Tornadoes · United States · Alabama

Tornadoes in Russell County, Alabama

32 tornadoes have crossed Russell County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 50th of the 67 counties in Alabama with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.4 years. They have killed 4 people and injured 98. None was rated F4 or 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
32
Deaths
4
Injuries
98
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, April 1, 1981

The deadliest in Russell County

  1. F3, Russell County, AlabamaApril 1, 19812 killed, 23 injured
  2. F3, Russell and Chattahoochee counties, Alabama and GeorgiaMarch 13, 19542 killed, 20 injured

The strongest

  1. EF3, Lee and Russell counties, AlabamaApril 29, 2014EF3, 11.4 mi (18 km)
  2. F3, Muscogee and Russell counties, Alabama and GeorgiaMarch 31, 1961F3, 8.2 mi (13 km)
  3. F3, Russell and Chattahoochee counties, Alabama and GeorgiaMarch 13, 1954F3, 7.0 mi (11 km)
  4. F3, Russell County, AlabamaApril 1, 1981F3, 0.1 mi (0 km)
  5. F2, Russell County, AlabamaFebruary 24, 1961F2, 25.6 mi (41 km)
  6. EF2, Russell and Stewart counties, Alabama and GeorgiaFebruary 17, 2008EF2, 17.1 mi (27 km)
  7. F2, Muscogee and Russell counties, Alabama and GeorgiaMay 1, 1978F2, 13.2 mi (21 km)
  8. EF2, Muscogee, Russell and Lee counties, Alabama and GeorgiaMarch 1, 2007EF2, 11.7 mi (19 km)
  9. F2, Russell County, AlabamaApril 30, 1963F2, 11.7 mi (19 km)
  10. EF2, Muscogee and Russell counties, Alabama and GeorgiaApril 19, 2009EF2, 3.5 mi (6 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 20 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Russell County. Each year links to every tornado in Alabama that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF0
20191EF0
20164EF1
20153EF1
2014213EF3
200943EF2
200814EF2
200721EF2
20051F0
19981F0
1991116F2
19831F1
19811223F3
197817F2
19751F0
19661F0
19641F2
19631F2
1961211F3
19542220F3

Every tornado that crossed Russell County

32 tornadoes, newest first. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 12, 20263:46 AM CDTEF0Russell1.5100
April 14, 20199:14 AM CDTEF0Muscogee to GA3.250$150,000
April 6, 201612:22 AM CDTEF0Russell1.375
April 6, 201611:57 PM CDTEF1Russell7.5200
February 15, 20167:00 PM CSTEF0Russell7.1250
February 15, 20166:57 PM CSTEF1Russell6.8400
August 6, 20158:40 PM CDTEF0Russell1.9250
April 19, 20159:17 AM CDTEF1Russell to GA7.6425$10,000
April 19, 20158:43 AM CDTEF1Russell0.4188
November 17, 20146:24 AM CSTEF1Russell0.2100
April 29, 20143:56 AM CDTEF3Lee11.41,20013
April 19, 200910:33 PM CDTEF2Muscogee to GA3.5250$3.5 million
April 10, 20099:20 PM CDTEF1Russell0.51501$50,000
April 10, 20098:19 PM CDTEF1Russell1.0502$120,000
April 10, 20098:04 PM CDTEF1Russell5.9150$10,000
February 17, 20083:40 PM CSTEF2Russell to GA17.11,0004$140,000
April 11, 20075:54 PM CDTEF1Macon11.5400$15,000
March 1, 20075:27 PM CSTEF2Muscogee to GA11.73001$28 million
August 29, 20055:41 PM CDTF0Russell0.125$1,000
September 28, 19985:26 PM CDTF0Lee2.030
March 29, 19916:40 AM CSTF2Russell2.030016$500,000 to $5 million
December 3, 19839:15 PM CSTF1Russell0.140$5,000 to $50,000
April 1, 19812:15 AM CSTF3Russell0.1100223$5 million to $50 million
May 1, 19788:30 AM CDTF2Muscogee to GA13.21507$500,000 to $5 million
March 7, 19756:30 PM CDTF0Russell0.350
August 12, 19666:15 PM GMT-5F0Russell0.110$500 to $5,000
December 26, 196412:30 PM GMT-6F2Russell0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 30, 19637:00 AM GMT-5F2Russell11.710$5,000 to $50,000
March 31, 19611:10 PM GMT-6F3Muscogee to GA8.21677$5,000 to $50,000
February 24, 19614:30 PM GMT-6F2Russell25.6104$5,000 to $50,000
December 5, 19544:00 PM GMT-6F2Russell0.110$5,000 to $50,000
March 13, 19548:40 PM GMT-6F3Russell to GA7.01,480220$5 million to $50 million

Nearby

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