Your phone screeches. The sirens blare. Rain pelts against the windows as the storm draws nearer. Being placed under a tornado warning is a memorable event.

Imagine finding yourself under a tornado warning 51 times during just 10 years.

It seems unthinkable, but for one town, it’s been the reality of the past decade. Yarbo, Ala. – an unincorporated settlement in Washington County – has seen more tornado warnings than any other place in the nation between 2010 and 2020. That’s nearly three times as many as Oklahoma City dealt with in the same period.

It comes out to five tornado warnings every year.

In Washington County overall, there were 122 tornado warnings and 11 confirmed tornadoes since Jan. 1, 2010.

Alabama and Mississippi tend to experience more marginal/borderline tornado-producing storms, especially during the winter. Many of Oklahoma’s storms are more clear-cut. That may lead to more tornado warnings being issued in Alabama to account for inherent uncertainty.

So next time you find yourself under a tornado warning, imagine being placed under an average of five every year.

It happened in Alabama.