Alabama, 1988

Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in Alabama, September 16, 1988

September 16, 1988 · NWS BHM · 4 events in 2 counties and zones

3 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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

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

Tornado, Dale

When
September 16, 12:05 PM CST
Where
Dale County
Rating
F1
Path length
4 mi
Path width
50 yd
Coordinates
31.330, -85.720

Tornado, Tallapoosa

When
September 16, 12:30 PM CST
Where
Tallapoosa County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
10 yd
Coordinates
32.830, -85.750

Thunderstorm Wind, Dale

When
September 16, 1:00 PM CST
Where
Dale County
Coordinates
31.330, -85.720

Tornado, Tallapoosa

When
September 16, 3:10 PM CST
Where
Tallapoosa County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.3 mi
Path width
23 yd
Coordinates
32.750, -85.650

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 1988Every state in 1988This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Alabama, 1988Warnings in Alabama, September 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: 9977187, 9977188, 9977189, 9977190.