Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Alabama, December 26, 1973

Name: Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Alabama, December 26, 1973
Start: 1973-12-26T03:30
End: 1973-12-26T07:45
Location: Alabama

December 26, 1973 · 12 events in 9 counties and zones

10 thunderstorm wind, 2 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: 0
Injuries: 2
Property damage: $50,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 12

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

10 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Mobile

When: December 26, 3:30 AM CST
Where: Mobile County
Rating: F2
Path length: 3.8 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 30.530, -88.220

Thunderstorm Wind, Mobile

When: December 26, 4:24 AM CST
Where: Mobile County
Coordinates: 30.680, -88.030

Thunderstorm Wind, Dallas

When: December 26, 5:15 AM CST
Where: Dallas County
Coordinates: 32.400, -87.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Dallas

When: December 26, 5:45 AM CST
Where: Dallas County
Coordinates: 32.420, -87.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Elmore

When: December 26, 6:40 AM CST
Where: Elmore County
Coordinates: 32.550, -86.220

Tornado, Talladega

When: December 26, 6:50 AM CST
Where: Talladega County
Rating: F2
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 27 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 33.030, -86.080

Thunderstorm Wind, Talladega

When: December 26, 6:50 AM CST
Where: Talladega County
Coordinates: 33.450, -86.100

Thunderstorm Wind, Shelby

When: December 26, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Shelby County
Coordinates: 33.300, -86.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Tallapoosa

When: December 26, 7:30 AM CST
Where: Tallapoosa County
Coordinates: 32.820, -85.750

Thunderstorm Wind,

When: December 26, 7:30 AM CST
Where: County
Coordinates: 31.800, -86.200

Thunderstorm Wind, Covington

When: December 26, 7:30 AM CST
Where: Covington County
Coordinates: 31.320, -86.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Clay

When: December 26, 7:45 AM CST
Where: Clay County
Coordinates: 33.320, -85.750

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.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Alabama in 1973 Every state in 1973 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Alabama, 1973

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: 9978208, 9978209, 9978210, 9978211, 9978212, 9978213, 9978214, 9978215, 9978216, 9978217, 9978218, 9978219.