Tornadoes · United States · Alabama

Tornadoes in Marion County, Alabama

48 tornadoes have crossed Marion County since 1950, 26th of the 67 counties in Alabama with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.6 years. They have killed 124 people and injured 653. 3 were rated F4 or EF4 and above, 3 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
48
Deaths
124
Injuries
653
F4 and above
3
Worst on record
EF5, April 27, 2011

The deadliest in Marion County

  1. EF5 Hackleburg–Phil Campbell tornado, Alabama and TennesseeApril 27, 201172 killed, 145 injured
  2. F5 Guin tornado, AlabamaApril 3, 197428 killed, 272 injured
  3. EF5 Smithville tornado, Mississippi and AlabamaApril 27, 201123 killed, 137 injured
  4. F3, Marion and Franklin counties, AlabamaFebruary 4, 19711 killed, 13 injured

The strongest

  1. EF5 Hackleburg–Phil Campbell tornado, Alabama and TennesseeApril 27, 2011EF5, 132.0 mi (212 km)
  2. F5 Guin tornado, AlabamaApril 3, 1974F5, 79.5 mi (128 km)
  3. EF5 Smithville tornado, Mississippi and AlabamaApril 27, 2011EF5, 37.3 mi (60 km)
  4. F3, Marion, Winston and Lawrence counties, AlabamaApril 8, 1957F3, 51.4 mi (83 km)
  5. F3, Marion and Franklin counties, AlabamaFebruary 4, 1971F3, 34.1 mi (55 km)
  6. EF3, Marion and Winston counties, AlabamaApril 27, 2011EF3, 31.8 mi (51 km)
  7. F3, Lamar and Marion counties, AlabamaApril 26, 1982F3, 12.0 mi (19 km)
  8. F3, Marion County, AlabamaMarch 12, 1986F3, 2.5 mi (4 km)
  9. F2, Marion and Winston counties, AlabamaMarch 11, 1963F2, 32.2 mi (52 km)
  10. F2, Marion County, AlabamaApril 29, 1963F2, 15.5 mi (25 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 28 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Marion County. Each year links to every tornado in Alabama that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20243EF1
202331EF1
20212EF1
20191EF1
20163EF1
20151EF0
20143EF1
2011495307EF5
20101EF0
20091EF1
20083EF1
20071EF0
20062F1
20051F1
20041F1
2001113F2
1995217F1
19901F0
19891F2
19863F3
19821F3
1974128272F5
197315F2
19711113F3
1963221F2
19621F1
19571F3
195324F2

Every tornado that crossed Marion County

48 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.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
December 28, 202410:05 PM CSTEF0Marion2.1150
June 5, 20246:52 PM CDTEF1Fayette7.2325
June 5, 20246:43 PM CDTEF1Itawamba to AL3.4300$10,000
April 1, 20232:32 AM CDTEF1Marion17.06751
March 24, 202311:44 PM CDTEF1Marion5.2275
March 1, 20239:54 PM CSTEF1Marion10.1500
December 29, 20216:27 PM CSTEF1Lamar17.5300
March 31, 20212:31 AM CDTEF0Marion1.690
April 13, 201911:57 PM CDTEF1Marion1.2440
November 30, 201612:01 AM CSTEF1Marion16.9900
November 29, 20167:29 PM CSTEF0Marion10.6150
February 23, 20166:01 PM CSTEF1Marion2.2300
January 3, 20155:23 PM CSTEF0Marion0.360
October 13, 20144:43 PM CDTEF0Marion6.050
April 28, 20147:35 PM CDTEF1Fayette7.0350$250,000
April 28, 20145:38 PM CDTEF0Marion7.7100$15,000
April 27, 20115:10 PM CDTEF3Marion31.81,32025$17 million
April 27, 20113:42 PM CDTEF5Smithville tornado37.31,32023137$14 million
April 27, 20113:05 PM CDTEF5Hackleburg–Phil Campbell tornado132.02,20072145$1.3 billion
February 24, 201110:18 PM CSTEF0Marion0.6100$75,000
April 24, 20104:27 PM CDTEF0Marion7.2200$105,000
October 30, 20095:24 PM CDTEF1Marion2.8200$75,000
October 8, 20083:19 PM CDTEF0Marion0.020
May 10, 200811:18 PM CDTEF1Marion25.5400$100,000
February 6, 20082:04 AM CSTEF1Lamar7.3150$70,000
October 18, 20072:42 PM CDTEF0Marion0.150$8,000
April 7, 200610:00 PM CDTF1Winston4.7150$80,000
April 7, 20068:55 PM CDTF1Marion9.450$50,000
September 25, 20052:30 PM CDTF1Marion2.540$10,000
November 23, 20049:38 PM CSTF1Marion13.9250$400,000
November 24, 200111:21 AM CSTF2Winston1.97013$890,000
April 20, 19958:56 PM CDTF1Marion6.012017$50,000 to $500,000
February 16, 19953:32 AM CSTF1Marion6.080$50,000 to $500,000
October 4, 19906:40 AM CDTF0Marion0.310
February 20, 198910:00 PM CSTF2Marion10.0440$50,000 to $500,000
March 18, 198611:00 PM CSTF1Marion6.8140$5,000 to $50,000
March 12, 19863:35 PM CSTF2Marion7.5200$5,000 to $50,000
March 12, 19863:25 PM CSTF3Marion2.5200$50,000 to $500,000
April 26, 19822:25 PM CDTF3Lamar12.0200$50,000 to $500,000
April 3, 19748:50 PM CDTF5Guin tornado79.550028272
November 26, 19736:15 PM CSTF2Marion5.4105$50,000 to $500,000
February 4, 19717:45 PM CSTF3Marion34.1750113$5,000 to $50,000
April 29, 19638:55 PM GMT-5F2Marion15.51017$50,000 to $500,000
March 11, 19638:45 PM GMT-6F2Marion32.23334$50,000 to $500,000
March 31, 19622:10 AM GMT-6F1Marion1.010$50,000 to $500,000
April 8, 19579:46 AM GMT-6F3Marion51.4100$50,000 to $500,000
May 4, 19537:30 PM GMT-5F1Marion0.2672$500 to $5,000
February 20, 19534:30 PM GMT-6F2Marion0.53002$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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