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Alabama · County tornado history

Calhoun County, Alabama tornadoes

NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center has recorded 31 tornadoes in Calhoun County, Alabama from 1950 through 2024, about one every 2.4 years. That ranks it 47 of 67 counties in Alabama with a recorded tornado. The most recent was an EF0 on November 30, 2022.

By Twisters.us · Updated · How we count

Tornadoes since 1950
31
Since 2000
17
Strongest
EF4, April 27, 2011
Most recent
EF0, November 30, 2022
Peak month
March (10)
Per 1,000 sq mi
51
FEMA tornado risk
Relatively High

F0/EF0 1 2 3 4 5 · Lines run from where each tornado touched down to where it lifted; dots are short paths. Neighboring counties are outlined.

When tornadoes hit Calhoun County

March has brought the most, 10 of 31. About 58% touched down between 1 pm and 7 pm (Central Standard Time, as the Storm Prediction Center records it). Winter tornadoes (December to February) make up 19% of the total, a sign of the cool-season storms common in the South.

By decade

More tornadoes in recent decades mostly reflects better detection and reporting (Doppler radar, storm spotters, damage surveys), especially for weak EF0 tornadoes, not necessarily more storms. The 2020s bar covers only 2020 to 2024.

How strong they were

Rating Estimated 3-second gust Tornadoes
F0 / EF0 Light damage: 65 to 85 mph (EF scale) 6
F1 / EF1 Moderate: 86 to 110 mph 9
F2 / EF2 Considerable: 111 to 135 mph 9
F3 / EF3 Severe: 136 to 165 mph 5
F4 / EF4 Devastating: 166 to 200 mph 2
F5 / EF5 Incredible: over 200 mph 0

Tornadoes before February 2007 were rated on the original Fujita (F) scale; since then the National Weather Service uses the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale. Wind speeds above are EF-scale estimates from damage, not measurements. See what the EF scale means.

The strongest tornadoes in Calhoun County

Date Rating Path length Path width Deaths Injuries
March 27, 1994 F4 50 mi 880 yd 22 150
April 27, 2011 EF4 97.3 mi 1,760 yd 22 85
March 25, 2021 EF3 38.2 mi 1,700 yd 6 10
December 3, 1983 F3 4 mi 150 yd 2 51
December 5, 1954 F3 24.7 mi 100 yd 26
March 19, 2018 EF3 35 mi 2,175 yd 4
December 11, 1961 F3 3.3 mi 200 yd
April 2, 2000 F2 1.9 mi 100 yd 1 6
November 24, 2004 F2 15.2 mi 500 yd 1
April 5, 1985 F2 3 mi 200 yd 5

Deaths and injuries are for each tornado’s whole path, which can cross other counties.

The deadliest

The deadliest tornado to touch Calhoun County was an F4 on March 27, 1994. It killed 22 people and injured 150 along its 50-mile path.

Most recent tornadoes

Date Rating Path length Path width Deaths Injuries
November 30, 2022 EF0 0.8 mi 300 yd
March 25, 2021 EF3 38.2 mi 1,700 yd 6 10
March 14, 2019 EF0 1.2 mi 200 yd
March 19, 2018 EF0 0.8 mi 138 yd
March 19, 2018 EF3 35 mi 2,175 yd 4
March 19, 2018 EF2 15.7 mi 2,000 yd
April 27, 2011 EF4 97.3 mi 1,760 yd 22 85
August 25, 2008 EF1 1.1 mi 250 yd

The official database ends with 2024. For storms since then, see the Storm Prediction Center’s reports and your local National Weather Service office.

FEMA’s tornado risk rating

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates the tornado risk in Calhoun County as relatively high, with a score of 98 out of 100 compared with every other U.S. county. It estimates about 0.53 tornadoes a year here and an expected annual loss of about $18,570,934 to buildings, people and farming. The index mixes how often tornadoes strike with what is exposed and how well a community can recover, so a busy rural county can rate lower than a less active city.

Neighboring counties

Staying safe

When a tornado warning is issued, act at once. Go to a basement, storm shelter or safe room. With none, use a small windowless room on the lowest floor, as far from outside walls as you can, and cover your head and neck. Mobile homes and cars are not safe places to ride out a tornado: leave early for a sturdy building or shelter. Read the full tornado safety guide and the National Weather Service advice linked below.

Sources

Sources last checked 1 November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How many tornadoes has Calhoun County had?

31 from 1950 through 2024 in NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center database, 17 of them since 2000.

When was the last tornado in Calhoun County?

The most recent in the official record was an EF0 on November 30, 2022. Later storms are not yet in the final database.

What was the strongest tornado in Calhoun County?

An EF4 on April 27, 2011, with a 97.3-mile path.

When is tornado season in Calhoun County?

March has had the most tornadoes here. Across the U.S. the peak runs from spring into early summer, and the South also sees tornadoes in late fall and winter.