1998 Oak Grove–Birmingham tornado

In the evening hours of April 8, 1998, a violent and deadly tornado devastated multiple suburban communities of Birmingham, Alabama, primarily Oak Grove, Rock Creek, Edgewater, and McDonald Chapel. The tornado was part of a larger tornado outbreak which included the Great Plains, Dixie Alley, and the Carolinas, tracking for 30.3 miles through Tuscaloosa and Jefferson Counties in Central Alabama, where it would claim 32 lives, injure a further 259, and cause $202.83 million (1998 USD) in damages. The tornado would be known as the Oak Grove–Birmingham tornado and would be given an official rating of F5 on the Fujita Scale.

The tornado began in rural Tuscaloosa County at 7:42 PM CDT, entering Jefferson County shortly after, producing F1 damage. However within minutes, the tornado strengthened to F3 intensity as it entered Oak Grove, where it would destroy the town’s high school and fire station, claiming the lives of 3 people as the tornado destroyed a mobile home. The tornado then intensified further to F5 intensity as it impacted the town of Rock Creek, where many homes were destroyed or swept away. 11 people would be killed here. The tornado struck two power transmission lines just to the east, cutting off power to western Birmingham. The tornado then weakened before striking the town of Sylvan Springs at F4 intensity, where more homes were destroyed and 4 were killed. Shortly thereafter, the tornado would re-intensify to F5 once again, striking the communities of Edgewater and McDonald Chapel. The tornado claimed 14 more lives in this area, with multiple homes being swept away. It then began to weaken as it left McDonald Chapel, entering Northern Birmingham at F3 intensity shortly after, causing substantial damage to homes in the Pratt City Neighborhood. The tornado would then lift a few miles to the east of Birmingham International Airport, 3 miles north of Interstate 20 along Highway 78.

As of 2025, the Oak Grove–Birmingham tornado was the last F5 to hit the state of Alabama before the adoption of the Enhanced Fujita Scale in 2007. Since then, the state would be struck by 2 EF5 tornadoes in 2011, with one impacting Hackleburg and Phil Campbell, while the other would impact Rainsville, killing 71 and 25 people respectively.