2011 Hackleburg–Phil Campbell tornado

During the afternoon hours of April 27, 2011, a large, long-lived and deadly EF5 tornado, commonly known as either the Hackleburg tornado, the Phil Campbell tornado, or simply Hackleburg–Phil Campbell, devastated several towns in rural northern Alabama before tearing through the northern suburbs of Huntsville. It was the deadliest tornado of the 2011 Super Outbreak, the largest tornado outbreak in United States history. The second of four EF5 tornadoes to touch down on April 27, along with the Philadelphia, Mississippi, Smithville, Mississippi, and Rainsville, Alabama tornadoes; the tornado reached a maximum width of 1.25 miles (2.01 km) and was estimated to have had peak winds of 210 mph (340 km/h), and a total path length of about 102 miles (164 km), making it the third-longest-tracked tornado of the entire outbreak after the Cordova–Blountsville EF4 tornado and Enterprise, Mississippi EF4 tornado. Along with the El Reno–Piedmont, Oklahoma tornado that occurred a month later and the 2013 Moore tornado, it is the highest rated wind-speed wise on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

The tornado first touched down at 3:05 p.m. CDT (2005 UTC) southwest of Hamilton, Alabama, before quickly becoming violent and reaching EF5 intensity as it approached and struck Hackleburg, destroying a large portion of the town. The tornado maintained EF5 intensity as it struck Phil Campbell, again sweeping numerous homes off foundations, and then peaking in intensity and width shortly afterwards as it entered more rural areas. It weakened somewhat thereafter but re-strengthened as it hit Tanner (previously hit by two F5 tornadoes in the 1974 Super Outbreak). It weakened after hitting Tanner and lifted just south of the Alabama–Tennessee border at 4:50 p.m. CDT (2150 UTC). In total, the tornado was on the ground for nearly two hours, making it the second-longest lived tornado of the outbreak. Hundreds of homes were either destroyed or reduced to foundations as a result of the tornado.

2011 was a prolific year for tornadoes and tornado-associated fatalities, with multiple destructive outbreaks. In total, this specific tornado killed 71 people across five counties. It was the deadliest single tornado ever to strike the state of Alabama as well as the deadliest in the United States since a 1955 tornado in Udall, Kansas killed 80 people – the Joplin EF5 tornado a month later killed 158. The path of the tornado was about 102 miles (164 km) long and extended across much of Northern Alabama. Damage wrought by the tornado amounted to $1.29 billion (2011 USD), making it the seventh-costliest tornado in United States history, unaccounted for inflation.