Huntsville tornado history, and where people shelter today

Three dates come up whenever people in Madison County talk about tornadoes: April 3, 1974; November 15, 1989; and April 27, 2011. Each one reshaped neighborhoods that are full of houses again today. The details below come from National Weather Service records.

April 3, 1974

During the Super Outbreak, a tornado that had formed near Newburg in Franklin County crossed into Limestone County around 7:05 that evening and kept going for 85 miles in Alabama, tearing through Tanner, Harvest and Hazel Green. Half an hour later a second major tornado formed near the same spot on the Tennessee River and followed almost the same track, in places less than a block from the first. The National Weather Service counts 55 deaths, 408 injuries and more than 1,100 buildings destroyed or heavily damaged from that pair. Later that night another tornado hit Redstone Arsenal and south Huntsville, and the last one in Alabama crossed Monte Sano a little after 11 p.m.

November 15, 1989

At about 4:30 on a Wednesday afternoon, a tornado touched down on Redstone Arsenal near Madkin Mountain and moved northeast across Airport Road, through Jones Valley and on toward Brownsboro before lifting in Killingsworth Cove. The NWS rates it F4. It killed 21 people, injured 463, and ran 18.5 miles with a path up to 880 yards wide. Along Airport Road it damaged or destroyed 80 businesses, three churches, about a dozen apartment buildings and more than 1,000 cars. In Jones Valley, 259 homes were destroyed and Jones Valley Elementary School was demolished. It is a reminder that north Alabama tornadoes are not confined to spring.

April 27, 2011

The NWS office in Huntsville tracked 39 tornadoes across its warning area that day, three of them EF-5 and four EF-4, and recorded 100 direct deaths in that area. Madison County was hit by six separate tornadoes and Limestone County by seven. The first EF-5, with peak winds near 210 mph, crossed Limestone and Madison counties, and the NWS names the Tanner community and Hazel Green among the hardest hit. Forecasters there issued 92 tornado warnings in a single day.

Community shelters in Madison County

The Huntsville-Madison County EMA says plainly that Huntsville and Madison have no public safe rooms. Some churches and other buildings may announce they are open during severe weather. Outside the two cities, the EMA's list includes community shelters at:

• Harvest: Asbury Church and the Harvest Youth Club
• Gurley area: Gurley Recreation Center, Killingsworth Cove VFD and the Maysville community shelter
• Monrovia: the community center and Monrovia VFD Station 1
• Meridianville VFD, Moores Mill VFD, Owens Cross Roads Town Hall, Triana, New Hope, Madison Cross Roads (Toney) and Bobo VFD (Ardmore)

Each one is run by its own community with its own rules on opening, pets and capacity, and the EMA neither manages them nor guarantees them. They usually open during a tornado watch, and the EMA's advice is to go during the watch, not after a warning is issued. WAFF reported in April 2026 that new shelters were nearly ready at the Harvest and Bobo volunteer fire departments. Check the EMA's current list before you count on one.

For many families, that gap is the case for a shelter at home, which you can reach in seconds. Compare the underground and above-ground options.

Register your shelter with first responders

If a tornado hits your street, rescuers need to know someone may be underneath the garage floor. The City of Huntsville keeps a confidential storm shelter registry used by fire, police and EMS. For help inside city limits, call the Huntsville Fire Department at 256-427-7401, weekdays 8 to 5. Residents elsewhere in the county are directed to Madison County's registration form. FEMA's guide goes a step further: right after the shelter is built, register the exact latitude and longitude of its entrance with local officials, so crews can dig you out if debris blocks the exit.

Good questions

Should I drive to a community shelter when a tornado warning is issued?

No. The county EMA says the time to go is during the tornado watch, before conditions turn, and that traveling during a warning is dangerous.

Who sees the information in Huntsville's shelter registry?

The city says the registry is used by fire, police and emergency medical services and that all information is confidential.

Do tornadoes hit Huntsville outside of spring?

Yes. The F4 that killed 21 people in south Huntsville struck on November 15, 1989, and FEMA notes tornadoes can occur at any time of year in most of the country.