Event narrative (NOAA)
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 Nation
Other notable tornado events in Alabama
Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.