May 5, 1933

Early in the morning of May 5, 1933, a tornado that was at times a third of a mile wide swept through Bibb and Shelby counties. It carved a track 35 miles long, and killed 20 people as they slept. More than 150 people were injured in Helena, where rescue efforts were hampered by the darkness and the heavy rains that followed the twister.

This storm had been categorized by the National Weather Service as an F4 tornado, and destroyed most of the town of Helena.

Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama or visit the City of Helena Museum.

Damage from the 1933 tornado that struck Helena. (Photo courtesy of the City of Helena Museum)

Damage from the 1933 tornado that struck Helena. (Photo courtesy of the City of Helena Museum)

Damage from the 1933 tornado that struck Helena. (Photo courtesy of the City of Helena Museum)

Damage from the 1933 tornado that struck Helena. (Photo courtesy of the City of Helena Museum)

Damage from the 1933 tornado that struck Helena. (Photo courtesy of the City of Helena Museum)

Damage from the 1933 tornado that struck Helena. (Photo courtesy of the City of Helena Museum)

Historical town marker in Helena, 2017. (Bmbufalo, Wikipedia)

The City of Helena Welcome Center in Helena, Shelby County, is housed in an old Louisville and Nashville Railroad caboose. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, photograph by Robert Culpepper)

The Helena Freight House and Depot in Helena, Jefferson County, was constructed in 1872 by the South and North Alabama Railroad Company. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, photograph by Jimmy Emerson)

The City of Helena Museum in Helena, Jefferson County, is housed in a building originally constructed as the community’s Masonic Lodge. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, photograph by Jimmy Emerson)

For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.