Tornadoes · United States · Alabama

Tornadoes in Monroe County, Alabama

27 tornadoes have crossed Monroe County since 1950, 61st of the 67 counties in Alabama with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.8 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 43. 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
27
Deaths
0
Injuries
43
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, April 23, 1971

The strongest

  1. F4, Monroe County, AlabamaApril 23, 1971F4, 25.4 mi (41 km)
  2. F3, Monroe County, AlabamaApril 18, 1978F3, 10.5 mi (17 km)
  3. F3, Monroe County, AlabamaDecember 20, 1971F3, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  4. F2, Monroe, Conecuh, Butler and Lowndes counties, AlabamaDecember 23, 1956F2, 121.7 mi (196 km)
  5. EF2, Monroe, Conecuh and Butler counties, AlabamaMay 10, 2024EF2, 24.2 mi (39 km)
  6. EF2, Monroe and Butler counties, AlabamaApril 15, 2011EF2, 22.3 mi (36 km)
  7. F2, Monroe County, AlabamaJune 28, 1957F2, 12.1 mi (19 km)
  8. F2, Monroe County, AlabamaMarch 18, 1996F2, 11.0 mi (18 km)
  9. F2, Monroe County, AlabamaMarch 29, 1960F2, 5.7 mi (9 km)
  10. EF2, Monroe County, AlabamaApril 15, 2011EF2, 3.2 mi (5 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 19 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Monroe County. Each year links to every tornado in Alabama that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20242EF2
20221EF1
20151EF0
20114EF2
20071EF1
20061F0
20052F0
20022F0
199625F2
19911F1
19821F1
1978130F3
19741F0
197312F1
197121F4
19671F2
19601F2
195714F2
195611F2

Every tornado that crossed Monroe County

27 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
December 28, 202410:55 PM CSTEF1Monroe2.8150
May 10, 20242:03 AM CDTEF2Monroe24.21,200
April 5, 202210:10 AM CDTEF1Monroe1.575
January 3, 20154:52 PM CSTEF0Monroe0.150$10,000
April 15, 201110:26 PM CDTEF2Monroe3.2400$400,000
April 15, 20115:29 PM CDTEF2Monroe22.3300$390,000
April 15, 20115:11 PM CDTEF2Monroe0.9150$200,000
April 15, 20113:06 PM CDTEF1Monroe0.8100
April 14, 20071:33 PM CDTEF1Monroe1.1200$750,000
February 2, 20063:20 PM CSTF0Monroe0.530$30,000
September 26, 20055:17 AM CDTF0Monroe2.0100$200,000
September 25, 20055:00 AM CDTF0Monroe2.250$80,000
December 24, 20022:40 AM CSTF0Monroe0.120$10,000
December 19, 20024:00 PM CSTF0Monroe0.120$10,000
March 18, 19966:07 PM CSTF2Monroe11.02005$150,000
February 19, 19963:10 PM CSTF0Monroe13.0100$2,000
March 29, 199110:00 AM CSTF1Monroe1.030
January 3, 198211:45 PM CSTF1Monroe1.040$5,000 to $50,000
April 18, 19785:00 PM CSTF3Monroe10.522030$500,000 to $5 million
July 20, 19744:30 PM CDTF0Monroe0.510$50 to $500
May 8, 19737:57 AM CDTF1Monroe0.1102$50,000 to $500,000
December 20, 19713:30 AM CSTF3Monroe1.01001$50,000 to $500,000
April 23, 197111:40 AM CSTF4Monroe25.4300$5,000 to $50,000
December 2, 19673:45 PM GMT-6F2Monroe1.0300$50,000 to $500,000
March 29, 19605:00 PM GMT-6F2Monroe5.750$5,000 to $50,000
June 28, 195710:55 AM GMT-5F2Monroe12.11004$50,000 to $500,000
December 23, 195612:50 AM GMT-6F2Monroe121.71001$50 to $500

Nearby

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