A reader asked about other Christmas severe weather events in Alabama. A quick check of the Storm Data database since 1950 revealed three events before today’s possible tornado in Walker County.
December 24, 1964
Three tornadoes were observed across South Alabama. An F2 in Butler County was on the ground for 5 miles. Another F2 was reported in Covington County.
December 24 1997
Three tornadoes struck South Alabama. An F1 tornado touched down briefly near Eunola in Geneva County around 6:39 a.m. Just after 7 a.m., an F2 tornado in Houston County injured 5 people near Wicksburg. A few minutes later, another four people were injured near Newton in Dale County. The F1 twister was on the ground for 2 miles.
December 24, 2002
A swarm of tornadoes struck parts of South Alabama during the early morning hours. Four F0 tornadoes touched down in Clarke, Monroe and Washington Counties during the predawn hours. An F1 tornado cut an 18 mile path near Headland in Henry County just before 7 a.m., injuring 8 people. Several mobile homes were destroyed.
And on Christmas Eve 1988…an early morning F4 at Franklin, Tennessee killed one and injured seven.
One last note…A swarm of five tornadoes plagued the Sunshine State of Florida on Christmas morning in 2006. Four of the tornadoes were rated at F2. One struck near the Daytona Beach Airport, injuring six people.
