Tornadoes · United States · Alabama

Tornadoes in Etowah County, Alabama

35 tornadoes have crossed Etowah County since 1950, 43rd of the 67 counties in Alabama with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.2 years. They have killed 23 people and injured 204. 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
35
Deaths
23
Injuries
204
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
EF4, April 27, 2011

The deadliest in Etowah County

  1. EF4 Shoal Creek Valley–Ohatchee tornado, Alabama and GeorgiaApril 27, 201122 killed, 85 injured
  2. F3, Jefferson, St. Clair and Etowah counties, AlabamaMay 27, 19731 killed, 44 injured

The strongest

  1. EF4 Shoal Creek Valley–Ohatchee tornado, Alabama and GeorgiaApril 27, 2011EF4, 97.3 mi (157 km)
  2. F4 Highland Lake–Oneonta tornado, AlabamaNovember 24, 2001F4, 10.1 mi (16 km)
  3. F3, Jefferson, St. Clair and Etowah counties, AlabamaMay 27, 1973F3, 41.6 mi (67 km)
  4. F3, Etowah and Cherokee counties, AlabamaDecember 16, 2000F3, 12.8 mi (21 km)
  5. EF3, Etowah and DeKalb counties, AlabamaApril 28, 2014EF3, 11.7 mi (19 km)
  6. F3, Etowah County, AlabamaApril 5, 1985F3, 8.0 mi (13 km)
  7. F3, Etowah County, AlabamaMarch 21, 1962F3, 2.3 mi (4 km)
  8. EF2, Blount, Etowah, Marshall and DeKalb counties, AlabamaApril 12, 2020EF2, 21.7 mi (35 km)
  9. EF2, St. Clair, Etowah and Calhoun counties, AlabamaMarch 19, 2018EF2, 15.7 mi (25 km)
  10. F2, Calhoun and Etowah counties, AlabamaDecember 30, 1969F2, 15.7 mi (25 km)

Every year with a tornado

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

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
202312EF0
20211EF0
202033EF2
20192EF1
201811EF2
20142EF3
201313EF1
201122285EF4
20031F0
20021F1
2001122F4
2000114F3
19991F0
19982F1
1992112F2
198521F3
198311F1
19802F2
197724F2
19761F0
19731144F3
19711F1
19701F2
196912F2
1962110F3
19581F1

Every tornado that crossed Etowah County

35 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 1, 20234:51 AM CDTEF0Etowah3.12502
December 29, 20219:02 PM CSTEF0Etowah1.2100
April 12, 20206:14 PM CDTEF2Etowah12.2875
April 12, 20206:10 PM CDTEF2Blount21.74403
April 12, 20206:08 PM CDTEF1Etowah5.5525
April 14, 20196:28 AM CDTEF1Etowah3.895
March 14, 20195:05 PM CDTEF1Blount17.21,175
March 19, 20188:02 PM CDTEF2St. Clair15.72,0001
April 29, 20141:17 AM CDTEF1Etowah6.3200
April 28, 201412:32 AM CDTEF3Etowah11.7600
March 18, 20133:41 PM CDTEF1Etowah8.03003
September 4, 20113:50 PM CDTEF0Etowah0.750$30,000
April 27, 20116:28 PM CDTEF4Shoal Creek Valley–Ohatchee tornado97.31,7602285$367 million
March 19, 20031:57 PM CSTF0Etowah1.150
November 10, 200210:22 PM CSTF1Blount10.6300$400,000
November 24, 20011:19 PM CSTF4Highland Lake–Oneonta tornado10.150022$1.1 million
December 16, 20002:46 PM CSTF3Etowah12.850014$10 million
February 27, 19997:51 PM CSTF0Etowah1.350$30,000
April 16, 199810:01 PM CDTF1Etowah3.1100$30,000
April 16, 19989:46 PM CDTF1Etowah8.4150$70,000
November 22, 19928:15 AM CSTF2Etowah12.07312
August 16, 19855:09 PM CDTF0Etowah0.520under $50
April 5, 19855:10 PM CSTF3Etowah8.05001$500,000 to $5 million
June 16, 19834:10 PM CDTF1Etowah4.0331$50,000 to $500,000
June 17, 19807:30 PM CDTF2Etowah1.0150$50,000 to $500,000
April 27, 198012:05 AM CSTF2Etowah3.8100$5,000 to $50,000
June 22, 19778:45 PM CDTF2Etowah1.277$50,000 to $500,000
April 4, 19772:30 PM CSTF2Etowah4.71504$50,000 to $500,000
March 20, 197611:20 PM CSTF0Etowah0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 27, 19736:50 PM CDTF3Jefferson41.6800144$5 million to $50 million
June 15, 19712:15 PM CDTF1Etowah0.510$500 to $5,000
April 2, 19701:20 AM CSTF2Etowah6.1200$50,000 to $500,000
December 30, 19691:45 PM GMT-6F2Calhoun15.71002$50,000 to $500,000
March 21, 19621:00 AM GMT-6F3Etowah2.325010$50,000 to $500,000
April 29, 19587:40 AM GMT-5F1Etowah0.110$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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