EF2 Tornado — Chilton, Alabama

2025-03-15 · near Lesile, Chilton, Alabama

Event narrative

A tornado that first impacted parts of Dallas and Autauga counties continued into Chilton County. As it approached County Road 64, it broadened out

and produced another area of maximum value tree snaps, where

acres and acres of pine trees were snapped at 10 to 20 feet above

the ground. It next crossed US Highway 82, where two manufactured

homes had anchoring system failures and were vaulted and

completely destroyed, landing some 200 yards from their original

location. All the occupants were sheltered in a concrete shelter

and came through the storm physically unscathed. As the tornado

crossed Chilton CR 17, a well-built brick home had its roof

completely removed with some exterior wall failure. Again, the

occupant had made the conscious decision to shelter elsewhere

with family members in a basement. EF2-level damage occurred as

the tornado crossed CR 15 and CR 341. As the tornado crossed CR

76, a well-built home suffered damage when doors on the main

level were blown open, with the force of the breach causing

windows in an upper-level bedroom to blow out. A double wide

manufactured home at the back of the property was vaulted and

destroyed. From here, the tornado took a more easterly trajectory

and began to gradually weaken, causing mainly tree damage as it

crossed south central Chilton County, before dissipating in the

West End portion of the city of Clanton. The total path length of the tornado was 24.33 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 → (32.6630, -86.8850)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1233339. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.