30 tornadoes touched down in Alabama in January 2023, across 29 counties. That is more than double the January average of 3.4 over the previous 30 years, and the most in any January since records began in 1950.
The busiest day was January 12, 2023, when 16 tornadoes crossed Autauga, Barbour, Bibb and 19 other counties. Tornadoes also broke out on January 3, 2023 (10).
The strongest was an EF3 in Autauga County on January 12, 2023, with a 82.3-mile path up to 1,500 yards wide. 7 people were killed and 20 people injured over the month.
4 of the 30 touched down at night, between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Tornadoes by day
Tornado by tornado
As they happened, with notes from the damage surveys.
- 10:48 AM
EF1 near Russellville
A tornado touched down just west of Shady Grove Road. Damage to a small farm outbuilding and snapped cedar trees were observed. The tornado quickly moved through a residential farm and damaged the roof of a couple farm outbuildings, snapped more large branches, and downed more trees.
- 11:21 AM
EF1 near Linden
National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in northern Marengo County and determined that it was consistent with an EF1 tornado, with maximum winds near 90 mph. The tornado began just southwest of the intersection of Highway 43 and Osprey Drive where a cluster of trees were uprooted and snapped.
- 12:10 PM
EF1 near Marion
National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in northern Perry County and determined that it was consistent with an EF1 tornado, with maximum winds near 95 mph. This short-lived tornado developed and dissipated quickly near Coretta Scott King Highway.
- 12:41 PM
EF0 near Centreville
National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in far southern Bibb County and determined that it was consistent with an EF0 tornado, with maximum winds near 70 mph. The tornado touched down southwest of Liberty Road where several large hard and softwood trees where uprooted.
- 1:18 PM
EF0 near Prattville
National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in central Autauga County and determined that it was consistent with an EF0 tornado, with maximum winds near 75 mph. The tornado touched down along County Road 21 about one mile south of County Road 40 where a few softwood trees were uprooted.
- 1:39 PM
EF1 near Clanton
National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in eastern Chilton County and determined that it was consistent with an EF1 tornado, with maximum winds near 90 mph. The tornado touched down just west of County Road 190 on the Chilton County side of the Coosa River.
- 1:42 PM
EF2 near Prattville
National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in western Elmore County and determined that it was consistent with an EF2 tornado, with maximum winds near 120 mph. The tornado began in a wooded area near the Autauga/Elmore County line, with snapped tree tops observed west of Highway 143.
- 2:31 PM
EF0 near Sylacauga
National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in southwest Clay County and determined that it was consistent with an EF0 tornado, with maximum winds near 85 mph. The tornado touched down along the eastern slopes of Horne Mountain in the Talladega National Forest.
- 3:17 PM
EF0 in Randolph County
National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in far western Randolph County and determined that it was consistent with an EF0 tornado, with maximum winds near 80 mph. The tornado touched down just east of the Clay/Randolph County line near County Road 231.
- 3:27 PM
EF0 in Chambers County
National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in northern Chambers County and determined that it was consistent with an EF0 tornado, with maximum winds near 75 mph. The tornado began near intersection of County Roads 155 and 158.
12 hours later
2:59 AMEF1 near Alexander City
National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in western Tallapoosa County and determined that it was consistent with an EF1 tornado, with maximum winds near 90 mph. The tornado touched down near Raintree Drive, where some trees branches were broken.
- 3:00 AM
EF1 near Montgomery
National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in northern Montgomery County and determined that it was consistent with an EF1 tornado, with maximum winds near 110 mph. The tornado touched down west of Bell Road near Post Oak Lane and Old Creek Road, uprooting a few trees and damaging a carport.
- 3:23 AM
EF0 in Macon County
National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in western Macon County and determined that it was consistent with an EF0 tornado, with maximum winds near 70 mph. This brief tornado began in an inaccessible area southwest of Deer Run Trail, in the town of Shorter.
- 4:07 AM
EF0 near Auburn
National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in far eastern Macon County and determined that it was consistent with an EF0 tornado, with maximum winds near 75 mph.
8 days later
8:05 AMEF2 near Haleyville
National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in western Winston County and determined that it was consistent with an EF2 tornado, with maximum winds near 125 mph. The tornado touched down east of Delmar near County Road 20 where timber damage was observed in addition to minor structural damage.
- 8:09 AM
EF1 near Moulton
A supercell thunderstorm produced a tornado as it traversed a ridge just west of CR 101. Numerous large branches and trees uprooted were observed in this location. As the tornado tracked east of CR 101 toward CR 117, a large number of softwood trees were snapped.
- 9:24 AM
EF2 near Livingston
National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in northern Sumter County and determined that it was consistent with an EF2 tornado, with maximum winds near 120 mph. This tornado began near Sumter Road 24 uprooting trees.
- 9:54 AM
EF2 near Eutaw
National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in eastern Greene County and determined that it was consistent with an EF1 tornado, with maximum winds near 100 mph.
- 10:47 AM
EF2 near Demopolis
National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in southern Hale County and determined that it was consistent with an EF2 tornado, with maximum winds near 115 mph. The tornado touched down in a remote area of Hale County, near Clements Bend on the Black Warrior River.
- 11:30 AM
EF1 near Centreville
National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in northern Perry County and determined that it was consistent with an EF1 tornado, with maximum winds near 105 mph. The tornado touched down near the Cahaba River west of National Forest Road 401D and Barton Road based on a radar estimation of a TDS.
- 12:04 PM
Selma tornado
National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in central Dallas County and determined that it was consistent with an EF2 tornado, with maximum winds near 130 mph. The tornado began just east of Orrville near the intersection of Highway 22 and Cahaba Road.
- 12:15 PM
EF2 in Mobile County
S. Highway 45 near Gulfcrest. The tornado likely continued along rural forested areas east of Citronelle Road and Celeste Road that were inaccessible by the survey team based on radar velocity and tornado debris signatures.
- 12:40 PM
Old Kingston tornado
National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in northern Autauga County and determined that it was consistent with an EF3 tornado, with maximum winds near 150 mph. This long-track tornado began west of Highway 82, where timber damage occurred to farms near the community of Independence.
- 1:54 PM
EF0 in Conecuh County
The tornado briefly touched down approximately 3/4 of a mile east of Nymph Road, where several large limbs were downed. It continued to move to the east-northeast, crossing County Road 29, where it uprooted several trees.
- 2:08 PM
EF2 in Chambers County
National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in eastern Chambers County and determined that it was consistent with an EF2 tornado, with maximum winds near 130 mph. The tornado touched down on County Road 114, about six-tenths of a mile west of Highway 431.
- 2:24 PM
Unrated tornado in Covington County
Additional tornado discovered via Planet Satellite Imagery from the same supercell that spawned several other tornadoes along its track across the CWA on 1/12/2023. This tornado began near Turkey Creek Road carving a narrow path of intermittent tree damage eastward across Johnson Road and Oakey Streak Road.
- 2:46 PM
EF1 in Crenshaw County
The tornado touched down just west of Old Union Road and moved to the northeast. As it crossed Old Union Road, it moved through a grove of trees where dozens of trees were snapped or uprooted.
- 3:25 PM
EF1 near Ozark
National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in far southern Barbour County and determined that it was consistent with an EF1 tornado, with maximum winds near 105 mph.
- 3:38 PM
EF0 near Scottsboro
A post storm assessment, with images provided by Jackson County EMA, showed damaged consistent with a short-lived EF-0 tornado in eastern Jackson County. This assessment was cross referenced with NWS WSR-88D data from Hytop, AL.
- 3:45 PM
EF1 in Henry County
A tornado touched down south of highway 108 between Indian Creek and County Road 68 in northwest Henry County. The first reports of damage occurred along County Road 68 where it uprooted numerous trees and snapped others at the trunk.
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