Tornadoes · United States · Alabama

Tornadoes in Tallapoosa County, Alabama

43 tornadoes have crossed Tallapoosa County since 1950, 36th of the 67 counties in Alabama with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.8 years. They have killed 15 people and injured 64. 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
43
Deaths
15
Injuries
64
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
EF4, April 27, 2011

The deadliest in Tallapoosa County

  1. EF4 Lake Martin tornado, AlabamaApril 27, 20117 killed, 30 injured
  2. EF3, Autauga, Elmore, Coosa and Tallapoosa counties, AlabamaJanuary 12, 20237 killed, 16 injured
  3. EF2, Tallapoosa and Chambers counties, AlabamaMarch 2, 20121 killed, 4 injured

The strongest

  1. EF4 Lake Martin tornado, AlabamaApril 27, 2011EF4, 44.2 mi (71 km)
  2. EF3, Autauga, Elmore, Coosa and Tallapoosa counties, AlabamaJanuary 12, 2023EF3, 82.3 mi (132 km)
  3. F3, Elmore and Tallapoosa counties, AlabamaMarch 18, 1996F3, 24.0 mi (39 km)
  4. EF3, Tallapoosa County, AlabamaMarch 15, 2025EF3, 20.4 mi (33 km)
  5. EF2, Tallapoosa and Chambers counties, AlabamaMarch 2, 2012EF2, 34.0 mi (55 km)
  6. EF2, Clay, Tallapoosa and Randolph counties, AlabamaMarch 25, 2021EF2, 31.3 mi (50 km)
  7. F2, Tallapoosa and Elmore counties, AlabamaNovember 25, 1979F2, 26.9 mi (43 km)
  8. EF2, Elmore, Coosa and Tallapoosa counties, AlabamaApril 15, 2011EF2, 20.8 mi (33 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 25 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Tallapoosa County. Each year links to every tornado in Alabama that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20252EF3
20234716EF3
20221EF0
20211EF2
20201EF1
20141EF0
2012114EF2
20114732EF4
20093EF1
20082EF1
20072EF1
20061F0
20053F1
20042F1
19964F3
1992110F1
19882F0
19841F1
197912F2
19751F1
19641F1
19631F1
19611F1
19571F1
19521F1

Every tornado that crossed Tallapoosa County

43 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 15, 202510:48 PM CDTEF3Tallapoosa20.4800
February 16, 20252:42 AM CSTEF1Tallapoosa1.8100
March 26, 202310:22 PM CDTEF1Elmore7.51,200
March 12, 20238:17 AM CDTEF0Tallapoosa0.6100
January 12, 202312:40 PM CSTEF3Autauga82.31,500716
January 4, 20232:59 AM CSTEF1Tallapoosa3.8125
April 5, 202211:22 AM CDTEF0Tallapoosa1.8110
March 25, 20219:55 PM CDTEF2Clay31.31,000
February 13, 20204:12 AM CSTEF1Tallapoosa2.1300
May 14, 20142:21 PM CDTEF0Tallapoosa1.9150
March 2, 201210:40 PM CSTEF2Tallapoosa34.01,00014
December 22, 20112:24 PM CSTEF1Elmore24.9300$85,000
April 27, 20118:12 PM CDTEF4Lake Martin tornado44.2880730$167 million
April 15, 201111:43 PM CDTEF1Tallapoosa6.6200$46,000
April 15, 201111:17 PM CDTEF2Elmore20.81,3202$1.4 million
April 10, 20098:26 PM CDTEF1Macon25.5440$210,000
April 10, 20097:12 PM CDTEF1Tallapoosa10.1250$52,000
February 28, 20097:40 AM CSTEF0Tallapoosa0.3100$10,000
February 17, 20081:47 PM CSTEF0Tallapoosa4.550$10,000
February 17, 20081:42 PM CSTEF1Coosa10.8100$105,000
April 11, 20075:18 PM CDTEF1Tallapoosa0.950$20,000
January 7, 20074:10 PM CSTUnratedTallapoosa1.050$100,000
November 15, 200611:11 AM CSTF0Tallapoosa0.125$15,000
August 29, 20051:55 PM CDTF1Tallapoosa3.3300$70,000
July 6, 20053:34 PM CDTF0Tallapoosa0.110
April 30, 20056:14 AM CDTF1Tallapoosa17.3200$80,000
November 24, 20047:35 AM CSTF0Tallapoosa0.830$10,000
November 24, 20047:09 AM CSTF1Clay13.7300$260,000
December 1, 19961:39 AM CSTF0Tallapoosa2.050$80,000
March 18, 19968:23 PM CSTF3Elmore24.0440$700,000
March 18, 19967:12 PM CSTF1Tallapoosa6.090$150,000
March 18, 19966:52 PM CSTF1Coosa6.0100$500,000
November 22, 19928:50 AM CSTF1Tallapoosa17.05010$500,000 to $5 million
September 16, 19884:10 PM CDTF0Tallapoosa0.323
September 16, 19881:30 PM CDTF0Tallapoosa0.510
April 19, 19847:10 PM CSTF1Tallapoosa0.110$5,000 to $50,000
November 25, 19791:50 PM CSTF2Tallapoosa26.9602$50,000 to $500,000
April 2, 19756:30 PM CDTF1Tallapoosa0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 28, 19646:40 PM GMT-5F1Tallapoosa13.010$5,000 to $50,000
March 12, 19634:25 PM GMT-6F1Tallapoosa9.110$5,000 to $50,000
March 8, 19614:00 AM GMT-6F1Tallapoosa0.110$5,000 to $50,000
November 18, 19574:35 PM GMT-6F1Tallapoosa0.110$5,000 to $50,000
January 22, 19529:00 AM GMT-6F1Tallapoosa0.110$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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