EF1 Tornado — Wilcox, Alabama

2023-03-26 · near Shawnee, Wilcox, Alabama

Event narrative

A unique scenario unfolded between Highway 265 South and Highway 10 East on 3/27/2023. A rapid succession of tornadoes occurred from the same supercell producing three separate tornadoes discernible on high resolution Worldview satellite imagery. This first tornado occurred just southeast of a small lake/pond in between several dirt roads. The tornado began by moving due north on the right side of the lake and dirt road, expanding rapidly to about 500 yards in width and uprooting/snapping many softwood and hardwood trees. It was here that it reached its peak intensity around 110mph as an EF1. The tornado starts moving northeast after this point, quickly beginning an occlusion to the north and northwest which is clearly evident with a narrow convergent path of tree uproots visible on high resolution Worldview satellite imagery. The tornado reached its peak intensity by the small lake with winds around 110mph.

Wider weather episode

A stalled front over northern portions of the area combined with favorable wind shear and instability led to the development of severe thunderstorms. Two tornadoes developed along with several reports of large hail.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (31.9415, -87.2180)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1161246. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.