Tornadoes and Hail in Alabama, May 27, 1973

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Alabama, May 27, 1973
Start: 1973-05-27T13:30
End: 1973-05-27T19:20
Location: Alabama

May 27, 1973 · 21 events in 13 counties and zones

12 tornado, 8 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 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: 8
Injuries: 253
Property damage: $201 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 21

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

12 tornado, 8 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Marshall

When: May 27, 1:30 PM CST
Where: Marshall County
Rating: F2
Path length: 31.5 mi
Path width: 500 yd
Injuries: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 34.300, -86.620

Tornado, Jackson

When: May 27, 2:15 PM CST
Where: Jackson County
Rating: F2
Path length: 4.3 mi
Path width: 500 yd
Injuries: 4 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 34.600, -85.980

Thunderstorm Wind, Talladega

When: May 27, 2:30 PM CST
Where: Talladega County
Coordinates: 33.280, -86.370

Thunderstorm Wind, Marshall

When: May 27, 2:40 PM CST
Where: Marshall County
Coordinates: 34.220, -86.170

Tornado, Jefferson

When: May 27, 2:56 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Rating: F2
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 500 yd
Injuries: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 33.400, -87.080

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: May 27, 3:04 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 33.570, -86.750

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: May 27, 3:14 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Coordinates: 33.700, -86.580

Tornado, St. Clair

When: May 27, 3:35 PM CST
Where: St. Clair County
Rating: F2
Path length: 8.4 mi
Path width: 500 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 33.700, -86.400

Hail, Etowah

When: May 27, 4:35 PM CST
Where: Etowah County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 33.900, -86.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Tuscaloosa

When: May 27, 4:50 PM CST
Where: Tuscaloosa County
Coordinates: 33.230, -87.620

Tornado, Hale

When: May 27, 5:20 PM CST
Where: Hale County
Rating: F4
Path length: 26 mi
Path width: 800 yd
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 72 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 32.530, -87.800

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When: May 27, 5:25 PM CST
Where: Jackson County
Coordinates: 34.520, -86.050

Tornado, Jefferson

When: May 27, 5:50 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Rating: F3
Path length: 13.5 mi
Path width: 800 yd
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 44 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 33.570, -86.700

Tornado, St. Clair

When: May 27, 5:50 PM CST
Where: St. Clair County
Rating: F3
Path length: 28.1 mi
Path width: 800 yd
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 33.720, -86.550

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: May 27, 5:50 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 33.570, -86.750

Tornado, Perry

When: May 27, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Perry County
Rating: F4
Path length: 11.2 mi
Path width: 800 yd
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 32.780, -87.470

Thunderstorm Wind,

When: May 27, 6:00 PM CST
Where: County
Coordinates: 32.670, -87.830

Tornado, Bibb

When: May 27, 6:16 PM CST
Where: Bibb County
Rating: F4
Path length: 26.7 mi
Path width: 800 yd
Deaths: 5 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 47 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 32.830, -87.280

Tornado, Shelby

When: May 27, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Shelby County
Rating: F4
Path length: 30.2 mi
Path width: 800 yd
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 63 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 33.080, -86.930

Tornado, Talladega

When: May 27, 7:20 PM CST
Where: Talladega County
Rating: F4
Path length: 34.6 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Injuries: 17 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 33.250, -86.450

Tornado, Clay

When: May 27, 7:20 PM CST
Where: Clay County
Rating: F4
Path length: 10.4 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 33.450, -85.900

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Kind
Tornado, Hale	1973-05-27	Direct
Tornado, Jefferson	1973-05-27	Direct
Tornado, Shelby	1973-05-27	Direct

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.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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: 9976848, 9977063, 9977064, 9977065, 9977066, 9977067, 9977068, 9977069, 9977070, 9977071, 9977072, 9977073, 9977074, 9977075, 9977076, 9977077, 9977078, 9977079, 9977080, 9977081, 9977082.