EF0 tornado in Blount County, Alabama

National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in extreme northern Blount County and determined that the damage was consistent with an EF0 tornado, with maximum sustained winds near 80 mph. The tornado began on the west side of Highway 53/231, just south of Berry Road, in extreme northern Blount County. The tornado tracked toward the southeast, impacting four chicken houses on the east side of Highway 53/231, just north of Thomas Yates Road. Sections of metal roofing were blown off the buildings. As the tornado continued southeast, some small trees were snapped, along with large branches broken. The tornado lifted on the east side of Hopewell Road.

Six tornadoes and hail up to 3 inches in diameter affected the northern areas of Central Alabama on the afternoon and evening hours of March 19th, with a rare PDS (Particularly Dangerous Situation) Tornado Watch issued for a large portion of Central Alabama. An environment favorable for significant severe thunderstorms developed as a low-amplitude upper-level trough moved into the region with a deepening surface low passing across far north Alabama. These two features resulted in a deep column of strong wind shear with 0-6km Bulk Shear values of 60-70 knots. Additionally, moist southerly flow, warm surface temperatures, and colder temperatures aloft yielded a moderately unstable air mass. Initially, thunderstorms were producing large to very large hail. However, the tornado threat increased in the late afternoon and evening hours as wind speeds at low levels increased with the arrival of a low-level jet.