Tornadoes · United States · Alabama

Tornadoes in Lauderdale County, Alabama

51 tornadoes have crossed Lauderdale County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 21st of the 67 counties in Alabama with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.5 years. They have killed 3 people and injured 67. 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
51
Deaths
3
Injuries
67
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, March 9, 1964

The deadliest in Lauderdale County

  1. F3, Lauderdale County, AlabamaMarch 9, 19642 killed, 2 injured
  2. F2, Colbert, Lawrence and Lauderdale counties, AlabamaApril 5, 19581 killed, 1 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Wayne, Lauderdale and Lawrence counties, Tennessee and AlabamaJune 26, 1994F3, 38.0 mi (61 km)
  2. F3, Colbert, Lauderdale and Limestone counties, AlabamaMarch 17, 1965F3, 29.8 mi (48 km)
  3. F3, Lauderdale County, AlabamaOctober 24, 1967F3, 11.9 mi (19 km)
  4. F3, Lauderdale County, AlabamaMarch 9, 1964F3, 5.2 mi (8 km)
  5. F2, Colbert, Lawrence and Lauderdale counties, AlabamaApril 5, 1958F2, 19.2 mi (31 km)
  6. EF2, Lauderdale and Wayne counties, Alabama and TennesseeDecember 23, 2015EF2, 14.9 mi (24 km)
  7. EF2, Lauderdale, Lawrence and Colbert counties, AlabamaMay 8, 2008EF2, 12.6 mi (20 km)
  8. EF2, Lauderdale County, AlabamaMarch 24, 2023EF2, 3.8 mi (6 km)
  9. F2, Lauderdale County, AlabamaFebruary 27, 1999F2, 1.7 mi (3 km)
  10. F2, Lauderdale County, AlabamaNovember 15, 1951F2, 1.5 mi (2 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 30 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Lauderdale County. Each year links to every tornado in Alabama that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF1
202585EF1
20232EF2
20221EF0
20201EF1
20191EF1
20181EF1
201511EF2
201421EF1
201131EF1
200842EF2
20061F0
20046F1
20032F1
19991F2
19951F1
1994122F3
19931F0
19881F0
19861F1
19851F1
19821F1
197911F1
197612F2
196711F3
1965122F3
1964122F3
1958211F2
19531F2
195116F2

Every tornado that crossed Lauderdale County

51 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. 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
March 15, 202610:48 PM CDTEF1Lauderdale to TN14.6400
May 20, 20255:10 PM CDTEF1Lauderdale17.1575$688,000
May 20, 202512:03 PM CDTEF1Lauderdale1.880
April 5, 202510:45 PM CDTEF1Lauderdale5.885$3.4 million
April 5, 202510:25 PM CDTEF1Colbert28.82805$3.4 million
April 3, 20254:38 PM CDTEF1Alcorn to AL, TN28.0425$930,000
March 15, 20252:21 PM CDTEF1Lauderdale2.363$109,000
February 15, 202511:37 PM CSTEF1Lauderdale0.4115
February 15, 202511:22 PM CSTEF1Lauderdale13.4250
March 24, 202311:14 PM CDTEF1Lauderdale4.1120
March 24, 202310:54 PM CDTEF2Lauderdale3.8300$3.9 million
March 22, 20225:29 PM CDTEF0Lauderdale1.9140
February 12, 20205:13 PM CSTEF1Lauderdale3.8400
December 16, 20195:20 PM CSTEF1Lauderdale2.9500
November 5, 201811:16 PM CSTEF1Lauderdale to TN6.7200$10,000
December 23, 20157:00 PM CSTEF2Lauderdale to TN14.94001$100,000
February 20, 20148:55 PM CSTEF1Lauderdale2.75001
February 20, 20148:51 PM CSTEF1Lauderdale1.8400
May 25, 201111:30 PM CDTEF1Lauderdale1.9100
April 27, 20114:19 AM CDTEF1Lauderdale1.81001
April 27, 20114:01 AM CDTEF1Lauderdale to TN9.2200$1,000
May 10, 200811:59 PM CDTEF1Lauderdale1.0250$5,000
May 10, 200811:00 PM CDTEF1Lauderdale1.6250$100,000
May 8, 200812:39 PM CDTEF2Lauderdale12.6250$555,000
May 8, 200811:57 AM CDTEF1Lauderdale8.02002$300,000
April 7, 20066:14 PM CDTF0Lauderdale0.130
October 18, 20045:10 PM CDTF1Lauderdale2.050$10,000
October 18, 20044:48 PM CDTF1Lauderdale5.0200$20,000
May 30, 200412:20 AM CDTF1Lauderdale2.575$40,000
May 30, 200412:09 AM CDTF1Lauderdale4.0100$30,000
May 30, 200411:52 PM CDTF1Lauderdale6.0150$30,000
May 30, 200411:40 PM CDTF1Lauderdale3.270$10,000
May 17, 200310:45 AM CDTF1Lauderdale2.0500$250,000
May 6, 20036:35 AM CDTF1Lauderdale10.0600$200,000
February 27, 19995:55 PM CSTF2Lauderdale1.7150$140,000
May 18, 19957:03 PM CDTF1Lauderdale1.5120$50,000 to $500,000
June 26, 19949:00 PM CDTF3Wayne to AL38.088022$50,000 to $500,000
May 3, 19933:20 PM CDTF0Lauderdale0.210
November 4, 19884:30 PM CSTF0Lauderdale0.3200
June 11, 19866:20 PM CDTF1Lauderdale3.5500$500 to $5,000
August 16, 19852:16 PM CDTF1Lauderdale0.240under $50
April 17, 19823:35 AM CSTF1Limestone28.0100$50,000 to $500,000
April 11, 197911:30 PM CSTF1Lauderdale0.5201
March 20, 19769:00 PM CSTF2Lauderdale1.0302$5,000 to $50,000
October 24, 19677:45 PM GMT-5F3Lauderdale11.91001$50,000 to $500,000
March 17, 19657:30 AM GMT-6F3Colbert29.81022$50,000 to $500,000
March 9, 19645:00 PM GMT-6F3Lauderdale5.21022$50,000 to $500,000
September 20, 19585:30 PM GMT-5F1Lauderdale1.010$5,000 to $50,000
April 5, 19589:00 PM GMT-6F2Colbert19.210011$50,000 to $500,000
March 22, 19537:00 PM GMT-6F2Lauderdale1.0200$500 to $5,000
November 15, 19518:00 PM GMT-6F2Lauderdale1.51776$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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