42
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
21
Direct injuries
$2.8M
Property damage
Tornado in Clarke County, Alabama: 42 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #567 nationally and #36 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Clarke County, Alabama: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Clarke County is the 2020s, when 10 of the county's 42 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Clarke County archive, tornado makes up 7.6% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #567 for this hazard and #36 within Alabama, putting it in the 80.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Mar is the peak month for tornado in Clarke County with 13 recorded events, while Sep is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-03-24 | EF3 | 4.0 mi | 60 yd | Touched down here |
| 1971-03-02 | EF3 | 4.9 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1953-01-23 | EF3 | 6.5 mi | 300 yd | Crossed in |
| 2025-02-12 | EF2 | 11.9 mi | 650 yd | Crossed in |
| 2022-04-05 | EF2 | 9.5 mi | 800 yd | Crossed in |
| 2021-03-17 | EF2 | 36.6 mi | 500 yd | Crossed in |
| 2017-01-21 | EF2 | 20.4 mi | 800 yd | Crossed in |
| 2012-12-25 | EF2 | 24.8 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-15 | EF2 | 0.4 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1983-05-19 | EF2 | 22.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 18, 1996 | JACKSON MUNI ARPT | F1 | 0 | 15 | $1.0M |
| Mar 17, 2021 | WEST BEND | EF2 | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Nov 25, 1979 | F2 | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Mar 18, 1996 | THOMASVILLE | F0 | 0 | 1 | $75K |
| Jan 23, 1953 | F3 | 0 | 1 | $25K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 16, 2025 | BARLOW BEND | EF0 | $0 |
| Mar 16, 2025 | CARLTON | EF1 | $0 |
| Feb 13, 2025 | COFFEEVILLE | EF2 | $0 |
| Mar 26, 2023 | RURAL | EF1 | $0 |
| Apr 5, 2022 | COFFEEVILLE | EF1 | $0 |
| Apr 5, 2022 | COFFEEVILLE | EF2 | $0 |
| Mar 31, 2022 | WHATLEY | EF1 | $0 |
| Aug 30, 2021 | CHOCTAW BLUFF | EF1 | $0 |
| Mar 17, 2021 | WEST BEND | EF2 | $0 |
| Apr 13, 2020 | WEST BEND | EF1 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Clarke County
- Thunderstorm Wind 320
- Hail 120
- Flash Flood 43
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An F1 tornado touched down just southwest of Highway 154 near Chilton. The tornado moved northeast along Highway 154 for about three miles before dissipating. The tornado damaged thirteen homes and destroyed three manufactured homes. Most of the homes were damaged when the tornado first touched down just southwest of Chilton. The area that the tornado struck is not heavily populated. No injuries were reported.
This tornado produced a non-continuous damage path. The storm moved out of Washington County and into Clarke County east of St. Stephens. The storm continued northeast and crossed the Tombigbee river into Clarke County. The tornado caused damage along Bolen Town Road where numerous trees were snapped and a large tree was completely uprooted and fell on a house, causing extensive damage. An older home suffered roof damage near Toddtown. Tree damage continued along Highway 69 before the storm weakened with damage ending near Antioch Road.
The tornado touched down taking a large section of roof off of a wood frame single story home near the center of circulation, pulling a single-wide mobile home off of its foundation on the north side of the circulation, and lifting off the roof of a nearby double-wide mobile home on the south side of the circulation. The tornado circulation quickly widened to 200 yards and strengthened, rolling another single-wide mobile home 60 yards then causing it to disintegrate as it hit a large tree. The mobile home's bent undercarriage was left about 60 yards to the left of the tornado path. The tornado continued to the east and quickly lifted in a pine forest.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Clarke County, Alabama?
42 tornado events are recorded in Clarke County between 1953 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Clarke County?
The strongest tornado on record in Clarke County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Clarke County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Tornado in Clarke County, Alabama.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/alabama/clarke-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.