Tornado and Damaging Winds in Alabama, July 5, 1981

Name: Tornado and Damaging Winds in Alabama, July 5, 1981
Start: 1981-07-05T10:20
End: 1981-07-05T17:50
Location: Alabama

July 5, 1981 · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

3 thunderstorm wind, 1 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: 0
Property damage: $3,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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

3 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Fayette

When: July 5, 10:20 AM CST
Where: Fayette County
Rating: F0
Path length: 7.8 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 33.850, -87.620

Thunderstorm Wind, Clay

When: July 5, 2:30 PM CST
Where: Clay County
Coordinates: 33.270, -85.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Calhoun

When: July 5, 2:30 PM CST
Where: Calhoun County
Coordinates: 33.650, -85.830

Thunderstorm Wind, Covington

When: July 5, 5:50 PM CST
Where: Covington County
Coordinates: 31.280, -86.250

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

Every storm in Alabama in 1981 Every state in 1981 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Alabama, 1981

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: 9977349, 9977350, 9977351, 9977352.