EF1 Tornado — Wilcox, Alabama

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

Event narrative

The second Estelle tornado began immediately as the prior tornado quickly occluded off to the northwest. This tornado began just east of the prior tornado path causing a narrow swath of tree uproots. It continued to the east for a brief moment before rapidly occluding northward, nearly completing a full cyclonic loop back to the southwest during its occlusion. A distinct convergent path of tree uproots was able to be seen via high resolution Worldview satellite imagery which allowed for the distinction of this tornado from the other two tornadoes in its vicinity. The tornado reached a peak intensity of 100mph and maximum width of 300 yards.

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 → (31.9510, -87.2119)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1161247. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.