Tornadoes · United States · Alabama

Tornadoes in Franklin County, Alabama

30 tornadoes have crossed Franklin County since 1950, 56th of the 67 counties in Alabama with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.5 years. They have killed 96 people and injured 326. 2 were rated F4 or EF4 and above, 2 at the top of the scale.

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
30
Deaths
96
Injuries
326
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
EF5, April 27, 2011

The deadliest in Franklin County

  1. EF5 Hackleburg–Phil Campbell tornado, Alabama and TennesseeApril 27, 201172 killed, 145 injured
  2. EF5 Smithville tornado, Mississippi and AlabamaApril 27, 201123 killed, 137 injured
  3. F3, Marion and Franklin counties, AlabamaFebruary 4, 19711 killed, 13 injured

The strongest

  1. EF5 Hackleburg–Phil Campbell tornado, Alabama and TennesseeApril 27, 2011EF5, 132.0 mi (212 km)
  2. EF5 Smithville tornado, Mississippi and AlabamaApril 27, 2011EF5, 37.3 mi (60 km)
  3. F3, Franklin, Colbert and Lawrence counties, AlabamaNovember 4, 1988F3, 60.0 mi (97 km)
  4. F3, Marion and Franklin counties, AlabamaFebruary 4, 1971F3, 34.1 mi (55 km)
  5. F3, Franklin County, AlabamaMarch 9, 1964F3, 10.4 mi (17 km)
  6. F2, Franklin County, AlabamaApril 3, 1974F2, 12.8 mi (21 km)
  7. EF2, Franklin and Colbert counties, AlabamaNovember 29, 2016EF2, 10.9 mi (17 km)
  8. F2, Franklin County, AlabamaNovember 18, 1957F2, 7.4 mi (12 km)
  9. F2, Franklin County, AlabamaFebruary 20, 1953F2, 7.1 mi (11 km)
  10. EF2, Franklin County, AlabamaFebruary 15, 2025EF2, 3.9 mi (6 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 21 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Franklin County. Each year links to every tornado in Alabama that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
202541EF2
20241EF1
20231EF1
20191EF1
20183EF1
20171EF0
201623EF2
20141EF1
2011295282EF5
20061F0
19991F0
19931F0
1988116F3
197414F2
19711113F3
19672F2
196411F3
19631F2
19581F2
19572F2
195316F2

Every tornado that crossed Franklin County

30 tornadoes, newest first. 2 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Alabama.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
February 15, 202511:20 PM CSTEF2Franklin3.91701
February 15, 202511:12 PM CSTEF0Franklin2.975
February 15, 202510:54 PM CSTEF1Franklin6.075
January 5, 20257:40 PM CSTEF0Franklin2.4158
June 5, 20247:06 PM CDTEF1Franklin12.9225
January 3, 202310:48 AM CSTEF1Franklin0.670
April 13, 201912:14 AM CDTEF1Franklin6.380
November 1, 20186:05 AM CDTEF0Franklin1.990
March 19, 20185:21 PM CDTEF1Franklin2.0200
March 19, 20185:10 PM CDTEF1Franklin1.2100
April 22, 20173:20 PM CDTEF0Tishomingo to AL9.0200$100,000
December 18, 201612:42 AM CSTEF0Franklin1.075
November 29, 20167:05 PM CSTEF2Franklin10.91003
April 28, 20143:56 PM CDTEF1Franklin3.2100
April 27, 20113:42 PM CDTEF5Smithville tornado37.31,32023137$14 million
April 27, 20113:05 PM CDTEF5Hackleburg–Phil Campbell tornado132.02,20072145$1.3 billion
April 7, 20069:00 PM CDTF0Franklin3.075$10,000
January 22, 19993:39 PM CSTF0Franklin0.330
May 3, 19932:37 PM CDTF0Franklin0.510
November 4, 19884:20 PM CSTF3Franklin60.020016
April 3, 19746:30 PM CDTF2Franklin12.83504
February 4, 19717:45 PM CSTF3Marion34.1750113$5,000 to $50,000
June 29, 19673:00 PM GMT-5F2Franklin0.510$5,000 to $50,000
June 21, 19672:00 PM GMT-5F1Franklin0.110$50,000 to $500,000
March 9, 19644:45 PM GMT-6F3Franklin10.4101$50,000 to $500,000
March 11, 19635:25 PM GMT-6F2Franklin0.110$5,000 to $50,000
January 31, 19581:30 PM GMT-6F2Franklin3.0440$500 to $5,000
November 18, 19571:30 PM GMT-6F2Franklin7.410$5,000 to $50,000
April 7, 195711:35 PM GMT-6F2Franklin0.110$5,000 to $50,000
February 20, 19537:00 PM GMT-6F2Franklin7.12206$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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