Tornadoes · United States · Alabama · 2019

EF1 tornado, Slocomb to Fadette, Alabama, March 3, 2019

From Slocomb to Fadette, this EF1 tornado ran 5.1 miles across Geneva County on March 3, 2019, touching down at 4:51 PM CST and reaching 300 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $100,000 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.

  1. EF065 to 85 mph

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. EF186 to 110 mphthis tornado

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. EF4166 to 200 mph

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. 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.

  7. 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
March 3, 2019
Touchdown
4:51 PM CST (22:51 UTC)
Lifted
4:58 PM CST (22:58 UTC)
On the ground
7 minutes
Path length
5.1 miles (8.2 km)
Path width
300 yards (274 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$100,000
County
Geneva County
Touchdown point
31.056, -85.607
Lift-off point
31.063, -85.521
Record number
1903031651-01

The damage survey

62 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 110 mph.

  • there were projectiles in the ground here
  • Damage appeared to south of the main tornado, and was characteristic of straight-line winds.
  • one tree right to the right. convergent with tree behind it
  • trees fell in a convergent pattern

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

This event featured all modes of severe weather in our forecast area, including 13 tornadoes, numerous reports of straight-line wind damage, and even large hail. The 13 tornadoes consisted of 1 EF3, 2 EF2s, 6 EF1s, and 4 EF0s. This is a very high number of tornadoes for our forecast area for a single event. This compares with 7 tornadoes in the 1/22/17 event, 8 tornadoes in the 1/2/17 event, and 10 tornadoes in the 3/1/07 event. This may have been the most tornadoes for a single event in our area since the Hurricane Ivan tornadoes back in 2004. The synoptic pattern was characterized by a fast-moving upper trough through relatively zonal flow. The forecast area was under the favorable right entrance region of the upper jet with lots of upper level divergence. An 850 mb jet near or in excess of 50 knots was also present, which is another typical ingredient for severe weather in this part of the country in the cool season. Cool season levels of shear (0-1 km shear > 30 knots and 0-6 km shear > 50 knots) were overlaid with moderate levels of instability (SBCAPE 1500 j/kg), as opposed to more typical winter SBCAPE < 500 j/kg. Without this strong low-level jet, the low-level shear values would have been weaker and we would have probably seen less tornadoes.

The tornado touched down about 3.5 miles south of Slocomb, AL and proceeded east northeast and impacted multiple single family homes and a few manufactured homes. |Most of the damage was roof damage, but a few manufactured homes were shifted off their anchor points. The most significant damage happened about a half of a mile northwest of the intersection of Mozell Rd and Cotton Box Rd. At this location the tornado passed over a single family home and the 110 mile per hour winds estimated at this location gained entry into the garage and removed the entire garage roof and some parts of the roof over the house. Immediately behind the house and along the path of the tornado a manufactured home was lifted off its anchor points and rotated about 10 to 15 feet from its original location. The damage at these locations was consistent with a high end EF-1 tornado and winds were estimated to be around 110 mph at this point. The tornado continued to move east from its strongest point and eventually crossed the|intersection of Grant Rd. and County Rd 103 where EF-1 damage was found to manufactured homes and single family homes. The tornado then crossed Old Chipley Rd where it impacted a barn with EF-1 damage. Finally the tornado moved just east-southeast and appeared to have lifted just east of County Rd 49 after causing low end EF-1 damage to some larger trees. Damage cost was estimated.

From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.

The forecast that day

The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Enhanced Risk, with a 0.05 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 20:00 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.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the tornado touched down, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Tallahassee, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at Mar 3, 2:33 PM CST, 2 hours 18 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 3, 2:33 PM CST, 2 hours 18 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Tallahassee FL
333 PM EST Sun Mar 3 2019

...ONGOING OUTBREAK OF SEVERE WEATHER TO CONTINUE INTO TONIGHT...

.NEAR TERM [Through Tonight]...

At 19Z, regional radar imagery shows a quasi- linear convective
system (QLCS) stretching southwestward from east- central AL down
to southwest AL and along the MS and southeast LA coastline. Ahead
of this line, several discrete supercells have formed in
southeast AL and southwest GA. Our 18Z TAE sounding showed SBCAPE
of 1600 J/kg, with over 25 kts of 0-1 km shear and over 35 kts 0-6
km shear. In this environment, the main threat for the afternoon
and evening will be tornadoes in the supercells ahead of the QLCS
as well as the potential for tornadoes embedded in the QLCS when
it pushes eastward into the area tonight. The supercells ahead of
the line will also be capable of producing hail and thunderstorms
along the line will be capable of producing damaging wind gusts in
excess of 58 mph. The SPC has highlighted the vast majority of
the tri-state area in enhanced and slight risks for severe
thunderstorms. There is a tornado watch in effect for southeast AL
along with southwest and south-central GA and most of the FL
Panhandle through 8 PM this evening.

.SHORT TERM [Monday Through Tuesday Night]...

The cold front will exit the forecast area Monday morning with
drier and much cooler air moving in behind it. The main focus for
this period continues to be the potential freeze Tuesday night. A
light freeze is forecast across most inland counties with
durations of perhaps 2-3 hours north of U.S. Route 84. There
hasn't been a freeze since January 31. Any plants or crops that
got an early start due to the very warm February will be
susceptible to damage from this freeze.

.LONG TERM [Wednesday Through Sunday]...

The chilly air mass will remain in place through Thursday with
another light freeze possible that morning. The next frontal
system will bring increasing rain chances to the forecast from
Friday night through the weekend.

&&

.AVIATION...
[Through 18Z Monday]

MVFR CIGs will lift this afternoon. Showers and thunderstorms
will develop ahead of a cold front. A Tornado Watch is in effect
until this evening. A squall line will move through the region
late this afternoon and into tonight. Overnight IFR CIGs will
return before dry air moves into the region in the morning.

&&

.MARINE...

Onshore winds will increase to cautionary levels ahead of a cold
front and then shift to offshore with frontal passage later
tonight into Monday morning. Winds will diminish somewhat Monday
night before increasing to advisory levels behind another cold
front Tuesday night. These offshore winds will then drop below
headline criteria by Wednesday afternoon before shifting to the
east for Thursday. Onshore winds return Friday.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...

Red flag conditions are not expected for the next several days.

&&

.HYDROLOGY...

Areas north of U.S. 84 remain in a slight risk for excessive
rainfall. However, this would be isolated in areas that get good
rain rates in any training thunderstorms. Antecedent dry conditions
should keep the rivers in check for the most part. The Kinchafoonee
Creek and Apalachicola River are the only ones forecast to reach
flood stage at this time.

&&

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is requested. Spotters should safely report
significant weather conditions and/or damage by calling the office or
tweeting us @NWSTallahassee.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...

Tallahassee   50  64  43  60  33 /  80  20  20  20   0
Panama City   48  61  43  56  36 /  80  20  20  10   0
Dothan        41  56  37  53  29 /  90  10  10   0   0
Albany        44  59  39  55  30 / 100  10  10   0   0
Valdosta      52  63  43  58  32 /  90  20  10  20   0
Cross City    62  70  46  62  34 /  60  30  10  20   0
Apalachicola  53  64  46  59  37 /  80  20  20  20   0

&&

.TAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FL...High Rip Current Risk until 1 AM EST /midnight CST/ Monday for
     Coastal Bay-Coastal Franklin-Coastal Gulf-South Walton.

GA...None.
AL...None.
GM...None.
&&

NEAR TERM...Nguyen
SHORT TERM...Wool
LONG TERM...Wool
AVIATION...Nguyen
MARINE...Wool
FIRE WEATHER...Harrigan
HYDROLOGY...Wool

In the hours before

Local storm report, Mar 3, 3:15 PM CST, 1 hour 36 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
415 PM EST SUN MAR 3 2019

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0410 PM     HAIL             CHULA                   31.55N 83.55W
03/03/2019  E1.50 INCH       TIFT               GA   PUBLIC

            ACCUMULATED QUARTER TO PING PONG SIZE HAIL
            ON INTERSTATE 75 BETWEEN EXITS 67 AND 69.
            HAIL ACCUMULATED UP TO AN INCH ON THE SIDE
            OF A ROAD.

&&

EB
Local storm report, Mar 3, 3:35 PM CST, 1 hour 16 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
435 PM EST SUN MAR 3 2019

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0410 PM     HAIL             3 SSW PINETTA           31.56N 83.38W
03/03/2019  E1.00 INCH       IRWIN              GA   PUBLIC

            QUARTER SIZE HAIL REPORTED IN THE PLEASURE
            LAKE AREA.

&&

DH
Local storm report, Mar 3, 3:55 PM CST, 56 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
455 PM EST SUN MAR 3 2019

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0450 PM     HAIL             ASHBURN                 31.71N 83.65W
03/03/2019  E1.00 INCH       TURNER             GA   TRAINED SPOTTER

            QUARTER SIZE HAIL IN ASHBURN GEORGIA.

&&

EB
Local storm report, Mar 3, 4:29 PM CST, 22 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
529 PM EST SUN MAR 3 2019

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0434 PM     HAIL             2 NW ALAPAHA            31.40N 83.24W
03/03/2019  E1.00 INCH       BERRIEN            GA   911 CALL CENTER

            TREE DOWN BLOCKING 129 N AND QUARTER SIZE
            HAIL.

&&

DH
Local storm report, Mar 3, 4:31 PM CST, 20 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
531 PM EST SUN MAR 3 2019

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0404 PM     HAIL             3 SSW ABBA              31.72N 83.38W
03/03/2019  E1.75 INCH       IRWIN              GA   PUBLIC

            GOLF BALL SIZED HAIL REPORTED.

&&

EB
Local storm report, Mar 3, 4:33 PM CST, 18 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
533 PM EST SUN MAR 3 2019

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0432 PM     TSTM WND DMG     ENIGMA                  31.41N 83.33W
03/03/2019                   BERRIEN            GA   911 CALL CENTER

            POWER POLES SNAPPED AND TRACTOR TRAILER
            TIPPED OVER IN MEDIAN OF HIGHWAY 82 NEAR
            ENIGMA. QUARTER SIZE HAIL REPORTED AS WELL.

&&

DH

The surface observations

Tri County (1J0), 24 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
00:00 UTC

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.

The radar

The Ft Rucker radar (KEOX), 46 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 22:49 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.

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2019 tornado in AlabamaEvery tornado in Alabama since 1950Warnings in force in Alabama nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of March 3, 2019

44 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 312:55 PM CSTEF1Washington, AL0.2300$10,000
March 31:19 PM CSTEF0Autauga, AL0.670
March 31:37 PM CSTEF1Washington, AL2.6100$50,000
March 32:00 PM CSTEF4Beauregard tornado, AL68.01,6002390$1.8 million
March 33:15 PM ESTEF2Peach, GA6.74201$200,000
March 32:27 PM CSTEF2Macon, AL29.11,3001
March 32:34 PM CSTEF1Butler, AL0.350$15,000
March 33:36 PM ESTEF0Bibb, GA1.1150$100,000
March 32:38 PM CSTEF1Crenshaw, AL2.650$15,000
March 33:42 PM ESTEF1Twiggs, GA1.1300$50,000
March 34:05 PM ESTEF0Telfair, GA4.0150$50,000
March 34:09 PM ESTEF0Telfair, GA0.4100$30,000
March 33:15 PM CSTEF0Bullock, AL0.450
March 34:18 PM ESTEF1Wilkinson, GA3.1630$45,000
March 34:18 PM ESTEF0Taylor, GA6.6630$25,000
March 34:19 PM ESTEF1Harris, GA7.4900$150,000
March 34:24 PM ESTEF1Washington, GA0.6200$50,000
March 34:30 PM ESTEF0Jeff Davis, GA0.025
March 34:36 PM ESTEF1Washington, GA1.4290$35,000
March 34:43 PM ESTEF0Peach, GA6.4300$95,000
March 33:45 PM CSTEF2Barbour, AL6.7700
March 34:55 PM ESTEF1Washington, GA0.285$50,000
March 33:58 PM CSTEF2Quitman, AL to GA30.9860$415,000
March 35:22 PM ESTEF0Wayne, GA0.350
March 34:28 PM CSTEF0Walton, FL11.9400
March 34:39 PM CSTEF0Clay, AL to GA10.875$10,000
March 35:44 PM ESTEF2Columbia, GA1.5100
March 35:53 PM ESTEF2Edgefield, SC5.02007
March 36:03 PM ESTEF0Orangeburg, SC0.225
March 36:30 PM ESTEF1Aiken, SC0.4150$2,000
March 35:33 PM CSTEF1Washington, FL5.3300$105,000
March 36:53 PM ESTEF1Lexington, SC10.8100
March 36:58 PM ESTEF1Liberty, GA7.8350
March 37:02 PM ESTEF1Miller, GA4.11501$200,000
March 37:13 PM ESTEF1Lexington, SC1.950
March 37:13 PM ESTEF1Richland, SC1.5150
March 37:18 PM ESTEF1Decatur, GA4.5150$20,000
March 37:33 PM ESTEF1Richland, SC0.6200
March 37:41 PM ESTEF1Gadsden, FL2.1275$50,000
March 37:45 PM ESTEF1Tift, GA0.7180$50,000
March 37:54 PM ESTEF2Grady, GA2.78002$1.0 million
March 38:06 PM ESTEF0Wakulla, FL18.4300$5,000
March 38:18 PM ESTEF3Leon, FL8.8700$500,000
March 38:42 PM ESTEF0Wakulla, FL0.750

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.