Tornadoes · United States · Alabama

Tornadoes in Washington County, Alabama

33 tornadoes have crossed Washington County since 1950, 47th of the 67 counties in Alabama with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.3 years. They have killed 4 people and injured 29. 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
33
Deaths
4
Injuries
29
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, April 15, 2011

The deadliest in Washington County

  1. EF3, Greene and Washington counties, Mississippi and AlabamaApril 15, 20114 killed, 28 injured

The strongest

  1. EF3, Greene and Washington counties, Mississippi and AlabamaNovember 30, 2022EF3, 20.1 mi (32 km)
  2. EF3, Greene and Washington counties, Mississippi and AlabamaApril 15, 2011EF3, 18.3 mi (29 km)
  3. F2, Washington County, AlabamaNovember 4, 1988F2, 12.0 mi (19 km)
  4. EF2, Clarke and Washington counties, AlabamaFebruary 12, 2025EF2, 11.9 mi (19 km)
  5. F2, Washington County, AlabamaMarch 2, 1972F2, 8.0 mi (13 km)
  6. F2, Washington County, AlabamaSeptember 16, 1971F2, 5.7 mi (9 km)
  7. EF2, Washington and Choctaw counties, AlabamaDecember 14, 2022EF2, 3.4 mi (5 km)
  8. F2, Washington County, AlabamaMarch 24, 1984F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  9. EF2, Washington County, AlabamaApril 15, 2011EF2, 0.9 mi (1 km)
  10. F2, Washington County, AlabamaMarch 16, 1976F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 22 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Washington County. Each year links to every tornado in Alabama that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20252EF2
20222EF3
20192EF1
20181EF0
20141EF1
20131EF1
20121EF1
20113429EF3
20102EF0
20091EF1
20061F1
20051F0
20024F0
19962F0
19881F2
19851F1
19841F2
19761F2
19721F2
19712F2
19701F2
19691F0

Every tornado that crossed Washington County

33 tornadoes, newest first. 3 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Alabama.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 15, 20258:20 PM CDTEF1Washington6.3200
February 12, 20256:15 PM CSTEF2Clarke11.9650
December 14, 20225:40 PM CSTEF2Washington3.4140
November 30, 20222:27 AM CSTEF3Greene to AL20.1700
March 3, 20191:37 PM CSTEF1Washington2.6100$50,000
March 3, 201912:55 PM CSTEF1Washington0.2300$10,000
February 10, 20185:18 PM CSTEF0Washington0.2100$10,000
November 17, 20141:37 AM CSTEF1Washington21.9150$250,000
February 10, 20135:00 PM CSTEF1Washington14.3200$60,000
December 25, 20125:53 PM CSTEF1Washington2.2110
April 15, 20117:45 PM CDTEF3Greene to AL18.3500428$13 million
April 15, 201112:04 PM CDTEF2Washington0.91501$50,000
April 15, 201111:41 AM CDTEF1Washington to AL5.1200$312,000
April 8, 20107:15 AM CDTEF0Washington0.1100
March 10, 20106:20 PM CSTEF0Washington0.650
January 10, 20095:05 PM CSTEF1Washington1.6200$2.5 million
November 15, 20065:44 AM CSTF1Washington7.8300$750,000
July 6, 20056:20 AM CDTF0Washington0.530$10,000
December 24, 20023:05 AM CSTF0Washington0.120$10,000
December 24, 20022:35 AM CSTF0Washington0.120$10,000
December 23, 200210:00 PM CSTF0Washington0.120$10,000
December 19, 20023:25 PM CSTF0Washington0.120$10,000
March 18, 19964:34 PM CSTF0Washington5.0300$10,000
March 18, 19964:30 PM CSTF0Washington4.0300$10,000
November 4, 19887:05 PM CSTF2Washington12.0200
September 23, 19857:40 AM CDTF1Washington7.073$50 to $500
March 24, 19847:30 PM CSTF2Washington2.080$50,000 to $500,000
March 16, 19768:55 AM CSTF2Washington0.150$5,000 to $50,000
March 2, 19727:00 AM CSTF2Washington8.010$500 to $5,000
September 16, 19714:00 PM CDTF1Washington2.0200$5,000 to $50,000
September 16, 19712:30 PM CDTF2Washington5.7200$5,000 to $50,000
March 3, 19703:00 PM CSTF2Washington0.110$5,000 to $50,000
June 29, 19694:55 PM GMT-5F0Washington0.110$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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