Alabama, 1973

Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Alabama, May 8, 1973

May 8, 1973 · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

4 tornado, 3 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
2
Injuries
14
Property damage
$5.5 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
7

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

Tornado, Walker

When
May 8, 3:05 AM CST
Where
Walker County
Rating
F2
Path length
2 mi
Path width
500 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
33.980, -87.380

Thunderstorm Wind, Marengo

When
May 8, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Marengo County
Coordinates
32.400, -87.500

Tornado, Marshall

When
May 8, 4:10 AM CST
Where
Marshall County
Rating
F2
Path length
9.2 mi
Path width
900 yd
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
34.280, -86.280

Tornado, Dekalb

When
May 8, 4:10 AM CST
Where
Dekalb County
Rating
F2
Path length
19.9 mi
Path width
900 yd
Deaths
2 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
12 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
34.330, -86.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Mobile

When
May 8, 5:30 AM CST
Where
Mobile County
Coordinates
30.800, -88.300

Tornado, Monroe

When
May 8, 6:57 AM CST
Where
Monroe County
Rating
F1
Path width
33 yd
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
31.420, -87.430

Thunderstorm Wind, Crenshaw

When
May 8, 8:30 AM CST
Where
Crenshaw County
Coordinates
31.700, -86.200

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

More

Every storm in Alabama in 1973Every state in 1973This day in weather historyThe 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: 9975941, 9975942, 9975943, 9975944, 9975945, 9975946, 9975947.