On the afternoon of March 3, 2019, a violent and long-tracked
EF4
The Enhanced Fujita scale (abbreviated as EF-Scale) rates tornado intensity based on the severity of the damage they cause. It is used in some countries, including the United States, Canada, China, and Mongolia.
The Enhanced Fujita scale repla ...
tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...
struck portions of eastern
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
and western
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
, causing extreme damage along its path.
This tornado was the deadliest tornado in the United States since the
2013 Moore tornado
On the afternoon of May 20, 2013, a large and extremely violent EF5 tornado ravaged through Moore, Oklahoma, and adjacent areas, with peak winds estimated at , killing 24 people (plus two indirect fatalities) and injuring 212 others. The tor ...
, killing 23 and injuring 97.
This tornado was part of a
larger tornado outbreak that affected the
Southeastern United States
The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern por ...
on this same day. This outbreak produced numerous tornadoes across Alabama and Georgia. This was the deadliest and strongest tornado of this outbreak, and the 8th deadliest in Alabama state history.
The tornado first touched down at 2:00 p.m.
CST (3:00 p.m.
EST) near
Society Hill, Alabama, and stayed on the ground for 76 minutes over a path,
ravaging numerous homes and businesses, as well as doing significant tree damage. The tornado killed 23 people along the path, all of them in Alabama, and injured nearly 100 along the entire extent of the path.
The tornado was at its widest point.
The tornado continued into Georgia, causing up to EF3 damage in some areas. The tornado lasted 47 minutes in Georgia and traveled before lifting near
Talbotton, Georgia
Talbotton is a city in Talbot County, Georgia, United States. The population was 970 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Talbot County.
History
Talbotton was founded in 1828 as the seat of the newly formed Talbot County. Both the ...
at 3:16 p.m.
CST (4:16 p.m.
EST).
Meteorological Synopsis
A week before the event took place, the
Storm Prediction Center
The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) is a US government agency
A government or state agency, sometimes an appointed commission, is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight a ...
(SPC) noted that there may be a convective event in their day 8
[The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) classifies the current day as "Day 1", and the next day (Tomorrow) as "Day 2", all the way up to 7 days out "Day 8".] outlook, but there was not enough confidence to issue a 15% outlined area. The SPC continued with this wording but no outline until 3 days before the event, when the SPC outlined a large 15% risk area for most of Alabama and
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
, as well as some states westward.
The confidence in the forecasts continued to grow on a potential for several tornadoes, some being strong over a small corridor of Southern and Eastern Alabama and Central Georgia, where they issued an enhanced risk (level 3 out of 5). They also expanded the slight risk further to the east and south. The SPC maintained an enhanced risk through day 1, and expanding in all directions to include a larger area.
However, this event could have verified as a
high risk had the SPC chosen to issue one.
The 12z surface analysis indicated that a broad area of low pressure was located over the far western
Carolinas
The Carolinas are the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina, considered collectively. They are bordered by Virginia to the north, Tennessee to the west, and Georgia to the southwest. The Atlantic Ocean is to the east.
Combining Nort ...
. An inland
stationary front
A stationary front (or quasi-stationary front) is a weather front or transition zone between two air masses when both air mass is advancing into the other at speeds exceeding 5 knots (about 6 miles per hour or about 9 kilometers per hour) at the g ...
,
baroclinic zone
A weather front is a boundary separating air masses for which several characteristics differ, such as air density, wind, temperature, and humidity. Disturbed and unstable weather due to these differences often arises along the boundary. For in ...
and an associated
warm front
A warm front is a density discontinuity located at the leading edge of a homogeneous warm air mass, and is typically located on the equator-facing edge of an isotherm gradient. Warm fronts lie within broader troughs of low pressure than cold fro ...
extending southwestward across north-central Georgia to extreme southeast
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
. There, a surface low carrying a powerful
cold front
A cold front is the leading edge of a cooler mass of air at ground level that replaces a warmer mass of air and lies within a pronounced surface trough of low pressure. It often forms behind an extratropical cyclone (to the west in the Norther ...
with arctic air and wintry weather southward. The entire feature was moving to the northeast.
Significant
convective available potential energy
In meteorology, convective available potential energy (commonly abbreviated as CAPE), is the integrated amount of work that the upward (positive) buoyancy force would perform on a given mass of air (called an air parcel) if it rose vertically thr ...
(CAPE) was noted offshore in the 12z SPC mesoanalysis. By 18z as the front lifted northward, CAPE of 1000-2500 j/kg was noted over inland areas in the mesoanalysis. Combined with strong 0–6 km bulk shear of about and Storm Relative Helicity of 300-500 m2/s2, the environment was more than favorable for the development of semi-discrete
supercells
A supercell is a thunderstorm characterized by the presence of a mesocyclone: a deep, persistently rotating updraft. Due to this, these storms are sometimes referred to as rotating thunderstorms. Of the four classifications of thunderstorms (s ...
within a
squall line
A squall line, or more accurately a quasi-linear convective system (QLCS), is a line of thunderstorms, often forming along or ahead of a cold front. In the early 20th century, the term was used as a synonym for cold front (which often are accompa ...
capable of producing several potentially strong
tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...
es.
![2019 MD 141](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/2019_MD_141.gif)
At 9:59 a.m. CST, the SPC issued a
mesoscale convective discussion (MCD) giving a 95% chance of a
tornado watch
A tornado watch ( SAME code: TOA) is a severe weather watch product issued by national weather forecasting agencies when meteorological conditions are favorable for the development of severe thunderstorms capable of producing tornadoes. In addit ...
being issued for southern Alabama, southwestern Georgia, and northwestern
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
. The SPC noted the potential for a few potentially strong tornadoes in southern Alabama into west-central Georgia. This included the area where this tornado went over. The SPC cited that several radars had strong, curved
hodograph
A hodograph is a diagram that gives a vectorial visual representation of the movement of a body or a fluid. It is the locus of one end of a variable vector, with the other end fixed. The position of any plotted data on such a diagram is proportio ...
s with little weakness in them; indicative for this strong tornado potential.
Nearly 2 hours later, the SPC issued a tornado watch for Southern Alabama into Northwest Florida.
Less than an hour later, the SPC also issued a tornado watch for a large portion of central Georgia, and a small part of the central
Florida Panhandle
The Florida Panhandle (also West Florida and Northwest Florida) is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida; it is a Salient (geography), salient roughly long and wide, lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia (U. ...
.
Both of these watches cited that "A few tornadoes likely with a couple intense tornadoes possible", and had an 80% chance of 2 or more tornadoes, and a 50% chance of 1 or more significant (EF2 or higher) tornadoes.
A squall line of storms continued to develop along the cold front, with semi-discrete supercells embedded within the line. A few discrete supercells were also noted on radar imagery in southern Georgia, and another developing supercell over Alabama that would later produce this tornado.
Significant tornado parameters
[Significant tornado parameter is an equation that takes into account CAPE, shear, helicity, and moisture. It gives out a number. The higher the number the higher chance that there will be a significant tornado.] increased along the line where the embedded discrete supercell was located was consistently at a 3 to a 4. In addition, a local increase of storm relative helicity to 600 also aided in the development in the strong tornado. All of these parameters in place increased the tornado potential in this area, as noted by an MCD that was issued for a small area exactly 1 hour before the tornado touched down. The SPC noted that the shear and CAPE were maximized, and that strong
tornadogenesis
Tornadogenesis is the process by which a tornado forms. There are many types of tornadoes and these vary in methods of formation. Despite ongoing scientific study and high-profile research projects such as VORTEX, tornadogenesis is a volatile pro ...
will likely occur "within the next 30-60 minutes".
The environment continued to become better suited for a tornado, and at 2:00 p.m. CST, the tornado touched down near
Society Hill, Alabama.
Tornado Event
Alabama
A
tornado warning
A tornado warning ( SAME code: TOR) is a severe weather warning product issued by regional offices of weather forecasting agencies throughout the world to alert the public when a tornado has been reported or indicated by weather radar within the ...
was first issued for
Lee
Lee may refer to:
Name
Given name
* Lee (given name), a given name in English
Surname
* Chinese surnames romanized as Li or Lee:
** Li (surname 李) or Lee (Hanzi ), a common Chinese surname
** Li (surname 利) or Lee (Hanzi ), a Chinese ...
and
Russell Counties at 1:58 pm CST, about two minutes before the tornado first touched down. The
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service (NWS) is an Government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weathe ...
in Birmingham, Alabama noted that "a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located near Tuskegee National Forest".
At 2:00 pm CST, the tornado touched down just southwest of Rogers Road and just northeast of
US 80
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
in northeast
Macon County. The tornado produced EF0 to EF1 damage to trees. The tornado moved over the Macon/Lee County line at 2:03 PM CST as an EF1 tornado, and uprooted trees. A minute later along County Road 29 in Alabama, the tornado remained at EF1 strength. A small church had its doors blown in, the roof removed, and a quarter of the cinder block walls were collapsed. Several trees were here uprooted as well. The tornado intensified as it moved east towards County Road 11, snapping and debarking tree trunks. There was also a barn that had significant loss of roofing material and a home that lost some shingles along C.R. 11. It is noted that weak ground rowing was beginning to be observed at this location. Debris began to spread to the east of C.R. 11, and this is the same time that a debris signature became evident on radar. At this time, the National Weather Service upgraded the tornado warning to a
Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) tornado warning with a radar confirmed tornado. The warning stated that there was "a confirmed large and extremely dangerous tornado" was on the ground.
![CarWrappedAroundTreeBauregardAL](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/CarWrappedAroundTreeBauregardAL.jpg)
One minute later at 2:07 PM CST, the tornado reached its peak intensity immediately south of the intersection of Lee County Road 36 and Lee County Road 39. Numerous large trees snapped at their bases, as well as large trees with very expansive
root
In vascular plants, the roots are the organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often below the sur ...
systems being uprooted and fallen. This area of trees was given a low-end EF4 rating, with estimated winds at . In this area, high-end EF3 damage was observed to numerous homes in the area. A manufactured home was rolled, and its contents were emptied nearby on the track's northern side. In addition, five homes within close proximity where all walls were collapsed, with debris tossed a short distance away from the
foundation
Foundation may refer to:
* Foundation (nonprofit), a type of charitable organization
** Foundation (United States law), a type of charitable organization in the U.S.
** Private foundation, a charitable organization that, while serving a good cause ...
of the homes. A
car
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods.
The year 1886 is regarded as ...
was mangled beyond recognition, and the frame was wrapped around the stub of a snapped and debarked tree. The tornado passed over a small lake. Across the small lake, two houses were leveled. The debris was removed from the foundation. The
anchor bolt
Anchor bolts are used to connect structural and non-structural elements to concrete.. The connection can be made by a variety of different components: anchor bolts (also named fasteners), steel plates, or stiffeners. Anchor bolts transfer diffe ...
screws remained intact on these homes. These two homes received a low-end EF4 rating with winds estimated. Two other houses near the northern path of the tornado were also surveyed. There was considerable damage to these homes, and they received EF3 ratings. The storm crossed County Road 39 slightly weaker but still producing significant damage to numerous homes and trees in the area. The tornado paralleled C.R. 39, where two manufactured homes were demolished, and its debris being scattered. The metal frames of these homes could not be located. There was also severe timber damage to the north of the road. Here, only a badly metal frame to a mobile home remained. A mattress was wrapped a stub of a tree. Nearby a tractor trailer rig was on its side and shoved around a sturdy tree while a nearby site-built home lost nearly all of its exterior walls with debris remaining on or near the home site. There was also evidence of ground scouring here.
The tornado then crossed
SR 51 at high-end EF3 strength. Here, a double-wide manufactured home was moved off of its base and the exterior walls collapsed on a family residence. There was also severe tree damage with large trees being snapped at the bases. The tornado crossed nearby County Road 38, entering a heavily
wooded
A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...
area, causing significant tree damage. There was also some damage to surrounding homes. At this time, the National Weather Service upgraded the active PDS tornado warning to a rare
tornado emergency
A tornado emergency is an enhanced version of a tornado warning, which is used by the National Weather Service (NWS) in the United States during imminent, significant tornado occurrences in highly populated areas. Although it is not a new warning ...
, stating that a "large and destructive tornado was located near Griffen Mill, or 11 miles southeast of Auburn, moving east at 60 mph." A minute later, the tornado exited the wooded area after snapping several trees. It crossed County Road 100, causing significant tree damage and ripping the roof off of a house and shifting another house off of its foundation. It then crossed County Road 166, demolishing several manufactured homes in that area and continuing to produce significant tree damage.
![Beauregard Tornado Tree Damage](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/Beauregard_Tornado_Tree_Damage.jpg)
As the tornado progressed over a wooded area and reached County Road 165, a family residence suffered severe damage as the exterior walls were collapsed, and another home suffered severe roof damage. A mobile home was also flipped, and its debris scattered about. As the tornado continued moving northeastward, tree damage Continued to occur. It reached County Road 175, where a home suffered significant loss of
roofing, and trees were snapped at the trunks. The tornado weakened as it crossed County Road 240, where damage to homes and trees continued. It moved over a rural area crossing County Roads 245 and 179, causing tree damage and minor roof damage. The tornado then passed through northern areas of
Smiths Station. Less significant damage occurred than previously happened. A mobile home was flipped, and several constructed homes suffered roofing and siding damages. Tree damage also continued to occur. The tornado moved over rural areas, continuing its timber and tree damage. The tornado approached the
Chattahoochee River
The Chattahoochee River forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida - Georgia border. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chatta ...
, where it caused roof damage to a few homes in that area. Significant tree damage was also observed here. The tornado crossed the river and continued in
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
.
Georgia
The tornado crossed the Alabama/Georgia border at the Chattahoochee River 29 minutes after
tornadogenesis
Tornadogenesis is the process by which a tornado forms. There are many types of tornadoes and these vary in methods of formation. Despite ongoing scientific study and high-profile research projects such as VORTEX, tornadogenesis is a volatile pro ...
occurred. At 3:29 PM EST after crossing the river, the tornado continued moving quickly to the east-northeast, causing a wide swath of trees being uprooted or snapped near the base of the ground. The tornado was consistently an EF1 during this time. The tornado rapidly strengthened during the next 10 minutes. At 3:39 PM EST the tornado crossed
Highway 27
Route 27, or Highway 27, may refer to:
Australia
* Burke Developmental Road (Queensland)
* Zeehan Highway (Tasmania)
Canada
* Alberta Highway 27
* British Columbia Highway 27
* Manitoba Highway 27
* Prince Edward Island Route 27
* Saskatchewan ...
and caused a swath of EF3 damage to pine trees, and toppled a
cellular tower
A cell site, cell tower, or cellular base station is a cellular-enabled mobile device site where antennas and electronic communications equipment are placed (typically on a radio mast, tower, or other raised structure) to create a cell, or adjac ...
. In addition, 12 metal guidewires over thick were snapped.
The tornado weakened immediately after this back down to an EF1 intensity. A wide swath of hundreds of snapped and uprooted trees persisted along this portion of the track to the south and west of
Ellerslie, Georgia
Ellerslie is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Harris County, Georgia, United States. Ellerslie is a part of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area.
It was first listed as a CDP in the 2020 census with a populat ...
. Minor roof damage was reported on several homes along the path in this rural area of Georgia. The tornado reached the southern side of Ellerslie at 3:47 PM EST. The tornado continued to parallel
Highway 315 where hundreds more trees were snapped or uprooted. Some shingles were pulled off of several homes, with one home sustaining damage to the top floor. The tornado continued to push Northeastward, were numerous trees were downed. Another home sustained severe damage to the top floor, with several homes nearby sustaining minor shingles, and a
carport
A carport is a covered structure used to offer limited protection to vehicles, primarily cars, from rain and snow. The structure can either be free standing or attached to a wall. Unlike most structures, a carport does not have four walls, and us ...
being destroyed.
The tornado crossed Ridgeway Road, located just to the north of Highway 315. EF2 damage continued to be reported in this location, with dozens of softwood trees being snapped at their bases. The tornado eventually ran into Highway 315 as the highway winds perpendicular to the tornado's path at this point. The tornado continued causing EF1 to EF2 damage to trees along a wide swath. At 3:54 PM EST, the tornado crossed into
Talbot County, Georgia
Talbot County is a county located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. The 2020 census showed a population of 5,733. The county seat and largest city is Talbotton.
History
Talbot County was created from a portion of Musco ...
. The tornado continued its long swath of EF1 to EF2 damage. The tornado intensified again into an EF3 tornado, causing significant damage to a mobile trailer home, dozens of trees, and a two-story home. In addition, the Humble Zion Church was completely demolished. None of its brick and cinderblock walls were left standing. The tornado continued northeastward, weakening significantly. EF-1 wind damage was found consistently through forested areas in and around Hwy 315, along Callier Rd, O'Neal Rd, and Mitchell Rd. The tornado then approached
Talbotton, Georgia
Talbotton is a city in Talbot County, Georgia, United States. The population was 970 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Talbot County.
History
Talbotton was founded in 1828 as the seat of the newly formed Talbot County. Both the ...
, continuing to cause moderate tree damage and minor roof damage to homes that were in the path.
At 4:03 PM EST, the tornado moved into the northern side of Talbotton. Trees were observed to be snapped going into town along Adams Road. The tornado intensified again as it headed into town. It intersected Washington Avenue, which is the main north–south road in the town. It caused high-end EF2 damage in this area with several manufactured homes turned over and destroyed, sometimes mangled. It was unrecognizable where these manufactured homes originally sat. The contents from inside of these homes were blown over a quarter mile from where the homes were originally located. A single-family home was removed and twisted at least off its foundation. The second story of this home was completely removed. The tornado then intensified further into an EF3 tornado, where two brick-and-mortar
apartment
An apartment (American English), or flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that occupies part of a building, generally on a single story. There are ma ...
s were completely demolished. The slabs of these apartments were left completely bare after the tornado. Dozens of cars were also destroyed. Debris were blasted into the vehicles, and the windows were blown out. In addition, a sedan was overturned on to the side. Several homes lost roofs as well. The tornado continued moving northeast out of the town. Seven injuries were reported within the town. The tornado continued to be snapped and uprooted as it moved out of town and into wooded areas. Another manufactured home was overturned. The tornado moved into a small valley, snapping hundreds of trees. A few final trees were snapped at the end of the tornadoes life. Finally at 4:16 PM EST about 10.5 miles east-northeast of Talbotton, Georgia, the tornado lifted.
See also
*
Tornadoes of 2019
This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 2019. Strong and destructive tornadoes form most frequently in the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Bangladesh, and Eastern India, but can occur almost anywhere under the r ...
References
Notes
{{Alabama tornado events
2019 meteorology
Tornadoes of 2019