EF2 Tornado — Walker, Alabama

2025-03-15 · near Drifton, Walker, Alabama

Event narrative

This tornado entered Walker County from Tuscaloosa County. The tornado crossed into

Walker County with notable damage in the CR 6 / Tutwiler Road

area. Here, large trees were uprooted and/or snapped. Several

homes sustained roof damage and at least one home had some

windows blown out. Additional damage occurred along Bruner Hill

Road and Bruner Lane. The tornado then tracked through the

Pleasant Field and Bradleytown communities with mainly tree

damage. A few power lines were also noted down in these areas.

The tornado crossed I-22 with a few trees down along CR 22 on the

south side of Cordova. The tornado damage became more pronounced

and consistent as it tracked toward the Argo community.

Widespread tree damage was noted along Highway 78 with many trees

snapped or uprooted. Minor structural damage occurred to a couple

of homes along Mathas Creek Road. The residents of these homes

mentioned getting the warning and sheltering before the tornado

hit. The tornado began to widen as it crossed the Mulberry Fork

and moved into Sipsey. Widespread tree damage was noted in

Sipsey, with many trees snapped. Multiple structures in downtown

Sipsey also sustained damage. Several homes sustained roof damage

with a few having their windows blown out. An anchored manufactured

home was overturned and destroyed. The tornado was likely at its

widest here with a width of approximately 1,000 yards. The

tornado then tracked northeast along Campbellville Road and the

Sipsey Fork River into the Campbellville community. Large swaths

of softwood trees were snapped or uprooted in this area. In

addition, several conventional homes sustained notable structural

damage. At least three homes had significant roof and siding

damage with uplift and partial roof loss. One two-story home here

lost a significant portion of the roof, second floor, and back of

the home. The family here reported getting the warning and

sheltering in their downstairs basement with the pets. A

significant number of softwood and hardwood trees were also

snapped in this area. Due to this, the maximum rating of EF-2 /120 mph was estimated in this location. Further north, the

tornado began to narrow and slowly wind down with sporadic tree

damage noted along Campbellville Road. With the aid of satellite

data, it was determined that the tornado lifted just south of the

Cullman County line near the Mulberry Fork. The total path length of the tornado was 39.48 miles.

Wider weather episode

A significant severe weather event unfolded across Central Alabama on March 15, with 15 tornadoes, several instances of straight-line wind damage, and isolated flooding. An initial round of storms during the early morning brought reports of large hail in Pickens and Walker counties, followed by an afternoon round with several strong, long-track tornadoes. Of the 15 tornadoes, five were rated EF-2 and two were EF-3. Nine of the 15 tornadoes tracked over 10 miles, with the longest path being an EF-2 tornado that traversed 39.48 miles across Tuscaloosa and Walker counties, striking the town of Sipsey. An EF-3 tornado in Plantersville in Dallas County resulted in two fatalities and two injuries, while an EF-2 tornado in Winterboro in Talladega County had one fatality and one injury. The second EF-3 tornado struck Tallapoosa County, reaching peak intensity in Horseshoe Bend National Military Park. Near the end of the event, an EF-2 tornado moved across southern and eastern parts of Troy, with three injuries being documented.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (33.5870, -87.3370)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1233323. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.