Alabama, 1983

Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in Alabama, November 15, 1983

November 15, 1983 · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

5 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind, 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
19
Property damage
$2.6 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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

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

Tornado, Cullman

When
November 15, 12:12 AM CST
Where
Cullman County
Rating
F3
Path length
17 mi
Path width
200 yd
Injuries
19 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
34.100, -86.870

Thunderstorm Wind, Walker

When
November 15, 1:10 AM CST
Where
Walker County
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates
33.750, -87.180

Tornado, Blount

When
November 15, 1:30 AM CST
Where
Blount County
Rating
F2
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
33.820, -86.580

Tornado, Tuscaloosa

When
November 15, 1:30 AM CST
Where
Tuscaloosa County
Rating
F2
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
40 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
33.370, -87.320

Tornado, Cherokee

When
November 15, 2:55 AM CST
Where
Cherokee County
Rating
F1
Path length
0.8 mi
Path width
40 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
34.100, -85.580

Tornado, Baldwin

When
November 15, 7:05 AM CST
Where
Baldwin County
Rating
F1
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
20 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
30.550, -87.720

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.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Thunderstorm Wind, Walker1983-11-15Direct

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

More

Every storm in Alabama in 1983Every state in 1983This day in weather historyThe 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: 9978678, 9978679, 9978680, 9978681, 9978682, 9978683.