EF2 Tornado — Perry, Alabama

2022-03-30 · near Vilula, Perry, Alabama

Event narrative

National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in central Perry County and determined that it was consistent with an EF2 tornado, with maximum winds near 115 mph. The tornado began along Dr JJ Howard Road where a path of trees were snapped and uprooted either side of farmland. Additional trees were snapped and uprooted along Albert Turner Sr Memorial Highway. The most significant damage occurred along Fikes Ferry Road where a large swath of pine trees were snapped, pushing the rating to EF2. The tornado continued northeastward, lifting before reaching Highway 14 just north of Radford.

Wider weather episode

A strong storm system approached Central Alabama on the afternoon of March 30th. A line of strong to severe thunderstorms moved west to east across the area during the evening and into the overnight hours. A few discrete supercell storms developed ahead of the main convective line as well. Damage from tornadoes, straight-line winds, and gradient winds ahead of the convective line was reported across numerous counties.

A total of 12 tornadoes occurred across Central Alabama. This included 3 EF2 tornadoes, 7 EF1 tornadoes, and 2 EF0 tornadoes. Widespread, significant tree damage and destruction of some residences occurred along the paths of the most intense tornadoes. There were no fatalities, but 2 injuries were reported in Bibb and Shelby Counties.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (32.5475, -87.2944)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1018972. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.