EF1 tornado, Madison to Molder, Alabama, May 20, 2025

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.

Rating

EF1

Date

May 20, 2025

Touchdown

6:51 PM CDT (23:51 UTC)

Lifted

6:57 PM CDT (23:57 UTC)

On the ground

6 minutes

Path length

8.7 miles (14.0 km)

Path width

280 yards (256 m)

Deaths

0

Injuries

0

County

Madison County

Touchdown point

34.736, -86.564

Lift-off point

34.743, -86.415

Record number

2505201751-01

83 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS HUN, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF2. The highest wind the damage implies is 134 mph.

• NDVI Difference Imagery detects damage
• Pieces of the home along with the frame was scattered across the property amd all the way across the street
• Multiple hardwood trees also uprooted on the property
• Trees across the street are wind blown leaning in the direction of the wind

Survey points are preliminary and are the raw material the published rating was built from. Source: NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.

An outbreak of tornadoes, large hail, wind damage and flash flooding occurred during the afternoon and evening of the 20th. Fourteen tornadoes occurred in north Alabama, including 1 EF-0, 10 EF-1, 2 EF-2, and 1 EF-U (unknown) which was a waterspout on Wheeler Lake. One person was injured in Colbert County. There were also several reports of large hail, including baseball sized and larger in northern Lawrence and southeastern Lauderdale Counties. Damaging winds were also experienced as well with the severe thunderstorms. Lightning sparked a fire which resulted in severe structural and water damage and total loss to the Albertville Public Library which is scheduled to be demolished. There were two reports of flash flooding in Jackson County.

A tornado crossed from Limestone into Madison County just south of Browns Ferry Road. Further tree damage, predominantly uproots, was observed between County Line Road and Wall Triana Highway, with several instances of trees falling on homes. The tornado reached its maximum intensity as it approached Hughes Road, specifically near Downing Ridge and Millsford Road. In this area, two single-family homes suffered major roof damage, with most or all of the roofing material removed. Numerous trees were also uprooted at this location. Continuing eastward, the tornado crossed Hughes Road in the Dublin Circle area. Sporadic tree damage was noted north of Eastview Drive through Kensington Drive and Foothill Court. The tornado dissipated before reaching Slaughter Road.

A tornado began by snapping several hardwood and softwood trees on the eastern side of Blossomwood in Huntsville, at the base of Monte Sano Mountain. Trees were downed and witness statements confirmed the tornado touchdown near the intersection of Randolph Avenue and Toll Gate Road. Further east, more widespread tree damage was noted on satellite imagery up the mountain at the end of Cleermont Drive near the Wildflower Hiking Trail. NVDI satellite imagery here shows that the tornado was|about 400 yards wide at its widest point crossing overtop Monte Sano, snapping and uprooting large swaths of trees in Monte Sano State Park. The tornado traversed the leeward side of the mountain and continued producing tree damage in Moontown, south of the Moontown Airport along Moontown and Bob Hunt Roads, just west of the Flint River. After crossing the Flint River south of U.S. Highway 72, the tornado began to weaken as it approached Madison County High School, downing several power poles to the east of the school on Brock Road. The tornado produced minor tree damage and minor damage to a barn in fields in the 1000-block of Salty Bottom Road before dissipating.

The tornado touched down on Acuff Road, downing a large swath of hardwood trees just east of Boulder Trail. A barn sustained roof damage here as|well, with some uplifting of the roof and peeling back of a few pieces of tin. From here, the tornado snapped and uprooted numerous hardwood trees as it moved across the field toward structures on Killingworth Cove Road. Here, the tornado had its strongest winds of 134 mph with a width of 400 yards. A mobile home was completely destroyed at this location, hurling the mangled frame 150-200 yards from its original location. Debris from the destroyed mobile home was strewn about 225-250 yards across the street and into the field leading to JB Hawkins Road. Two other structures at this location sustained damage. The home next door had significant roof damage, as well as projectiles that penetrated the side of the home in two locations. On the other side of the path on the corner of Killingsworth Cove Road and JB Hawkins Road, another home sustained major structural damage. Only portions of walls were left standing of the home, but survey teams discovered that no anchor bolts were used to attach the home to the foundation. All portions of the bases of walls that were investigated were toe nailed down, owing to the damage sustained at this location. From this location, the tornado climbed the elevation behind the homes on JB Hawkins, snapping and uprooting large swaths of hardwood trees before moving into Jackson County.

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

NWS Huntsville, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at May 20, 5:53 PM CDT, 58 minutes earlier.

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Huntsville AL
553 PM CDT Tue May 20 2025

...New AVIATION...

.NEAR TERM...
(Rest of Today and Tonight)
Issued at 1106 AM CDT Tue May 20 2025

Morning convection that developed just east of the Mississippi
River has weakened somewhat as it pushed eastward and the initial
LLJ jet lifted northward. Still, given the very moist environment
and even a lower amount of uncapped instability, these storms
should persist into the early afternoon across mainly southern
middle Tennessee and locations near the AL/TN border in northern
Alabama through 1-2 PM. Most of this activity will remain
subsevere -- with gusty winds being the main threat with this
activity

Our attention will quickly turn to the mid/late afternoon, as a
more robust threat for severe weather develops along and ahead of
a cold front. The initial cloud cover from this morning convection
will gradually dissipate by the early afternoon, with ample
sunshine and southerly flow rapidly helping to destabilize the
atmosphere. By mid/late afternoon, guidance is hinting at between
2000-3000 J/kg of SBCAPE/MLCAPE with bulk shear values increasing
to 40-50 kts by the late afternoon and evening hours with a
developing 850-700 mb jet. This feature will serve as a forcing
mechanism to drive clusters of thunderstorms from the mid/late
afternoon through the evening hours. The favored storm mode will
be supercells and or line segments with embedded supercells that
will impact the area from roughly a 4 PM to Midnight timeframe.

An additional focus for convection as we destabilize this
afternoon may be a few residual outflow boundaries set down by
this morning convection. Should this activity develop during the
mid afternoon, a prefrontal round of supercells may be realized
across the area, followed by another line of storms (with embedded
supercells) later this evening. The atmosphere should be primed
for damaging winds (some 60-70+ MPH). Additionally, hodographs
indicating sufficient low- level backing of the winds to result in
some curvature in the lowest 0-1 km. By this afternoon, SRH values
in the 150-250 m2/s2 may be realized in right-moving storms -- and
even storms moving with the mean flow will more than sufficient
SRH for a tornado threat (with a strong tornado or two possible if
one or two supercells become dominant). This activity will wane
after the front sweeps through late this evening, with most storms
coming to an end by Midnight.

&&

.SHORT TERM...
(Wednesday through Friday)
Issued at 1106 AM CDT Tue May 20 2025

A cooler and more stable air mass will advect into the Tennessee
Valley behind the cold front, with dry conditions in the forecast
for the remainder of the work week. In fact, temperatures will be
downright enjoyable for late May into Memorial Day weekend as
highs will remain in the mid 70s to lower 80s! With plenty of
sunshine to enjoy, this will be an excellent timeframe for outdoor
activities.

&&

.LONG TERM...
(Friday through Monday)
Issued at 918 PM CDT Mon May 19 2025

A northwest flow pattern takes shape as we reach the end of the
work week and move into the weekend. Moisture advection begins to
increase this weekend, hence making the atmosphere more unstable
and increasing the potential for showers and thunderstorms. As is
typical with a northwest flow pattern this time of year, we will
have to watch out for upstream MCS development. Depending on where
those systems propagate will determine how active a pattern the
Tennessee Valley will see. Hence, kept blended PoPs through the
Memorial Day Weekend given this uncertainty. Overall, temperatures
will be near climatological normals for this time of year with
afternoon highs this weekend in the upper 70s to lower 80s.

&&

.AVIATION...
(00Z TAFS)
Issued at 553 PM CDT Tue May 20 2025

Supercells have begun to move across the area with lightning,
hail, wind, and tornadoes all possible. Over the next few hours,
these storms are forecast to congeal into multi cells and
increase in coverage as they continue to move east across the
area. With these storms periods of MVFR conditions are possible
with lower ceiling and visibilities should storms move directly
over the terminals. The system is forecast to exit the area around
midnight, behind it conditions will quickly clear with VFR
conditions prevailing through the remainder of the TAF period.

&&

.HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AL...None.
TN...None.
&&

NEAR TERM...AMP
SHORT TERM....AMP
LONG TERM....GH
AVIATION...RAD

In the hours before

Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Huntsville AL
515 PM CDT Tue May 20 2025

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

0512 PM     Hail             2 E Underwood-Petersvil 34.87N 87.66W
05/20/2025  E1.50 Inch       Lauderdale         AL   Public

            Social media report of 1.5 inch hail at
            Helton Dr in Florence AL.

&&

RAD

Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Huntsville AL
519 PM CDT Tue May 20 2025

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

0510 PM     Hail             3 SW Killen             34.84N 87.57W
05/20/2025  M0.75 Inch       Lauderdale         AL   Public

            Report from mPING: Dime (0.75 in.).

&&

Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Huntsville AL
521 PM CDT Tue May 20 2025

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

0500 PM     Tstm Wnd Gst     2 SSW Florence          34.80N 87.68W
05/20/2025  M56 MPH          Lauderdale         AL   Mesonet

            56 MPH gust measured by the Florence
            Mesonet.

&&

RAD

Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Huntsville AL
540 PM CDT Tue May 20 2025

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

0535 PM     Hail             3 ESE Rogersville       34.81N 87.24W
05/20/2025  M1.75 Inch       Lauderdale         AL   Emergency Mngr

            EMA reported golf ball sized hail on HWY 72
            at the Elk River.

&&

RAD

Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Huntsville AL
547 PM CDT Tue May 20 2025

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

0538 PM     Hail             7 N Town Creek          34.77N 87.39W
05/20/2025  M2.75 Inch       Lawrence           AL   Emergency Mngr

            EMA reported baseball size hail in the Red
            Bank area south of Wheeler Dam.

&&

KG

Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Huntsville AL
650 PM CDT Tue May 20 2025

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

0648 PM     Hail             4 N Madison             34.75N 86.75W
05/20/2025  E1.25 Inch       Madison            AL   Trained Spotter

            Spotter reported half dollar size hail at
            the Lowes on Highway 73.

&&

KG

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.

Huntsville/Madison County Exec (MDQ), 15 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

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

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 43 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 23:51 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.

The live radar over the trackEvery 2025 tornado in AlabamaEvery tornado in Alabama since 1950Warnings in force in Alabama nowThe forecast where you are

38 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

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.

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.