Tornadoes and Hail in Alabama, March 18, 1981

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Alabama, March 18, 1981
Start: 1981-03-18T10:25
End: 1981-03-18T15:30
Location: Alabama

March 18, 1981 · NWS ATA · 10 events in 7 counties and zones

4 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 3 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: $275,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 10

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

Thunderstorm Wind, Lee

When: March 18, 10:25 AM CST
Where: Lee County
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Coordinates: 32.650, -85.370

Hail, Tuscaloosa

When: March 18, 10:30 AM CST
Where: Tuscaloosa County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 33.250, -87.770

Thunderstorm Wind, Montgomery

When: March 18, 12:01 PM CST
Where: Montgomery County
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph)
Coordinates: 32.300, -86.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Montgomery

When: March 18, 12:10 PM CST
Where: Montgomery County
Coordinates: 32.380, -86.300

Tornado, Montgomery

When: March 18, 12:20 PM CST
Where: Montgomery County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.4 mi
Path width: 40 yd
Property damage: $250
Coordinates: 32.280, -86.000

Hail, Montgomery

When: March 18, 12:20 PM CST
Where: Montgomery County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 32.380, -86.300

Hail, Dallas

When: March 18, 1:25 PM CST
Where: Dallas County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 32.400, -87.020

Hail, Jefferson

When: March 18, 1:45 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 33.570, -86.970

Tornado, Bullock

When: March 18, 1:50 PM CST
Where: Bullock County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.3 mi
Path width: 40 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 32.230, -85.430

Tornado, Clay

When: March 18, 3:30 PM CST
Where: Clay County
Rating: F1
Path length: 13.8 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 33.270, -85.900

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.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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 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: 9976214, 9976215, 9976216, 9976217, 9976218, 9976219, 9976220, 9976221, 9976222, 9976223.