Tornadoes · United States · Alabama

Tornadoes in Macon County, Alabama

31 tornadoes have crossed Macon County since 1950, 54th of the 67 counties in Alabama with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.5 years. They have killed 23 people and injured 108. 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
31
Deaths
23
Injuries
108
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
EF4, March 3, 2019

The deadliest in Macon County

  1. EF4 Beauregard tornado, Alabama and GeorgiaMarch 3, 201923 killed, 90 injured

The strongest

  1. EF4 Beauregard tornado, Alabama and GeorgiaMarch 3, 2019EF4, 68.0 mi (109 km)
  2. EF2, Macon, Lee, Harris and Talbot counties, Alabama and GeorgiaNovember 16, 2011EF2, 61.5 mi (99 km)
  3. EF2, Macon and Lee counties, AlabamaMarch 3, 2019EF2, 29.1 mi (47 km)
  4. EF2, Macon County, AlabamaMarch 27, 2023EF2, 15.4 mi (25 km)
  5. EF2, Macon and Lee counties, AlabamaApril 11, 2013EF2, 5.1 mi (8 km)
  6. F2, Macon County, AlabamaMay 3, 1984F2, 3.5 mi (6 km)
  7. F2, Macon County, AlabamaJanuary 10, 1975F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 20 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Macon County. Each year links to every tornado in Alabama that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251EF1
20244EF0
20233EF2
20221EF1
20212EF0
201922391EF4
20171EF1
20141EF0
201311EF2
201114EF2
20092EF1
20071EF1
200531F1
20041F0
20001F0
198612F1
19842F2
19831F1
197519F2
19581F1

Every tornado that crossed Macon County

31 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
February 16, 20252:47 AM CSTEF1Macon7.5450
December 29, 20241:31 AM CSTEF0Macon0.850
December 29, 20241:30 AM CSTEF0Macon2.8100
December 29, 20241:18 AM CSTEF0Macon2.6175
December 29, 20241:18 AM CSTEF0Macon5.5200
March 27, 20232:41 AM CDTEF2Macon15.41,450
January 4, 20234:07 AM CSTEF0Macon1.1100
January 4, 20233:23 AM CSTEF0Macon0.775
April 5, 202211:19 AM CDTEF1Macon4.3250
August 30, 20213:45 PM CDTEF0Macon0.575
May 4, 20216:46 PM CDTEF0Macon2.250
March 3, 20192:27 PM CSTEF2Macon29.11,3001
March 3, 20192:00 PM CSTEF4Beauregard tornado68.01,6002390$1.8 million
January 21, 20178:48 AM CSTEF1Lee2.8100
April 29, 20143:25 AM CDTEF0Macon1.775
April 11, 20138:34 PM CDTEF2Macon5.12001
November 16, 201111:52 AM CSTEF2Macon to GA61.58804$9.5 million
April 10, 20098:48 PM CDTEF1Montgomery26.1440$366,000
April 10, 20098:26 PM CDTEF1Macon25.5440$210,000
April 11, 20075:54 PM CDTEF1Macon11.5400$15,000
August 29, 20054:19 PM CDTF0Macon3.0400$30,000
July 6, 20052:34 PM CDTF1Macon0.1251$50,000
July 6, 20051:55 PM CDTF0Macon5.6150$30,000
September 16, 20046:00 AM CDTF0Macon0.125$2,000
December 16, 20005:46 PM CSTF0Macon0.750$10,000
November 26, 19861:00 AM CSTF1Montgomery5.01002$50,000 to $500,000
May 3, 19842:00 PM CDTF2Macon3.5100$50,000 to $500,000
May 3, 19848:10 AM CDTF1Macon7.580$5,000 to $50,000
May 16, 19833:30 AM CDTF1Macon6.050$500 to $5,000
January 10, 19756:00 PM CSTF2Macon1.01009$50,000 to $500,000
February 27, 19581:30 AM GMT-6F1Montgomery12.9200$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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