Alabama, 1996

Tornadoes in Alabama, March 18, 1996

March 18, 1996 · NWS BMX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A tornado began about 7 miles northwest of Eclectic and just west of Lake Martin. The path crossed the extreme southeast corner of Coosa County and crossed just barely into Tallapoosa County before ending.

Where it happened

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$500,000
Crop damage
$50,000
Events
3

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 about 7 miles northwest of Eclectic and just west of Lake Martin. The path crossed the extreme southeast corner of Coosa County and crossed just barely into Tallapoosa County before ending. The track was about 6 miles long and about 100 yards wide with an F1 intensity. A number of homes near Lake Martin in Coosa County suffered serious damage.

The radar

The Maxwell AFB radar (KMXX), 48 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:52 UTC.

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Event by event

3 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Elmore

When
March 18, 6:52 PM CST to 6:55 PM CST
Where
Elmore County, Eclectic to 7 mi NNW of Eclectic
Rating
F1
Path length
2 mi
Path width
100 yd
Property damage
$500,000
Crop damage
$50,000
Coordinates
32.820, -86.180

Tornado, Coosa

When
March 18, 6:55 PM CST to 6:59 PM CST
Where
Coosa County, Eclectic to 9 mi ENE of Equality
Rating
F1
Path length
3 mi
Path width
100 yd
Coordinates
32.730, -86.080

Tornado, Tallapoosa

When
March 18, 6:59 PM CST to 7:02 PM CST
Where
Tallapoosa County, Equality to 6 mi S of Alexander City
Rating
F1
Path length
1 mi
Path width
100 yd
Coordinates
32.800, -86.020

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: 5547163, 5547164, 5547165.