Tornadoes · United States · Alabama

Tornadoes in Dallas County, Alabama

46 tornadoes have crossed Dallas County since 1950, 30th of the 67 counties in Alabama with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.7 years. They have killed 7 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
46
Deaths
7
Injuries
71
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, March 6, 1996

The deadliest in Dallas County

  1. F3, Dallas County, AlabamaMarch 6, 19964 killed, 40 injured
  2. EF3, Autauga, Dallas and Chilton counties, AlabamaMarch 15, 20252 killed, 2 injured
  3. F3, Dallas County, AlabamaDecember 6, 19831 killed, 19 injured

The strongest

  1. EF3, Autauga, Dallas and Chilton counties, AlabamaMarch 15, 2025EF3, 24.3 mi (39 km)
  2. F3, Dallas County, AlabamaMarch 6, 1996F3, 19.0 mi (31 km)
  3. F3, Dallas County, AlabamaDecember 6, 1983F3, 13.0 mi (21 km)
  4. EF2, Dallas County, AlabamaJanuary 12, 2023EF2, 23.2 mi (37 km)
  5. EF2, Dallas County, AlabamaFebruary 17, 2008EF2, 7.6 mi (12 km)
  6. F2, Dallas County, AlabamaMay 3, 1984F2, 7.5 mi (12 km)
  7. F2, Dallas County, AlabamaApril 22, 1972F2, 5.7 mi (9 km)
  8. F2, Dallas County, AlabamaApril 2, 1970F2, 5.6 mi (9 km)
  9. EF2, Dallas County, AlabamaMarch 17, 2021EF2, 5.1 mi (8 km)
  10. F2, Dallas County, AlabamaMay 1, 1978F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 30 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Dallas County. Each year links to every tornado in Alabama that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
2025222EF3
20241EF1
202312EF2
20221EF0
202122EF2
20201EF0
20193EF1
20121EF1
20115EF1
20081EF2
20071EF1
20051F0
200431F1
20032F0
19981F0
19962440F3
19921F0
19841F2
19831119F3
19812F1
19801F2
19792F0
19781F2
197611F1
19721F2
19701F2
195923F2
19572F1
195511F2
19531F1

Every tornado that crossed Dallas County

46 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 6, 202510:13 AM CDTEF1Dallas1.3400
March 15, 20258:50 PM CDTEF3Autauga24.31,00022
April 2, 202410:28 PM CDTEF1Dallas8.3600
January 12, 202312:04 PM CSTEF2Dallas23.29502
March 30, 202210:43 PM CDTEF0Dallas2.8175
March 17, 20214:11 PM CDTEF0Dallas1.175
March 17, 202112:32 PM CDTEF2Dallas5.11,0002
April 12, 202010:27 PM CDTEF0Dallas3.8400
June 6, 20194:07 PM CDTEF0Dallas0.860
March 14, 20197:27 PM CDTEF0Dallas2.9300
January 19, 20191:47 PM CSTEF1Dallas6.175
March 2, 20129:15 PM CSTEF1Perry18.9700
December 22, 20111:30 PM CSTEF0Dallas2.250$30,000
April 15, 20119:25 PM CDTEF1Dallas3.275$45,000
April 15, 20118:04 PM CDTEF1Dallas1.6250$70,000
April 15, 20117:48 PM CDTEF1Dallas0.2100$25,000
April 15, 20117:05 PM CDTEF1Dallas0.175$21,000
February 17, 200812:26 PM CSTEF2Dallas7.6400$350,000
March 1, 200712:31 PM CSTEF1Dallas12.2500$250,000
November 28, 20054:53 PM CSTF0Dallas5.850$30,000
November 24, 20045:56 AM CSTF0Dallas1.150$20,000
November 24, 20045:07 AM CSTF1Dallas14.73001$100,000
November 24, 20044:43 AM CSTF0Marengo5.050$30,000
April 7, 20037:02 AM CDTF0Dallas0.120
April 7, 20031:16 AM CDTF0Dallas0.550$1,000
April 18, 19986:45 PM CDTF0Dallas0.230
March 18, 19966:05 PM CSTF1Dallas4.070$120,000
March 6, 19963:42 AM CSTF3Dallas19.0400440$8.0 million
July 1, 19927:15 PM CDTF0Dallas0.3100
May 3, 198412:40 PM CDTF2Dallas7.550$500,000 to $5 million
December 6, 19832:51 AM CSTF3Dallas13.0500119$500,000 to $5 million
March 30, 19812:40 AM CSTF1Dallas0.230$500 to $5,000
March 30, 19812:30 AM CSTF1Dallas1.050$5,000 to $50,000
September 1, 19804:30 PM CDTF2Dallas0.250$50,000 to $500,000
November 25, 197911:30 AM CSTF0Dallas0.150
April 9, 19791:15 AM CSTF0Dallas0.320$5,000 to $50,000
May 1, 19786:30 AM CDTF2Dallas2.020$500,000 to $5 million
March 12, 197610:30 PM CSTF1Dallas0.2501$50,000 to $500,000
April 22, 19723:40 AM CSTF2Dallas5.7200$5,000 to $50,000
April 2, 19702:30 AM CSTF2Dallas5.6300$50,000 to $500,000
July 1, 19591:40 PM GMT-5F2Dallas0.1503$5,000 to $50,000
May 20, 19599:30 PM GMT-5F1Dallas0.1200$50 to $500
November 18, 19572:45 PM GMT-6F1Dallas37.310$5,000 to $50,000
September 18, 19573:45 PM GMT-5F0Dallas11.9100$5,000 to $50,000
April 21, 19558:10 AM GMT-6F2Dallas1.5501$5,000 to $50,000
January 8, 19536:30 AM GMT-6F1Dallas0.5167$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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