EF1 tornado in Etowah County, Alabama

The tornado initially touched down in Marshall County in Boaz and moved eastward into Etowah County about a half of a mile west of Oak Drive where it snapped and uprooted several pine trees. From there it moved to the east and crossed Broadwell Road and overturned a tractor trailer and a camper. The tornado continued eastward, snapping and uprooting trees along the path. Several barns and small outbuildings sustained roof damage. As the tornado crossed Chumley Road, two mobile homes were overturned while more trees were uprooted. The most extensive damage occurred as the tornado approached Rowen Road. A mobile home was lifted and overturned leaving one person seriously injured and two others with minor injuries. In this same area, two additional mobile homes were destroyed. As the tornado crossed Brow Road, a one story brick home had one third of its roof removed and wind-blown debris was observed on all four sides of the home. The tornado continued further east for approximately 300 yards before dissipating as it approched Sand Valley Road.

An upper trough became negatively tilted as it moved into the Mississippi River Valley. A strong cold front trailed southward from the trough and swept through the state. Ahead of this cold front, an intense derecho moved through central Alabama during the afternoon and evening hours of Monday, March 18th. The morning started out cloudy across Alabama, but as dry air aloft filtered into the state from the southwest, the clouds thinned, allowing surface based instability to increase into the 1250-1750 J/kg range ahead of the developing line of thunderstorms. As the line entered the state from Mississippi, it brought with it damaging straight line winds of widespread reports of 60 to 80 mph, including a measured report of 88 mph. These winds resulted in trees and power lines down across the northern two-thirds of central Alabama. Along with the wind from the derecho, up to two inch hail was reported and eventually a tornado spun up in northern Etowah County. Ahead of the derecho, discrete thunderstorms developed as well. It was within these individual storms where some of the largest hail was reported, including baseball sized hail in Chilton County.