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F1 tornado in Montgomery County, Alabama

Tornado March 6, 1996 · Montgomery County, Alabama

Rating

1.0 mi

Path length

80 yd

Path width

$1.2M

Damage as recorded

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NOAA recorded where this tornado touched down but not where it lifted, so it appears as a point. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What F1 means. This tornado was rated on Fujita’s original scale, used until 2007. F1 meant moderate damage: roofs badly stripped, mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned, windows broken; the scale paired it with winds of 73–112 mph, figures later judged too high, especially toward the top of the scale, and revised downward in the Enhanced Fujita scale. Ratings then, as now, came from the damage.

The wider storm

This was the first in a series of tornadoes that caused extensive damage across the southern portion of the city of Montgomery. This short tornado downed trees and power lines and damaged a number of rooftops in the Cloverdale and Normandale sections of Montgomery. The WCOV television tower was toppled by strong wind, too. Wind damage also occurred in the area of the tornado damage.

Began near Montgomery (32.3800, -86.3000).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 5546528. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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