50
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
68
Direct injuries
$7.8M
Property damage
Tornado in Colbert County, Alabama: 50 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #372 nationally and #21 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Colbert County, Alabama: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Colbert County is the 2010s, when 14 of the county's 50 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 Colbert County archive, tornado makes up 3.7% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #372 for this hazard and #21 within Alabama, putting it in the 86.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Apr is the peak month for tornado in Colbert County with 11 recorded events, while Aug 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-02-20 | EF3 | 0.1 mi | 20 yd | Touched down here |
| 1988-11-04 | EF3 | 60.0 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 1967-10-24 | EF3 | 15.0 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1965-03-17 | EF3 | 29.8 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1964-03-09 | EF3 | 10.4 mi | 10 yd | Crossed in |
| 1958-04-05 | EF2 | 19.2 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 2019-12-16 | EF2 | 8.2 mi | 250 yd | Touched down here |
| 2016-11-29 | EF2 | 10.9 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
| 2011-05-25 | EF2 | 2.2 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 2008-05-08 | EF2 | 12.6 mi | 250 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 20, 1953 | F3 | 1 | 8 | $25K | |
| Apr 6, 1958 | F2 | 1 | 1 | $250K | |
| Mar 17, 1965 | F3 | 0 | 22 | $250K | |
| Nov 4, 1988 | F3 | 0 | 16 | $2.5M | |
| Dec 20, 1957 | F2 | 0 | 7 | $25K | |
| Apr 6, 2025 | PRIDE | EF1 | 0 | 5 | $0 |
| Nov 30, 2016 | CROOKED OAK | EF1 | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Aug 16, 1985 | F2 | 0 | 2 | $250K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 20, 2025 | FORD CITY | EF1 | $608K |
| Apr 6, 2025 | PRIDE | EF1 | $0 |
| Apr 6, 2025 | PRIDE | EF1 | $0 |
| Feb 16, 2025 | VALDOSTA | EF1 | $0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EMCO LISTERHILL JCT | EF1 | $0 |
| Jan 2, 2022 | NORALA JCT | EF0 | $0 |
| Mar 24, 2020 | MAUD | EF1 | $0 |
| Feb 5, 2020 | BISHOP | EF1 | $0 |
| Dec 16, 2019 | COLBERT HGTS | EF2 | $0 |
| Dec 16, 2019 | RED ROCK | EF1 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Colbert County
- Thunderstorm Wind 992
- Hail 144
- Flash Flood 121
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado touched down near Ford City where initial tree limbs snapped then rapidly began uprooting numerous trees north of River Road. Several trees were uprooted on River Road. One of these trees fell on a home and the drywall fell and scratched a child, resulting in one injury. North of River Road, several trees were found uprooted along with two collapsed silos along Sprout Spring Hollow Road. These silos had been in place since the 1930s and were completely destroyed, marking the maximum intensity of 105 mph. The tornado then tracked east-southeast toward Foster Mills and Red Bank, uprooting numerous trees along its path and snapping large limbs. The tornado then proceeded to cross the Tennessee River – Wheeler Lake into Lauderdale County.
A surveillance camera from an equipment company northeast of Leighton captured a tornado on video picking up at least 2 cars and throwing them nearly 40 feet. A home was destroyed and another heavily damaged along River Road and Second Street. Large trees were snapped and uprooted near Fosters Mill at the intersection County Road 40. An 18 wheeler was reported to be overturned in this area as well.
A tornado produced scattered damage from just southwest of Tuscumbia through Tuscumbia. The tornado had an estimated maximum wind speed of around 90 miles an hour before it weakened and eventually dissipated. A gas station on the southwest portion of Tuscumbia suffered extensive damage, where a 50 foot billboard sign was twisted backwards and several of the gas pumps were heavily damaged. One of the gas pumps was dislodged from the pavement. Eight homes suffered minor to moderate roof and structural damage in and around Tuscumbia.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Colbert County, Alabama?
50 tornado events are recorded in Colbert County between 1953 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Colbert County?
The strongest tornado on record in Colbert County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Colbert 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 Colbert County, Alabama.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/alabama/colbert-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.