Alabama, 1953

Tornadoes in Alabama, May 1, 1953

May 1, 1953 · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

4 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
9
Injuries
17
Property damage
$303,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

4 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Chilton

When
May 1, 5:15 PM CST
Where
Chilton County
Rating
F2
Path length
1.5 mi
Path width
100 yd
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
33.030, -86.750

Tornado, Clay

When
May 1, 7:30 PM CST
Where
Clay County
Rating
F4
Path length
12.1 mi
Path width
440 yd
Deaths
7 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
12 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
33.220, -85.930

Tornado, Jefferson

When
May 1, 8:00 PM CST
Where
Jefferson County
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
33.620, -86.620

Tornado, Choctaw

When
May 1, 8:00 PM CST
Where
Choctaw County
Rating
F4
Path width
100 yd
Deaths
2 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
32.250, -88.380

What these are

Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

More

Every storm in Alabama in 1953Every state in 1953This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Alabama, 1953

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 9979456, 9979457, 9979458, 9979459.