EF1 Tornado — Tallapoosa, Alabama

2025-02-16 · near Barnesville, Tallapoosa, Alabama

Event narrative

National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in southern Tallapoosa County and determined that a brief EF-1 tornado occurred within a broad area of straight line wind damage. Additional information was provided by a private property owner as well as satellite analysis for areas that were not accessible by roads. The tornado touched down in a remote area over private property east of Lovelady Road and south of Alabama Highway 50. Approximately halfway between Lovelady Road and Barnesville Loop, an area of significant tree damage including multiple snapped and uprooted pines produced a TDS on KMXX radar. The tornado continued northeastward to Barnesville Loop, where another area of concentrated tree damage consisted of multiple

snapped and uprooted trees. At this point, the tornado interacted with a second circulation that was accelerating in from the northwest, and the path of the tornado turned right as the two circulations interacted. While there was minimal damage along the eastern portion of Barnesville Loop, the circulation re-intensified as it crossed Murphy Dam Road and Murphy Lake. A tree was blown on to a home on East Murphy Lane. From there, the continuing TDS intensified over an area inaccessible to the NWS

survey team, and satellite data is inconclusive with regards to tree damage any farther to the east. The tornado dissipated somewhere between East Murphy Lane and Alabama Highway 49 over private property. Maximum winds were estimated at 90 mph.

Wider weather episode

A line of severe thunderstorms ahead of an approaching cold front entered northwest Central Alabama around 11 PM on February 15. Over the next five hours, Severe Thunderstorm Warnings were issued for all 39 counties in Central Alabama as the line moved eastward across the area. Reports of damage were received from nearly all of the 39 counties, and five line-embedded tornadoes were confirmed after storm surveys. The most significant tornadoes, both rated EF1, tracked roughly 18 miles across Hale and Perry counties and approximately 7.5 across Macon County, both causing widespread timber damage and damage to several homes. Montgomery Regional Airport recorded a wind gust of 70 mph as the line passed through just prior to 2:30 AM.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (32.6931, -85.8422)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1228665. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.