EF2 Tornado — Macon, Alabama

2023-03-27 · near Tysonville, Macon, Alabama

Event narrative

National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in northwest Macon County and determined that it was consistent with an EF2 tornado, with maximum winds near 125 mph. The tornado touched down in the area of Tysonville Road, with only sporadic tree limbs and small trees uprooted. Damage became more concentrated along County Road 138, where the attached carport of a house was ripped away and destroyed. Numerous trees, mostly pine, were uprooted along a path of several hundred yards. On County Road 40, the damage became more intense, with dozens of trees uprooted.

The top of a grain silo was blown off, with roofing material scattered southward, before the tornado reached the cotton gin in Milstead. Here, the main structure sustained significant damage, with failure of the roofing system and outer walls of the structure, earning the EF2 rating. Most of the inner walls remained standing, and two large buildings adjacent to the main structure only sustained comparatively minor roof and siding damage. Just east of the structures, significant tree damage was observed around a small lake. Along the road and railroad immediately south of the cotton gin, numerous concrete power poles were pulled down in a northward direction across the railroad tracks, and a pivot irrigation system was flipped in a large field. The tornado continued eastward, where the Auburn University E.V. Smith Research Center sustained damage to several buildings on the property, with one farm shed partially collapsing and roofing material blown northward across the road. Widespread tree damage continued along County Road 9 for around three miles, although most of the trees that were uprooted were pine trees. There was also occasional minor damage to roofing on homes, mostly caused by trees. Damage became much more sporadic as the tornado passed through the Franklin community, with only a few trees uprooted. There was a slight uptick of more concentrated tree damage on the east side of County Road 27 before the tornado dissipated.

Wider weather episode

A multi-day severe weather event produced all modes of severe weather across Central Alabama. An upper low parked over the Midwest States and an upper ridge over the Florida Peninsula produced a deep layer of moisture and shear over Alabama. A slow moving surface cold front provided the focus for severe storms late Saturday night and continuing through Monday morning.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (32.4103, -86.0080)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1088203. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.