Tornadoes · United States · Alabama

Tornadoes in Dale County, Alabama

43 tornadoes have crossed Dale County since 1950, 35th of the 67 counties in Alabama with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.8 years. They have killed 4 people and injured 177. 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
43
Deaths
4
Injuries
177
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, November 25, 1986

The deadliest in Dale County

  1. F2, Coffee and Dale counties, AlabamaJanuary 13, 19724 killed, 88 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Coffee, Dale and Barbour counties, AlabamaNovember 25, 1986F3, 44.0 mi (71 km)
  2. F3, Coffee and Dale counties, AlabamaDecember 29, 1973F3, 11.6 mi (19 km)
  3. F3, Dale County, AlabamaDecember 30, 1973F3, 1.5 mi (2 km)
  4. F2, Dale, Houston and Henry counties, AlabamaDecember 16, 2000F2, 29.0 mi (47 km)
  5. F2, Coffee and Dale counties, AlabamaOctober 16, 1955F2, 17.3 mi (28 km)
  6. F2, Coffee and Dale counties, AlabamaApril 16, 1954F2, 17.3 mi (28 km)
  7. F2, Coffee and Dale counties, AlabamaOctober 16, 1955F2, 16.4 mi (26 km)
  8. F2, Dale County, AlabamaMarch 5, 1984F2, 8.0 mi (13 km)
  9. F2, Coffee and Dale counties, AlabamaJanuary 13, 1972F2, 6.3 mi (10 km)
  10. F2, Dale County, AlabamaMay 3, 1984F2, 5.5 mi (9 km)

Every year with a tornado

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

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251EF0
20241EF1
20211EF0
20201EF1
20181EF0
20161EF1
20152EF0
20121EF1
20091EF0
20084EF1
200734EF1
20061F0
200213F1
2001227F1
20001F2
19982F0
199744F1
19881F1
198626F3
1984314F2
19741F0
1973325F3
19721488F2
19681F1
195525F2
195411F2

Every tornado that crossed Dale County

43 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 31, 202512:22 PM CDTEF0Dale0.750$25,000
March 9, 20241:40 AM CSTEF1Dale4.31,020$200,000
August 31, 20216:14 PM CDTEF0Dale0.7125$100,000
April 19, 202011:20 PM CDTEF1Dale24.4150$200,000
April 22, 20181:11 PM CDTEF0Dale1.2100$1,000
February 23, 201610:24 PM CSTEF1Dale4.8200
January 4, 20156:30 AM CSTEF0Dale0.050$5,000
January 4, 20156:27 AM CSTEF0Dale1.550$10,000
December 25, 20125:27 PM CSTEF1Dale5.4300
December 14, 20094:25 PM CSTEF0Dale0.150
October 8, 20081:17 PM CDTEF0Dale0.450
October 8, 200812:25 PM CDTEF0Dale2.475$50,000
October 8, 200812:15 PM CDTEF0Dale1.175$150,000
August 25, 20088:20 AM CDTEF1Dale0.475$30,000
April 14, 20077:05 PM CDTEF1Dale5.8150$250,000
March 1, 20071:48 PM CSTEF1Dale7.11504$2.5 million
January 7, 20077:50 PM CSTUnratedDale0.550$25,000
January 13, 200612:00 PM CSTF0Dale1.050$500,000
November 5, 20025:15 PM CSTF1Dale2.01003$150,000
November 25, 200112:30 AM CSTF1Dale0.11002$70,000
November 25, 200112:12 AM CSTF1Dale2.010025$3.0 million
December 16, 200011:00 AM CSTF2Dale29.0170$5.0 million
September 28, 19988:35 PM CDTF0Dale0.340$150,000
September 28, 19983:30 PM CDTF0Dale0.330$30,000
December 24, 19977:26 AM CSTF1Dale1.51504$250,000
October 25, 19976:38 PM CDTF0Dale0.250
October 24, 199711:30 AM CDTF1Dale0.5100$1.0 million
October 24, 199711:00 AM CDTF1Dale0.373
September 16, 19881:05 PM CDTF1Dale4.050
November 26, 19861:40 AM CSTF1Coffee21.01502$50,000 to $500,000
November 25, 19869:20 PM CSTF3Coffee44.02004$500,000 to $5 million
May 3, 198412:56 PM CDTF2Dale5.5200$5,000 to $50,000
May 3, 198412:49 PM CDTF0Dale0.110
March 5, 198412:50 PM CSTF2Dale8.05014$5 million to $50 million
April 4, 19744:25 PM CDTF0Dale0.110$5,000 to $50,000
December 30, 19734:58 PM CSTF3Dale1.512014$500 to $5,000
December 29, 19734:25 PM CSTF3Coffee11.66711$500,000 to $5 million
May 25, 19732:08 PM CDTF1Dale1.0400$5,000 to $50,000
January 13, 19721:00 AM CSTF2Coffee6.3100488$50,000 to $500,000
January 23, 19684:30 PM GMT-6F1Dale11.8200$50,000 to $500,000
October 16, 19557:40 PM GMT-5F2Coffee16.41005$500,000 to $5 million
October 16, 19557:05 PM GMT-5F2Coffee17.3167$500 to $5,000
April 16, 19548:00 AM GMT-6F2Coffee17.31001$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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