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Tornado History

Shelby Tornado History

This county-level tornado history page focuses on Shelby, Alabama. The records below identify 50 tornadoes from 1957 through 2025, including a highest listed rating of F4 (Devastating damage). NOAA damage estimates in this group total at least $36.9M, with 11 deaths and 151 injuries recorded across the listed events.

Key Tornado Statistics

Total Tornadoes50
Total Deaths11
Total Injuries151
Property Damage$36.9M
Avg Length4.8 mi
Avg Width247 yd

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Key Tornado Facts for Shelby, Alabama

Top local patterns from the historical tornado records in this group.

Average 0.7 tornadoes per year (1.6/yr in last decade)
April is the peak tornado month with 14 recorded events
Deadliest tornado: F4 in Shelby, Alabama with 10 deaths
2011 was the most active year with 7 tornadoes
The 2010s had the most tornado activity (13 events)
Longest tornado: 39.35 miles in Shelby, Alabama
Widest tornado: 1,800.0 yards in Shelby, Alabama
Most tornadoes in one day: 3 on Apr 27, 2011

Monthly Distribution

Shows tornado frequency across months of the year, highlighting seasonal patterns and peak tornado periods.

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

Summary: In Shelby, Alabama, April is the most active month with 14 tornadoes.

Annual Tornado Trend

Shows year-by-year tornado counts, making active years and quiet stretches easier to spot.

7530

Summary: 2011 was the most active year with 7 recorded tornadoes.

Tornado Intensity Distribution

Shows the breakdown of tornadoes by EF/F rating.

EF0
F1
EF1
F2
EF2
EF3
F4

Summary: EF1 tornadoes are the most common in this group, with 16 recorded events.

Property Damage Trends

Visualizes reported property damage over time. Bars use a log-like scale so very large damage years do not flatten the rest of the chart.

$25.5M$2.5M$255K$0

Summary: The highest reported property damage year in this group is 1973 with at least $25.5M in NOAA-listed property damage.

Historical Track Sketch

F4 May 27, 19731973F4 January 24, 19641964EF3 March 25, 20212021F2 March 27, 19941994F2 December 27, 19681968F2 March 16, 19731973F2 May 3, 19841984F2 April 29, 19631963EF2 February 6, 20202020EF1 April 27, 20112011F1 April 30, 20052005F1 April 24, 19731973F1 January 10, 19751975F1 January 19, 19881988F1 April 30, 2005EF1 March 25, 2010F1 May 7, 2003EF1 February 26, 2008EF1 April 27, 2011EF1 March 1, 2007EF1 April 15, 2011F1 November 8, 1957F1 December 3, 1983EF1 March 26, 2011EF1 April 27, 2011EF1 May 3, 2009F1 May 3, 1984F1 April 20, 1963F1 February 10, 1990EF1 March 25, 2021EF1 February 17, 2022EF1 March 30, 2022EF1 March 30, 2022EF1 December 29, 2024EF1 March 15, 2025EF1 March 15, 2025EF0 May 3, 2009EF0 December 22, 2011EF0 April 19, 2009EF0 April 15, 2011EF0 March 26, 2009EF0 April 19, 2009EF0 February 27, 2009EF0 February 24, 2016EF0 June 22, 2017EF0 April 14, 2019EF0 April 14, 2019EF0 December 16, 2019EF0 December 29, 2021EF0 March 22, 2022© OpenStreetMap contributors

Notable Tornado Records

The table highlights the strongest and most damaging records in this page's local dataset. Damage totals are NOAA-reported minimum estimates where available.

DateRatingAreaLengthWidthDeathsInjuriesMin. property damage
May 27, 1973F4Shelby, Alabama30.2 mi800 yd163$25.0M
January 24, 1964F4Shelby, Alabama3.3 mi100 yd106$250K
March 25, 2021EF3Shelby, Alabama39.35 mi1100 yd05N/A
March 27, 1994F2Shelby, Alabama12 mi300 yd053$5.0M
December 27, 1968F2Shelby, Alabama5.6 mi33 yd02$250K
March 16, 1973F2Shelby, Alabama4.3 mi33 yd05$250K
May 3, 1984F2Shelby, Alabama1 mi200 yd00$250K
April 29, 1963F2Shelby, Alabama0 mi33 yd00$25K
February 6, 2020EF2Shelby, Alabama9.91 mi700 yd00N/A
April 27, 2011EF1Shelby, Alabama2.79 mi100 yd00$3.7M
April 30, 2005F1Shelby, Alabama11.6 mi100 yd00$400K
April 24, 1973F1Shelby, Alabama4.7 mi800 yd00$250K

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Source And Limits

Data source: NOAA/NCEI. TornadoTrace summarizes historical records for screening and research. Coordinates, damage estimates, narratives, and event details can be approximate, incomplete, revised, or missing. Do not use this page as legal, insurance, engineering, real estate, emergency management, or safety advice.