Tornadoes · United States · Alabama

Tornadoes in Hale County, Alabama

55 tornadoes have crossed Hale County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 15th of the 67 counties in Alabama with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.4 years. They have killed 17 people and injured 289. 1 was 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
17
Injuries
289
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, May 27, 1973

The deadliest in Hale County

  1. F4, Hale, Perry, Bibb and Shelby counties, AlabamaMay 27, 19737 killed, 199 injured
  2. EF3, Greene, Hale and Bibb counties, AlabamaApril 27, 20117 killed, 50 injured
  3. F3, Hale and Greene counties, AlabamaMarch 10, 19922 killed, 7 injured
  4. EF2, Greene and Hale counties, AlabamaFebruary 3, 20221 killed, 8 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Hale, Perry, Bibb and Shelby counties, AlabamaMay 27, 1973F4, 139.1 mi (224 km)
  2. EF3, Hale, Perry, Bibb and Chilton counties, AlabamaMarch 25, 2021EF3, 79.7 mi (128 km)
  3. EF3, Greene, Hale and Bibb counties, AlabamaApril 27, 2011EF3, 72.1 mi (116 km)
  4. F3, Hale and Greene counties, AlabamaMarch 10, 1992F3, 18.0 mi (29 km)
  5. EF3, Hale and Tuscaloosa counties, AlabamaMarch 25, 2021EF3, 11.1 mi (18 km)
  6. EF2, Greene and Hale counties, AlabamaJanuary 12, 2023EF2, 39.0 mi (63 km)
  7. EF2, Greene and Hale counties, AlabamaFebruary 3, 2022EF2, 25.9 mi (42 km)
  8. EF2, Hale and Greene counties, AlabamaApril 15, 2011EF2, 24.1 mi (39 km)
  9. EF2, Hale and Perry counties, AlabamaJanuary 12, 2023EF2, 21.9 mi (35 km)
  10. F2, Hale County, AlabamaMarch 16, 1973F2, 9.5 mi (15 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 29 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Hale County. Each year links to every tornado in Alabama that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF1
202533EF1
20241EF1
20233EF2
2022618EF2
2021313EF3
20201EF0
20192EF0
20181EF1
20161EF1
20115750EF3
201022EF1
20093EF1
200722EF1
20063F1
20051F0
20031F0
20012F0
20001F0
1992127F3
19841F1
19832F1
19821F1
19791F1
197337199F4
19701F2
19661F2
19611F2
195715F1

Every tornado that crossed Hale County

55 tornadoes, newest first. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 22, 202610:43 AM CDTEF1Marengo2.3150
March 15, 20256:38 PM CDTEF0Hale21.6700
February 16, 202512:52 AM CSTEF1Hale18.42002
February 16, 202512:33 AM CSTEF0Hale1.61501
December 28, 202410:13 PM CSTEF1Hale14.81,760
January 12, 202310:47 AM CSTEF2Hale21.9500
January 12, 20239:54 AM CSTEF2Greene39.0675
January 3, 202311:21 AM CSTEF1Marengo8.8275
November 29, 20229:44 PM CSTEF1Greene19.31,200
April 13, 202210:11 PM CDTEF0Hale0.750
April 13, 20229:35 PM CDTEF1Greene17.6400
March 22, 20226:38 PM CDTEF0Hale3.1430
February 3, 20222:30 PM CSTEF2Hale7.6725
February 3, 20221:38 PM CSTEF2Greene25.91,70018
March 25, 20214:26 PM CDTEF3Hale79.72,30013
March 25, 202112:16 PM CDTEF3Hale11.11,400
March 17, 20212:12 PM CDTEF1Hale22.0550
March 3, 20206:04 AM CSTEF0Hale4.3220
December 16, 20199:03 PM CSTEF0Hale5.3300
April 14, 20191:26 AM CDTEF0Hale8.7220
February 7, 20185:44 AM CSTEF1Marengo11.41,100
November 30, 20165:10 AM CSTEF1Marengo12.9250
September 5, 201112:00 PM CDTEF0Hale3.450$12,000
April 27, 20116:50 PM CDTEF1Hale8.6300$625,000
April 27, 20115:30 PM CDTEF3Greene72.11,760750$36 million
April 15, 20114:44 PM CDTEF2Hale24.1880$3.4 million
April 15, 20113:33 PM CDTEF2Hale2.2700$374,000
April 24, 201011:50 AM CDTEF0Hale5.8100$60,000
April 24, 201011:19 AM CDTEF1Marengo8.22002$170,000
May 3, 20091:32 PM CDTEF1Hale0.150$75,000
April 19, 20095:52 PM CDTEF0Hale3.625$15,000
February 27, 20093:56 PM CSTEF0Hale0.020$500
October 22, 200710:44 PM CDTEF1Hale9.3502$92,000
February 13, 20075:01 PM CSTEF0Hale6.525$55,000
November 30, 20069:53 PM CSTF1Hale5.875$10,000
November 30, 20069:40 PM CSTF0Hale3.325$10,000
November 30, 20069:35 PM CSTF1Hale11.375$20,000
January 7, 200511:12 PM CSTF0Hale0.875$30,000
April 25, 20032:25 PM CDTF0Hale4.450$103,000
November 24, 200112:34 PM CSTF0Hale2.975$30,000
November 24, 200111:02 AM CSTF0Hale0.250$10,000
November 8, 20006:48 PM CSTF0Hale1.040$10,000
March 10, 19922:05 AM CSTF3Hale18.044027$50,000 to $500,000
February 12, 19844:28 PM CSTF1Hale0.130$5,000 to $50,000
December 3, 19834:50 PM CSTF1Hale14.060$5,000 to $50,000
August 29, 19832:20 PM CDTF1Hale2.0200$500 to $5,000
June 4, 19822:45 PM CDTF1Hale0.540$50,000 to $500,000
September 13, 19795:30 AM CDTF1Hale1.017$5,000 to $50,000
May 27, 19736:20 PM CDTF4Hale139.18007199$5 million to $50 million
March 16, 197311:00 AM CSTF2Hale9.510$50,000 to $500,000
March 16, 197310:30 AM CSTF2Hale4.5100$5,000 to $50,000
March 19, 19706:00 AM CSTF2Hale1.010$5,000 to $50,000
November 10, 19669:30 AM GMT-6F2Hale1.0100$50,000 to $500,000
December 11, 19617:00 PM GMT-6F2Hale8.3150$5,000 to $50,000
November 18, 19572:30 PM GMT-6F1Greene28.0105$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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