March 31, 2016
5:18 PM
Pickens County, Alabama
Moderate damage. Estimated winds 86–110 mph.
This tornado began in Mississippi and crossed into Alabama. Figures below are for the Alabama portion of the track. The whole track was 7.8 mi, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries.
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Path length
- 2.1 mi
- Max width
- 500 yd
| Date | March 31, 2016 |
| Time | 5:18 PM |
| County | Pickens |
| Nearest town | Vernon (22 mi) · All tornadoes near Vernon → |
| Property loss | $0 |
| Crop loss | $0 |
| Source | NCEI 626734 |
2.4 NW Stafford - 2.8 NNW Stafford The tornado started in Mississippi and crossed the state line into Pickens County about 2.3 miles south of Highway 82. The tornado tracked northeast and crossed Eagle Road and County Road 30 before dissipating just north of Highway 82. The damage along the path consisted mainly of snapped and uprooted trees. There was some minor damage to a mobile home as the tornado approached County Road 30. Start: 33.4601/-88.2836 End: 33.4843/-88.2628
NWS Birmingham rating: EF1
National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in northwest Pickens County near Stafford and determined that the damage was consistent with an EF-1 tornado. Maximum winds were estimated to be around 100 mph. ||The tornado started in Mississippi and crossed the state line into Pickens County about 2.3 miles south of Highway 82. The tornado tracked northeast and crossed Eagle Road and County Road 30 before dissipating just north of Highway 82. The damage along the path consisted mainly of snapped and uprooted trees. There was some minor damage to a mobile home as the tornado approached County Road 30.
A very warm and unstable air mass developed over west Alabama by the late afternoon on March 31st. Surface air temperatures warmed into the upper 70s with surface dewpoints in the upper 60s. Thunderstorms developed rapidly over Mississippi and spread into central Alabama during the evening hours. 0-6 km Bulk Shear values increased to between 50 and 60 knots and the storms quickly became severe, including tornadoes.
Part of 8-tornado outbreak on March 31, 2016
A very warm and unstable air mass developed over west Alabama by the late afternoon on March 31st. Surface air temperatures warmed into the upper 70s with surface dewpoints in the upper 60s. Thunderstorms developed rapidly over Mississippi and spread into central Alabama during the evening hours. 0-6 km Bulk Shear values increased to between 50 and 60 knots and the storms quickly became severe, including tornadoes.