Tornadoes · United States · Alabama

Tornadoes in Marengo County, Alabama

49 tornadoes have crossed Marengo County since 1950, 2 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 25th of the 67 counties in Alabama with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.6 years. They have killed 9 people and injured 38. 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
49
Deaths
9
Injuries
38
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
EF4, April 27, 2011

The deadliest in Marengo County

  1. EF4 Enterprise tornado, Mississippi and AlabamaApril 27, 20117 killed, 17 injured
  2. EF3, Marengo County, AlabamaApril 15, 20111 killed, 4 injured
  3. EF1, Marengo County, AlabamaFebruary 6, 20201 killed, 1 injured

The strongest

  1. EF4 Enterprise tornado, Mississippi and AlabamaApril 27, 2011EF4, 122.0 mi (196 km)
  2. EF3, Marengo County, AlabamaApril 15, 2011EF3, 15.3 mi (25 km)
  3. EF2, Choctaw and Marengo counties, AlabamaApril 15, 2011EF2, 38.8 mi (62 km)
  4. EF2, Choctaw and Marengo counties, AlabamaMarch 30, 2022EF2, 37.4 mi (60 km)
  5. EF2, Wayne, Choctaw, Clarke and Marengo counties, Mississippi and AlabamaMarch 17, 2021EF2, 36.6 mi (59 km)
  6. EF2, Choctaw and Marengo counties, AlabamaJanuary 21, 2017EF2, 20.4 mi (33 km)
  7. F2, Marengo County, AlabamaMarch 12, 1976F2, 18.4 mi (30 km)
  8. F2, Marengo County, AlabamaNovember 24, 2004F2, 11.9 mi (19 km)
  9. EF2, Marengo County, AlabamaApril 15, 2011EF2, 10.9 mi (17 km)
  10. EF2, Choctaw and Marengo counties, AlabamaMarch 25, 2021EF2, 9.6 mi (16 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 25 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Marengo County. Each year links to every tornado in Alabama that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20262EF1
20232EF2
20223EF2
202152EF2
2020211EF1
201923EF2
20182EF1
201724EF2
20161EF1
20122EF1
20117821EF4
201012EF1
20081EF0
20062F1
200422F2
20032F1
20012F1
20001F1
19882F1
19831F1
197611F2
19751F1
19731F1
19721F2
196112F1

Every tornado that crossed Marengo County

49 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 2 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
May 22, 202610:43 AM CDTEF1Marengo2.3150
May 22, 202610:47 AM CDTEF0Marengo0.240
March 26, 20238:33 PM CDTEF2Marengo5.8750
January 3, 202311:21 AM CSTEF1Marengo8.8275
November 30, 20221:11 AM CSTEF1Marengo15.5535
March 30, 202210:25 PM CDTEF1Marengo1.0180
March 30, 20229:12 PM CDTEF2Choctaw37.41,350
March 25, 20217:13 PM CDTEF2Choctaw9.6250
March 17, 20214:54 PM CDTEF0Marengo1.875
March 17, 20213:44 PM CDTEF2Wayne to AL36.65002
March 17, 20212:22 PM CDTEF1Marengo2.8500
March 17, 20212:03 PM CDTEF0Marengo0.8175
April 12, 20209:41 PM CDTEF1Marengo8.11,000
February 6, 20202:13 AM CSTEF1Marengo1.340011
December 16, 20198:07 PM CSTEF2Marengo6.03503
March 14, 20196:39 PM CDTEF0Marengo5.1150
February 7, 20187:16 AM CSTEF0Marengo0.8100
February 7, 20185:44 AM CSTEF1Marengo11.41,100
January 21, 20175:55 AM CSTEF1Marengo4.2900
January 21, 20175:14 AM CSTEF2Choctaw20.48004$750,000
November 30, 20165:10 AM CSTEF1Marengo12.9250
December 25, 20125:50 PM CSTEF1Marengo5.9500
December 25, 20123:15 PM CSTEF1Marengo4.7100
November 16, 20117:32 AM CSTEF0Marengo2.8250$300,000
April 27, 20115:42 PM CDTEF4Enterprise tornado122.01,050717$26 million
April 15, 20116:12 PM CDTEF2Choctaw38.8800$8.8 million
April 15, 20115:35 PM CDTEF2Marengo10.9600$1.8 million
April 15, 20115:19 PM CDTEF2Marengo5.4575$1.0 million
April 15, 20115:04 PM CDTEF3Marengo15.380014$4.0 million
April 15, 201111:48 AM CDTEF1Choctaw16.7200$40,000
April 24, 201011:19 AM CDTEF1Marengo8.22002$170,000
January 10, 20081:08 PM CSTEF0Marengo0.5200$100,000
November 30, 20069:19 PM CSTF1Marengo3.6150$500,000
May 10, 20062:44 PM CDTF1Marengo2.6150$20,000
November 24, 20044:43 AM CSTF0Marengo5.050$30,000
November 24, 20044:10 AM CSTF2Marengo11.92002$140,000
May 7, 20035:31 PM CDTF0Marengo0.140$1,000
February 15, 20038:36 PM CSTF1Marengo2.580$90,000
November 24, 200112:56 PM CSTF0Marengo0.650$4,000
October 13, 20011:35 PM CDTF1Marengo7.1450$40,000
January 9, 200011:05 PM CSTF1Marengo6.5300$500,000
May 24, 19886:00 PM CDTF1Marengo0.550
February 2, 19886:00 PM CSTF1Marengo2.050$5,000 to $50,000
November 27, 19831:00 PM CSTF1Marengo0.1100$5,000 to $50,000
March 12, 19768:27 PM CSTF2Marengo18.42001$50,000 to $500,000
January 10, 19752:45 PM CSTF1Marengo0.110$500 to $5,000
May 7, 19732:40 PM CDTF1Marengo1.0400$5,000 to $50,000
January 4, 19723:15 AM CSTF2Marengo1.0100$50,000 to $500,000
February 20, 19616:00 PM GMT-6F1Marengo1.0102$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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