EF3 Tornado — Calhoun, Alabama

2018-03-19 · near Reads Mill, Calhoun, Alabama

Event narrative

National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in northern Calhoun Calhoun County and determined that the damage was consistent with an EF3 tornado, with maximum sustained winds near 150 mph. The tornado first touched down west of US Highway 431 north of town of Wellington, where it rapidly intensified and widened. It snapped and uprooted numerous trees along US Highway 431. Several homes were damaged by the falling trees. The tornado proceeded eastward across Websters Road and Broughton Road with scattered tree damage. As the tornado crossed Old Sulphur Springs Road, two homes were damaged with scores of trees snapped or uprooted. At Angel Station Road, the tornado filled the valley from one side to the other and caused extensive tree and home damage. An electrical transmission tower line was toppled at this point, but it was believed that flying debris compromised the structure. The tornado continued eastward and destroyed the sanctuary at West Point Baptist Church. Additional structures were severely damaged at the church. The tornado entered the City of Jacksonville where it gained strength into the EF3 category, with winds around 140 mph. It removed most of the roof and the top floor of two buildings in an apartment complex. The tornado affected the entire campus of Jacksonville State University. Several buildings sustained significant damage. The most intense winds remained north of the campus however, mowing down trees and causing direct damage to homes. As the tornado crossed Highway 21, it caused caused major damage to the Merrill Building. It then moved into a highly populated zone, where scores of homes suffered major damage and rendered uninhabitable. The tornado maintained its strength as it crossed Choccolocco Mountain, and winds funneled up the valley uprooting or snapping trees. It caused major damage to a number of homes on the mountainside. Damaged continued all the way up to just south of the peak of the mountain. As the tornado moved down the eastern side of Choccolocco Mountain, it narrowed substantially and became stronger once it reached the valley below. Stands of trees were wiped out with trunks snapped relatively close to ground level. Perhaps the most intense damage along the entire track occurred along Hollingsworth Road, where a site built home was completely destroyed with only a portion of one interior wall left standing. Debris from this home was blown downstream across a field with some evidence of wind rowing. Hay bales adjacent to the home, estimated at 800 pounds each, were thrown up to 300 yards to the east. Maximum winds at this location were estimated at 150 mph. The tornado continued east-southeast and downed thousands of trees in the Talladega National Forest and crossed into Cleburne County just south of County Road 534.

Wider weather episode

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.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (33.8453, -85.9472)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 747007. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.