Russell County tornado history

30 tornadoes touched Russell County, Alabama between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.4 a year. The strongest was rated F3 (Apr 18, 1953). Tornadoes here killed 12 and injured 592 people.

30tornadoes since 1950

F3strongest rating

12killed · 592 injured

39.8 milongest path · 1953

(E)F0(E)F1(E)F2(E)F3(E)F4(E)F5· dots = start point only

By rating

(E)F07

(E)F110

(E)F28

(E)F35

(E)F40

(E)F50

By month

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak month: April.

By decade

’50’60’70’80’90’00’10’20

Strongest tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
Apr 18, 1953	F3	39.8 mi	400 yd	495	8
Mar 13, 1954	F3	7 mi	1,480 yd	20	2
Apr 1, 1981	F3	0.1 mi	100 yd	23	2
Apr 29, 2014	EF3	11.4 mi	1,200 yd	13	0
Mar 31, 1961	F3	8.2 mi	167 yd	7	0
Feb 24, 1961	F2	25.6 mi	10 yd	4	0
Feb 17, 2008	EF2	17.1 mi	1,000 yd	4	0
May 1, 1978	F2	13.2 mi	150 yd	7	0
Apr 30, 1963	F2	11.7 mi	10 yd	0	0
Apr 19, 2009	EF2	3.5 mi	250 yd	0	0
Mar 29, 1991	F2	2 mi	300 yd	16	0
Dec 5, 1954	F2	0.1 mi	10 yd	0	0

Most recent tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured
Apr 6, 2016	EF1	7.5 mi	200 yd	0
Apr 6, 2016	EF0	1.3 mi	75 yd	0
Feb 15, 2016	EF1	6.8 mi	400 yd	0
Feb 15, 2016	EF0	7.1 mi	250 yd	0
Aug 6, 2015	EF0	1.9 mi	250 yd	0
Apr 19, 2015	EF1	0.4 mi	188 yd	0
Apr 19, 2015	EF1	7.6 mi	425 yd	0
Nov 17, 2014	EF1	0.2 mi	100 yd	0
Apr 29, 2014	EF3	11.4 mi	1,200 yd	13
Apr 19, 2009	EF2	3.5 mi	250 yd	0
Apr 10, 2009	EF1	5.9 mi	150 yd	0
Apr 10, 2009	EF1	1 mi	50 yd	2

Deadliest: Apr 18, 1953, F3, 8 killed.

Nearby counties

Chattahoochee County, GA13 Muscogee County, GA18 Lee County, AL45 Stewart County, GA15 Macon County, AL31 Quitman County, GA7 Barbour County, AL45 Bullock County, AL27

Questions

How many tornadoes has Russell County, Alabama had?

30 tornadoes touched Russell County, Alabama between 1950 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database — about 0.4 per year.

What was the strongest tornado in Russell County?

The strongest rating recorded was F3 on Apr 18, 1953, with a 39.8-mile path and 8 deaths.

When is tornado season in Russell County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in April (13 of 30). Tornadoes can occur in any month, so keep alerts on year-round.

Right now: live tornado warnings map · alerts for your location. Dates link to that day’s full storm reports where available (2004 onward).