Tornadoes · United States · Alabama

Tornadoes in St. Clair County, Alabama

44 tornadoes have crossed St. Clair County since 1950, 35th of the 67 counties in Alabama with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.7 years. They have killed 50 people and injured 455. 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
44
Deaths
50
Injuries
455
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
EF4, April 27, 2011

The deadliest in St. Clair County

  1. F4 Piedmont tornado, AlabamaMarch 27, 199422 killed, 150 injured
  2. EF4 Shoal Creek Valley–Ohatchee tornado, Alabama and GeorgiaApril 27, 201122 killed, 85 injured
  3. F2, St. Clair County, AlabamaApril 8, 19982 killed, 12 injured
  4. EF3, Jefferson and St. Clair counties, AlabamaJanuary 23, 20121 killed, 75 injured
  5. F3, St. Clair County, AlabamaJanuary 10, 19751 killed, 60 injured
  6. F3, Jefferson, St. Clair and Etowah counties, AlabamaMay 27, 19731 killed, 44 injured
  7. F3, St. Clair County, AlabamaApril 4, 19771 killed

The strongest

  1. EF4 Shoal Creek Valley–Ohatchee tornado, Alabama and GeorgiaApril 27, 2011EF4, 97.3 mi (157 km)
  2. F4 Piedmont tornado, AlabamaMarch 27, 1994F4, 50.0 mi (80 km)
  3. EF3 Centreville–Columbiana tornado, AlabamaMarch 25, 2021EF3, 50.1 mi (81 km)
  4. F3, Jefferson, St. Clair and Etowah counties, AlabamaMay 27, 1973F3, 41.6 mi (67 km)
  5. F3, St. Clair County, AlabamaJanuary 10, 1975F3, 18.8 mi (30 km)
  6. EF3, Jefferson and St. Clair counties, AlabamaJanuary 23, 2012EF3, 15.7 mi (25 km)
  7. F3, St. Clair County, AlabamaApril 4, 1977F3, 7.3 mi (12 km)
  8. EF2, St. Clair, Etowah and Calhoun counties, AlabamaMarch 19, 2018EF2, 15.7 mi (25 km)
  9. EF2, Blount and St. Clair counties, AlabamaApril 28, 2014EF2, 14.6 mi (23 km)
  10. F2, St. Clair County, AlabamaNovember 27, 1965F2, 14.5 mi (23 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 27 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in St. Clair County. Each year links to every tornado in Alabama that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20242EF1
20221EF1
202115EF3
20192EF1
201821EF2
20171EF1
201422EF2
20121175EF3
201122290EF4
20093EF1
20083EF1
20041F0
20032F1
20022F1
200123F2
200012F2
19981212F2
1994222150F4
1990111F1
19851F1
197731F3
19761F0
19751160F3
19733144F3
19671F2
19651F2
19641F1

Every tornado that crossed St. Clair County

44 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
December 29, 202412:30 AM CSTEF1St. Clair1.5325
December 29, 202412:25 AM CSTEF0St. Clair2.3150
February 17, 20226:08 PM CSTEF1Shelby12.6400
March 25, 202112:53 PM CDTEF3Centreville–Columbiana tornado50.11,1405
March 14, 20195:54 PM CDTEF1St. Clair4.7530
March 14, 20195:05 PM CDTEF1Blount17.21,175
March 19, 20188:02 PM CDTEF2St. Clair15.72,0001
March 19, 20187:50 PM CDTEF1St. Clair6.4880
January 19, 20175:58 PM CSTEF1St. Clair0.7175
April 28, 201412:24 AM CDTEF2Blount14.61,3002
February 21, 20141:56 AM CSTEF0St. Clair4.2150
January 23, 20123:58 AM CSTEF3Jefferson15.7800175
April 27, 20116:28 PM CDTEF4Shoal Creek Valley–Ohatchee tornado97.31,7602285$367 million
April 27, 20116:16 AM CDTEF2St. Clair3.82005$865,000
May 3, 20092:27 PM CDTEF1St. Clair16.6800$100,000
May 3, 20092:15 PM CDTEF1St. Clair0.9100$60,000
April 19, 20099:21 PM CDTEF1St. Clair2.975$20,000
December 10, 20084:34 AM CSTEF1St. Clair3.9300$82,000
August 25, 200810:56 AM CDTEF1St. Clair3.4100$20,000
February 26, 20084:00 AM CSTEF1St. Clair2.81,100$250,000
November 24, 20046:41 AM CSTF0Talladega5.7250$640,000
May 7, 20033:21 PM CDTF0St. Clair0.225$10,000
May 7, 20032:10 PM CDTF1St. Clair4.550$90,000
November 10, 200210:41 PM CSTF1St. Clair3.250$40,000
July 19, 20024:22 PM CDTF0St. Clair0.450$1,000
November 24, 20013:10 PM CSTF2St. Clair4.51002$500,000
November 24, 20011:31 PM CSTF2St. Clair13.41251$500,000
December 16, 20002:20 PM CSTF2St. Clair8.52002$170,000
April 8, 19988:56 PM CDTF2St. Clair14.4200212$2.0 million
April 15, 19946:24 PM CDTF0St. Clair0.550$50,000 to $500,000
March 27, 199410:55 AM CSTF4Piedmont tornado50.088022150$5 million to $50 million
February 3, 19909:05 PM CSTF1St. Clair2.05011$500,000 to $5 million
April 5, 19855:20 PM CSTF1Talladega3.0100$5,000 to $50,000
April 4, 19772:30 PM CSTF3St. Clair7.31501$50,000 to $500,000
April 4, 19772:00 PM CSTF2St. Clair3.380$50,000 to $500,000
April 4, 197712:30 PM CSTF2St. Clair0.520$50,000 to $500,000
March 29, 19765:00 PM CSTF0St. Clair0.110$500 to $5,000
January 10, 19754:14 PM CSTF3St. Clair18.8150160$500,000 to $5 million
May 27, 19736:50 PM CDTF3Jefferson41.6800144$5 million to $50 million
May 27, 19734:35 PM CDTF2St. Clair8.4500$50,000 to $500,000
March 16, 197312:30 PM CSTF1St. Clair1.010$50,000 to $500,000
March 6, 19675:20 PM GMT-6F2St. Clair0.110$5,000 to $50,000
November 27, 19653:00 AM GMT-6F2St. Clair14.510$5,000 to $50,000
April 28, 19644:10 PM GMT-5F1St. Clair0.110$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in St. Clair CountyThe forecast for St. Clair CountyThe live radar over St. Clair 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.