Tornado in Alabama, March 6, 1996

A tornado first touched down just south-southwest of Marion Junction in northern Dallas County and travelled east-northeast before ending in the northeastern part of the county. The tornado touched down initially in a rural area composed of fields with scattered houses. It crossed U. S. Highway 80 at the Cahaba River or about 9 miles west-northwest of Selma. The tornado continued on its east-northeast path crossing State Highway 14 and State Highway 22 before ending about two and a half miles east of Highway 22.The tornado path was about 19 miles in length with a maximum width of about 400 yards. The tornado first touched down around 3:42 am based on radar imagery. Travelling at 35 to 40 miles an hour the tornado was on the ground for about 25 minutes ending around 4:07 am.Information from emergency management sources indicated that 14 houses were destroyed, 19 houses sustained major damage, 5 houses sustained minor damage, 20 mobile homes were destroyed, 17 mobile homes sustained major damage, and 12 mobiles homes sustained minor damage. At least 40 people were transported to area hospitals with injuries varying from minor to serious. Two deaths occurred in a mobile home and two deaths occurred in a permanent house.