Alabama, 1978

Tornadoes and Hail in Alabama, April 18, 1978

April 18, 1978 · NWS ATA · 30 events in 21 counties and zones

12 thunderstorm wind, 11 hail, 7 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
33
Property damage
$3.1 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
30

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 thunderstorm wind, 11 hail, 7 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Lauderdale

When
April 18, 1:30 AM CST
Where
Lauderdale County
Coordinates
34.950, -87.670

Tornado, Lawrence

When
April 18, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Lawrence County
Rating
F2
Path length
6.8 mi
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
34.680, -87.380

Tornado, Clay

When
April 18, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Clay County
Rating
F1
Path length
0.3 mi
Path width
100 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
33.170, -85.750

Thunderstorm Wind, Elmore

When
April 18, 6:05 AM CST
Where
Elmore County
Coordinates
32.620, -86.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Elmore

When
April 18, 6:30 AM CST
Where
Elmore County
Coordinates
32.630, -86.030

Thunderstorm Wind, Monroe

When
April 18, 6:50 AM CST
Where
Monroe County
Coordinates
31.500, -87.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Wilcox

When
April 18, 6:50 AM CST
Where
Wilcox County
Coordinates
32.230, -87.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Conecuh

When
April 18, 7:00 AM CST
Where
Conecuh County
Coordinates
31.700, -86.950

Thunderstorm Wind, Butler

When
April 18, 7:30 AM CST
Where
Butler County
Coordinates
31.720, -86.700

Thunderstorm Wind, Houston

When
April 18, 10:00 AM CST
Where
Houston County
Coordinates
31.200, -85.630

Hail, Cullman

When
April 18, 1:25 PM CST
Where
Cullman County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
34.270, -86.870

Hail, Jefferson

When
April 18, 1:50 PM CST
Where
Jefferson County
Measured
2 in hail
Coordinates
33.300, -85.920

Hail, Marengo

When
April 18, 2:00 PM CST
Where
Marengo County
Measured
4 in hail
Coordinates
32.270, -87.720

Tornado, Lowndes

When
April 18, 3:00 PM CST
Where
Lowndes County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
20 yd
Coordinates
32.300, -86.620

Hail, Montgomery

When
April 18, 3:15 PM CST
Where
Montgomery County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
32.300, -86.400

Hail, Etowah

When
April 18, 3:15 PM CST
Where
Etowah County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
33.970, -86.070

Hail, Coffee

When
April 18, 3:15 PM CST
Where
Coffee County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
31.420, -86.230

Hail, Chilton

When
April 18, 3:30 PM CST
Where
Chilton County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
32.920, -86.720

Tornado, Monroe

When
April 18, 5:00 PM CST
Where
Monroe County
Rating
F3
Path length
10.5 mi
Path width
220 yd
Injuries
30 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
31.530, -87.450

Tornado, Coosa

When
April 18, 5:15 PM CST
Where
Coosa County
Rating
F2
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
80 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
33.020, -86.320

Thunderstorm Wind, Butler

When
April 18, 5:30 PM CST
Where
Butler County
Coordinates
31.670, -86.720

Thunderstorm Wind, Dekalb

When
April 18, 5:30 PM CST
Where
Dekalb County
Coordinates
34.270, -85.870

Thunderstorm Wind, Etowah

When
April 18, 5:45 PM CST
Where
Etowah County
Coordinates
34.170, -86.120

Hail, Crenshaw

When
April 18, 7:30 PM CST
Where
Crenshaw County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
31.500, -86.370

Tornado, Coffee

When
April 18, 8:32 PM CST
Where
Coffee County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
100 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
31.580, -86.070

Hail, Dallas

When
April 18, 9:30 PM CST
Where
Dallas County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
32.400, -87.020

Hail, Elmore

When
April 18, 10:21 PM CST
Where
Elmore County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
32.680, -85.930

Thunderstorm Wind, Montgomery

When
April 18, 10:55 PM CST
Where
Montgomery County
Measured
58 kt (67 mph)
Coordinates
32.300, -86.400

Hail, Montgomery

When
April 18, 11:15 PM CST
Where
Montgomery County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
32.380, -86.300

Tornado, Montgomery

When
April 18, 11:38 PM CST
Where
Montgomery County
Rating
F1
Path length
0.7 mi
Path width
420 yd
Injuries
3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
32.250, -86.300

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.
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

More

Every storm in Alabama in 1978Every state in 1978This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Alabama, 1978

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: 9978728, 9978729, 9978730, 9978731, 9978732, 9978733, 9978734, 9978735, 9978736, 9978737, 9978738, 9978739, 9978740, 9978741, 9978742, 9978743, 9978744, 9978745, 9978746, 9978747, 9978748, 9978749, 9978750, 9978751, 9978752, 9978753, 9978754, 9978755, 9978756, 9978757.