202510:18 PM CDTEF1Colbert8.4275
February 15, 202511:12 PM CSTEF1Colbert4.3215
April 2, 20244:55 PM CDTEF1Colbert7.0750
January 1, 20226:03 PM CSTEF0Colbert2.160
March 24, 20205:27 PM CDTEF1Tishomingo to AL16.9400$1.5 million
February 5, 20205:18 PM CSTEF1Colbert1.360
December 16, 20194:52 PM CSTEF2Colbert8.2250
December 16, 20194:50 PM CSTEF1Colbert0.775
April 14, 20191:35 AM CDTEF1Colbert1.170
November 6, 201812:18 AM CSTEF0Colbert1.275
March 19, 20185:05 PM CDTEF0Colbert3.9120
November 18, 20175:01 PM CSTEF1Colbert1.7200
December 17, 201611:37 PM CSTEF0Colbert0.687
November 29, 20167:05 PM CSTEF2Franklin10.91003
July 14, 20156:18 PM CDTEF0Lawrence2.750
July 14, 20156:00 PM CDTEF1Colbert9.1150
October 13, 20147:29 PM CDTEF1Colbert3.52001
June 9, 20148:30 PM CDTEF1Lawrence5.9150
March 18, 20132:10 PM CDTEF0Colbert1.6100
May 25, 201111:17 PM CDTEF2Lawrence2.2100
April 2, 20093:46 PM CDTEF1Colbert0.375$33,000
May 8, 200812:39 PM CDTEF2Lauderdale12.6250$555,000
April 4, 20088:03 AM CDTEF1Colbert6.520$75,000
September 22, 20065:15 PM CDTF0Colbert4.020
April 7, 20066:55 PM CDTF1Colbert10.0100$70,000
April 7, 20066:25 PM CDTF1Colbert8.0100$120,000
April 7, 20065:50 PM CDTF0Colbert0.150$20,000
October 18, 20044:45 PM CDTF1Colbert2.0200$2,000
July 14, 20045:40 PM CDTF0Colbert0.3128
July 14, 20045:25 PM CDTF0Colbert0.260
May 6, 20036:33 AM CDTF0Colbert0.150$3,000
January 22, 19993:43 PM CSTF0Colbert1.030
June 16, 19971:08 PM CDTF1Colbert3.0501$100,000
May 18, 19954:45 PM CDTF1Colbert6.5150$50,000 to $500,000
March 9, 199210:00 PM CSTF1Colbert2.5401$500,000 to $5 million
November 4, 19884:20 PM CSTF3Franklin60.020016
August 16, 198512:35 PM CDTF2Colbert8.01002$50,000 to $500,000
July 8, 19749:20 PM CDTF0Colbert0.110$500 to $5,000
May 14, 19687:45 PM GMT-5F1Colbert2.010$50 to $500
April 4, 196810:00 AM GMT-6F1Colbert14.410$50,000 to $500,000
October 24, 19678:00 PM GMT-5F3Colbert15.0103$50,000 to $500,000
March 17, 19657:30 AM GMT-6F3Colbert29.81022$50,000 to $500,000
February 11, 19655:10 PM GMT-6F2Colbert0.110$5,000 to $50,000
March 30, 196211:00 PM GMT-6F1Colbert0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 5, 19589:00 PM GMT-6F2Colbert19.210011$50,000 to $500,000
December 19, 195711:15 PM GMT-6F2Colbert0.1107$5,000 to $50,000
March 21, 195512:30 PM GMT-6F2Colbert5.42001$5,000 to $50,000
February 20, 19534:10 PM GMT-6F3Colbert0.12018$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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