Tornadoes and Hail in Alabama, November 4, 1988

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Alabama, November 4, 1988
Start: 1988-11-04T13:05
End: 1988-11-04T20:35
Location: Alabama

November 4, 1988 · NWS BHM · 35 events in 24 counties and zones

20 hail, 10 thunderstorm wind, 5 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: 16
Property damage: $2.8 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 35

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

20 hail, 10 thunderstorm wind, 5 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cherokee

When: November 4, 1:05 PM CST
Where: Cherokee County
Coordinates: 34.150, -85.680

Hail, Houston

When: November 4, 1:38 PM CST
Where: Houston County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 31.120, -85.450

Hail, Baldwin

When: November 4, 1:45 PM CST
Where: Baldwin County
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Coordinates: 31.050, -87.850

Hail, Pickens

When: November 4, 3:15 PM CST
Where: Pickens County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 33.220, -87.900

Hail, Lamar

When: November 4, 3:25 PM CST
Where: Lamar County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.030, -88.170

Hail, Russell

When: November 4, 3:45 PM CST
Where: Russell County
Measured: 2.75 in hail
Coordinates: 32.250, -85.200

Hail, Lee

When: November 4, 3:45 PM CST
Where: Lee County
Measured: 2.75 in hail
Coordinates: 32.500, -85.080

Hail, Colbert

When: November 4, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Colbert County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 34.730, -87.880

Tornado, Franklin

When: November 4, 4:20 PM CST
Where: Franklin County
Rating: F3
Path length: 2 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Coordinates: 34.570, -88.080

Hail, Fayette

When: November 4, 4:20 PM CST
Where: Fayette County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 33.680, -87.830

Tornado, Colbert

When: November 4, 4:24 PM CST
Where: Colbert County
Rating: F3
Path length: 45 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Injuries: 16 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 34.580, -88.080

Tornado, Lauderdale

When: November 4, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Lauderdale County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.3 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Coordinates: 34.930, -87.830

Hail, Colbert

When: November 4, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Colbert County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.730, -87.770

Hail, Tuscaloosa

When: November 4, 4:39 PM CST
Where: Tuscaloosa County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 33.420, -87.620

Hail, Tuscaloosa

When: November 4, 4:40 PM CST
Where: Tuscaloosa County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 33.200, -87.570

Hail, Colbert

When: November 4, 4:50 PM CST
Where: Colbert County
Measured: 2 in hail
Coordinates: 34.750, -87.670

Hail, Tuscaloosa

When: November 4, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Tuscaloosa County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 33.080, -87.620

Tornado, Lawrence

When: November 4, 5:05 PM CST
Where: Lawrence County
Rating: F3
Path length: 13 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 34.730, -87.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Pickens

When: November 4, 5:15 PM CST
Where: Pickens County
Coordinates: 33.130, -88.150

Thunderstorm Wind, Walker

When: November 4, 5:25 PM CST
Where: Walker County
Coordinates: 33.750, -87.050

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: November 4, 5:40 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Coordinates: 33.450, -87.150

Thunderstorm Wind, Greene

When: November 4, 5:45 PM CST
Where: Greene County
Coordinates: 32.830, -87.820

Thunderstorm Wind, Bibb

When: November 4, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Bibb County
Coordinates: 33.120, -87.120

Thunderstorm Wind, Marengo

When: November 4, 6:08 PM CST
Where: Marengo County
Coordinates: 32.520, -87.830

Hail, Limestone

When: November 4, 6:15 PM CST
Where: Limestone County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.920, -87.130

Hail, Marengo

When: November 4, 6:25 PM CST
Where: Marengo County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 32.300, -87.800

Hail, Chilton

When: November 4, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Chilton County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 32.950, -86.750

Thunderstorm Wind, Perry

When: November 4, 6:40 PM CST
Where: Perry County
Coordinates: 32.550, -87.320

Hail, Marion

When: November 4, 6:50 PM CST
Where: Marion County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.130, -88.120

Thunderstorm Wind, Bibb

When: November 4, 6:50 PM CST
Where: Bibb County
Coordinates: 32.950, -87.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Marion

When: November 4, 6:50 PM CST
Where: Marion County
Coordinates: 34.120, -87.880

Hail, Russell

When: November 4, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Russell County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 32.250, -85.400

Tornado, Washington

When: November 4, 7:05 PM CST
Where: Washington County
Rating: F2
Path length: 12 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Coordinates: 31.630, -88.320

Hail, Washington

When: November 4, 8:10 PM CST
Where: Washington County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 31.530, -88.050

Hail, Pike

When: November 4, 8:35 PM CST
Where: Pike County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 31.800, -85.970

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 1988 Every state in 1988 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Alabama, 1988 Warnings in Alabama, November 1988

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: 9977195, 9977196, 9977197, 9977198, 9977199, 9977200, 9977201, 9977202, 9977203, 9977204, 9979280, 9979281, 9979282, 9979283, 9979284, 9979285, 9979286, 9979287, 9979288, 9979289, 9979290, 9979291, 9979292, 9979293, 9979294, 9979295, 9979296, 9979297, 9979298, 9979299, 9979300, 9979301, 9979302, 9979303, 9979304.