Decatur, AL Tornado History — 184 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Decatur, AL had?
Decatur has had 184 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 22 violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Decatur?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Decatur was an EF0 on May 27, 2025.
When is tornado season in Decatur?
April is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Decatur, with 53 on record. Spring through early summer (April–June) generally sees the highest activity across most of the central and southern United States.
At a Glance
Recent Tornado Activity Near Decatur
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 103 total, averaging 5.2 per year over this window.
Preliminary tornado reports near Decatur since December 29, 2025
These is a preliminary report, not confirmed tornadoes. It has not yet been through an NWS damage survey, and is not counted in the confirmed totals above.
Preliminary reports are revised, merged, and sometimes withdrawn — historically about 23% are consolidated downward once surveys complete. Ratings are omitted until a survey assigns one.
Confirmed records above are complete through December 29, 2025. NOAA publishes the confirmed archive annually, so tornadoes after that date appear here first and move into the totals above once finalized.
Within 25 miles of Decatur. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center preliminary storm reports, updated daily.
Tornadoes by Decade
Tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita Rating
F0–F5 ratings (pre-2007) are grouped with their EF equivalents. The Enhanced Fujita scale replaced the original Fujita scale in February 2007.
Tornadoes by Month
Casualties on Record Near Decatur
193 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of Decatur since 1950, across 18 events. 1,773 injuries have been reported across all events. 1974 was the deadliest year on record.
The deadliest single event was an EF5 on April 27, 2011, which caused 72 fatalities along a 132.0-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near Decatur
About Tornadoes in Decatur
This overview was written July 28, 2026. The tornado counts and notable-event figures elsewhere on this page reflect the latest data and may differ from this summary.
Decatur sits in Morgan County on the south bank of the Tennessee River, in a stretch of North Alabama that violent tornadoes have crossed repeatedly. An F5 tornado struck on April 3, 1974, killing 28 people and injuring 267 along a 52-mile path, and additional F5 tornadoes tore through the valley the next day, April 4, 1974. A generation earlier, an F4 on April 24, 1955 killed 5 people, and an F4 on March 22, 1952 killed 4 along a 21.6-mile track.
The cool season has produced its own disasters here. On November 15, 1989, an F4 carved an 18.5-mile path up to 880 yards wide, killing 21 people, injuring 463, and causing $275 million in property damage. An F2 on December 18, 1967 killed 2 people, and an EF2 on December 16, 2019 also killed 2.
On April 27, 2011, an EF5 tracked 132 miles across the region, killing 72 people, while a string of weaker EF0 and EF1 tornadoes touched down near Decatur the same day. Recent springs have stayed active: an EF2 on March 25, 2023 caused one death, an EF3 touched down on May 9, 2024, and an EF2 with a 13.15-mile path struck on May 20, 2025 amid a cluster of weaker tornadoes that afternoon.