Shelby County Tornado 3/16/1973

Shelby County F2 Tornado - March 16, 1973

Damage at mobile home lot.

Damage to a billboard.

Roof damage.

Damage at mobile home lot.

The Shelby County tornado was one of 5 tornadoes that touched down across Alabama on this date. The storms began to intensify around 10 AM CST, and lasted to near 1 PM. All of the tornadoes were rated as F2 or lower. The National Weather Service surveyed the damage area. Here is the summary of the damage. Click on the graphic to get a larger image.

Shelby County Tornado

An F2 tornado hit the Pelham area shortly after Noon CST and stayed on the ground for approximately three miles.

Most of the damage at Pelham was to a mobile home sales lot. The north wing of a shopping center containing about 6 shops was also heavily damaged. There were 5 minor injuries reported.

Shopping center damage.

Damage at mobile home lot.

Structure damage at shopping center.