Tornadoes · United States · Alabama

Tornadoes in Winston County, Alabama

43 tornadoes have crossed Winston County since 1950, 37th of the 67 counties in Alabama with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.8 years. They have killed 40 people and injured 423. 1 was rated F4 or EF4 and above, 1 at the top of the scale.

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
40
Injuries
423
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F5, April 3, 1974

The deadliest in Winston County

  1. F5 Guin tornado, AlabamaApril 3, 197428 killed, 272 injured
  2. F3, Fayette, Walker, Winston and Cullman counties, AlabamaNovember 10, 20027 killed, 53 injured
  3. F3, Fayette, Walker and Winston counties, AlabamaNovember 10, 20024 killed, 38 injured
  4. F2, Winston County, AlabamaMay 21, 19871 killed

The strongest

  1. F5 Guin tornado, AlabamaApril 3, 1974F5, 79.5 mi (128 km)
  2. F3, Fayette, Walker, Winston and Cullman counties, AlabamaNovember 10, 2002F3, 72.6 mi (117 km)
  3. F3, Marion, Winston and Lawrence counties, AlabamaApril 8, 1957F3, 51.4 mi (83 km)
  4. F3, Fayette, Walker and Winston counties, AlabamaNovember 10, 2002F3, 44.3 mi (71 km)
  5. EF3, Marion and Winston counties, AlabamaApril 27, 2011EF3, 31.8 mi (51 km)
  6. F3, Winston County, AlabamaMarch 25, 1964F3, 5.4 mi (9 km)
  7. F2, Marion and Winston counties, AlabamaMarch 11, 1963F2, 32.2 mi (52 km)
  8. EF2, Winston and Cullman counties, AlabamaMarch 1, 2007EF2, 9.6 mi (15 km)
  9. EF2, Winston and Cullman counties, AlabamaNovember 29, 2016EF2, 9.5 mi (15 km)
  10. EF2, Winston County, AlabamaJanuary 12, 2023EF2, 9.2 mi (15 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 26 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Winston County. Each year links to every tornado in Alabama that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
202321EF2
20211EF1
20202EF1
201813EF2
20164EF2
201351EF1
2011125EF3
20101EF1
20082EF0
20071EF2
20061F1
20054F1
200221191F3
2001113F2
19992F1
19962F1
19891F2
198711F2
19861F1
19831F2
197616F2
1974128272F5
19732F2
196417F3
196314F2
19571F3

Every tornado that crossed Winston County

43 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 1, 20232:32 AM CDTEF1Marion17.06751
January 12, 20238:05 AM CSTEF2Winston9.2425
March 31, 20213:45 AM CDTEF1Winston1.2305
August 28, 20204:36 PM CDTEF1Winston2.6100
August 28, 20204:02 PM CDTEF1Winston8.8325
June 22, 20186:46 PM CDTEF2Winston7.02603
November 29, 201610:20 PM CSTEF1Winston3.1100
November 29, 20168:52 PM CSTEF2Winston9.51,000
November 29, 20168:06 PM CSTEF2Winston3.2300
November 29, 20168:04 PM CSTEF1Winston0.4100
April 11, 20133:26 PM CDTEF1Winston0.4501
April 11, 20133:10 PM CDTEF1Winston1.2300
April 11, 20132:57 PM CDTEF1Winston2.6250
January 30, 20136:01 AM CSTEF1Winston6.4300$50,000
January 30, 20135:50 AM CSTEF1Winston10.41,000
April 27, 20115:10 PM CDTEF3Marion31.81,32025$17 million
October 25, 20102:05 AM CDTEF1Winston12.1600$100,000
August 24, 20086:24 PM CDTEF0Winston0.120$500
April 4, 200810:28 AM CDTEF0Winston2.575$10,000
March 1, 20073:45 PM CSTEF2Winston9.6100$50,000
April 7, 200610:00 PM CDTF1Winston4.7150$80,000
November 14, 20054:30 PM CSTF0Winston0.120
September 25, 20053:06 PM CDTF0Winston0.530$3,000
September 25, 20052:57 PM CDTF1Winston2.5150$20,000
September 25, 20052:54 PM CDTF0Winston0.850$30,000
November 10, 20028:15 PM CSTF3Fayette72.61,175753$4.3 million
November 10, 20026:52 PM CSTF3Fayette44.31,175438$3.2 million
November 24, 200111:21 AM CSTF2Winston1.97013$890,000
February 27, 19996:25 PM CSTF0Winston0.530$10,000
January 22, 19995:15 PM CSTF1Winston1.50$90,000
September 16, 19968:24 AM CDTF0Winston4.070$20,000
September 16, 19968:12 AM CDTF1Winston2.070$40,000
February 20, 198911:00 PM CSTF2Winston5.0200$500,000 to $5 million
May 21, 198712:45 PM CDTF2Winston0.31501$5,000 to $50,000
May 24, 198610:25 PM CDTF1Winston10.030$50 to $500
February 22, 19831:15 PM CSTF2Walker8.090$50,000 to $500,000
March 20, 197610:20 PM CSTF2Winston0.5776$50,000 to $500,000
April 3, 19748:50 PM CDTF5Guin tornado79.550028272
November 26, 19734:20 PM CSTF2Winston0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 8, 19734:05 AM CDTF2Winston2.0500$50,000 to $500,000
March 25, 19643:45 PM GMT-6F3Winston5.42677$50,000 to $500,000
March 11, 19638:45 PM GMT-6F2Marion32.23334$50,000 to $500,000
April 8, 19579:46 AM GMT-6F3Marion51.4100$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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