Tornadoes · United States · Alabama · 2025
EF1 tornado, Ridge to Sterling, Alabama, March 15, 2025
From Ridge to Sterling, this EF1 tornado ran 26.5 miles across Greene, Pickens and Tuscaloosa counties on March 15, 2025, touching down at 3:08 PM CDT and reaching 1,200 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
- March 15, 2025
- Touchdown
- 3:08 PM CDT (20:08 UTC)
- Lifted
- 3:43 PM CDT (20:43 UTC)
- On the ground
- 35 minutes
- Path length
- 26.5 miles (42.6 km)
- Path width
- 1,200 yards (1097 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Counties
- Greene, Pickens and Tuscaloosa counties
- Touchdown point
- 32.989, -88.070
- Lift-off point
- 33.301, -87.821
- Record number
- 2503151408-01
The damage survey
66 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS BMX, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF2. The highest wind the damage implies is 115 mph.
- Roof damage to homes. Likely due to trees
- Manufactured home anchored with augers. Anchoring pulled from ground, but intact
- Estimated beginning point off satellite.
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
A significant severe weather event unfolded across Central Alabama on March 15, with 15 tornadoes, several instances of straight-line wind damage, and isolated flooding. An initial round of storms during the early morning brought reports of large hail in Pickens and Walker counties, followed by an afternoon round with several strong, long-track tornadoes. Of the 15 tornadoes, five were rated EF-2 and two were EF-3. Nine of the 15 tornadoes tracked over 10 miles, with the longest path being an EF-2 tornado that traversed 39.48 miles across Tuscaloosa and Walker counties, striking the town of Sipsey. An EF-3 tornado in Plantersville in Dallas County resulted in two fatalities and two injuries, while an EF-2 tornado in Winterboro in Talladega County had one fatality and one injury. The second EF-3 tornado struck Tallapoosa County, reaching peak intensity in Horseshoe Bend National Military Park. Near the end of the event, an EF-2 tornado moved across southern and eastern parts of Troy, with three injuries being documented.
National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage|associated with a tornado in Greene, Pickens, and Tuscaloosa|counties that began around 3:08 PM on March 15, 2025. The tornado|began on the south side of Highway 14 in Greene County, then|moved northeastward and crossed County Road 161 near Lewiston.|The tornado intensified as it approached County Road 60 where it|briefly reached its maximum intensity of 90 mph. Several trees|were snapped, with a few falling into an older manufactured home. The|tornado then paralleled County Road 183 northeastward where|several trees were uprooted or snapped along or just east of the|county road. The tornado weakened as it crossed County Road|156 and the Pickens County line.
National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage|associated with a tornado in Greene, Pickens, and Tuscaloosa|counties that began around 3:08 PM on March 15, 2025. The tornado entered Pickens County from Greene County, where it continued north-northeastward|and re-intensified in a wooded area east of Benevola Road.|Numerous snapped trees were observed along an unnamed dirt road.|More trees were uprooted or snapped along Lum Fife Road before|the tornado eventually crossed Highway 82 near Holman. Several|trees were downed along Highway 82 near Minas Road before the|tornado weakened on the north side of Highway 82 in Tuscaloosa|County.
National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage|associated with a tornado in Greene, Pickens, and Tuscaloosa|counties that began around 3:08 PM on March 15, 2025. The tornado entered Tuscaloosa County from Pickens County. Several|trees were downed along Highway 82 near Minas Road before the|tornado weakened on the north side of Highway 82 in Tuscaloosa|County. It lifted along and just west of Lee Bonner Road, where a|few more trees were uprooted. The total path length of the tornado across all three counties was 26.46 miles.
National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage|associated with a tornado in Tuscaloosa County that began around|4:00 PM on March 15, 2025. The tornado began along Highway|43 near Smith Landing Road, where a metal building lost part of|its roof. The tornado then crossed portions of Lake Tuscaloosa|and moved through a residential area along Tierce Patton Road,|where several trees were snapped or uprooted. The tornado then|continued northeastward, bringing down several trees on Turquoise|Lane. The tornado weakened and lifted in a wooded area east of|Highway 69 and north of Ben Clements Road around 4:14 PM.|Following inspection of post-storm satellite imagery, the maximum|wind was estimated to be 95 mph based on tree damage, and the|estimated width of the tornado was increased to 600 yards.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
17 minutes of warning. NWS BMX issued a tornado warning for this county at 19:51 UTC, 17 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 20:38 UTC.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 17:25 UTC and running to 01:00 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 04:06 UTC | 06:00 UTC | Wind Advisory | BMX |
| 07:35 UTC | 10:00 UTC | Tornado Watch | BMX |
| 17:25 UTC | 01:00 UTC | Tornado Watch | BMX |
| 19:51 UTC | 20:38 UTC | Tornado Warning | BMX |
| 00:47 UTC | 02:45 UTC | Flood Advisory | 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 High Risk, with a 0.30 chance of a tornado within 25 miles, in the hatched area where significant tornadoes were expected. The outlook in force was issued at 20:04 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
8.1 hours before the tornado, 109 km from the path. March 15, 2025.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 41 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -287 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 931 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 47 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 47 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 408 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 476 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 2.3
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 5.3 K/km
The radar
The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 91 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 20:07 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20:08 UTC | TORNADO | 2 Sse Pleasant Ridge | Greene, AL | NWS damage survey team confirmed an EF-1 tornado. |
| 20:41 UTC | TORNADO | 3 Nw Elrod | Tuscaloosa, AL | Numerous trees snapped. A few trees uprooted. At least one house with roof damage. Spotter saw the tornado cross US-82 near Minas Road. |
| 21:00 UTC | TORNADO | 3 S Binion Creek Landin | Tuscaloosa, AL | Corrects previous tornado report from 3 S Binion Creek Landing to increase rating to EF-1. NWS meteorologists surveyed damage consistent with an EF-1 tornado near Lake Tuscaloosa. |
| 21:00 UTC | TORNADO | 3 S Binion Creek Landin | Tuscaloosa, AL | NWS meteorologists surveyed damage consistent with an EF-0 tornado near Lake Tuscaloosa. |
| 21:02 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Wnw Lake Tcl Hwy 69 B | Tuscaloosa, AL | Numerous reports of trees down around the Samantha and Lake Tuscaloosa areas, including Tierce Patton Road. Possible tornado. |
| 21:04 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Sw Binion Creek Landi | Tuscaloosa, AL | Tree down blocking Highway 43. |
| 21:10 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Nne Lake Tcl Hwy 69 B | Tuscaloosa, AL | Trees and power lines down on AL-69, between Buffalo Ridge Road and Yellow Creek Road. Lots of debris on the road. Possible tornado. |
| 21:12 UTC | TORNADO | 2 Ssw Windham Springs | Tuscaloosa, AL | NWS Meteorologists surveyed damage consistent with a tornado in NE Tuscaloosa County. This tornado was on the ground for 39.5 miles, later impacting the town of Sipsey, AL. |
| 21:23 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Nne Whitson | Tuscaloosa, AL | Several large trees down on AL-69, just south of the Tuscaloosa and Walker County line. Possible tornado. |
| 21:31 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 S The Wye | Walker, AL | Trees down. Possible tornado. |
| 21:32 UTC | TORNADO | 1 W Johnston Lake | Pickens, AL | NWS damage survey confirmed an EF-2 tornado. |
| 21:45 UTC | TORNADO | 1 Nw Gordo | Pickens, AL | Numerous trees snapped on US-82, near the northwest city limits of Gordo. |
| 22:20 UTC | TORNADO | 5 W Lilita | Sumter, AL | NWS damage survey team confirmed an EF-2 tornado. |
| 22:28 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 4 S Livingston | Sumter, AL | Seven to 10 large trees down, blocking CR-13 near the Alumuchee Creek bridge. Possible tornado. Time estimated by radar. |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2025 tornado in AlabamaEvery tornado in Alabama since 1950Warnings in force in Alabama nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of March 15, 2025
49 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 15 | 1:03 AM CDT | EF1 | New Madrid, MO | 4.5 | 50 | $900,000 | ||
| March 15 | 1:12 AM CDT | EF1 | Lake, IN | 0.9 | 200 | |||
| March 15 | 2:14 AM EDT | EF1 | Parke, IN | 2.7 | 75 | $350,000 | ||
| March 15 | 1:15 AM CDT | EF2 | Johnson, IL | 15.6 | 150 | $1.0 million | ||
| March 15 | 1:19 AM CDT | EF0 | Lake, IN | 4.9 | 200 | |||
| March 15 | 1:25 AM CDT | EF1 | Calhoun, MS | 8.2 | 300 | $110,000 | ||
| March 15 | 2:53 AM CDT | EF2 | Gibson, IN | 57.5 | 400 | $4.3 million | ||
| March 15 | 4:45 AM EDT | EF1 | Orange, IN | 11.0 | 50 | |||
| March 15 | 4:53 AM EDT | EF0 | Lawrence, IN | 6.2 | 100 | $120,000 | ||
| March 15 | 5:01 AM EDT | EF0 | Lawrence, IN | 1.0 | 25 | $70,000 | ||
| March 15 | 5:14 AM EDT | EF1 | Jackson, IN | 2.2 | 50 | $25,000 | ||
| March 15 | 7:56 AM CDT | EF0 | Hardeman, TN | 2.7 | 50 | $10,000 | ||
| March 15 | 10:22 AM CDT | EF2 | Issaquena, MS | 19.5 | 1,600 | |||
| March 15 | 12:17 PM CDT | EF4 | Tylertown tornado, Louisiana and Mississippi | 67.2 | 1,400 | 6 | 6 | $5.5 million |
| March 15 | 12:27 PM CDT | EF1 | Chickasaw, MS | 3.0 | 150 | $25,000 | ||
| March 15 | 12:47 PM CDT | EF0 | Simpson, MS | 0.4 | 100 | |||
| March 15 | 1:16 PM CDT | EF0 | Monroe, MS | 2.0 | 50 | $10,000 | ||
| March 15 | 1:24 PM CDT | EF3 | Walthall, MS | 26.1 | 880 | 1 | 2 | $5.0 million |
| March 15 | 1:32 PM CDT | EF0 | Newton, MS | 3.5 | 75 | |||
| March 15 | 1:41 PM CDT | EF1 | Newton, MS | 6.7 | 300 | |||
| March 15 | 1:54 PM CDT | EF2 | Covington, MS | 16.1 | 750 | 11 | ||
| March 15 | 2:11 PM CDT | EF2 | Jefferson Davis, MS | 12.6 | 600 | |||
| March 15 | 2:21 PM CDT | EF1 | Lauderdale, AL | 2.3 | 63 | $109,000 | ||
| March 15 | 2:38 PM CDT | EF1 | Jasper, MS | 8.4 | 300 | |||
| March 15 | 3:03 PM CDT | EF2 | Marion, MS | 18.2 | 1,160 | 1 | 1 | |
| March 15 | 3:20 PM CDT | EF1 | Bedford, TN | 4.5 | 300 | $1.0 million | ||
| March 15 | 3:27 PM CDT | EF1 | Covington, MS | 6.8 | 580 | |||
| March 15 | 3:46 PM CDT | EF1 | Jasper, MS | 2.6 | 320 | |||
| March 15 | 4:00 PM CDT | EF1 | Tuscaloosa, AL | 11.5 | 600 | |||
| March 15 | 4:09 PM CDT | EF2 | Jasper, MS | 13.0 | 300 | |||
| March 15 | 4:12 PM CDT | EF2 | Tuscaloosa, AL | 39.5 | 1,000 | |||
| March 15 | 4:17 PM CDT | EF1 | Saint Tammany Parish, LA | 7.7 | 50 | |||
| March 15 | 4:32 PM CDT | EF2 | Pickens, AL | 21.6 | 950 | |||
| March 15 | 4:33 PM CDT | EF1 | Clarke, MS | 13.3 | 400 | |||
| March 15 | 5:20 PM CDT | EF2 | Sumter, AL | 3.3 | 650 | |||
| March 15 | 6:38 PM CDT | EF0 | Hale, AL | 21.6 | 700 | |||
| March 15 | 7:39 PM CDT | EF0 | Bibb, AL | 7.6 | 75 | |||
| March 15 | 7:57 PM CDT | EF1 | Shelby, AL | 7.5 | 250 | |||
| March 15 | 8:00 PM CDT | EF1 | Shelby, AL | 2.5 | 150 | |||
| March 15 | 8:20 PM CDT | EF1 | Washington, AL | 6.3 | 200 | |||
| March 15 | 8:42 PM CDT | EF2 | Talladega, AL | 3.6 | 500 | 1 | 1 | |
| March 15 | 8:48 PM CDT | EF1 | Clarke, AL | 13.9 | 240 | |||
| March 15 | 8:50 PM CDT | EF3 | Autauga, AL | 24.3 | 1,000 | 2 | 2 | |
| March 15 | 9:10 PM CDT | EF0 | Clarke, AL | 1.4 | 200 | |||
| March 15 | 9:33 PM CDT | EF1 | Coosa, AL | 12.0 | 200 | |||
| March 15 | 11:41 PM EDT | EF1 | Paulding, GA | 11.6 | 200 | |||
| March 15 | 10:48 PM CDT | EF3 | Tallapoosa, AL | 20.4 | 800 | |||
| March 15 | 11:02 PM CDT | EF2 | Pike, AL | 21.3 | 1,400 | 3 | ||
| March 15 | 11:59 PM CDT | EF0 | Chambers, AL | 3.8 | 100 |
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.