Tornadoes and Hail in Alabama, November 15, 1989

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Alabama, November 15, 1989
Start: 1989-11-15T14:15
End: 1989-11-15T21:10
Location: Alabama

November 15, 1989 · NWS BHM · 44 events in 27 counties and zones

32 thunderstorm wind, 7 hail, 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: 21
Injuries: 466
Property damage: $500 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 44

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

32 thunderstorm wind, 7 hail, 5 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Clay

When: November 15, 2:15 PM CST
Where: Clay County
Coordinates: 33.300, -85.950

Tornado, Clay

When: November 15, 2:20 PM CST
Where: Clay County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Injuries: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 33.180, -85.750

Hail, Marion

When: November 15, 2:25 PM CST
Where: Marion County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.130, -87.980

Hail, Colbert

When: November 15, 3:05 PM CST
Where: Colbert County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.700, -87.520

Hail, Colbert

When: November 15, 3:05 PM CST
Where: Colbert County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.750, -87.970

Thunderstorm Wind, Sumter

When: November 15, 3:20 PM CST
Where: Sumter County
Coordinates: 32.480, -88.320

Thunderstorm Wind, Lauderdale

When: November 15, 3:30 PM CST
Where: Lauderdale County
Coordinates: 34.870, -87.530

Thunderstorm Wind, Winston

When: November 15, 3:30 PM CST
Where: Winston County
Coordinates: 34.130, -87.380

Thunderstorm Wind, Colbert

When: November 15, 3:45 PM CST
Where: Colbert County
Coordinates: 34.700, -87.520

Thunderstorm Wind, Colbert

When: November 15, 3:45 PM CST
Where: Colbert County
Coordinates: 34.750, -87.970

Thunderstorm Wind, Elmore

When: November 15, 3:45 PM CST
Where: Elmore County
Coordinates: 32.580, -86.080

Hail, Morgan

When: November 15, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Morgan County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.620, -86.980

Thunderstorm Wind, Lamar

When: November 15, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Lamar County
Coordinates: 34.030, -88.170

Thunderstorm Wind, Coosa

When: November 15, 4:10 PM CST
Where: Coosa County
Coordinates: 33.070, -86.050

Thunderstorm Wind, Morgan

When: November 15, 4:15 PM CST
Where: Morgan County
Coordinates: 34.620, -86.980

Thunderstorm Wind, Bibb

When: November 15, 4:20 PM CST
Where: Bibb County
Coordinates: 32.950, -87.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Tallapoosa

When: November 15, 4:20 PM CST
Where: Tallapoosa County
Coordinates: 33.030, -85.970

Tornado, Madison

When: November 15, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Madison County
Rating: F4
Path length: 12.5 mi
Path width: 880 yd
Deaths: 21 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 463 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250 million
Coordinates: 34.650, -86.650

Thunderstorm Wind, Tallapoosa

When: November 15, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Tallapoosa County
Coordinates: 32.800, -85.650

Thunderstorm Wind, Marion

When: November 15, 4:40 PM CST
Where: Marion County
Coordinates: 34.130, -87.980

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: November 15, 4:40 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Coordinates: 33.330, -87.020

Thunderstorm Wind, Pickens

When: November 15, 4:40 PM CST
Where: Pickens County
Coordinates: 33.250, -88.070

Thunderstorm Wind, Tuscaloosa

When: November 15, 4:40 PM CST
Where: Tuscaloosa County
Coordinates: 33.300, -87.530

Thunderstorm Wind, Winston

When: November 15, 4:40 PM CST
Where: Winston County
Coordinates: 34.300, -87.620

Tornado, Madison

When: November 15, 4:42 PM CST
Where: Madison County
Rating: F4
Path length: 6 mi
Path width: 880 yd
Property damage: $250 million
Coordinates: 34.730, -86.430

Tornado, Randolph

When: November 15, 4:43 PM CST
Where: Randolph County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.3 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 33.150, -85.320

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: November 15, 4:55 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 33.480, -86.770

Thunderstorm Wind, Chambers

When: November 15, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Chambers County
Coordinates: 32.970, -85.320

Thunderstorm Wind, Cullman

When: November 15, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Cullman County
Coordinates: 34.150, -86.870

Thunderstorm Wind, Walker

When: November 15, 5:10 PM CST
Where: Walker County
Coordinates: 33.820, -87.080

Thunderstorm Wind, Calhoun

When: November 15, 5:15 PM CST
Where: Calhoun County
Coordinates: 33.800, -85.820

Thunderstorm Wind, Shelby

When: November 15, 5:18 PM CST
Where: Shelby County
Coordinates: 33.100, -86.770

Hail, Cherokee

When: November 15, 5:20 PM CST
Where: Cherokee County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.180, -85.750

Thunderstorm Wind, Marshall

When: November 15, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Marshall County
Coordinates: 34.420, -86.250

Hail, Jackson

When: November 15, 5:34 PM CST
Where: Jackson County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.670, -86.030

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: November 15, 5:40 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Coordinates: 33.680, -86.680

Thunderstorm Wind, Shelby

When: November 15, 5:48 PM CST
Where: Shelby County
Coordinates: 33.430, -86.620

Hail, Jackson

When: November 15, 5:50 PM CST
Where: Jackson County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.700, -85.880

Tornado, Jackson

When: November 15, 5:55 PM CST
Where: Jackson County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 34.870, -85.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: November 15, 5:55 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph)
Coordinates: 33.570, -86.750

Thunderstorm Wind, Shelby

When: November 15, 5:55 PM CST
Where: Shelby County
Measured: 69 kt (79 mph)
Coordinates: 33.100, -86.870

Thunderstorm Wind, Houston

When: November 15, 8:53 PM CST
Where: Houston County
Coordinates: 31.200, -85.630

Thunderstorm Wind, Henry

When: November 15, 9:05 PM CST
Where: Henry County
Coordinates: 31.570, -85.250

Thunderstorm Wind, Houston

When: November 15, 9:10 PM CST
Where: Houston County
Measured: 62 kt (71 mph)
Coordinates: 31.230, -85.370

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.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Alabama in 1989 Every state in 1989 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Alabama, 1989 Warnings in Alabama, November 1989

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: 9980215, 9980216, 9980217, 9980218, 9980219, 9980220, 9980221, 9980222, 9980223, 9980224, 9980225, 9980226, 9980227, 9980228, 9980229, 9980230, 9980231, 9980232, 9980233, 9980234, 9980235, 9980236, 9980237, 9980238, 9980239, 9980240, 9980241, 9980242, 9980243, 9980244, 9980245, 9980246, 9980247, 9980248, 9980249, 9980250, 9980251, 9980252, 9980253, 9980254, and more.