Piedmont, AL F4 Tornado (Goshen United Methodist Church) – March 27, 1994

The strongest and deadliest tornado of 1994 began at 10:55 a.m. CST about one mile south-southwest of Ragland in St. Clair County. It moved northeast at around 45 to 55 mph, crossing County Highway 144 just southwest of Ragland and destroying several structures east of town.

It then tracked across primarily forested terrain before moving through a camping area on the west side of Neely Henry Lake. A woman was killed there while outside attempting to secure a boat. The circulation crossed the lake just north of the dam and entered Calhoun County. In St. Clair County, 26 homes were damaged, 18 were destroyed, and 20 mobile homes were destroyed.

By 11:04 a.m. CST, the storm moved into Calhoun County, maintaining a steady northeast path. It crossed the north side of Ohatchee and U.S. Highway 431 at approximately 11:20 a.m., where a man was killed when a van was thrown into a ditch. Three others in the vehicle were injured.

The path continued northeast through areas of trees and scattered homes, crossing U.S. Highway 278 several miles west-northwest of Piedmont. The tornado passed about four miles northwest of Piedmont, a community without tornado sirens, and entered Cherokee County at 11:35 a.m. After being on the ground for approximately 40 minutes, the tornado struck Goshen United Methodist Church at 11:39 a.m., located one mile north of the Cherokee/Calhoun County line along County Highway 9. During Palm Sunday services, the roof over the sanctuary shifted and collapsed. Twenty people were killed and 92 were injured.

Reports later indicated that more than 80 calls had been made to 911 while the storm was still in St. Clair County, many miles southwest of the church.

The tornado continued northeast across Cherokee County, reaching the Alabama–Georgia state line near Rock Run at approximately 11:52 a.m., and lifted just over the border.