Tornadoes · United States · Alabama

Tornadoes in Fayette County, Alabama

55 tornadoes have crossed Fayette County since 1950, 17th of the 67 counties in Alabama with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.4 years. They have killed 30 people and injured 356. 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
55
Deaths
30
Injuries
356
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
EF4, April 27, 2011

The deadliest in Fayette County

  1. EF4 Cordova tornado, AlabamaApril 27, 201113 killed, 54 injured
  2. F3, Fayette, Walker, Winston and Cullman counties, AlabamaNovember 10, 20027 killed, 53 injured
  3. F3, Fayette, Walker and Winston counties, AlabamaNovember 10, 20024 killed, 38 injured
  4. F4 Jasper tornado, AlabamaApril 3, 19743 killed, 178 injured
  5. F3, Pickens, Lamar, Fayette and Walker counties, AlabamaNovember 24, 20012 killed, 1 injured
  6. F3, Fayette and Tuscaloosa counties, AlabamaFebruary 13, 19521 killed, 14 injured

The strongest

  1. EF4 Cordova tornado, AlabamaApril 27, 2011EF4, 127.8 mi (206 km)
  2. F4 Jasper tornado, AlabamaApril 3, 1974F4, 110.6 mi (178 km)
  3. F3, Fayette, Walker, Winston and Cullman counties, AlabamaNovember 10, 2002F3, 72.6 mi (117 km)
  4. F3, Fayette, Walker and Winston counties, AlabamaNovember 10, 2002F3, 44.3 mi (71 km)
  5. F3, Pickens, Lamar, Fayette and Walker counties, AlabamaNovember 24, 2001F3, 38.9 mi (63 km)
  6. F3, Fayette and Walker counties, AlabamaMarch 7, 1961F3, 25.9 mi (42 km)
  7. EF3, Fayette County, AlabamaApril 27, 2011EF3, 8.0 mi (13 km)
  8. F3, Fayette and Tuscaloosa counties, AlabamaFebruary 13, 1952F3, 5.6 mi (9 km)
  9. F3, Fayette County, AlabamaJanuary 28, 1974F3, 0.8 mi (1 km)
  10. EF2, Pickens, Lamar and Fayette counties, AlabamaAugust 31, 2017EF2, 31.2 mi (50 km)

Every year with a tornado

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

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20241EF1
20231EF0
20221EF1
20203EF1
20192EF1
201716EF2
20165EF1
20141EF1
20131EF1
201131358EF4
20102EF1
20092EF1
200824EF2
20071EF1
20063F1
20052F1
200231191F3
2001121F3
200011F1
19991F0
19873F0
19841F1
19831F1
19811F0
19791F1
197423178F4
19631F2
19621F2
196111F3
19571F1
19524114F3
195112F2

Every tornado that crossed Fayette County

55 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 5, 20246:52 PM CDTEF1Fayette7.2325
April 21, 20237:34 PM CDTEF0Fayette2.3125
February 17, 20224:14 PM CSTEF1Fayette3.4475
April 12, 20204:41 PM CDTEF1Fayette6.1600
April 12, 20204:34 PM CDTEF0Fayette1.8350
April 12, 20204:18 PM CDTEF0Pickens5.5300
February 23, 20196:38 PM CSTEF0Fayette5.0350
February 23, 20195:52 PM CSTEF1Lamar9.2700
August 31, 20173:40 PM CDTEF2Pickens31.26006
November 29, 20168:06 PM CSTEF0Fayette0.350
March 31, 20168:05 PM CDTEF0Fayette1.9400
March 31, 20167:27 PM CDTEF1Fayette3.7500
March 31, 20167:03 PM CDTEF1Fayette3.7650
February 2, 20165:36 PM CSTEF1Fayette6.1500
April 28, 20147:35 PM CDTEF1Fayette7.0350$250,000
January 30, 20135:18 AM CSTEF1Fayette6.5500
April 27, 20116:06 PM CDTEF3Fayette8.0880$3.0 million
April 27, 20113:40 PM CDTEF4Cordova tornado127.81,4081354$170 million
April 27, 20115:03 AM CDTEF1Fayette7.31764$1.4 million
April 24, 20108:21 PM CDTEF1Fayette4.6400$75,000
April 24, 20108:06 PM CDTEF1Fayette6.6200$77,000
May 2, 20095:20 PM CDTEF0Fayette0.130
March 26, 20093:20 AM CDTEF1Fayette3.6100$60,000
May 8, 20081:06 PM CDTEF1Fayette11.0100$45,000
February 6, 20082:51 AM CSTEF2Fayette26.22,0004$335,000
March 1, 20072:59 PM CSTEF1Fayette11.2150$50,000
March 13, 20065:43 PM CSTF0Fayette3.430$3,000
March 13, 20064:55 PM CSTF1Fayette1.650$10,000
March 13, 20064:45 PM CSTF0Fayette1.150$30,000
September 25, 20053:00 PM CDTF0Fayette0.120
September 25, 20052:22 PM CDTF1Lamar6.2300$140,000
November 10, 20029:10 PM CSTF1Fayette4.390$40,000
November 10, 20028:15 PM CSTF3Fayette72.61,175753$4.3 million
November 10, 20026:52 PM CSTF3Fayette44.31,175438$3.2 million
November 24, 200110:55 AM CSTF3Pickens38.930021$1.4 million
April 3, 200011:39 AM CDTF1Fayette3.0501$90,000
January 22, 19994:52 PM CSTF0Fayette0.230$10,000
June 14, 19877:20 PM CDTF0Fayette0.250
June 14, 19877:10 PM CDTF0Fayette0.350
June 14, 19877:00 PM CDTF0Fayette0.350under $50
March 28, 198412:08 AM CSTF1Fayette0.5100$500 to $5,000
November 23, 198311:20 AM CSTF1Fayette8.067$5,000 to $50,000
July 5, 198111:20 AM CDTF0Fayette7.820$500 to $5,000
May 30, 19796:30 PM CDTF1Fayette0.350$5,000 to $50,000
April 3, 19746:35 PM CDTF4Jasper tornado110.65003178$5 million to $50 million
January 28, 19746:22 AM CDTF3Fayette0.850$50,000 to $500,000
March 11, 19632:00 PM GMT-6F2Pickens0.1440$5,000 to $50,000
March 31, 19622:00 AM GMT-6F2Fayette0.110$5,000 to $50,000
March 7, 19619:30 PM GMT-6F3Fayette25.9101$50,000 to $500,000
December 19, 195710:30 PM GMT-6F1Fayette0.110$500 to $5,000
May 10, 195210:00 AM GMT-5F1Fayette0.250$5,000 to $50,000
May 10, 195210:00 AM GMT-5F1Fayette0.250$5,000 to $50,000
May 10, 195210:00 AM GMT-5F1Fayette0.250$5,000 to $50,000
February 13, 19528:00 PM GMT-6F3Fayette5.6100114$5,000 to $50,000
February 20, 19514:00 PM GMT-6F2Fayette0.11232$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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