Tornadoes · United States · Alabama · 2023
EF1 tornado, Morgan Spgs to Lawley, Alabama, January 12, 2023
From Morgan Spgs to Lawley, this EF1 tornado ran 17.3 miles across Perry and Bibb counties on January 12, 2023, touching down at 11:30 AM CST and reaching 500 yards wide. It killed nobody.
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
- January 12, 2023
- Touchdown
- 11:30 AM CST (17:30 UTC)
- Lifted
- 11:51 AM CST (17:51 UTC)
- On the ground
- 21 minutes
- Path length
- 17.3 miles (27.9 km)
- Path width
- 500 yards (457 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Counties
- Perry and Bibb counties
- Touchdown point
- 32.803, -87.242
- Lift-off point
- 32.896, -86.967
- Record number
- 2301121130-01
The damage survey
20 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS BMX, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF1. The highest wind the damage implies is 105 mph.
- narrower path. approx 50 yards.
- End of survey! Road blocked…
- Approximate end based on radar and diminishing damage at last road.
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
Numerous strong to severe thunderstorms impacted Central Alabama during the morning and afternoon hours of Thursday, January 12th, 2023. Several supercell thunderstorms spawned multiple tornadoes which caused significant damage in many areas. The severe thunderstorms also produced damaging straight-line winds and hail up to golf ball size.
National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in northwest Perry County and determined that it was consistent with an EF0 tornado, with maximum winds near 75 mph. This tornado originated in Hale County and entered Perry County near Griffin Cemetery Road. The tornado dissipated shortly after entering Perry County and lifted just east of Morgan Springs Road. Damage mostly consisted of a few uprooted trees.
National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in northern Perry County and determined that it was consistent with an EF1 tornado, with maximum winds near 105 mph. The tornado touched down near the Cahaba River west of National Forest Road 401D and Barton Road based on a radar estimation of a TDS. The tornado tracked northeast and crossed Fire Tower Road, where it reached maximum EF1 intensity of 105 mph based on numerous snapped and uprooted pine trees. The tornado continued over forest land before crossing into Bibb County south of the Abercrombie Community.
National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in southern Bibb County and determined that it was consistent with an EF1 tornado, with maximum winds near 105 mph. This tornado originated in Perry County and crossed into Bibb County south of the community of Abercrombie. The tornado continued northeast and crossed Hickory Hollow Road where several softwood trees were snapped and uprooted. The weakening tornado crossed Highway 82, where storm chaser video showed a weak circulation crossing the highway. Dissipation occurred about one mile east of Highway 82.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
37 minutes of warning. NWS BMX issued a tornado warning for this county at 16:53 UTC, 37 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 17:38 UTC.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 12:59 UTC and running to 18:43 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 UTC | 03:00 UTC | Wind Advisory | BMX |
| 12:59 UTC | 18:43 UTC | Tornado Watch | BMX |
| 16:53 UTC | 17:38 UTC | Tornado Warning | BMX |
| 17:32 UTC | 17:53 UTC | Tornado Warning | BMX |
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 Enhanced Risk, with a 0.10 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 16:56 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 air that afternoon
The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.
Birmingham, AL (KBMX), 12:00Z
5.5 hours before the tornado, 48 km from the path. January 12, 2023.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 497 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -2 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 849 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 650 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 55 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 34 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 248 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 321 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.6
- Supercell composite
- 3.5
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 5.6 K/km
Birmingham, AL (KBMX), 00:00Z
6.5 hours after it, 48 km from the path. January 13, 2023.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -91044 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1852 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 76 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 21 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -45 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- -3 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 6.8 K/km
The radar
The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 48 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 17:30 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16:07 UTC | TORNADO | 2 Nw Akron | Hale, AL | MAJOR STRUCTURAL DAMAGE IN THE OAK VILLAGE AREA. TREES DOWN ALONG CR 42 NORTH OF AKRON. TDS OBSERVED. |
| 16:24 UTC | TORNADO | 4 Nw Phipps | Hale, AL | SOCIAL MEDIA REPORTS OF DAMAGE TO TREES AND STRUCTURES SOUTH OF MOUNDVILLE. TDS OBSERVED VIA RADAR. |
| 16:40 UTC | TORNADO | 1 W Hagler | Tuscaloosa, AL | SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT OF DEBRIS ON US 82 NEAR HAGLER. TDS OBSERVED. |
| 16:47 UTC | TORNADO | 2 S Duffy'S Bend | Hale, AL | THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN A REMOTE AREA OF HALE COUNTY, NEAR CLEMENTS BEND ON THE BLACK WARRIOR RIVER. FROM THERE, IT MOVED EAST-NORTHEAST ACROSS CR-35, WHERE DOWNED NUMEROUS TREES ON A FARM NEAR THE STATE CATTLE RANCH |
| 16:55 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Ssw West Blocton | Bibb, AL | TREES SNAPPED ALONG TRUMAN ALDRICH PARKWAY SOUTH OF WEST BLOCTON HIGH SCHOOL. |
| 16:57 UTC | TORNADO | 2 Ese Greensboro Muni A | Hale, AL | SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURAL DAMAGE SOUTH OF GREENSBORO. |
| 17:02 UTC | TORNADO | Greensboro | Hale, AL | EM REPORT OF TORNADO OBSERVED IN GREENSBORO. TREE DOWN ON HOME ALONG PEAR ROAD. |
| 17:15 UTC | HAIL 1 | 3 N Maylene | Shelby, AL | QUARTER-SIZE HAIL REPORTED AT FOX VALLEY. |
| 17:20 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 4 Ne Ballantrae | Shelby, AL | TREE DOWN ACROSS CR 336 SOUTHWEST OF CHELSEA. TIME ESTIMATED. |
| 17:21 UTC | HAIL 1 | 2 E Alabaster | Shelby, AL | MULTIPLE REPORTS OF QUARTER-SIZE HAIL IN ALABASTER. |
| 17:25 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | 4 Ne Ballantrae | Shelby, AL | MULTIPLE REPORTS OF GOLF BALL-SIZED HAIL IN THE CHELSEA AREA. |
| 17:27 UTC | HAIL 1 | 4 Sw Chelsea | Shelby, AL | PUBLIC REPORT OF QUARTER-SIZED HAIL. |
| 17:29 UTC | TORNADO | 2 E Ellards | Perry, AL | TDS OBSERVED VIA NWS RADAR TRACKING INTO BIBB COUNTY. |
| 17:30 UTC | TORNADO | 1 E Ellards | Perry, AL | THE TORNADO BEGAN NEAR THE CAHABA RIVER WEST OF NATIONAL FOREST ROAD 401D (NF-401D) AND BARTON ROAD BASED ON RADAR ESTIMATION OF A TDS. IT DEVELOPED QUICKLY INTO A HIGH END EF-0 BY THE TIME IT BRUSHED DOUBLE BRANCH RD AS |
| 17:39 UTC | TORNADO | 6 Nw Oakmulgee | Bibb, AL | TREES DOWN ALONG HIGHWAY 219 IN SOUTHERN BIBB COUNTY. TDS OBSERVED VIA RADAR. |
| 17:47 UTC | TORNADO | 1 Ne Talladega National | Bibb, AL | REPORT VIA MEDIA OF TORNADO CROSSING US 82 SOUTHEAST OF CENTREVILLE. TDS OBSERVED. |
| 17:59 UTC | TORNADO | 3 W Orrville | Dallas, AL | EM REPORT OF TORNADO ALONG HIGHWAY 22 WEST OF OROVILLE. |
| 18:04 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 W Beeswax Creek Park | Shelby, AL | TREES DOWN ALONG HIGHWAY 61. |
| 18:04 UTC | TORNADO | 1 Ene Orrville | Dallas, AL | *** 2 INJ *** AN EF2 TORNADO MOVED ACROSS DALLAS COUNTY FOR OVER 22 MILES AND PRODUCED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE IN SELMA. |
| 18:05 UTC | HAIL 1 | 3 Se Montevallo | Shelby, AL | CALERA PD REPORTED QUARTER-SIZED HAIL AT THE SHELBY/CHILTON COUNTY LINE. |
| 18:17 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 S Columbiana | Shelby, AL | TREE DOWN ON EGG AND BUTTER ROAD. |
| 18:18 UTC | TORNADO | 1 Nnw Memorial Stadium | Dallas, AL | NUMEROUS REPORTS OF TORNADO IN SELMA WITH TREE AND STRUCTURAL DAMAGE. |
| 18:19 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Wsw Beeswax Creek Par | Shelby, AL | TREE DOWN ALONG CR 77 NEAR KINGDOM CROSSROADS. |
| 18:19 UTC | TORNADO | Memorial Stadium | Dallas, AL | HEAVY DAMAGE REPORTED AT THE SELMA COUNTRY CLUB. |
| 18:42 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Ssw Billingsley | Autauga, AL | TREES DOWN. LIKELY DUE TO FORWARD FLANK DOWNDRAFT OF TORNADIC SUPERCELL. |
| 18:48 UTC | TORNADO | 2 Ese Vida Junction | Autauga, AL | *** 7 FATAL, 16 INJ *** A LONG TRACK TORNADO AFFECTED 5 COUNTIES IN CENTRAL ALABAMA. THE TORNADO DAMAGE WAS OVER 76 MILES LONG AND WAS 1500 YARDS WIDE AT ITS WIDEST POINT. |
| 18:48 UTC | TORNADO | 2 Se Vida Junction | Autauga, AL | MAJOR STRUCTURAL DAMAGE REPORTED ALONG US 82. |
| 18:50 UTC | TORNADO | 4 Ene Vida Junction | Autauga, AL | HEAVY DAMAGE ALONG NUMEROUS ROADWAYS IN THE JOFFRE AND OLD KINGSTON COMMUNITIES. |
| 18:50 UTC | TORNADO | 4 Ene Vida Junction | Autauga, AL | HEAVY DAMAGE ALONG NUMEROUS ROADWAYS IN THE JOFFRE AND OLD KINGSTON COMMUNITIES. CORRECTS SOURCE OF REPORT. |
| 18:58 UTC | TORNADO | 3 E New Prospect | Autauga, AL | SEVERE DAMAGE REPORTED ALONG CR 68 IN THE AREA OF US 31. |
| 19:02 UTC | TORNADO | 2 Sse Marbury | Autauga, AL | DAMAGE TO A CHURCH AND MARBURY VFD BUILDING. TREES IN ROADWAY AT HIGHWAY 143 AND CR 68. |
| 19:06 UTC | TORNADO | 4 W Titus | Elmore, AL | TORNADO OBSERVED CROSSING LIGHTWOOD ROAD. TDS OBSERVED. |
| 19:06 UTC | TORNADO | 4 W Titus | Elmore, AL | TORNADO OBSERVED CROSSING LIGHTWOOD ROAD. TDS OBSERVED. HEAVY DAMAGE AT COOSA RIVER ROAD. |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2023 tornado in AlabamaEvery tornado in Alabama since 1950Warnings in force in Alabama nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of January 12, 2023
41 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 12 | 2:03 AM CST | EF1 | Ballard, KY to IL | 6.5 | 200 | $65,000 | ||
| January 12 | 6:29 AM CST | EF1 | Monroe, MS | 2.4 | 50 | $75,000 | ||
| January 12 | 8:47 AM EST | EF1 | Henry, KY | 1.3 | 100 | |||
| January 12 | 9:01 AM EST | EF1 | Mercer, KY | 3.6 | 80 | |||
| January 12 | 8:05 AM CST | EF2 | Winston, AL | 9.2 | 425 | |||
| January 12 | 8:09 AM CST | EF1 | Lawrence, AL | 30.3 | 325 | |||
| January 12 | 9:10 AM EST | EF1 | Boyle, KY | 0.8 | 125 | |||
| January 12 | 9:23 AM EST | EF0 | Grant, KY | 0.3 | 50 | $150,000 | ||
| January 12 | 9:42 AM EST | EF1 | Madison, KY | 1.2 | 80 | |||
| January 12 | 9:24 AM CST | EF2 | Sumter, AL | 12.9 | 440 | 1 | ||
| January 12 | 9:54 AM CST | EF2 | Greene, AL | 39.0 | 675 | |||
| January 12 | 10:47 AM CST | EF2 | Hale, AL | 21.9 | 500 | |||
| January 12 | 11:50 AM EST | EF0 | Meigs, TN | 0.6 | 150 | 1 | ||
| January 12 | 12:04 PM CST | EF2 | Dallas, AL | 23.2 | 950 | 2 | ||
| January 12 | 1:14 PM EST | EF0 | Jefferson, TN | 0.4 | 30 | |||
| January 12 | 12:15 PM CST | EF2 | Mobile, AL | 11.7 | 200 | |||
| January 12 | 1:26 PM EST | EF0 | Jefferson, TN | 1.1 | 100 | |||
| January 12 | 12:40 PM CST | EF3 | Autauga, AL | 82.3 | 1,500 | 7 | 16 | |
| January 12 | 1:54 PM CST | EF0 | Conecuh, AL | 0.9 | 100 | |||
| January 12 | 2:08 PM CST | EF2 | Chambers, AL to GA | 20.7 | 1,600 | |||
| January 12 | 2:24 PM CST | Unrated | Covington, AL | 4.6 | 200 | |||
| January 12 | 3:30 PM EST | EF1 | Cobb, GA | 1.5 | 150 | |||
| January 12 | 3:34 PM EST | EF2 | Troup, GA | 35.8 | 1,060 | 8 | ||
| January 12 | 3:45 PM EST | EF2 | Meriwether, GA | 23.4 | 1,500 | |||
| January 12 | 2:46 PM CST | EF1 | Crenshaw, AL | 0.3 | 80 | |||
| January 12 | 4:10 PM EST | EF3 | Griffin tornado, GA | 31.2 | 2,200 | 18 | ||
| January 12 | 4:13 PM EST | EF2 | Pike, GA | 21.6 | 1,000 | |||
| January 12 | 4:15 PM EST | EF1 | Warren, GA | 18.3 | 150 | |||
| January 12 | 4:16 PM EST | EF1 | Pike, GA | 7.6 | 300 | |||
| January 12 | 4:17 PM EST | EF1 | Pike, GA | 10.8 | 800 | |||
| January 12 | 3:25 PM CST | EF1 | Barbour, AL | 11.0 | 900 | |||
| January 12 | 4:27 PM EST | EF2 | Spalding, GA | 125.8 | 1,400 | 4 | 40 | |
| January 12 | 4:35 PM EST | EF1 | Butts, GA | 5.7 | 150 | |||
| January 12 | 3:38 PM CST | EF0 | Jackson, AL | 2.3 | 70 | |||
| January 12 | 3:45 PM CST | EF1 | Henry, AL | 7.1 | 150 | $50,000 | ||
| January 12 | 4:49 PM EST | EF1 | Butts, GA | 20.5 | 500 | |||
| January 12 | 5:39 PM EST | EF1 | Laurens, SC | 9.1 | 100 | |||
| January 12 | 6:10 PM EST | EF0 | Gaston, NC | 6.1 | 100 | |||
| January 12 | 6:23 PM EST | EF1 | Greenwood, SC | 2.1 | 75 | $200,000 | ||
| January 12 | 7:00 PM EST | EF1 | Wilcox, GA | 3.1 | 100 | |||
| January 12 | 7:03 PM EST | EF0 | Wilcox, GA | 2.2 | 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.