March 25th Tornado Outbreak

Deep South Tornado Outbreak
March 25, 2021
 

Summary of all Local Storm Reports (LSRs) on March 25, as well as all the LSRs across the region for this event (regional map may take a minute to load).

Storm survey teams preliminarily concluded that there was one tornado in our forecast area during the March 25th Deep South Tornado Outbreak - one EF-1 tornado that began in Choctaw County, AL. This tornado quickly raced into Marengo County, AL (NWS Birmingham's forecast area) producing EF-2 damage further to the east.

----- IMPORTANT 2023 UPDATE -----

Significant updates were made to several tornado tracks and wind swaths impacting the NWS Mobile/Pensacola area in the 2018 to 2023 timeframe thanks to the introduction of high-resolution Sentinel, Worldview, and Planet satellite imagery. One or multiple tornado tracks/wind swaths listed on this event webpage were updated in 2023.
 

An updated graphic and details surrounding these significant updates can be found further down on this webpage in the section for that specific tornado track or wind swath. More information on this Local Tornado Reanalysis Project and a list of all updates can be found on our webpage at weather.gov/mob/TornadoReanalysis or the National Damage Viewer.
 

Here is a list of the significant updates:

1. March 25, 2021 - Updated Tornado - Choctaw County, AL: Upgraded this tornado from an EF1 tornado to a high-end EF2 tornado and lengthened the track based on the extent of widespread snapped and uprooted hardwood trees noted on Worldview satellite imagery. The tornado occurred primarily in densely forested areas, largely inaccessible to the survey team. The new path length is 2.54 miles and path width is 430 yards. The new maximum intensity is approximately 134 mph given the widespread tree damage.

Choctaw County, AL Tornado 

Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Mobile AL
647 PM CDT Mon Mar 29 2021

...NWS Damage Survey For March 25, 2021, Tornado Event...

.Eastern Choctaw County, Alabama...

Rating:                 EF-1
Estimated Peak Wind:    110 mph
Path Length /statute/:  0.10 miles
Path Width /maximum/:   100 yards
Fatalities:             0
Injuries:               0

Start Date:             March 25, 2021
Start Time:             7:13 PM CDT
Start Location:         9.75 miles east of Butler, AL
Start Lat/Lon:          32.12 / -88.04

End Date:               March 25, 2021
End Time:               7:14 PM CDT
End Location:           9.85 miles east of Butler, AL
End Lat/Lon:            32.12 / -88.04

Survey summary: The tornado first touched down just west of the Tombigbee River
and just south of Highway 10 in far eastern Choctaw county, AL. The tornado
intensified rapidly upon touchdown and heavily damaged a single family home.
The home was shifted nearly 6 feet off of the foundation. In addition, a
large section of the roof was removed and a small shed adjacent
to the home was destroyed. A few large trees were also uprooted and a power
pole in front of the home was snapped. This tornado continued east across
the river into Marengo county, AL, which is covered by the National Weather
Service office in Birmingham, AL.

EF Scale: The Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies
tornadoes into the following categories.

EF0...Weak......65 to 85 mph
EF1...Weak......86 to 110 mph
EF2...Strong....111 to 135 mph
EF3...Strong....136 to 165 mph
EF4...Violent...166 to 200 mph
EF5...Violent...>200 mph

Note:
The information in this statement is preliminary and subject to
change pending final review of the event and publication in
NWS Storm Data.

Pictures of the storm damage via Choctaw County EMA.

Additional Information

SPC Storm Report Archive

NWS Local Write-Ups and Webpages:
     NWS Birmingham
     NWS Jackson, MS
     NWS Peachtree City, GA

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Acknowledgements: Page created by Morgan Barry (Forecaster). Page updated by Caitlin Baldwin (Forecaster).

LAST UPDATED: March 2024