Tornadoes · United States · Alabama

Tornadoes in Covington County, Alabama

51 tornadoes have crossed Covington County since 1950, 23rd 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 22. 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
51
Deaths
2
Injuries
22
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, May 3, 1956

The deadliest in Covington County

  1. F1, Covington County, AlabamaMarch 12, 20012 killed, 1 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Covington County, AlabamaMay 3, 1956F3, 3.8 mi (6 km)
  2. EF2, Conecuh, Escambia and Covington counties, AlabamaApril 15, 2011EF2, 22.9 mi (37 km)
  3. F2, Covington County, AlabamaNovember 15, 2006F2, 15.8 mi (25 km)
  4. F2, Covington County, AlabamaDecember 28, 1983F2, 15.0 mi (24 km)
  5. EF2, Escambia and Covington counties, AlabamaFebruary 17, 2008EF2, 14.4 mi (23 km)
  6. F2, Conecuh, Covington and Butler counties, AlabamaJune 28, 1957F2, 11.5 mi (19 km)
  7. F2, Covington County, AlabamaJuly 11, 1979F2, 7.1 mi (11 km)
  8. F2, Covington County, AlabamaMarch 31, 1976F2, 3.8 mi (6 km)
  9. EF2, Covington County, AlabamaApril 19, 2020EF2, 1.2 mi (2 km)
  10. F2, Covington County, AlabamaJanuary 5, 1962F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 31 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Covington County. Each year links to every tornado in Alabama that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20241EF0
20231Unrated
20211EF0
20203EF2
201721EF1
201611EF1
20111EF2
20083EF2
20061F2
20054F0
20021F0
2001421F1
19992F1
19984F1
19971F1
19954F0
19941F0
1990110F1
19851F1
19842F1
198311F2
19802F1
197914F2
19781F1
19761F2
19751F1
19741F1
19641F0
19621F2
195712F2
195612F3

Every tornado that crossed Covington County

51 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
December 10, 202412:06 AM CSTEF0Covington0.320
January 12, 20232:24 PM CSTUnratedCovington4.6200
June 19, 20211:12 PM CDTEF0Covington0.625
April 23, 20208:53 AM CDTEF0Covington0.025
April 23, 20208:42 AM CDTEF0Covington0.450
April 19, 202010:49 PM CDTEF2Covington1.2300
June 21, 20176:57 PM CDTEF1Covington4.875$50,000
February 7, 20173:23 PM CSTEF0Covington0.51501$100,000
February 15, 20165:00 PM CSTEF1Covington4.5501$100,000
April 15, 201112:08 AM CDTEF2Conecuh22.9300$4.7 million
October 8, 200810:25 AM CDTEF0Covington1.950$50,000
May 15, 200812:17 PM CDTEF0Conecuh15.0100$175,000
February 17, 20081:04 PM CSTEF2Escambia14.4500$950,000
November 15, 200611:30 AM CSTF2Covington15.8300$1.0 million
July 6, 200510:57 AM CDTF0Covington1.030$10,000
July 6, 200510:45 AM CDTF0Covington0.530$10,000
May 31, 20057:05 PM CDTF0Covington1.020$10,000
May 31, 20056:10 PM CDTF0Covington1.020$40,000
October 20, 20026:50 PM CDTF0Covington0.120$20,000
November 24, 20018:30 PM CSTF0Covington0.260$10,000
November 24, 20017:28 PM CSTF0Covington0.120$10,000
June 11, 20016:05 PM CDTF0Covington3.550$10,000
March 12, 20011:00 PM CSTF1Covington3.27521$1.0 million
March 13, 19998:30 PM CSTF1Covington9.050$100,000
March 3, 19992:15 AM CSTF0Covington2.020$60,000
September 28, 19988:45 AM CDTF0Covington0.550$30,000
September 28, 19988:05 AM CDTF0Covington0.250$10,000
April 17, 19985:15 PM CDTF1Covington1.0300$1.0 million
April 8, 199810:20 AM CDTF1Covington0.130$30,000
November 21, 199710:45 PM CSTF1Covington0.5150$250,000
October 4, 19958:10 PM CDTF0Covington0.123$5,000 to $50,000
October 4, 19956:30 PM CDTF0Covington0.123$5,000 to $50,000
October 4, 19951:45 PM CDTF0Covington0.123$5,000 to $50,000
May 9, 19952:30 PM CDTF0Covington2.0100$5,000 to $50,000
January 1, 199412:30 PM CSTF0Covington0.210
February 22, 19905:51 AM CSTF1Covington1.55010$500,000 to $5 million
October 28, 198511:00 AM CSTF1Covington0.130$5,000 to $50,000
September 15, 19844:15 PM CDTF1Covington2.033$5,000 to $50,000
June 13, 19844:15 PM CDTF1Covington0.270$5,000 to $50,000
December 28, 19834:40 AM CSTF2Covington15.0801$50,000 to $500,000
May 20, 19803:15 AM CDTF1Covington19.730$5,000 to $50,000
May 20, 19802:15 AM CDTF1Covington17.550$5,000 to $50,000
July 11, 19796:20 PM CDTF2Covington7.11004$50 to $500
May 3, 197812:15 PM CDTF1Covington0.330$5,000 to $50,000
March 31, 19769:30 AM CSTF2Covington3.840$50,000 to $500,000
March 13, 19758:35 PM CDTF1Okaloosa to AL18.5880$50,000 to $500,000
November 11, 19742:00 PM CSTF1Covington0.110$500 to $5,000
December 24, 196411:30 PM GMT-6F0Covington21.0300$5,000 to $50,000
January 5, 19624:30 PM GMT-6F2Covington0.110$500 to $5,000
June 28, 195712:00 PM GMT-5F2Conecuh11.52002$50,000 to $500,000
May 3, 19565:40 AM GMT-5F3Covington3.8832$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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