2 NE Ashville - 3 W Silver Lakes Golf Course The tornado touched down just northeast of Ashville along Highway 411. The tornado continued east northeast and caused tree damage. The tornado appeared to intensify as it approached the Coosa River where structural damage became evident. One house was moved off its foundation with a complete loss of roofing materials. Stands of trees were snapped off near their bases, including both hardwoods and softwoods. The tornado then crossed Neely Henry Lake where the tornado was at its widest point and moved into Etowah County. The tornado crossed Highway 77 near Leota Road where numerous trees were either snapped off or uprooted and several structures were damaged by falling trees. The tornado continued east where it narrowed and further intensified toward Green Valley Road. The most intense damage was observed here where several structures suffered complete loss of roofing material and exterior walls. As the tornado entered Calhoun County, it narrowed and weakened and lifted shortly thereafter. The tornado damage path was 15.68 miles long and was 2000 yards wide at its widest point. Start: 33.8552/-86.2398 End: 33.8806/-85.9688

NWS EF Scale: F2

National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in northern St. Clair County and determined that the damage was consistent with an EF1 tornado, with maximum sustained winds near 90 mph. This tornado began just west of the St. Clair/Blount County line near Jones Chapel Loop Road. The tornado crossed Blount Mountain along Walker Gap Road and crossed Crawford Cove Road near Highway 11. Trees in this area were mainly uprooted with only a few snapped off. The tornado continued eastbound and eventually lifted near the Interstate 59 rest area just south of the Ashville exit. The majority of the damage was due to trees falling on structures and power lines.

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.

Part of 16-tornado outbreak on March 19, 2018