Tornado and Damaging Winds in Alabama, December 6, 1983

Name: Tornado and Damaging Winds in Alabama, December 6, 1983
Start: 1983-12-06T01:50
End: 1983-12-06T04:30
Location: Alabama

December 6, 1983 · NWS AT · 11 events in 8 counties and zones

10 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: 1
Injuries: 23
Property damage: $2.5 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 11

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

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

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: December 6, 1:50 AM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Coordinates: 33.570, -86.870

Tornado, Dallas

When: December 6, 2:51 AM CST
Where: Dallas County
Rating: F3
Path length: 13 mi
Path width: 500 yd
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 19 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 32.400, -87.070

Thunderstorm Wind, Lowndes

When: December 6, 3:10 AM CST
Where: Lowndes County
Coordinates: 32.320, -86.770

Thunderstorm Wind, Autauga

When: December 6, 3:30 AM CST
Where: Autauga County
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 32.700, -86.480

Thunderstorm Wind, Elmore

When: December 6, 3:45 AM CST
Where: Elmore County
Coordinates: 32.600, -86.200

Thunderstorm Wind, Autauga

When: December 6, 3:45 AM CST
Where: Autauga County
Coordinates: 32.530, -86.630

Thunderstorm Wind, Clay

When: December 6, 3:55 AM CST
Where: Clay County
Coordinates: 33.270, -85.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Montgomery

When: December 6, 3:55 AM CST
Where: Montgomery County
Coordinates: 32.200, -86.200

Thunderstorm Wind, Elmore

When: December 6, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Elmore County
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 32.600, -86.200

Thunderstorm Wind, Elmore

When: December 6, 4:15 AM CST
Where: Elmore County
Coordinates: 32.600, -86.200

Thunderstorm Wind, Butler

When: December 6, 4:30 AM CST
Where: Butler County
Coordinates: 31.550, -86.830

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Tornado, Dallas	1983-12-06				Direct

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.

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: 9979828, 9979829, 9979830, 9979831, 9979832, 9979833, 9979834, 9979835, 9979836, 9979837, 9979838.