EF2 Tornado — Franklin, Alabama

2025-02-15 · near Waco, Franklin, Alabama

Event narrative

The tornado quickly formed while embedded within the line of severe thunderstorms late Saturday night. It touched down just south of Russellville Road and east of Harris Creek. There the tornado blew out the doors of a large, metal storage shed and lofted an ATV across the property. The tornado shifted east-northeast just south of Russellville Road and Highway 75 where it uprooted numerous hardwood trees, some of which fell on houses. Residents at this location received advanced National Weather Service warning and took refuge in their tornado shelter before their home was impacted. Several homes also experienced partial roof loss further east on Russellville Road. The tornado shifted north of Highway 24 where the vortex contracted and strengthened. Among uprooted hardwood trees on one property, the upper quarter of a large silo collapsed. Further east, numerous trees were uprooted, some on houses and cars. Near the Highway 78 and Highway 83 junction, a manufactured home was impacted with roof and siding damage. The resident was thankful for the early warning from the National Weather Service as it allowed time for her family to safely seek refuge. The tornado tracked east-northeast of Highway 78 and destroyed several small farm buildings before impacting homes near the McGuire Loop area. Near McGuire Loop and Rocky Glen Road, the tornado knocked down numerous power lines in trees before completely removing the roof of one single-family residence. A brick wall collapsed on an male occupant requiring hospitalization. This is where the strongest intensity of the tornado likely occurred. The tornado traveled to the northeast portion of McGuire Loop where pine trees were snapped. The tornado lifted west of Highway 87.

Wider weather episode

An impactful severe weather event occurred during the late evening of the 15th into the early morning of the 16th. A squall line of severe thunderstorms pushed east across north Alabama, producing widespread wind damage and 6 tornadoes (1 EF-2 and 5 EF-1). Numerous trees, power poles and power lines were knocked down, resulting in road blockages and structural damage.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (34.4791, -87.6587)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1234094. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.