Tornado outbreak of April 1977
The April 1977 Birmingham tornado was a powerful tornado that struck the northern suburbs of the Greater Birmingham Area in central Alabama during the afternoon of April 4, 1977.
Birmingham tornado
Beginning just a few miles north of Birmingham near Tarrant, the tornado proceeded north through northern Jefferson County producing F5 damage in Smithfield, northeast of Ensley. The tornado, which was at times 3⁄4 mile (1.2 km) wide, was blamed for 22 deaths, more than 125 injuries, and $25 million in damage. Hundreds of homes were completely destroyed, many of which were completely swept away, despite being well-built. Some of the homes built into hillsides even had their cinder-block basement walls swept away. Many trees in the area were snapped and debarked and vehicles were thrown and destroyed. Two dump-trucks were thrown through the air near I-65 as well. Daniel Payne College suffered extensive damage, forcing it to permanently close due to the extent of the destruction.[1] Dr. Ted Fujita followed the tornado and supercell from an airplane and while surveying damage he rated the Smithfield tornado an F5.[2]
Other tornadoes
| State | Total | County | County total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 23 | Jefferson | 22 |
| St. Clair | 1 | ||
| Georgia | 1 | Floyd | 1 |
| Totals | 24 | ||
| All deaths were tornado-related | |||
In addition to this tornado, several other tornadoes were reported from the same system in the Midwest, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and North Carolina. One tornado in Floyd County, Georgia, killed one person, and another fatality was reported east of Birmingham in St. Clair County. The severe weather that day also contributed to the crash of Southern Airways Flight 242, which crashed near New Hope, Georgia, killing 70 people.[citation needed]
The F5 tornado touched down near the end of the path of three other violent tornadoes that struck the Birmingham region in 1956, 1998, and 2011. The 1956 tornado was an F4 that struck McDonald Chapel, before continuing through Edgewater, northern Birmingham, Fultondale, and Tarrant before dissipating, killing 25. In 1998, an F5 tornado touched town in a rural area near Tuscaloosa before tearing through Rock Creek, Sylvan Springs, Edgewater and McDonald Chapel, killing 32. The 2011 tornado was an EF4 that devastated Tuscaloosa before impacting Concord, Pleasant Grove, McDonald Chapel, northern Birmingham, and Fultondale before lifting, killing 64 people.[1]
Tornado table
| FU | F0 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 21 |
Tornadoes confirmed
April 4, 1977
| F# | Location | County | Time (CDT) | Path length | Damage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | ||||||
| F1 | SW of Florence | Rankin | 0600 | 0.1 mile (0.16 km) | ||
| F3 | NE of Philadelphia | Neshoba, Kemper | 0800 | 11.7 miles (18.7 km) | Two homes, two trailers, a store, and a beauty shop were destroyed. A house and other structures were damaged. $85,000 in damage. | |
| F3 | S of Macon | Calhoun | 0900 | 9.1 miles (14.6 km) | A trailer, a house, and a silo were destroyed. Other farm structures were damaged and one person was injured. $25,000 in damage. | |
| Missouri | ||||||
| F0 | SE of Hannibal | Marion | 0930 | 0.2 mile (0.32 km) | ||
| Alabama | ||||||
| F2 | N of Hanceville | Cullman | 1112 | 5.9 miles (9.4 km) | Two homes were badly damaged and two trailers were destroyed. | |
| F2 | SE of Scottsboro | Jackson | 1220 | 6.9 miles (11 km) | 16 homes and four farm buildings were damaged. | |
| F2 | SW of Ragland | St. Clair | 1230 | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) | Two homes were destroyed and three others were badly damaged. | |
| F2 | S of Springville | St. Clair | 1400 | 3.3 miles (5.3 km) | One house and five barns were destroyed in the Springville area. Five other homes and 10 barns were damaged. | |
| F3 | SE of Ashville | St. Clair | 1430 | 7.3 miles (11.7 km) | 1 death - A business, a house, and three trailers were destroyed. A woman was killed by a falling tree. 16 other homes were damaged. | |
| F2 | S of Southside | Etowah | 1430 | 4.7 miles (7.5 km) | Three houses and six trailers were destroyed. 17 outbuildings and nine homes were damaged as well. | |
| F5 | NW of Birmingham to NE of Tarrant | Jefferson | 1500 | 14.7 miles (23.5 km) | 22 deaths - See section above | |
| Kentucky | ||||||
| F1 | N of Elkton | Todd | 1330 | 0.8 mile (1.3 km) | ||
| Georgia | ||||||
| F3 | S of Lindale | Floyd | 1515 | 8.8 miles (14.1 km) | 1 death - Major damage in the Lindale area. 12 trailers were destroyed and nine others were damaged. Four frame homes were destroyed and 20 others were badly damaged. Three farms sustained major damage, and four others sustained lesser damage. 15 people were injured. | |
| F1 | S of Adairsville | Bartow | 1530 | 5.7 miles (9.1 km) | Three trailers, three houses, eight chicken houses, and seven service buildings were destroyed. Multiple other structures were damaged. | |
| F1 | SE of Chatsworth | Murray | 1545 | 2 miles (3.2 km) | ||
| F1 | SE of Dahlonega | Lumpkin | 1900 | 5.2 miles (8.3 km) | Five chicken houses were destroyed and 15 others were damaged. Five homes were damaged, and major tree damage occurred as well. | |
| Indiana | ||||||
| F1 | Edgewood | Madison | 1700 | 0.5 mile (0.8 km) | ||
| North Carolina | ||||||
| F1 | NW of Elkin | Wilkes | 2030 | 6.4 miles (10.2 km) | ||
| Sources: Storm Data for April 4, 1977, Grazulis (1977) | ||||||
April 5, 1977
| F# | Location | County | Time (CDT) | Path length | Damage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | ||||||
| F1 | NE of Sparks | Cook | 0145 | 5.4 miles (8.7 km) | ||
| Virginia | ||||||
| F1 | N of Onancock | Accomack | 0800 | 2 miles (3.2 km) | ||
| Pennsylvania | ||||||
| F2 | SE of Harrisburg | Dauphin | 1550 | 2 miles (3.2 km) | Six homes were destroyed and 29 others were damaged. A woman was injured when her trailer was overturned. | |
| Sources: Storm Data for April 5, 1977, Grazulis (1977) | ||||||
See also
- List of F5 tornadoes
- April 1998 Birmingham tornado
- List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
References
External links
- Storm Data
- List of Birmingham, Alabama killer tornadoes
- April 4, 1977 tornado maps - Tornado History Project
- The Birmingham F5 tornado - Tornado History Project
- NWS Birmingham summary of the April 4, 1977 Smithfield tornado