Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Alabama, March 20, 1976

Name: Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Alabama, March 20, 1976
Start: 1976-03-20T17:55
End: 1976-03-20T23:35
Location: Alabama

March 20, 1976 · 26 events in 14 counties and zones

14 thunderstorm wind, 12 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: 37
Property damage: $3.7 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 26

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

14 thunderstorm wind, 12 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Pickens

When: March 20, 5:55 PM CST
Where: Pickens County
Coordinates: 33.270, -88.100

Thunderstorm Wind, Lamar

When: March 20, 5:55 PM CST
Where: Lamar County
Coordinates: 33.750, -88.120

Tornado, Lauderdale

When: March 20, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Lauderdale County
Rating: F2
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 34.920, -87.270

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: March 20, 9:15 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Coordinates: 33.420, -86.950

Tornado, Lamar

When: March 20, 9:40 PM CST
Where: Lamar County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 33.930, -88.080

Thunderstorm Wind, Lamar

When: March 20, 9:45 PM CST
Where: Lamar County
Coordinates: 33.750, -88.120

Thunderstorm Wind, Fayette

When: March 20, 9:45 PM CST
Where: Fayette County
Coordinates: 33.680, -87.830

Thunderstorm Wind, Marion

When: March 20, 9:55 PM CST
Where: Marion County
Coordinates: 34.130, -87.980

Tornado, Pickens

When: March 20, 10:05 PM CST
Where: Pickens County
Rating: F2
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 33.380, -87.900

Tornado, Madison

When: March 20, 10:08 PM CST
Where: Madison County
Rating: F1
Path length: 4.5 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 34.920, -86.730

Thunderstorm Wind, Limestone

When: March 20, 10:10 PM CST
Where: Limestone County
Coordinates: 34.630, -86.880

Thunderstorm Wind, Walker

When: March 20, 10:15 PM CST
Where: Walker County
Coordinates: 33.750, -87.050

Tornado, Winston

When: March 20, 10:20 PM CST
Where: Winston County
Rating: F2
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 77 yd
Injuries: 6 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 34.020, -87.170

Tornado, Madison

When: March 20, 10:22 PM CST
Where: Madison County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 34.750, -86.520

Tornado, Madison

When: March 20, 10:22 PM CST
Where: Madison County
Rating: F2
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 34.770, -86.520

Tornado, Madison

When: March 20, 10:25 PM CST
Where: Madison County
Rating: F1
Path length: 4.5 mi
Path width: 40 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 34.850, -86.470

Thunderstorm Wind, Tuscaloosa

When: March 20, 10:32 PM CST
Where: Tuscaloosa County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 33.220, -87.620

Thunderstorm Wind, Blount

When: March 20, 10:40 PM CST
Where: Blount County
Coordinates: 33.950, -86.470

Tornado, Cullman

When: March 20, 10:45 PM CST
Where: Cullman County
Rating: F3
Path length: 9.3 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Injuries: 17 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 34.220, -86.730

Tornado, Blount

When: March 20, 10:49 PM CST
Where: Blount County
Rating: F0
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $250
Coordinates: 33.900, -86.620

Tornado, Blount

When: March 20, 10:50 PM CST
Where: Blount County
Rating: F3
Path length: 19.2 mi
Path width: 40 yd
Injuries: 11 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 33.970, -86.620

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: March 20, 10:58 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)
Coordinates: 33.570, -86.750

Thunderstorm Wind, Blount

When: March 20, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Blount County
Coordinates: 34.100, -86.370

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: March 20, 11:15 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Coordinates: 33.550, -86.550

Tornado, Etowah

When: March 20, 11:20 PM CST
Where: Etowah County
Rating: F0
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 34.020, -86.080

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: March 20, 11:35 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Coordinates: 33.520, -86.820

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 1976 Every state in 1976 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Alabama, 1976

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: 9979504, 9979505, 9979506, 9979507, 9979508, 9979509, 9979510, 9979511, 9979512, 9979513, 9979514, 9979515, 9979516, 9979517, 9979518, 9979519, 9979520, 9979521, 9979522, 9979523, 9979524, 9979525, 9979526, 9979527, 9979528, 9979529.