Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Alabama, December 3, 1983

Name: Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Alabama, December 3, 1983
Start: 1983-12-03T16:05
End: 1983-12-03T21:15
Location: Alabama

December 3, 1983 · 43 events in 18 counties and zones

33 thunderstorm wind, 10 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: 2
Injuries: 51
Property damage: $3.2 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 43

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

33 thunderstorm wind, 10 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Tuscaloosa

When: December 3, 4:05 PM CST
Where: Tuscaloosa County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 33.330, -87.550

Tornado, Sumter

When: December 3, 4:20 PM CST
Where: Sumter County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 32.470, -88.300

Thunderstorm Wind, Sumter

When: December 3, 4:24 PM CST
Where: Sumter County
Coordinates: 32.580, -88.180

Tornado, Hale

When: December 3, 4:50 PM CST
Where: Hale County
Rating: F1
Path length: 4 mi
Path width: 60 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 32.830, -87.500

Tornado, Bibb

When: December 3, 5:02 PM CST
Where: Bibb County
Rating: F1
Path length: 10 mi
Path width: 60 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 32.900, -87.430

Thunderstorm Wind, Bibb

When: December 3, 5:06 PM CST
Where: Bibb County
Measured: 58 kt (67 mph)
Coordinates: 32.930, -87.170

Tornado, Bibb

When: December 3, 5:10 PM CST
Where: Bibb County
Rating: F1
Path length: 13 mi
Path width: 60 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 33.000, -87.220

Thunderstorm Wind, Bibb

When: December 3, 5:15 PM CST
Where: Bibb County
Coordinates: 33.200, -87.150

Thunderstorm Wind, Clarke

When: December 3, 5:20 PM CST
Where: Clarke County
Coordinates: 31.520, -87.880

Thunderstorm Wind, Washington

When: December 3, 5:20 PM CST
Where: Washington County
Coordinates: 31.630, -88.320

Thunderstorm Wind, Dallas

When: December 3, 5:20 PM CST
Where: Dallas County
Coordinates: 32.220, -87.380

Thunderstorm Wind, Washington

When: December 3, 5:20 PM CST
Where: Washington County
Coordinates: 31.400, -88.220

Thunderstorm Wind, Perry

When: December 3, 5:25 PM CST
Where: Perry County
Coordinates: 32.620, -87.230

Thunderstorm Wind, Shelby

When: December 3, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Shelby County
Coordinates: 33.100, -86.870

Thunderstorm Wind, Shelby

When: December 3, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Shelby County
Coordinates: 33.280, -86.820

Thunderstorm Wind, Wilcox

When: December 3, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Wilcox County
Coordinates: 32.120, -87.570

Thunderstorm Wind, Clarke

When: December 3, 5:35 PM CST
Where: Clarke County
Coordinates: 31.750, -88.100

Tornado, Shelby

When: December 3, 5:40 PM CST
Where: Shelby County
Rating: F1
Path length: 2 mi
Path width: 60 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 33.170, -87.050

Tornado, Clarke

When: December 3, 5:40 PM CST
Where: Clarke County
Rating: F1
Path length: 5 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 31.650, -87.830

Thunderstorm Wind, Dallas

When: December 3, 5:40 PM CST
Where: Dallas County
Coordinates: 32.330, -87.100

Tornado, Chilton

When: December 3, 5:45 PM CST
Where: Chilton County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 32.850, -86.630

Thunderstorm Wind, Chilton

When: December 3, 5:45 PM CST
Where: Chilton County
Coordinates: 32.830, -86.650

Thunderstorm Wind, Clarke

When: December 3, 5:50 PM CST
Where: Clarke County
Coordinates: 31.700, -87.780

Thunderstorm Wind, Clarke

When: December 3, 5:50 PM CST
Where: Clarke County
Coordinates: 31.520, -87.880

Thunderstorm Wind, Clarke

When: December 3, 5:50 PM CST
Where: Clarke County
Coordinates: 31.920, -87.730

Thunderstorm Wind, Monroe

When: December 3, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Monroe County
Coordinates: 31.580, -87.330

Thunderstorm Wind, Clarke

When: December 3, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Clarke County
Coordinates: 31.580, -87.580

Thunderstorm Wind, Monroe

When: December 3, 6:10 PM CST
Where: Monroe County
Coordinates: 31.700, -87.550

Thunderstorm Wind, Monroe

When: December 3, 6:15 PM CST
Where: Monroe County
Coordinates: 31.580, -87.330

Thunderstorm Wind, Monroe

When: December 3, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Monroe County
Coordinates: 31.580, -87.330

Tornado, Calhoun

When: December 3, 6:37 PM CST
Where: Calhoun County
Rating: F3
Path length: 4 mi
Path width: 150 yd
Deaths: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 51 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 33.580, -85.830

Thunderstorm Wind, Monroe

When: December 3, 6:45 PM CST
Where: Monroe County
Coordinates: 31.580, -87.330

Thunderstorm Wind, Autauga

When: December 3, 6:45 PM CST
Where: Autauga County
Coordinates: 32.430, -86.670

Thunderstorm Wind, Dallas

When: December 3, 6:45 PM CST
Where: Dallas County
Coordinates: 32.350, -87.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Elmore

When: December 3, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Elmore County
Coordinates: 32.600, -86.200

Thunderstorm Wind, Dallas

When: December 3, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Dallas County
Coordinates: 32.320, -86.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Autauga

When: December 3, 7:02 PM CST
Where: Autauga County
Coordinates: 32.430, -86.670

Thunderstorm Wind, Lowndes

When: December 3, 7:10 PM CST
Where: Lowndes County
Coordinates: 32.320, -86.830

Thunderstorm Wind, Lowndes

When: December 3, 7:14 PM CST
Where: Lowndes County
Coordinates: 32.300, -86.420

Thunderstorm Wind, Elmore

When: December 3, 7:15 PM CST
Where: Elmore County
Coordinates: 32.450, -86.100

Thunderstorm Wind, Montgomery

When: December 3, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Montgomery County
Coordinates: 32.200, -86.200

Thunderstorm Wind, Montgomery

When: December 3, 7:50 PM CST
Where: Montgomery County
Coordinates: 32.380, -86.300

Tornado, Russell

When: December 3, 9:15 PM CST
Where: Russell County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 40 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 32.080, -85.080

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 1983 Every state in 1983 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Alabama, 1983

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: 9979785, 9979786, 9979787, 9979788, 9979789, 9979790, 9979791, 9979792, 9979793, 9979794, 9979795, 9979796, 9979797, 9979798, 9979799, 9979800, 9979801, 9979802, 9979803, 9979804, 9979805, 9979806, 9979807, 9979808, 9979809, 9979810, 9979811, 9979812, 9979813, 9979814, 9979815, 9979816, 9979817, 9979818, 9979819, 9979820, 9979821, 9979822, 9979823, 9979824, and more.