page_title: 2011 Hackleburg–Phil Campbell tornado
section_title: Tornado summary
hierarchical_section_title: 2011 Hackleburg–Phil Campbell tornado / Tornado summary
caption_attribution_description: English: Neighborhood in Toney, Alabama destroyed by the 2011 Hackleburg-Phil Campbell, Alabama tornado.
context_page_description: The 2011 Hackleburg–Phil Campbell tornado was an extremely violent and long-tracked EF5 wedge tornado that devastated several towns in rural northern Alabama, before tearing through the northern suburbs of Huntsville and causing damage in rural portions of southern Tennessee on the afternoon and early evening of Wednesday, April 27, 2011. It was the deadliest tornado of the 2011 Super Outbreak, the largest tornado outbreak in United States history. The tornado reached a maximum width of 1.25 miles and was estimated to have had peak winds of 210 mph. The tornado killed 72 people, making it the deadliest tornado in Alabama history, and injured at least 145 others. At the time, it was the deadliest tornado to strike the United States since the 1955 Udall, Kansas, tornado.
context_section_description: The tornado initially touched down in Marion County, Alabama about 5 miles (8.0 km) west-southwest of Hamilton around 3:05 pm CDT and tracked northeast, causing significant tree and roof damage. Damage at the beginning of the path ranged from EF1 to EF2. The tornado reached EF4 strength as it approached U.S. Highway 43. As it neared Hackleburg, moving parallel to Highway 43, the tornado further strengthened to EF5 intensity and widened to 0.75 mi (1.21 km), sweeping away numerous homes along the highway. One large brick home along Hayfield Road was swept completely away, with vehicles from the house thrown 150 yards. Patches of scoured grass were also noted on the property. The tornado maintained EF5 strength as it struck Hackleburg directly, sweeping away numerous homes, destroying three schools, a Piggly Wiggly grocery store, a shopping center, and a Wrangler Jeans plant, and tossing cars as far as 200 yd (180 m) from where they originated. At least one of the homes swept away in Hackleburg was bolted to its foundation, and a brick home in the city's southwest portion had its poured concrete stem walls sheared off at ground level. Extensive wind-rowing of debris was also noted. Jeans from the Wrangler plant reportedly fell from the sky in Courtland, Alabama, roughly 40 miles away. The tornado completely debarked numerous trees in town, and even tore up poured concrete from the ground at one location. Several buildings in downtown Hackleburg were badly damaged as well. According to the Red Cross, 75% of the town was destroyed. 18 people died in the Hackleburg area.  While initially rated as an EF3, after further analysis of the damage in and around Hackleburg, the rating was increased to EF5, making it the first F5 or EF5 tornado in Alabama since the Birmingham tornado of April 8, 1998. The presence of well-built homes swept away, extensive wind-rowing, and cars thrown hundreds of yards were the main factors that led to the EF5 rating in Hackleburg.
  Continuing parallel to Highway 43, the tornado crossed into Franklin County, reducing additional homes to their foundations as it approached the town of Phil Campbell. The tornado then tore through Phil Campbell at EF5 intensity, sweeping away numerous homes, a few of which even had their block foundations destroyed as well. Some of the homes swept away were well-constructed. A 25-foot section of pavement was scoured from a road in town, with chunks of asphalt scattered up to 1/3 of a mile away, and numerous trees were completely denuded and debarked, one of which had a car wrapped around it. Three churches were destroyed, including one that was reduced to a bare slab. Multiple mobile homes were obliterated as well, with their mangled frames tossed up to 50 yards away. An underground storm shelter in town had its concrete roof torn off, and grass was scoured from hillsides.
  EF4 and EF5 damage continued as the tornado exited Phil Campbell and tore through rural areas, sweeping away additional homes as it roughly followed County Roads 81 and 82. The tornado then reached its maximum intensity as it tore through the rural community of Oak Grove, with the damage intensity reaching well into the EF5 range and a path width over a mile wide. Oak Grove suffered a large swath of total devastation as large and well-built brick homes with extensive anchoring were swept completely away, with the debris strewn and wind-rowed long distances through nearby fields. A Corvette was thrown 641 feet and severely mangled, and a vehicle missing from one residence was never found. A large metal chicken house completely vanished, with nothing recovered at the site but a single piece of metal truss, and numerous large trees in this area were completely debarked. A total of 27 people were killed in Franklin County, mainly in and around Phil Campbell. The tornado continued into Lawrence County and maintained EF5 strength as it struck the small town of Mount Hope, where significant devastation was incurred to single-family homes and a restaurant.  Nothing but the foundation and a pile of debris remained
caption: EF3 damage at the Carter's Gin subdivision in Toney.
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