40
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
37
Direct injuries
$27.6M
Property damage
Tornado in Henry County, Alabama: 40 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #620 nationally and #41 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Henry County, Alabama: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Henry County is the 2020s, when 12 of the county's 40 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 Henry County archive, tornado makes up 12.2% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #620 for this hazard and #41 within Alabama, putting it in the 78.6 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Apr is the peak month for tornado in Henry County with 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973-12-29 | EF3 | 15.0 mi | 70 yd | Touched down here |
| 1972-01-13 | EF3 | 16.8 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-19 | EF2 | 5.2 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 2002-11-05 | EF2 | 6.0 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 2017-04-05 | EF2 | 10.4 mi | 1,140 yd | Crossed in |
| 2000-12-16 | EF2 | 29.0 mi | 170 yd | Crossed in |
| 1997-01-05 | EF2 | 6.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-08 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1954-03-29 | EF2 | 2.5 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1953-12-06 | EF2 | 2.0 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 5, 2002 | ABBEVILLE | F2 | 1 | 20 | $3.0M |
| Apr 20, 2020 | TUMBLETON | EF2 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Dec 24, 2002 | HEADLAND | F1 | 0 | 8 | $2.0M |
| Apr 24, 2021 | TUMBLETON | EF1 | 0 | 2 | $100K |
| Mar 1, 2007 | ABBEVILLE | EF1 | 0 | 2 | $11.0M |
| Dec 30, 1973 | F3 | 0 | 2 | $2.5M | |
| Jan 13, 1972 | F3 | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Dec 6, 1953 | F2 | 0 | 1 | $25K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 12, 2026 | NEWVILLE | EF1 | $100K |
| Mar 12, 2026 | MURPHY STATION | EF1 | $50K |
| Dec 10, 2023 | EDWIN | EF0 | $50K |
| Jun 14, 2023 | GRABALL | EF1 | $250K |
| Jan 12, 2023 | EDWIN | EF1 | $50K |
| Apr 5, 2022 | KIRKLAND CROSSROADS | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 24, 2021 | TUMBLETON | EF1 | $100K |
| Mar 18, 2021 | HEADLAND | EF0 | $2K |
| Apr 20, 2020 | DANZEY | EF1 | $5K |
| Apr 20, 2020 | TUMBLETON | EF1 | $250K |
Other hazards here
More from Henry County
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The supercell thunderstorm which spawned the tornado in Dale County, produced another tornado which touched down just west of U.S. Highway 431, and tore through the center of Abbeville. It destroyed several single-family homes and mobile homes, and severely damaged numerous other homes and businesses, including the high school. Uprooted trees and power lines littered city streets, with nearly 2,000 residents without electricity. Twenty people were injured, with a half of those hospitalized. A man died when the tornado destroyed his home on Rock Hill Circle. Henry County was declared a state disaster area. Reported by the Henry County EMA.
Tornado touched down just west of County Road 15 in Henry County, Alabama. The tornado continued northeast through the town of Tumbleton, damaging several single family homes. The tornado destroyed a double wide mobile home northeast of Tumbleton, leading to one fatality. The peak damage was noted from Tumbleton|to the mobile home, with winds estimated at 125 mph. The tornado continued northeast, damaging another single family home and outbuildings. The tornado lifted near County Road 53. Special thanks to Henry County Emergency Management and the Henry County Sheriff's Office for providing damage information and aerial imagery.
After the EF-1 tornado crossed into western Henry County from eastern Dale County, it traveled northeast causing sporadic tree damage along County Roads 7 and 40. It then tore through the Bethlehem community, and damaged 51 mobile homes and destroyed 28 others. Two persons were injured when the tornado damaged their mobile home. The tornado overturned a semi on State Road 10 before lifting. The tornado descended two miles southwest of the community of Otho along County Road 97. It destroyed 14 homes and damaged 27 others in Otho. Numerous trees and utility poles were also blown down there and in the Stonebridge subdivision. The tornado exited the northeast part of the county at Lake Eufaula. Henry County was declared a federal disaster area.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Henry County, Alabama?
40 tornado events are recorded in Henry County between 1953 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Henry County?
The strongest tornado on record in Henry County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Henry 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 Henry County, Alabama.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/alabama/henry-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.