Event Summary for Central Alabama
On the morning of Sunday March 3rd, 2019 an upper-level disturbance moved eastward from the Southern Plains into the southern Gulf Coast States. As favorable upper-level support and deep-layer forcing approached the lower Mississippi River Valley, a surface low pressure developed and moved northeastward into Central Alabama by late morning. Ahead of this surface low, a warm front initially along the Florida Panhandle moved northward allowing for the transport of warm, moist unstable air into southern and southeastern Central Alabama. This frontal boundary eventually became more stationary and stalled out north of the I-85 corridor as the strengthening surface low moved eastward. During this time, a large area of elevated thunderstorms affected portions northern Central Alabama whilst severe and supercell thunderstorms initiated across the favorable warm sector. As these supercells intensified during the afternoon, tornadic parameters became even more favorable as moisture, instability, deep-layer shear, and low-level shear maximized in an area along and south of the I-85 corridor.
Though a total six tornadoes impacted areas across southern and southeastern Central Alabama that afternoon, 34 other tornadoes occurred in association with discrete supercells and the quasi-linear convective system that moved eastward into areas of Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina in the afternoon and overnight hours. Specific information for the six tornadoes that affected Central Alabama can be found below.
|