Tornadoes · United States · Alabama

Tornadoes in Morgan County, Alabama

54 tornadoes have crossed Morgan County since 1950, 19th of the 67 counties in Alabama with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.4 years. They have killed 126 people and injured 710. 6 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
54
Deaths
126
Injuries
710
F4 and above
6
Worst on record
EF5, April 27, 2011

The deadliest in Morgan County

  1. EF5 Hackleburg–Phil Campbell tornado, Alabama and TennesseeApril 27, 201172 killed, 145 injured
  2. F5 First Tanner tornado, AlabamaApril 3, 197428 killed, 267 injured
  3. EF4 Cullman–Arab tornado, AlabamaApril 27, 20116 killed, 48 injured
  4. F4, Morgan County, AlabamaApril 24, 19555 killed, 20 injured
  5. F4, Morgan County, AlabamaMarch 22, 19524 killed, 50 injured
  6. EF4 Moulton–Decatur tornado, AlabamaFebruary 6, 20084 killed, 23 injured
  7. F3, Morgan and Marshall counties, AlabamaApril 8, 19572 killed, 90 injured
  8. F2, Morgan and Madison counties, AlabamaDecember 18, 19672 killed, 27 injured
  9. F3, Morgan, Limestone, Madison and Jackson counties, AlabamaApril 3, 19742 killed, 7 injured
  10. EF2, Lawrence and Morgan counties, AlabamaMarch 24, 20231 killed

The strongest

  1. EF5 Hackleburg–Phil Campbell tornado, Alabama and TennesseeApril 27, 2011EF5, 132.0 mi (212 km)
  2. F5 First Tanner tornado, AlabamaApril 3, 1974F5, 52.0 mi (84 km)
  3. EF4 Cullman–Arab tornado, AlabamaApril 27, 2011EF4, 46.9 mi (75 km)
  4. F4, Morgan County, AlabamaMarch 22, 1952F4, 21.6 mi (35 km)
  5. EF4 Moulton–Decatur tornado, AlabamaFebruary 6, 2008EF4, 16.7 mi (27 km)
  6. F4, Morgan County, AlabamaApril 24, 1955F4, 8.6 mi (14 km)
  7. F3, Morgan, Limestone, Madison and Jackson counties, AlabamaApril 3, 1974F3, 46.5 mi (75 km)
  8. F3, Morgan and Limestone counties, AlabamaAugust 16, 1985F3, 45.0 mi (72 km)
  9. F3, Morgan and Marshall counties, AlabamaApril 8, 1957F3, 38.8 mi (62 km)
  10. F3, Cullman and Morgan counties, AlabamaAugust 16, 1985F3, 32.0 mi (51 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 32 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Morgan County. Each year links to every tornado in Alabama that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251EF1
202341EF2
20221EF1
20211Unrated
20201EF0
20181EF1
20171EF1
20162EF3
20152EF1
2011378193EF5
20101EF1
20095EF1
20083423EF4
20071EF0
20062F1
200112F2
19991F0
19951F0
19921F0
198528F3
19841F1
19831F2
1978111F1
1974230274F5
197313F2
19701F1
19671227F2
196118F3
195841F2
19574290F3
19551520F4
19521450F4

Every tornado that crossed Morgan County

54 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 20, 20256:52 PM CDTEF1Morgan11.0540
March 24, 202312:47 AM CDTEF1Morgan2.1325
March 24, 202312:33 AM CDTEF2Morgan4.9125
March 24, 202312:23 AM CDTEF2Lawrence13.51751
January 12, 20238:09 AM CSTEF1Lawrence30.3325
May 26, 20221:25 PM CDTEF1Morgan0.765$15,000
December 6, 20219:05 AM CSTUnratedMorgan1.3100
August 28, 20205:58 PM CDTEF0Morgan0.240
March 19, 20186:29 PM CDTEF1Morgan14.0550
October 23, 20172:28 AM CDTEF1Morgan2.475
November 29, 20168:40 PM CSTEF3Morgan6.2175
March 31, 20169:54 PM CDTEF2Morgan9.6200
July 14, 20156:59 PM CDTEF1Morgan4.9300
July 14, 20156:48 PM CDTEF0Morgan0.8100
April 27, 20113:05 PM CDTEF5Hackleburg–Phil Campbell tornado132.02,20072145$1.3 billion
April 27, 20112:40 PM CDTEF4Cullman–Arab tornado46.9880648
April 27, 201111:20 AM CDTEF1Limestone8.975
March 25, 20105:40 PM CDTEF1Morgan2.950$50,000
May 6, 20098:42 AM CDTEF0Morgan0.775$50,000
May 6, 20098:25 AM CDTEF1Lawrence3.275$250,000
April 19, 20096:58 PM CDTEF0Morgan0.550$20,000
April 19, 20096:43 PM CDTEF0Morgan2.050$25,000
April 2, 20095:26 PM CDTEF1Morgan1.2200$66,000
May 8, 20082:15 PM CDTEF0Morgan0.950$10,000
April 11, 20082:06 PM CDTEF0Morgan1.220
February 6, 20083:02 AM CSTEF4Moulton–Decatur tornado16.7880423
June 19, 20071:00 PM CDTEF0Morgan0.325
April 7, 200610:35 PM CDTF1Morgan9.0150$110,000
April 7, 200610:16 PM CDTF0Morgan1.050$1,000
November 24, 200112:10 PM CSTF2Morgan4.93002$500,000
January 22, 19994:43 PM CSTF0Morgan0.330
March 7, 19955:10 PM CSTF0Morgan1.080$5,000 to $50,000
November 22, 19926:20 AM CSTF0Morgan6.017$50,000 to $500,000
August 16, 19852:15 PM CDTF3Cullman32.01006$500,000 to $5 million
August 16, 198512:40 PM CDTF3Morgan45.01002$500,000 to $5 million
November 10, 19842:22 PM CSTF1Morgan1.540$5,000 to $50,000
May 19, 19833:30 AM CDTF2Cullman4.0150$5,000 to $50,000
May 12, 197812:15 AM CDTF1Morgan3.610011$50,000 to $500,000
April 3, 197410:24 PM CDTF3Morgan46.570027$500,000 to $5 million
April 3, 19746:15 PM CDTF5First Tanner tornado52.050028267
November 27, 19736:45 PM CSTF2Morgan5.1103$50,000 to $500,000
August 1, 19707:45 PM CDTF1Morgan0.110$5,000 to $50,000
December 18, 19673:25 AM GMT-6F2Morgan22.9300227$500,000 to $5 million
March 7, 196111:40 PM GMT-6F3Cullman19.32008$50,000 to $500,000
May 25, 19585:00 PM GMT-5F2Morgan0.1501$5,000 to $50,000
April 5, 195811:20 PM GMT-6F2Morgan6.610$5,000 to $50,000
April 5, 195811:00 PM GMT-6F1Cullman8.8200$50,000 to $500,000
April 5, 19588:00 PM GMT-6F1Morgan0.5100$500 to $5,000
November 18, 19575:00 PM GMT-6F1Morgan0.110$5,000 to $50,000
November 18, 19575:00 PM GMT-6F1Lawrence0.110$500 to $5,000
April 8, 195710:30 AM GMT-6F3Marshall16.310$50,000 to $500,000
April 8, 195710:15 AM GMT-6F3Morgan38.8200290$50 to $500
April 24, 19556:45 AM GMT-5F4Morgan8.6200520$500,000 to $5 million
March 22, 19523:00 PM GMT-6F4Morgan21.6100450$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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