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EF1 tornado in Bibb County, Alabama

Tornado March 3, 2020 · Bibb County, Alabama

EF1
Rating
6.2 mi
Path length
525 yd
Path width
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 525 yards (0.30 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

National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in far southeast Bibb County and determined that it was consistent with an EF1 tornado, with maximum winds near 110 mph.

The tornado touched down in a heavily wooded area just west of Liberty Road in southeast Bibb County. The tornado intensified to EF1 strength where it knocked a manufactured home off the foundation, and displaced a nearby vehicle. Nearby, extensive tree damage was observed with at least several dozen trees snapped or uprooted. The tornado continued on an eastward path where it continued to cause extensive tree damage, as well as damage to at least three homes along Maude Tower Road and County Rd 29. The tornado then tracked over a heavily wooded area near Trail Branch before crossing Highway 82. It then caused numerous trees to be snapped or uprooted near the Lawley Fire Department and Community Center. The tornado dissipated just east of County Road 36 near Oakmulgee Creek.

The wider storm

A very moist and convergent zonal flow pattern set the stage for several rounds of severe weather across the southern portions of central Alabama on March 3rd/4th. A weak cold front pushed south of I-20 on March 3rd and triggered a cluster of strong to severe storms, including a few weak tornadoes. Another round of severe storms impacted areas south of I-85, producing high winds.

Began near Active (32.8648, -87.0496).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

1 more tornado the National Weather Service filed under this storm episode.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 882927. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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