Tornadoes · United States · Alabama

Tornadoes in Madison County, Alabama

97 tornadoes have crossed Madison County since 1950, 3 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 4th of the 67 counties in Alabama with a tornado on record, an average of 1.3 a year. They have killed 73 people and injured 1,094. 4 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
97
Deaths
73
Injuries
1,094
F4 and above
4
Worst on record
F5, April 3, 1974

The deadliest in Madison County

  1. F5 First Tanner tornado, AlabamaApril 3, 197428 killed, 267 injured
  2. F4 Huntsville tornado, AlabamaNovember 15, 198921 killed, 463 injured
  3. F5 Second Tanner tornado, Alabama and TennesseeApril 3, 197416 killed, 190 injured
  4. F2, Morgan and Madison counties, AlabamaDecember 18, 19672 killed, 27 injured
  5. F3, Morgan, Limestone, Madison and Jackson counties, AlabamaApril 3, 19742 killed, 7 injured
  6. F4, Limestone, Madison and Jackson counties, AlabamaMay 18, 19951 killed, 55 injured
  7. F3, Madison County, AlabamaApril 1, 19741 killed, 6 injured
  8. EF3, Lincoln and Madison counties, Alabama and TennesseeApril 1, 20231 killed, 5 injured
  9. F2, Limestone and Madison counties, AlabamaMarch 11, 19631 killed, 3 injured

The strongest

  1. F5 Second Tanner tornado, Alabama and TennesseeApril 3, 1974F5, 83.3 mi (134 km)
  2. F5 First Tanner tornado, AlabamaApril 3, 1974F5, 52.0 mi (84 km)
  3. F4, Limestone, Madison and Jackson counties, AlabamaMay 18, 1995F4, 39.0 mi (63 km)
  4. F4 Huntsville tornado, AlabamaNovember 15, 1989F4, 18.5 mi (30 km)
  5. F3, Morgan, Limestone, Madison and Jackson counties, AlabamaApril 3, 1974F3, 46.5 mi (75 km)
  6. EF3, Limestone and Madison counties, AlabamaMarch 2, 2012EF3, 34.0 mi (55 km)
  7. F3, Madison County, AlabamaNovember 27, 1973F3, 14.1 mi (23 km)
  8. EF3, Lincoln and Madison counties, Alabama and TennesseeApril 1, 2023EF3, 12.0 mi (19 km)
  9. F3, Madison County, AlabamaApril 1, 1974F3, 8.4 mi (14 km)
  10. F2, Limestone and Madison counties, AlabamaMarch 11, 1963F2, 47.2 mi (76 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 42 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Madison County. Each year links to every tornado in Alabama that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20263EF1
20254EF2
20246EF2
2023415EF3
202231EF0
20201Unrated
20193EF1
20181EF1
20161EF2
20151EF0
20142EF1
20132EF1
20122EF3
20119EF1
201011EF2
20094EF2
20082EF1
20071EF0
20062F0
200431F1
20033F1
20022F0
20012F2
19982F1
199741F2
19951155F4
19931F0
199215F2
1989121463F4
19861F0
19853F2
19821F1
19771F2
19764F2
1974447470F5
1973252F3
19702F2
19673235F2
1963113F2
19611F1
19581F1
195112F2

Every tornado that crossed Madison County

97 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 3 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
June 22, 20263:58 PM CDTEF1Madison5.560
June 22, 20264:03 PM CDTEF0Madison2.830
June 22, 20264:03 PM CDTEF0Madison2.830
May 27, 20256:51 PM CDTEF0Madison0.125
May 20, 20257:07 PM CDTEF2Madison7.3400
May 20, 20256:51 PM CDTEF1Madison8.7280
May 20, 20256:09 PM CDTEF2Limestone13.2125
May 9, 20244:06 AM CDTEF1Lincoln to AL6.1300
May 9, 20244:01 AM CDTEF1Lincoln to AL13.7215
May 8, 202410:40 PM CDTEF1Madison4.3200
May 8, 202410:32 PM CDTEF0Madison3.5145
May 8, 20249:28 PM CDTEF2Madison9.5550
May 8, 20249:07 PM CDTEF0Madison1.795
July 21, 20235:26 PM CDTEF1Madison7.150
July 18, 20235:14 PM CDTEF0Madison2.4100
April 1, 20233:09 AM CDTEF3Lincoln to TN12.021515
March 1, 202310:32 PM CSTEF1Madison0.125
February 22, 20227:22 PM CSTEF0Madison3.1110
January 1, 20227:24 PM CSTEF0Madison3.7150$1,000
January 1, 20226:15 PM CSTEF0Madison9.6301
August 23, 202012:13 PM CDTUnratedMadison0.150
December 16, 20196:05 PM CSTEF0Madison3.237
December 16, 20195:54 PM CSTEF1Madison1.325
May 9, 201912:46 PM CDTEF0Lincoln to TN2.675
March 19, 20186:58 PM CDTEF1Madison4.8150
November 29, 20169:29 PM CSTEF2Madison19.9150
July 14, 20156:35 PM CDTEF0Madison0.975
October 3, 20143:12 AM CDTEF0Madison0.7250
April 28, 20145:50 PM CDTEF1Madison8.9100
April 11, 20134:32 PM CDTEF1Madison1.375
April 11, 20134:20 PM CDTEF1Madison6.6300
March 2, 201210:06 AM CSTEF2Madison7.3220
March 2, 20129:10 AM CSTEF3Limestone34.0250
May 25, 201112:17 AM CDTEF0Madison7.450
May 25, 201112:00 AM CDTEF0Limestone4.650
April 27, 20114:53 PM CDTEF1Limestone14.675
April 27, 20114:40 PM CDTEF1Madison1.475
April 27, 201111:55 AM CDTEF0Madison3.5100
April 27, 201111:50 AM CDTEF1Madison7.6500
April 27, 201111:39 AM CDTEF1Madison20.6200
April 27, 201111:35 AM CDTEF1Limestone3.1100
February 28, 201112:18 PM CSTEF1Madison3.9200$30,000
January 21, 20105:15 PM CSTEF2Madison6.61501
June 3, 200912:48 PM CDTEF0Madison0.120
May 6, 20098:59 AM CDTEF2Limestone10.975$1.0 million
May 3, 20096:00 PM CDTEF1Madison1.675$30,000
April 2, 20098:09 PM CDTEF0Madison0.650$8,000
May 8, 20082:35 PM CDTEF1Limestone4.0250$20,000
April 11, 20082:07 PM CDTEF0Madison3.8200$10,000
April 3, 200710:24 PM CDTEF0Lincoln to AL9.375
April 7, 20067:48 PM CDTF0Lincoln to TN2.130
April 7, 20067:45 PM CDTF0Madison0.250$10,000
July 14, 20044:20 PM CDTF0Madison1.0501$10,000
July 6, 20046:28 PM CDTF0Madison0.12
May 30, 200412:55 AM CDTF1Lincoln to TN23.5150$70,000
May 6, 20038:16 AM CDTF1Madison1.0200$100,000
May 6, 20037:58 AM CDTF0Madison0.120
March 19, 20039:20 AM CSTF0Madison0.150
October 12, 20021:30 PM CDTF0Madison0.120$1,000
September 18, 20022:40 PM CDTF0Madison0.120
November 24, 20011:50 PM CSTF2Madison2.6300$500,000
February 16, 20011:39 PM CSTF0Madison4.430$40,000
May 7, 19986:27 AM CDTF1Madison2.080$110,000
May 7, 19986:03 AM CDTF1Madison1.550$100,000
May 25, 19977:23 PM CDTF0Madison0.230
May 3, 19975:40 PM CDTF0Madison1.550$100,000
May 3, 19975:34 PM CDTF0Madison1.340
May 3, 19975:26 PM CDTF2Madison1.3701$600,000
May 18, 19955:33 PM CDTF4Limestone39.01,300155$500,000 to $5 million
May 3, 19936:35 PM CDTF0Madison0.320
November 22, 19926:55 AM CSTF2Madison6.01005$500,000 to $5 million
November 15, 19894:30 PM CSTF4Huntsville tornado18.588021463$50 million to $500 million
July 28, 19869:00 PM CDTF0Madison4.0150$50 to $500
August 16, 19854:30 PM CDTF1Madison8.530$5,000 to $50,000
August 16, 19853:08 PM CDTF2Madison13.0100$50,000 to $500,000
April 14, 19857:20 PM CSTF1Madison0.130$5,000 to $50,000
April 17, 19823:35 AM CSTF1Limestone28.0100$50,000 to $500,000
July 17, 19772:45 PM CDTF2Madison0.277$50,000 to $500,000
March 20, 197610:25 PM CSTF1Madison4.540$5,000 to $50,000
March 20, 197610:22 PM CSTF2Madison0.520$50,000 to $500,000
March 20, 197610:22 PM CSTF0Madison0.520$5,000 to $50,000
March 20, 197610:08 PM CSTF1Madison4.5100$50,000 to $500,000
April 3, 197410:24 PM CDTF3Morgan46.570027$500,000 to $5 million
April 3, 19747:35 PM CDTF5Second Tanner tornado83.350016190
April 3, 19746:15 PM CDTF5First Tanner tornado52.050028267
April 1, 197410:40 PM CDTF3Madison8.480016$500,000 to $5 million
November 27, 19736:33 PM CSTF3Madison14.120042$500,000 to $5 million
May 19, 19733:40 PM CDTF2Madison2.050010$50,000 to $500,000
April 26, 19709:00 AM CDTF1Madison8.650$5,000 to $50,000
April 24, 19706:30 AM CSTF2Madison0.510
December 21, 19677:30 PM GMT-6F1Madison12.6101$50,000 to $500,000
December 18, 19673:25 AM GMT-6F2Morgan22.9300227$500,000 to $5 million
November 24, 19671:05 PM GMT-6F2Madison6.6837$50,000 to $500,000
March 11, 19635:40 PM GMT-6F2Limestone47.21013$500,000 to $5 million
June 6, 19614:00 PM GMT-5F1Madison0.110$500 to $5,000
April 5, 195810:30 PM GMT-6F1Madison0.110$5,000 to $50,000
June 8, 195110:00 AM GMT-5F2Madison0.11002$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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