57
Recorded events
10
Direct deaths
143
Direct injuries
$47.5M
Property damage
Tornado in Hale County, Alabama: 57 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #279 nationally and #15 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Hale County, Alabama: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Hale County is the 2020s, when 20 of the county's 57 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 Hale County archive, tornado makes up 23.8% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #279 for this hazard and #15 within Alabama, putting it in the 90.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Mar is the peak month for tornado in Hale County with 11 recorded events, while Jul 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973-05-27 | EF4 | 139.1 mi | 800 yd | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-27 | EF3 | 72.1 mi | 1,760 yd | Crossed in |
| 1992-03-10 | EF3 | 18.0 mi | 440 yd | Crossed in |
| 2021-03-25 | EF3 | 79.7 mi | 2,300 yd | Touched down here |
| 2021-03-25 | EF3 | 11.1 mi | 1,400 yd | Touched down here |
| 2022-02-03 | EF2 | 25.9 mi | 1,700 yd | Crossed in |
| 2023-01-12 | EF2 | 39.0 mi | 675 yd | Crossed in |
| 2023-01-12 | EF2 | 21.9 mi | 500 yd | Touched down here |
| 2022-02-03 | EF2 | 7.6 mi | 725 yd | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-15 | EF2 | 24.1 mi | 880 yd | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | SAWYERVILLE | EF3 | 6 | 40 | $17.0M |
| Mar 10, 1992 | F3 | 2 | 7 | $250K | |
| May 27, 1973 | F4 | 1 | 72 | $25.0M | |
| Feb 3, 2022 | SAWYERVILLE | EF2 | 1 | 8 | $0 |
| Mar 25, 2021 | GREENSBORO MUNI ARPT | EF3 | 0 | 6 | $0 |
| Nov 18, 1957 | F1 | 0 | 5 | $250K | |
| Feb 16, 2025 | OAK GROVE | EF1 | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Oct 23, 2007 | SLEDGE | EF1 | 0 | 2 | $92K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 15, 2025 | ROSEMARY | EF0 | $0 |
| Mar 15, 2025 | GALLION | EF0 | $0 |
| Feb 16, 2025 | OAK GROVE | EF1 | $0 |
| Feb 16, 2025 | POWERS | EF0 | $0 |
| Dec 29, 2024 | SAWYERVILLE | EF1 | $0 |
| Jan 12, 2023 | ARCOLA | EF2 | $0 |
| Jan 12, 2023 | AKRON | EF2 | $0 |
| Jan 12, 2023 | AKRON | EF1 | $0 |
| Jan 3, 2023 | GALLION | EF0 | $0 |
| Nov 30, 2022 | AKRON | EF1 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Hale County
- Thunderstorm Wind 108
- Hail 59
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado touched down in southwestern Greene County near Tishabee, and moved northeast through central Hale and Bibb Counties. The tornado then lifted near Marvel in far northeast Bibb County. The tornado crossed the Black Warrior River and into Hale County west of Sawyerville. The tornado crossed AL Route 14, just north of Sawyerville, intensifying to an EF3 rating with winds of 145 mph. As the tornado continued northeast, it crossed CR 18, CR 21, AL Hwy 69 south of Harper Hill, and CR 29 east of Ingram. Extensive structural damage was noted in the these locations, which resulted in at least 40 injuries and 6 fatalities. Numerous mobile homes and single family homes and one church were damaged or destroyed. Thousands of trees were knocked down. The tornado moved into the Talladega National Forest near Ingram, where it caused significant tree damage to the Bibb County line.
The second segment of this tornado crossed into Hale County, just north of Creehill Creek. This tornado began in Greene County 2.2 miles east of Forkland. The tornado moved northeast into Hale County where it snapped and uprooted hundreds of trees. As the tornado crossed State Highway 14, it strengthened to an EF-2 rating, with maximum winds of 130 mph. Three mobile homes were severely damaged just north of Greensboro. The tornado lifted north of State Highway 25, 2.4 miles west of the Bibb County line.
A tornado touched down near State Highway 14 in Hale County. As it moved northeast, several hundred trees were snapped or uprooted. Several homes and businesses sustained moderate roof damage and a church sustained significant damage to the windows and one wall. Although no injuries were reported, one person remained trapped in their overturned mobile home for several hours. The tornado lifted near State Highway 69.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Hale County, Alabama?
57 tornado events are recorded in Hale County between 1957 and 2025, causing 10 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Hale County?
The strongest tornado on record in Hale County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Hale 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 Hale County, Alabama.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/alabama/hale-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.