Alabama, 1997

Hail and Lightning Strike in Alabama, April 21, 1997

April 21, 1997 · NWS BMX · 6 events in 5 counties and zones

5 hail, 1 lightning, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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
1
Property damage
$112,000
Crop damage
$9,000
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.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 hail, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Lauderdale

When
April 21, 2:40 PM CST
Where
Lauderdale County, 8 mi W of Lexington
Measured
1.25 in hail
Property damage
$6,000
Crop damage
$2,000
Coordinates
34.970, -87.500

Half dollar sized hail was covering the ground in Green Hill, in the northern part of the county.

Hail, Lauderdale

When
April 21, 2:45 PM CST
Where
Lauderdale County, Lexington
Measured
1.5 in hail
Property damage
$7,000
Crop damage
$2,000
Coordinates
34.970, -87.370

Walnut sized hail was covering the ground in Lexington, in the northeast part of the county.

Hail, Colbert

When
April 21, 3:06 PM CST
Where
Colbert County, Tuscumbia
Measured
0.88 in hail
Property damage
$5,000
Crop damage
$2,000
Coordinates
34.730, -87.700

Nickel sized hail was reported in Tuscumbia.

Hail, Marion

When
April 21, 5:58 PM CST to 6:05 PM CST
Where
Marion County, Bear Creek
Measured
1 in hail
Property damage
$5,000
Crop damage
$2,000
Coordinates
34.270, -87.700

Dime to quarter size hail was reported between Bear Creek and Hackleburg, in the northern part of the county.

Hail, Winston

When
April 21, 6:40 PM CST
Where
Winston County, 5 mi NE of Haleyville
Measured
0.88 in hail
Property damage
$4,000
Crop damage
$1,000
Coordinates
34.280, -87.550

Nickel size hail was reported at Forkville, in the northwest part of the county.

Lightning, Dekalb

When
April 21, 8:00 PM CST
Where
Dekalb County, Ft Payne
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$85,000
Coordinates
34.460, -85.804 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning struck a hosiery mill and destroyed 15 knitting machines. One employee was injured trying to put out the fire.

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Alabama in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Alabama, April 1997

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: 5592713, 5592714, 5592715, 5592716, 5592717, 5592718.