← Back to Dashboard
March 25, 2021 · Jefferson County · 2021
EF1

March 25, 2021

3:48 PM
Jefferson County, Alabama · Near Center Point (ZIP 35206)
Fatalities
0
Injuries
0
Path Length
4.8 mi
Max Width
700 yd
DateMarch 25, 2021
Time3:48 PM
CountyJefferson
CityCenter Point
Property Loss$0
Crop Loss$0
SourceNCEI 948231
NWS Birmingham

1 NW Ruffner Mountain - 1 N Alton An EF1 tornado formed near the intersection of 8th Ave S and 85th St S in the South Eastlake and South Highlands neighborhoods of northeast Birmingham. It continued northeast into the South Roebuck neighborhood uprooting numerous trees. It made a jog eastward as it crossed the northern end of Ruffner mountain, continuing to uproot and snap numerous trees as it traveled between Highway 11 and Interstate 59 in the Roebuck Plaza neighborhood. The tornado crossed Interstate 459 and dissipated as it reached the Jefferson Memorial Gardens on the southwest side of Trussville. Around 42 homes were damaged, almost all by falling trees. Start: 33.5686/-86.7070 End: 33.6015/-86.6361

NWS EF Scale: F1

Event Narrative

National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in eastern Jefferson County and determined that it was consistent with an EF1 tornado, with maximum winds near 90 mph.||A tornado touched down near the intersection of 8th Ave South and 85th Street South in the South Eastlake and South Highlands neighborhoods of Birmingham. It traveled northeast into the South Roebuck neighborhood uprooting numerous trees. It made a jog eastward as it crossed the northern end of Ruffner mountain, continuing to uproot and snap numerous trees as it traveled between Highway 11 and Interstate 59 in the Roebuck Plaza neighborhood. The tornado crossed Interstate 459 and dissipated as it reached the Jefferson Memorial Gardens on the southwest side of Trussville. Around forty-two homes were damaged, almost all by uprooted trees.

Episode Narrative

A potent storm system affected Central Alabama on Thursday, March 25th. A highly-sheared environment combined with increasing instability produced numerous tornadic thunderstorms. Severe parameters were supportive of significant and long-track supercells, prompting the issuance of a rare High Risk Convective Outlook from the Storm Prediction Center for portions of Central Alabama.||A total of 10 tornado tracks were surveyed in Central Alabama. This included 4 EF3 tornadoes, 3 EF2 tornadoes, and 3 EF1 tornadoes. Damage was significant along the paths of the most intense tornadoes and, unfortunately, injuries and fatalities occurred. |Some storms were cyclic, meaning multiple tornadoes were produced by the same storm. The most impressive tornado of the event was the long-track tornado that traveled nearly 80 miles from Hale County to Shelby County. This ranked as the seventh longest single tornado track in the state of Alabama.

Outbreak Context

Part of 9-tornado outbreak on March 25, 2021

Shared Episode Narrative

A potent storm system affected Central Alabama on Thursday, March 25th. A highly-sheared environment combined with increasing instability produced numerous tornadic thunderstorms. Severe parameters were supportive of significant and long-track supercells, prompting the issuance of a rare High Risk Convective Outlook from the Storm Prediction Center for portions of Central Alabama.||A total of 10 tornado tracks were surveyed in Central Alabama. This included 4 EF3 tornadoes, 3 EF2 tornadoes, and 3 EF1 tornadoes. Damage was significant along the paths of the most intense tornadoes and, unfortunately, injuries and fatalities occurred. |Some storms were cyclic, meaning multiple tornadoes were produced by the same storm. The most impressive tornado of the event was the long-track tornado that traveled nearly 80 miles from Hale County to Shelby County. This ranked as the seventh longest single tornado track in the state of Alabama.

Source Data
NCEI Event ID: 948231
SWDI Tornado ID: 2021-03-25T21:48:38Z_KBMX_H5
SWDI Radar Site: KBMX
SWDI Signature: TVS

See Also

4.8 mi700 yd wide