EF2 Tornado — Pickens, Alabama

2025-03-15 · near Hickory, Pickens, Alabama

Event narrative

National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage

associated with a tornado in Pickens County that began around

4:32 PM on March 15, 2025. The tornado began in a wooded area

north of County Road 2, then moved northeastward across Houston

Windle Road near New Salem Missionary Baptist Church. The tornado

began to intensify as it moved northeastward, reaching EF-

1 strength as it crossed Ray Bass Road where numerous snapped

trees were observed. The tornado continued to intensify, reaching

EF-2 strength with maximum winds around 115 mph as it crossed

Ebenezer Church Road. It likely maintained this strength as it

continued northeastward, crossing Highway 86 where widespread

tree damage was noted. As the tornado moved into the Bostic

community, it destroyed several chicken houses on Russell Farm

Road. One residence on Russell Farm Road sustained significant

roof damage, and one manufactured home to the north of Russell

Farm Road was lifted and displaced. Auger anchoring systems were

pulled from the ground, and the home was severely damaged.

However, the frame was largely intact. The tornado then crossed

Highway 82 on the west side of Gordo. A home sustained

substantial damage to the roof along Highway 159 near the

intersection of County Road 88. There were also numerous uprooted

and snapped trees observed around these locations. The tornado

then tracked on the north side of County Road 88, destroying

several more chicken houses before weakening as it reached Fair

Road, where another home sustained partial roof damage. The

tornado eventually lifted northeast of Zion Road near the

Tuscaloosa County line.

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 → (33.1499, -88.0569)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1233324. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.