This summary looks back at an estimated F4 tornado from October 25, 1925. Information for this event came from the following resources:
- Thomas Grazulis in Significant Tornadoes
- Newspaper articles via newspapers.com
Here are the stats on this event from Thomas Grazulis:
Hit at 0200 local time. There were 60 injuries and 18 fatalities. The path length was 65 miles and the width 300 yards. Rating given: F4. Crossed the counties of Crenshaw, Pike, Bullock and Barbour.
Details from Grazulis:
- Moved ENE from 5 miles north of Luverne to Comer.
- Dozens of homes destroyed in rural communities near the Crenshaw/Pike County line.
- At least 7 people died in that area. This included 4 children and their aunt in one home and a 105-year-old woman in another.
- These fatalities occurred in the “Good Hope” and “Centenary” communities north of Troy.
Additional Details from newspapers:
This is was an intriguing report that came out of this event:
From the October 29, 1925 edition of The Luverne Journal and The Crenshaw County News:
- The Baptist Church and schoolhouse were destroyed at Chapel Hill.
- Residence of Joe Dean and J.C. Talley house “wrecked and badly damaged”.
- At Centenary: Dwelling of Tom Long was “blown down and blowed away killing Mr. Long and Mrs. Peacock who was more than a hundred years old.”
- The W.G. Hudgens farm near Vernledge sustained tremendous damage. Three tenant houses were “blown into splinters”. Mr. Hudgens home was also destroyed. “The furniture was completely destroyed, two fine milk cows were killed and hogs were seen with backs broken and what chickens were not killed outright were blown away.”
- “One Ford car belonging to a tenant on the farm was blown side ways, turning over and over, carried out into the field and finally crushed and ruined.”
- The Harry Stephens farm was hit. A tenant home was “blown completely away.” The occupants took shelter in a storm pit.
- In Patsburg, the school building was “carried into the river swamp.” The home of W.P. Spradley was demolished. “At this place, a man by the name of Bradley who was rushing tot he home of Mr. Spradley to warn him of the coming cyclone, was severely wounded by a flying piece of glass from the Spradley building.”
- In Pike County, four people were killed near Goodhope Church.
Tornado Path
Since we don’t have official coordinates, I used the information from Thomas Grazulis to map the tornado track. He stated the tornado moved to the ENE from 5 miles N of Luverne to Comer.
Note: Exact tornado path may not be straight and/or continuous.
Newspaper Clippings
Sources:
Grazulis, Thomas P. (1993). Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, VT: The Tornado Project of Environmental Films. Page 800.
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