47
Recorded events
7
Direct deaths
71
Direct injuries
$17.5M
Property damage
Tornado in Dallas County, Alabama: 47 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #432 nationally and #25 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Dallas County, Alabama: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Dallas County is the 2010s, when 9 of the county's 47 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 Dallas County archive, tornado makes up 12.6% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #432 for this hazard and #25 within Alabama, putting it in the 85.1 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Apr is the peak month for tornado in Dallas County with 14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-03-01 | EF4 | 6.1 mi | 500 yd | Crossed in |
| 1996-03-06 | EF3 | 19.0 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 2025-03-15 | EF3 | 24.3 mi | 1,000 yd | Touched down here |
| 1983-12-06 | EF3 | 13.0 mi | 500 yd | Touched down here |
| 1976-03-12 | EF3 | 16.5 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 2023-01-12 | EF2 | 23.2 mi | 950 yd | Touched down here |
| 2021-03-17 | EF2 | 5.1 mi | 1,000 yd | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-15 | EF2 | 10.0 mi | 800 yd | Touched down here |
| 2008-02-17 | EF2 | 7.6 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 1984-05-03 | EF2 | 7.5 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 6, 1996 | MARION JCT | F3 | 4 | 40 | $8.0M |
| Mar 16, 2025 | PLANTERSVILLE | EF3 | 2 | 2 | $0 |
| Dec 6, 1983 | F3 | 1 | 19 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 1, 1959 | F2 | 0 | 3 | $25K | |
| Jan 12, 2023 | ORRVILLE | EF2 | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Mar 17, 2021 | SELMA SELFIELD ARPT | EF2 | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Nov 24, 2004 | MARION JCT | F1 | 0 | 1 | $100K |
| Mar 13, 1976 | F1 | 0 | 1 | $250K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 6, 2025 | SADIS | EF1 | $0 |
| Mar 16, 2025 | PLANTERSVILLE | EF3 | $0 |
| Apr 3, 2024 | PLANTERSVILLE | EF1 | $0 |
| Jan 12, 2023 | ORRVILLE | EF2 | $0 |
| Mar 31, 2022 | SAFFORD | EF0 | $0 |
| Mar 17, 2021 | CENTRAL MILLS | EF0 | $0 |
| Mar 17, 2021 | SELMA SELFIELD ARPT | EF2 | $0 |
| Apr 13, 2020 | BERLIN | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 6, 2019 | LAKE LANIER | EF0 | $0 |
| Mar 15, 2019 | BLALOCK | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Dallas County
- Thunderstorm Wind 205
- Hail 101
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado formed and intensified quickly about two miles south|of Plantersville along County Road 63, uprooting swaths of trees|right from the start. The tornado travelled northward into|Plantersville and intensified to its maximum intensity of a|140 MPH EF3 tornado in the south end of town, where trees across|the entire area were uprooted, snapped, and even debarked.|Several homes and businesses were destroyed, which unfortunately|resulted in two fatalities and two injuries. The tornado began a|more northeasterly trajectory as it left Plantersville, but still|remained strong as it crossed into Autauga County.
The tornado touched down near Warrior Drive, just southeast of the Perry County line. It then tracked northeastward across AL-219 near the intersection of CR-230, moved right through the Summerfield Community, and crossed CR-37, before lifting just east of the intersection of CR-37 and CR-844. At least 5 structures, including 2 mobile homes and a metal warehouse, were destroyed. Twelve to fifteen additional structures, including several homes and an auto body shop, were damaged to varying degrees. Hundreds of trees were either snapped off or uprooted along the damage path.
A tornado that had previously caused EF-4 damage in Wilcox County crossed the Wilcox-Dallas county line about 6.4 miles southeast of the town of Alberta. The tornado then tracked northeastward and ended along the Alabama River, east of the Whites Bluff community. The most concentrated damage in Dallas County occurred just south of Five Points along County Road 31 and along County Road 33. Twenty seven homes suffered varying degrees of damage, and two homes were completely destroyed. At least six outbuildings were damaged. Numerous trees and power lines were either snapped off or uprooted along the path.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Dallas County, Alabama?
47 tornado events are recorded in Dallas County between 1953 and 2025, causing 7 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Dallas County?
The strongest tornado on record in Dallas County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Dallas 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 Dallas County, Alabama.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/alabama/dallas-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.