Alabama, 1996

Tornadoes in Alabama, March 18, 1996

March 18, 1996 · NWS BMX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A tornado began on the northeast side of Eclectic and extended for 10 miles in Elmore County crossing the Elmore-Tallapoosa county line just east of Highway 63. The tornado continued for another 14 miles in Tallapoosa County crossing Lake Martin and ending on the north side of Jacksons Gap not far from where a tornado had occurred earlier in the evening.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$700,000
Crop damage
$50,000
Events
2

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS BMX wrote it up.

A tornado began on the northeast side of Eclectic and extended for 10 miles in Elmore County crossing the Elmore-Tallapoosa county line just east of Highway 63. The tornado continued for another 14 miles in Tallapoosa County crossing Lake Martin and ending on the north side of Jacksons Gap not far from where a tornado had occurred earlier in the evening. This was classified as an F3 tornado with a total damage path of 24 miles with a width of a quarter of a mile at the widest.Numerous buildings of all types were damaged along the track. Some of the most intense damage occurred as the tornado emerged from crossing Lake Martin in the Peckerwood area just southwest of Jacksons Gap. Numerous permanent homes and mobile homes were seriously damaged or destroyed.

The radar

The Maxwell AFB radar (KMXX), 25 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:22 UTC.

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Event by event

2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Elmore

When
March 18, 8:23 PM CST to 8:37 PM CST
Where
Elmore County, Eclectic to 1 mi NE of Eclectic
Rating
F3
Path length
10 mi
Path width
440 yd
Property damage
$700,000
Crop damage
$50,000
Coordinates
32.650, -86.020

Tornado, Tallapoosa

When
March 18, 8:37 PM CST to 8:55 PM CST
Where
Tallapoosa County, Eclectic to 10 mi N of Jacksons Gap
Rating
F3
Path length
14 mi
Path width
440 yd
Coordinates
33.250, -85.920

What these are

Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Alabama in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Alabama, 1996Warnings in Alabama, March 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5547170, 5547171.