Tornadoes · United States · Alabama · 2016
EF1 tornado, Wicksburg to Kinsey, Alabama, February 23, 2016
From Wicksburg to Kinsey, this EF1 tornado ran 1.6 miles across Houston County on February 23, 2016, touching down at 10:31 PM CST and reaching 350 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $50,000 of property damage.
The rating scale
Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Enhanced Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.
EF065 to 85 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
EF186 to 110 mphthis tornado
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
EF2111 to 135 mph
Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.
EF3136 to 165 mph
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
EF4166 to 200 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
EF5over 200 mph
Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.
Unrated
The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.
The record
- Rating
- EF1
- Date
- February 23, 2016
- Touchdown
- 10:31 PM CST (04:31 UTC)
- Lifted
- 10:34 PM CST (04:34 UTC)
- On the ground
- 3 minutes
- Path length
- 1.6 miles (2.6 km)
- Path width
- 350 yards (320 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $50,000
- County
- Houston County
- Touchdown point
- 31.264, -85.449
- Lift-off point
- 31.273, -85.424
- Record number
- 1602232231-01
The damage survey
73 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS TAE, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF1. The highest wind the damage implies is 107 mph.
- concrete block dugout destroyed
- Single large tree snapped.
- 5 snapped power line poles
- Significant shingle damage. Metal outbuilding roof in tree.
Survey points are preliminary and are the raw material the published rating was built from. Source: NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.
What the Weather Service recorded
An unusually strong upper level trough and area of low pressure moved across the southeast states during the Feb 23-24 period, bringing with it numerous reports of wind damage and tornadoes. The low level jet was particularly strong with very strong 0-1 km shear values in excess of 60 knots. The 0-1 km helicity values were in excess of 1000 m2/s2 in some areas with CAPE values around 500 j/kg. There were a total of 11 tornadoes across southeast Alabama and southwest Georgia, including 9 EF1 tornadoes and 2 EF0 tornadoes.
This was a weak tornado just north of the Houston and Geneva county border. It removed metal roofing from several barns and porches. Multiple trees were blown down. This tornado was rated EF0 with max winds estimated near 70 mph. Damage cost was estimated.
This was the second tornado to develop in northwest Houston county, spawned by the same parent thunderstorm. After initially developing in Houston county, the tornado crossed into extreme southeast Dale county before moving back into Houston county in the Murphy Mill Road area. There was a small area of EF1 damage along Murphy Mill Road where many large diameter pine trees were snapped and uprooted. This tornado likely lifted before reaching U.S. Highway 231. This tornado was rated EF1 with max winds estimated near 100 mph.
This is the second Houston county segment of the second tornado to develop in northwest Houston county, spawned by the same parent thunderstorm. After initially developing in Houston county, the tornado crossed into extreme southeast Dale county before moving back into Houston county in the Murphy Mill Road area. There was a small area of EF1 damage along Murphy Mill Road where many large diameter pine trees were snapped and uprooted. This tornado likely lifted before reaching U.S. Highway 231. This tornado was rated EF1 with max winds estimated near 100 mph.
This was the third tornado to develop in northwest Houston county, spawned by the same thunderstorm. Damage was focused at the athletic center of a private school and a nearby neighborhood. A concrete block baseball dugout was destroyed and several wood power poles were snapped. Multiple homes had minor roof damage. This tornado was rated EF1 with max winds near 100 mph. Damage cost was estimated.
This was the fourth tornado to develop in northwest Houston county, spawned by the same thunderstorm. The tornado began just south of Westgate Parkway, and then quickly intensified, snapping 5 power poles near Westgate Parkway and Technology Drive. Several houses in nearby neighborhoods had some roof damage and a barn also had roof damage. The remainder of the track was mostly tree damage with the tornado ending just south of the Henry-Houston county border, still in Houston county. This tornado was rated EF1 with max winds estimated near 100 mph. Damage cost was estimated.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
17 minutes of warning. NWS TAE issued a tornado warning for this county at 04:14 UTC, 17 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 05:00 UTC.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 02:10 UTC and running to 06:58 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02:10 UTC | 06:58 UTC | Tornado Watch | TAE |
| 03:50 UTC | 04:30 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TAE |
| 04:14 UTC | 05:00 UTC | Tornado Warning | TAE |
| 04:25 UTC | 05:30 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TAE |
| 04:54 UTC | 05:45 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TAE |
| 05:38 UTC | 06:45 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TAE |
| 05:41 UTC | 07:45 UTC | Flood Advisory | TAE |
| 08:54 UTC | 23:00 UTC | Wind Advisory | TAE |
Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.
The forecast that day
The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Moderate Risk, with a 0.15 chance of a tornado within 25 miles, in the hatched area where significant tornadoes were expected. The outlook in force was issued at 01:00 UTC.
SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.
The surface observations
Dothan Municipal (DHN), 6 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03:14 UTC | 67 | 65 | 140° 12 kt | 1004.4 | VCTS RA BR | |
| 03:35 UTC | 67 | 65 | 120° 9 kt | 1003.7 | TSRA BR | |
| 03:53 UTC | 67 | 65 | 120° 12 kt | 19 | 1002.4 | TSRA BR |
| 04:24 UTC | 67 | 65 | 100° 11 kt | 28 | 999.7 | +TSRA BR |
| 04:37 UTC | 66 | 64 | 300° 24 kt | 41 | +TSRA FG | |
| 04:43 UTC | 63 | 62 | 290° 14 kt | 39 | +TSRA FG | |
| 04:50 UTC | 64.4 | 62.6 | 260° 6 kt | +TSRA BR | ||
| 04:53 UTC | 64 | 63 | 270° 6 kt | +TSRA BR | ||
| 05:02 UTC | 65 | 64 | 250° 10 kt | +TSRA BR | ||
| 05:11 UTC | 66 | 64 | 190° 10 kt | 20 | -TSRA BR | |
| 05:18 UTC | 66 | 64 | 230° 6 kt | -TSRA BR | ||
| 05:37 UTC | 66 | 64 | 220° 9 kt | VCTS -RA | ||
| 05:53 UTC | 66 | 64 | 230° 4 kt | VCTS -RA BR | ||
| 06:00 UTC | 67 | 64 | 240° 7 kt | VCTS RA BR | ||
| 06:16 UTC | 67 | 65 | 230° 10 kt | -RA | ||
| 06:53 UTC | 70 | 67 | 220° 16 kt | 21 | RA BR |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Ft Rucker radar (KEOX), 21 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 04:31 UTC.
Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track
Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.
What was reported nearby
Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Report | Where | County | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03:39 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 6 Se Samson | Geneva, AL | TREES BLOWN DOWN ACROSS JOHNNY JOHNSON RD IN THE GENERAL VICINITY OF OPEN POND ROAD. |
| 03:40 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 5 Wnw Geneva | Geneva, AL | TREES DOWN ACROSS COUNTY HIGHWAY 65. |
| 03:55 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Geneva | Geneva, AL | NUMEROUS TREES REPORTED DOWN IN GENEVA COUNTY ACROSS VARIOUS PARTS OF THE COUNTY. ALSO MANY POWER OUTAGES REPORTED BY WIREGRASS ELECTRIC COOP. |
| 04:05 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Hartford | Geneva, AL | ROOF DAMAGE REPORTED IN HARTFORD |
| 04:15 UTC | TORNADO 0 | Nw Bailey Crossroad | Houston, AL | THIS WAS A WEAK TORNADO JUST NORTH OF THE HOUSTON-GENEVA COUNTY BORDER. IT REMOVED METAL ROOFING FROM SEVERAL BARNS AND PORCHES. MULTIPLE TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN. PATH LENGTH 2.8 MILES. RATED EF0. |
| 04:20 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 4 Sse Hartford | Geneva, AL | TREES BLOWN DOWN ACROSS COUNTY HIGHWAY 105. |
| 04:24 UTC | TORNADO 1 | 4 Sse Pinckard | Houston, AL | THIS TORNADO...RATED EF1...INITIALLY DEVELOPED IN HOUSTON COUNTY...BRIEFLY CROSSED INTO DALE COUNTY...BEFORE CROSSING BACK INTO HOUSTON COUNTY AND CAUSING DAMAGE IN THE MURPHY MILL RD AREA. THERE WAS A SMALL AREA OF EF1 |
| 04:28 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 4 Sse Midland City | Houston, AL | POWERLINES DOWN ON MURPHY MILL ROAD. ALSO POWER LINES DOWN ON WESTGATE AT TECHNOLOGY. |
| 04:28 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 4 Wnw Dothan | Houston, AL | TREE BLOWN INTO THE ROADWAY WEST MAIN AT JOHN D ODOM. |
| 04:31 UTC | TORNADO 1 | 4 Nw Dothan | Houston, AL | RATED EF1 WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 1.9 MILES. DAMAGE WAS FOCUSED AT THE ATHLETIC CENTER OF A PRIVATE SCHOOL AND A NEARBY NEIGHBORHOOD. CONCRETE BLOCK BASEBALL DUGOUT WAS DESTROYED AND SEVERAL WOOD POWER POLES WERE SNAPPED. |
| 04:32 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Nnw Dothan | Houston, AL | 8 POWER POLES SNAPPED ON TECHNOLOGY DRIVE AND TREES ALSO BROUGHT DOWN POWER LINES AT WESTGATE PARKWAY AND PROVINCIAL STREET. |
| 04:32 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 4 Nw Dothan | Houston, AL | WTVY REPORTS DAMAGE TO NORTHSIDE WALMART WITH POSSIBLE ROOF DAMAGE AND DAMAGE TO DOORS. |
| 04:32 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 4 Nw Dothan | Houston, AL | WTVY REPORTS DAMAGE TO NORTHSIDE WALMART WITH POSSIBLE ROOF DAMAGE AND DAMAGE TO DOORS. ALSO REPORTS OF POWER LINES SNAPPED IN HALF AND TREES DOWN IN THE AREA. |
| 04:33 UTC | TSTM WND GST 47 | 3 E Midland City | Dale, AL | MEASURED GUST TO 41 KNOTS OR 47 MPH AT THE DOTHAN AIRPORT AUTOMATED OBSERVATION. |
| 04:33 UTC | TORNADO | 3 Nw Dothan | Houston, AL | NUMEROUS REPORTS OF DAMAGE ON THE NORTHWEST SIDE OF DOTHAN INCLUDING MANY TREES DAMAGED AND STRUCTURAL DAMAGE AS WELL. IN THE VICINITY OF THE WALMART. THERE WAS A DEBRIS SIGNATURE ON RADAR AT THE TIME AND SOME OF THIS DA |
| 04:34 UTC | TORNADO 1 | Kinsey | Houston, AL | RATED EF1 WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 3.8 MILES. THIS WAS THE FOURTH TORNADO TO DEVELOP IN NORTHWEST HOUSTON COUNTY. THE TORNADO BEGAN JUST SOUTH OF WESTGATE PARKWAY AND THEN QUICKLY INTENSIFIED SNAPPING 5 POWER POLES NEAR WES |
| 04:35 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Wnw Dothan | Houston, AL | LARGE PINE TREE DOWN AT HAZELWOOD AND KENT IN DOTHAN. |
| 04:38 UTC | TORNADO 1 | 2 W Headland | Henry, AL | THIS TORNADO WAS THE FIFTH TORNADO TO BE SPAWNED BY THE SAME THUNDERSTORM. THE TORNADO INITIALLY DEVELOPED NEAR CR-83 AND THE CITY LIMITS OF HEADLAND WHERE LARGE TREES WERE UPROOTED. IT ENDED NEAR KNOWLES ROAD AND CR-16 |
| 04:38 UTC | TORNADO | Kinsey | Houston, AL | UPDATED KINSEY REPORT...ADDITIONAL MEDIA REPORTS OF DAMAGE IN THE KINSEY AREA WITH NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN AND CARPORTS DESTROYED. THERE WAS A DEBRIS SIGNATURE ON RADAR WITH THIS. |
| 04:38 UTC | TORNADO | Kinsey | Houston, AL | KINSEY FIRE DEPARTMENT CALLED OUT FOR DAMAGE...RELAYED BY THE MEDIA. THERE WAS ALSO A DEBRIS SIGNATURE ON EOX RADAR AT THE TIME. |
| 04:49 UTC | TORNADO | 5 Ne Headland | Henry, AL | DAMAGE TO 5 RESIDENCES AND NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN NORTHEAST OF HEADLAND. DEBRIS SIGNATURE ON RADAR AT THE TIME. |
| 04:54 UTC | TORNADO 0 | 2 Ne Balkum | Henry, AL | A SHORT TORNADO TRACK WAS DETERMINED ALONG CR-53 JUST NORTH OF ITS INTERSECTION WITH CR-26. THIS WAS A CONCENTRATED AREA OF TREE DAMAGE. |
| 05:02 UTC | TORNADO 1 | Wsw Hardwickburg | Henry, AL | A SHORT TORNADO PATH WAS OBSERVED ALONG CR-65 JUST TO THE EAST OF ITS INTERSECTION WITH HIGHWAY 95. MANY LARGE TREES WERE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED ALONG THIS SHORT PATH. |
| 05:20 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Columbia | Houston, AL | TREES BLOWN DOWN NEAR A RESIDENCE IN COLUMBIA. PUBLIC POST TO WTVY FACEBOOK. |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2016 tornado in AlabamaEvery tornado in Alabama since 1950Warnings in force in Alabama nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of February 23, 2016
38 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 23 | 5:53 AM CST | EF0 | Wharton, TX | 2.0 | 30 | |||
| February 23 | 11:11 AM CST | EF0 | Jefferson Parish, LA | 0.6 | 50 | |||
| February 23 | 11:20 AM CST | EF0 | Iberville Parish, LA | 3.3 | 50 | |||
| February 23 | 12:08 PM CST | EF0 | Ascension Parish, LA | 1.6 | 200 | |||
| February 23 | 12:42 PM CST | EF2 | Livingston Parish, LA | 4.3 | 625 | |||
| February 23 | 1:14 PM CST | EF0 | Saint Helena Parish, LA | 0.3 | 50 | |||
| February 23 | 2:37 PM CST | EF1 | St. Mary Parish, LA | 2.6 | 50 | $40,000 | ||
| February 23 | 3:10 PM CST | EF0 | Iberville Parish, LA | 1.0 | 200 | |||
| February 23 | 3:21 PM CST | EF3 | Assumption Parish, LA | 7.8 | 350 | |||
| February 23 | 3:31 PM CST | EF2 | Saint James Parish, LA | 12.9 | 350 | 2 | 75 | |
| February 23 | 3:45 PM CST | EF1 | Lincoln, MS | 0.5 | 75 | $40,000 | ||
| February 23 | 3:49 PM CST | EF1 | Pearl River, MS | 9.5 | 150 | |||
| February 23 | 3:50 PM CST | EF1 | Pearl River, MS | 5.2 | 200 | $25,000 | ||
| February 23 | 4:07 PM CST | EF0 | Lamar, MS | 0.1 | 25 | $5,000 | ||
| February 23 | 4:15 PM CST | EF1 | Saint John the Baptist Parish, LA | 3.1 | 250 | |||
| February 23 | 4:15 PM CST | EF2 | Lamar, MS | 5.6 | 100 | 1 | $105,000 | |
| February 23 | 4:22 PM CST | EF0 | Pickens, AL | 4.8 | 150 | |||
| February 23 | 4:29 PM CST | EF1 | Lamar, MS | 1.4 | 75 | $10,000 | ||
| February 23 | 4:32 PM CST | EF2 | Saint John the Baptist Parish, LA | 4.7 | 250 | 17 | ||
| February 23 | 4:41 PM CST | EF0 | Saint Tammany Parish, LA | 0.4 | 25 | |||
| February 23 | 4:42 PM CST | EF0 | Yazoo, MS | 1.1 | 100 | $25,000 | ||
| February 23 | 4:46 PM CST | EF0 | Simpson, MS | 0.6 | 40 | $13,000 | ||
| February 23 | 5:13 PM CST | EF0 | Saint Tammany Parish, LA | 1.5 | 75 | |||
| February 23 | 5:25 PM CST | EF1 | Greene, MS | 1.5 | 75 | $100,000 | ||
| February 23 | 5:32 PM CST | EF1 | Greene, MS | 0.0 | 75 | $25,000 | ||
| February 23 | 5:45 PM CST | EF1 | Greene, MS | 1.6 | 150 | $200,000 | ||
| February 23 | 6:01 PM CST | EF1 | Marion, AL | 2.2 | 300 | |||
| February 23 | 6:01 PM CST | EF0 | Forrest, MS | 3.9 | 75 | $15,000 | ||
| February 23 | 8:10 PM CST | EF3 | Escambia, FL | 3.0 | 300 | 3 | $22 million | |
| February 23 | 8:17 PM CST | EF1 | Santa Rosa, FL | 2.7 | 100 | $75,000 | ||
| February 23 | 10:15 PM CST | EF0 | Houston, AL | 2.8 | 200 | $50,000 | ||
| February 23 | 10:24 PM CST | EF1 | Dale, AL | 4.8 | 200 | |||
| February 23 | 10:34 PM CST | EF1 | Houston, AL | 3.7 | 900 | $75,000 | ||
| February 23 | 10:38 PM CST | EF1 | Henry, AL | 1.1 | 300 | $50,000 | ||
| February 23 | 10:54 PM CST | EF0 | Henry, AL | 0.4 | 100 | |||
| February 23 | 11:02 PM CST | EF1 | Henry, AL | 0.5 | 150 | |||
| February 23 | 12:07 AM EST | EF1 | Early, GA | 2.2 | 350 | |||
| February 23 | 12:55 AM EST | EF1 | Terrell, GA | 5.1 | 200 |
What this means
Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.
Sources
NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.