Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in Alabama, March 7, 1961

Name: Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in Alabama, March 7, 1961
Start: 1961-03-07T05:30
End: 1961-03-07T23:40
Location: Alabama

March 7, 1961 · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

4 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind, 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: 0
Injuries: 9
Property damage: $1.0 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Colbert

When: March 7, 5:30 AM CST
Where: Colbert County
Coordinates: 34.700, -87.780

Tornado, Fayette

When: March 7, 9:30 PM CST
Where: Fayette County
Rating: F3
Path length: 15 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 33.820, -87.900

Tornado, Walker

When: March 7, 9:30 PM CST
Where: Walker County
Rating: F3
Path length: 5.9 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 33.880, -87.650

Tornado, Cullman

When: March 7, 11:40 PM CST
Where: Cullman County
Rating: F3
Path length: 10.4 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 34.250, -86.730

Tornado, Marshall

When: March 7, 11:40 PM CST
Where: Marshall County
Rating: F3
Path length: 8.9 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Injuries: 8 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 34.330, -86.580

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
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.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Alabama in 1961 Every state in 1961 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Alabama, 1961

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: 9979123, 9979124, 9979125, 9979126, 9979127.