EF1 tornado in Marengo County, Alabama

National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in southeast Marengo County and determined that it was consistent with an EF1 tornado, with maximum winds near 100 mph.

A tornado formed along State Route 25 about two miles southwest of the Moores Valley community in extreme southeast Marengo County. The tornado tracked northeast, causing significant tree damage at Friendship Baptist Church, along County Road 56, County Road 55, and Moores Valley Road. The damage path quickly grew to a width of 1000 yards as it crossed into Wilcox County.

An upper-level low over the southwest United States evolved into a negatively-tilted shortwave trough as it moved over the southeastern United States. A warm front steadily moved northward during the morning and afternoon hours on Sunday, April 12. This allowed an unstable air mass to move northward and overspread much of the region. At the same time, very strong wind shear developed over Alabama as the upper trough neared the state.

An initial wave of severe storms affected areas near and north of Interstate 20, involving tornadoes, damaging straight-line winds, and some hail. Through the evening, a second wave of thunderstorms affected the remaining areas of Central Alabama with tornadoes and damaging straight-line winds. Flooding also resulted from training rainfall near and north of Interstate 20. Some roads became impassible or were washed out. This weather event was large in scope and produced severe weather from Oklahoma and Texas, through the southeastern United States, then up the east coast to New York.