Hail, Jefferson
- When
- May 12, 7:19 PM CST
- Where
- Jefferson County
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 33.520, -86.820
Tornadoes and Hail in Alabama, May 12, 1978
12 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 11
- Property damage
- $250,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 15
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, 2 tornado, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Colbert
- When
- May 12, 10:15 PM CST
- Where
- Colbert County
- Coordinates
- 34.750, -87.970
Thunderstorm Wind, Marion
- When
- May 12, 10:27 PM CST
- Where
- Marion County
- Measured
- 58 kt (67 mph)
- Coordinates
- 33.970, -87.920
Thunderstorm Wind, Marion
- When
- May 12, 10:30 PM CST
- Where
- Marion County
- Coordinates
- 34.130, -87.980
Thunderstorm Wind, Lamar
- When
- May 12, 10:48 PM CST
- Where
- Lamar County
- Coordinates
- 33.750, -88.120
Thunderstorm Wind, Limestone
- When
- May 12, 10:55 PM CST
- Where
- Limestone County
- Coordinates
- 34.800, -86.980
Thunderstorm Wind, Lauderdale
- When
- May 12, 10:55 PM CST
- Where
- Lauderdale County
- Coordinates
- 34.920, -87.670
Thunderstorm Wind, Limestone
- When
- May 12, 10:56 PM CST
- Where
- Limestone County
- Coordinates
- 34.770, -86.800
Thunderstorm Wind, Fayette
- When
- May 12, 11:10 PM CST
- Where
- Fayette County
- Coordinates
- 33.650, -87.600
Tornado, Morgan
- When
- May 12, 11:15 PM CST
- Where
- Morgan County
- Rating
- F1
- Path length
- 3.6 mi
- Path width
- 100 yd
- Injuries
- 11 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $250,000
- Coordinates
- 34.450, -87.100
Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson
- When
- May 12, 11:15 PM CST
- Where
- Jefferson County
- Measured
- 56 kt (64 mph)
- Coordinates
- 33.450, -86.970
Thunderstorm Wind, Bibb
- When
- May 12, 11:15 PM CST
- Where
- Bibb County
- Coordinates
- 32.850, -87.170
Thunderstorm Wind, Shelby
- When
- May 12, 11:33 PM CST
- Where
- Shelby County
- Coordinates
- 33.280, -86.880
Tornado, Marshall
- When
- May 12, 11:35 PM CST
- Where
- Marshall County
- Rating
- F1
- Path length
- 8 mi
- Path width
- 200 yd
- Coordinates
- 34.420, -86.350
Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson
- When
- May 12, 11:40 PM CST
- Where
- Jefferson County
- Coordinates
- 33.520, -86.820
What these are
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
- 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
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Kentucky, May 12, 1978
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Mississippi, May 12, 1978
- Tornadoes and Hail in Missouri, May 12, 1978
- Tornadoes and Hail in Illinois, May 12, 1978
- Tornadoes and Hail in Arkansas, May 12, 1978
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Indiana, May 12, 1978
- Tornado and Hail in Louisiana, May 12, 1978
- Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, May 12, 1978
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Kansas, May 12, 1978
- Damaging Winds in Tennessee, May 12, 1978
- Damaging Wind in Iowa, May 12, 1978
- Damaging Wind in Nebraska, May 12, 1978
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: 9978771, 9978772, 9978773, 9978774, 9978775, 9978776, 9978777, 9978778, 9978779, 9979638, 9979853, 9979854, 9979855, 9979856, 9979857.