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EF1 tornado in Washington County, Alabama

Tornado March 3, 2019 · Washington County, Alabama

EF1
Rating
2.6 mi
Path length
100 yd
Path width
$50K
Damage as recorded
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 100 yards (0.06 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What EF1 means. On the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF1 is moderate damage: roofs badly stripped, mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned, windows broken, consistent with estimated gusts of 86–110 mph. The rating comes from a survey of the worst damage after the storm, not from a wind measurement, so it says as much about what the tornado hit as about how strong it was.

What the National Weather Service wrote

The tornado began near John Johnston Road and continued east, adjacent to Fairford Road. The tornado lifted roughly just south of Price Rivers Road and just east of Fairford Road. The tornado produced tree damage along its path. snapping both softwood and hardwood trees. The most extensive tree damage was noted near the Sims Chapel Holiness Church. An addition to the church was damaged heavily. The addition was an open facing structure which allowed the wind to get inside. A few structures suffered minor damage along the path, due to downed trees. Based on radar data, the start point of the tornado could have occurred west of John Johnston Road, but this is in a remote area where access is limited.

The wider storm

A cold front moved into the southeast during day. This front moved into a warm and unstable airmass, causing severe thunderstorms to develop. The storms produced 4 tornadoes in southwest Alabama.

Began near Sims Chapel (31.2118, -88.1575).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

3 more tornadoes the National Weather Service filed under this storm episode.

EF1 Washington CountyEF1 Butler CountyEF1 Crenshaw County

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 813539. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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