Tornadoes · United States · Alabama

Tornadoes in Houston County, Alabama

64 tornadoes have crossed Houston County since 1950, 4 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 11th of the 67 counties in Alabama with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.2 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 39. 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
64
Deaths
1
Injuries
39
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF2, January 9, 2024

The deadliest in Houston County

  1. EF2, Jackson and Houston counties, Florida and AlabamaJanuary 9, 20241 killed, 10 injured

The strongest

  1. EF2, Jackson and Houston counties, Florida and AlabamaJanuary 9, 2024EF2, 34.8 mi (56 km)
  2. F2, Dale, Houston and Henry counties, AlabamaDecember 16, 2000F2, 29.0 mi (47 km)
  3. F2, Houston County, AlabamaMarch 8, 1980F2, 16.0 mi (26 km)
  4. EF2, Houston and Geneva counties, AlabamaJanuary 2, 2017EF2, 7.8 mi (13 km)
  5. F2, Houston County, AlabamaMarch 22, 2005F2, 3.0 mi (5 km)
  6. F2, Houston County, AlabamaDecember 24, 1997F2, 3.0 mi (5 km)
  7. F2, Houston County, AlabamaJanuary 28, 1974F2, 0.3 mi (0 km)
  8. F2, Houston County, AlabamaMarch 1, 1971F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)
  9. F2, Houston County, AlabamaJune 20, 1961F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 36 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Houston County. Each year links to every tornado in Alabama that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20264EF1
202515EF1
20243110EF2
20232EF1
20222EF0
202151EF1
20201EF1
20192EF0
20182EF0
20172EF2
20164EF1
20151EF1
20082EF1
200514F2
20001F2
19982F0
199737F2
199522F1
19921F0
19893F1
19881F0
19842F1
19821F1
198115F1
198025F2
19791F0
19751F1
19743F2
19731F1
19711F2
19661F1
19621F1
19611F2
19581F1
19571F1
19561F1

Every tornado that crossed Houston County

64 tornadoes, newest first. 3 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Alabama. The 4 at the top are this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and their ratings are marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
January 25, 20261:52 PM CSTEF1Houston to GA8.8300
January 25, 20262:02 PM CSTEF0Houston0.150
March 12, 20264:18 AM CDTEF1Houston7.1200
May 25, 20267:20 PM CDTEF1Houston11.2200
March 31, 202512:31 PM CDTEF1Houston3.12005$500,000
May 10, 20244:02 AM CDTEF0Houston4.4125$75,000
January 9, 20247:50 AM CSTEF2Jackson to AL34.81,000110$6.3 million
January 9, 20245:53 AM CSTEF1Houston1.2225$100,000
April 3, 202311:13 AM CDTEF1Houston1.6105$5,000
March 25, 20239:00 AM CDTEF0Houston4.550$100,000
April 5, 20221:53 PM CDTEF0Houston0.125$50,000
April 5, 20221:38 PM CDTEF0Houston6.8200$150,000
August 31, 20216:34 PM CDTEF0Geneva2.325$10,000
August 31, 20213:59 PM CDTEF0Houston0.920$20,000
April 24, 20217:51 AM CDTEF0Houston0.4100$25,000
March 18, 20215:49 AM CDTEF0Houston2.150$4,000
March 18, 20215:27 AM CDTEF1Houston5.21501$200,000
April 19, 202011:42 PM CDTEF1Houston0.750$50,000
December 17, 20196:52 AM CSTEF0Houston0.125$25,000
May 12, 201910:33 AM CDTEF0Houston0.9100$10,000
December 2, 20181:49 AM CSTEF0Houston1.075$15,000
February 11, 20183:28 AM CSTEF0Houston to AL11.225$25,000
January 2, 20177:46 PM CSTEF1Houston2.5200$100,000
January 2, 20177:35 PM CSTEF2Houston7.8500$550,000
February 23, 201610:34 PM CSTEF1Houston3.7900$75,000
February 23, 201610:31 PM CSTEF1Houston1.6350$50,000
February 23, 201610:24 PM CSTEF1Dale4.8200
February 23, 201610:15 PM CSTEF0Houston2.8200$50,000
April 19, 20159:47 AM CDTEF1Houston to AL, GA38.7500$155,000
October 8, 20081:05 PM CDTEF0Houston4.075$75,000
August 25, 20087:26 PM CDTEF1Houston0.250$75,000
March 22, 200512:13 PM CSTF2Houston3.02004$750,000
December 16, 200011:00 AM CSTF2Dale29.0170$5.0 million
May 4, 19981:28 AM CDTF0Houston0.230
February 22, 19988:00 AM CSTF0Houston0.350$70,000
December 24, 19977:17 AM CSTF2Houston3.03005$500,000
October 26, 199710:00 AM CSTF1Houston2.0150$150,000
October 25, 19976:50 PM CDTF1Houston1.51502$250,000
November 11, 19959:00 AM CSTF0Houston0.110$500 to $5,000
October 27, 19953:20 PM CDTF1Houston0.2502$50,000 to $500,000
November 12, 19922:45 PM CSTF0Houston0.523$5,000 to $50,000
November 8, 19899:50 AM CSTF0Houston0.310$5,000 to $50,000
November 8, 19894:50 AM CSTF1Houston1.040$500,000 to $5 million
October 1, 19897:35 AM CDTF1Houston5.043
April 18, 19886:45 PM CDTF0Houston1.050
May 3, 19849:10 AM CDTF1Houston0.5400$5,000 to $50,000
March 20, 198411:30 AM CSTF1Houston0.130$5,000 to $50,000
January 7, 19822:00 PM CSTF1Houston1.050$5,000 to $50,000
February 10, 19815:45 PM CSTF1Houston7.4775$500,000 to $5 million
September 10, 19809:30 PM CDTF1Houston4.150$50,000 to $500,000
March 8, 198011:45 AM CSTF2Houston16.0405$50,000 to $500,000
July 5, 19794:30 PM CDTF0Houston0.217$50,000 to $500,000
October 17, 19752:40 AM CDTF1Houston0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 4, 19746:00 PM CDTF1Houston0.110$5,000 to $50,000
February 6, 19745:45 PM CDTF1Houston1.0800$5,000 to $50,000
January 28, 197411:30 AM CDTF2Houston0.330$50 to $500
May 25, 19732:08 PM CDTF1Dale1.0400$5,000 to $50,000
March 1, 19714:15 PM CSTF2Houston0.110$5,000 to $50,000
July 20, 19665:45 PM GMT-5F1Houston1.010$5,000 to $50,000
January 5, 196210:30 PM GMT-6F1Houston5.110$5,000 to $50,000
June 20, 19612:30 PM GMT-5F2Houston0.110$5,000 to $50,000
June 2, 19585:00 PM GMT-5F1Houston0.3200$500 to $5,000
February 1, 19578:00 PM GMT-6F1Houston0.110$50 to $500
March 16, 19565:30 AM GMT-6F1Houston11.920$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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