Tornadoes · United States · Alabama

Tornadoes in Shelby County, Alabama

51 tornadoes have crossed Shelby County since 1950, 22nd of the 67 counties in Alabama with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.5 years. They have killed 17 people and injured 286. 2 were 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
51
Deaths
17
Injuries
286
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F4, January 24, 1964

The deadliest in Shelby County

  1. F4, Shelby County, AlabamaJanuary 24, 196410 killed, 6 injured
  2. F4, Hale, Perry, Bibb and Shelby counties, AlabamaMay 27, 19737 killed, 199 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Hale, Perry, Bibb and Shelby counties, AlabamaMay 27, 1973F4, 139.1 mi (224 km)
  2. F4, Shelby County, AlabamaJanuary 24, 1964F4, 3.3 mi (5 km)
  3. EF3 Centreville–Columbiana tornado, AlabamaMarch 25, 2021EF3, 50.1 mi (81 km)
  4. EF3 Centreville–Montevallo tornado, AlabamaMarch 30, 2022EF3, 29.2 mi (47 km)
  5. F2, Shelby County, AlabamaMarch 27, 1994F2, 12.0 mi (19 km)
  6. F2, Talladega and Shelby counties, AlabamaMay 3, 1984F2, 12.0 mi (19 km)
  7. EF2, Shelby County, AlabamaFebruary 6, 2020EF2, 9.9 mi (16 km)
  8. F2, Shelby County, AlabamaDecember 27, 1968F2, 5.6 mi (9 km)
  9. F2, Shelby County, AlabamaMarch 16, 1973F2, 4.3 mi (7 km)
  10. F2, Shelby County, AlabamaApril 29, 1963F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

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

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20252EF1
20241EF1
202242EF3
202125EF3
20201EF2
20193EF0
20171EF0
20161EF0
20117EF1
20101EF1
20096EF1
20081EF1
20071EF1
20052F1
20031F1
19971F0
1994153F2
19901F1
19881F1
19842F2
19831F1
1975114F1
197337204F4
19701F1
196812F2
19641106F4
19632F2
19571F1

Every tornado that crossed Shelby County

51 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 15, 20258:00 PM CDTEF1Shelby2.5150
March 15, 20257:57 PM CDTEF1Shelby7.5250
December 29, 202412:11 AM CSTEF1Shelby1.5175
March 30, 202211:58 PM CDTEF1Shelby4.5135
March 30, 20229:53 PM CDTEF3Centreville–Montevallo tornado29.21,2002
March 22, 20229:08 PM CDTEF0Bibb2.8100
February 17, 20226:08 PM CSTEF1Shelby12.6400
December 29, 202110:01 PM CSTEF1Chilton10.9400
March 25, 202112:53 PM CDTEF3Centreville–Columbiana tornado50.11,1405
February 6, 20201:57 AM CSTEF2Shelby9.9700
December 16, 201910:07 PM CSTEF0Shelby2.3200
April 14, 20194:14 AM CDTEF0Shelby3.0125
April 14, 20194:05 AM CDTEF0Shelby6.5600
June 22, 20172:42 PM CDTEF0Shelby0.350
February 24, 20164:04 AM CSTEF0Shelby1.180
December 22, 20111:42 PM CSTEF0Shelby1.850$45,000
April 27, 20118:15 PM CDTEF1Talladega8.6200$1.0 million
April 27, 20117:32 PM CDTEF1Bibb5.450$20,000
April 27, 20115:50 AM CDTEF1Shelby3.4100$3.7 million
April 15, 20115:44 PM CDTEF1Shelby4.4100$29,000
April 15, 20114:59 PM CDTEF0Shelby1.450$15,000
March 26, 20114:10 PM CDTEF1Shelby0.250$18,000
March 25, 20107:02 PM CDTEF1Shelby2.7100$170,000
May 3, 20092:03 PM CDTEF1Shelby1.4300$10,000
May 3, 20091:54 PM CDTEF0Shelby2.6200$120,000
April 19, 20096:53 PM CDTEF0Shelby3.3100$10,000
April 19, 20096:16 PM CDTEF0Shelby2.0800$20,000
March 26, 20095:04 AM CDTEF0Shelby3.735$15,000
February 27, 200910:10 AM CSTEF0Shelby1.825$5,000
February 26, 20083:50 AM CSTEF1Shelby0.5150$50,000
March 1, 20075:56 PM CSTEF1Shelby0.7100$30,000
April 30, 20055:22 AM CDTF1Shelby2.2150$200,000
April 30, 20055:04 AM CDTF1Shelby11.6100$400,000
May 7, 20032:45 PM CDTF1Shelby1.350$170,000
February 21, 19979:35 AM CSTF0Shelby0.550$10,000
March 27, 19945:31 PM CSTF2Shelby12.030053$500,000 to $5 million
February 10, 19902:42 AM CSTF1Shelby1.030
January 19, 19886:15 PM CSTF1Bibb6.0440$50,000 to $500,000
May 3, 198412:35 PM CDTF2Talladega12.0200$50,000 to $500,000
May 3, 198412:30 PM CDTF1Shelby1.060$500 to $5,000
December 3, 19835:10 PM CSTF1Bibb15.060$5,000 to $50,000
January 10, 19754:00 PM CSTF1Shelby0.25014$50,000 to $500,000
May 27, 19736:20 PM CDTF4Hale139.18007199$5 million to $50 million
April 24, 19735:20 PM CSTF1Shelby4.7800$50,000 to $500,000
March 16, 197312:10 PM CSTF2Shelby4.3105$50,000 to $500,000
April 26, 197010:35 AM CDTF1Shelby3.3300$5,000 to $50,000
December 27, 196811:30 PM GMT-6F2Shelby5.6102$50,000 to $500,000
January 24, 19647:00 PM GMT-6F4Shelby3.3100106$50,000 to $500,000
April 29, 19634:00 PM GMT-5F2Shelby0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 20, 19633:00 PM GMT-6F1Shelby0.110$50 to $500
November 8, 19574:30 AM GMT-6F1Shelby4.150$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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