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March 3, 2019 · Autauga County · 2019
EF0

March 3, 2019

1:19 PM
Autauga County, Alabama · Near Selma (ZIP 36749)
Fatalities
0
Injuries
0
Path Length
0.6 mi
Max Width
70 yd
DateMarch 3, 2019
Time1:19 PM
CountyAutauga
CitySelma
Property Loss$0
Crop Loss$0
SourceNCEI 813620
NWS Birmingham

2 ENE Mulberry The tornado touched down just to the west of County Road 33, about 6 miles northwest of Autaugaville. At this initial touch down location, very minor tree damage was observed. The tornado tracked northeast to near County Road 33. This is where the most concentrated damage occurred. Several trees were uprooted and a few were snapped off along County Road 33. The tornado then turned more northward and paralleled County Road 33. Very minor tree damage occurred in this area. The tornado lifted just east of County Road 33. The tornado damage path was 0.61 miles long and was 70 yards wide at its widest point. Start: 32.4710/-86.7470 End: 32.4762/-86.7385

NWS EF Scale: F0

Event Narrative

National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in southwest Autauga County and determined that it was consistent with an EF0 tornado, with maximum sustained winds near 75 mph. A brief tornado touched down just to the west of County Road 33 northwest of Autaugaville. It traveled northeast paralleling County Road 33 for a short distance before lifting. Only tree damage was observed along the path with several trees uprooted and some large limbs broken.

Episode Narrative

On the morning of Sunday March 3rd, 2019, an upper-level disturbance moved eastward from the Southern Plains into the southern Gulf Coast States. As favorable upper-level support and deep-layer forcing approached the lower Mississippi River Valley, a surface low pressure developed and moved northeastward into Central Alabama by late morning. Ahead of this surface low, a warm front initially along the Florida Panhandle moved northward allowing for the transport of warm, moist unstable air into southern and southeastern Central Alabama. This frontal boundary eventually became more stationary and stalled out north of the I-85 corridor as the strengthening surface low moved eastward. During this time, a large area of elevated thunderstorms affected portions northern Central Alabama while supercell thunderstorms initiated across the favorable warm sector. As these supercells intensified during the afternoon, parameters became favorable for tornadic thunderstorms in an area along and south of the I-85 corridor.

Outbreak Context

Part of 12-tornado outbreak on March 3, 2019

Shared Episode Narrative

On the morning of Sunday March 3rd, 2019, an upper-level disturbance moved eastward from the Southern Plains into the southern Gulf Coast States. As favorable upper-level support and deep-layer forcing approached the lower Mississippi River Valley, a surface low pressure developed and moved northeastward into Central Alabama by late morning. Ahead of this surface low, a warm front initially along the Florida Panhandle moved northward allowing for the transport of warm, moist unstable air into southern and southeastern Central Alabama. This frontal boundary eventually became more stationary and stalled out north of the I-85 corridor as the strengthening surface low moved eastward. During this time, a large area of elevated thunderstorms affected portions northern Central Alabama while supercell thunderstorms initiated across the favorable warm sector. As these supercells intensified during the afternoon, parameters became favorable for tornadic thunderstorms in an area along and south of the I-85 corridor.

Source Data
NCEI Event ID: 813620

See Also

0.6 mi70 yd wide