National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

 

Tornado Outbreak of March 17, 2021

Overview
 

A negatively-tilted trough resulted in an episode of severe weather across the Gulf Coast region on Wednesday, March 17, 2021. Many supercells began to develop across Central Alabama by midday and continued into the evening hours before a squall line moved through. Sufficient instability and strong wind shear caused many tornadoes to develop. The system produced 21 tornadoes in the NWS Birmingham forecast area. 4 other tornadoes occurred outside of our forecast area, bringing the statewide tornado count to 25. This included 3 EF-2 tornadoes. The longest-track tornado was around 36.5 miles, associated with a tornado from Wayne County, Mississippi to southern Marengo County, Alabama. Other tornadoes occurred with this system from Louisiana and Mississippi to Georgia and Florida.

 

 
Interactive Tornado Map
 
 
Surveys
 

**The data below are considered PRELIMINARY.**

 
Location/Clickable Detailed Summary Link
Damage Rating/Estimated Maximum Wind Speeds
Injuries/Fatalities
Damage Path Length/Width
Starting Point/Time
Ending Point/Time
Walker  Road Tornado
(Sumter County)
EF-0
75 mph
None 0.35 miles
70 yards
4 NNE Ward
32.4134/-88.2421
12:31 pm CDT
4 NNE Ward
32.4172/-88.2383
12:32 pm CDT
Burnsville Tornado
(Dallas County)
EF-2
115 mph

 
2 injuries 5.08 miles
1000 yards
4 ENE Edmund Pettus Bridge
32.4240/-86.9542
12:32 pm CDT
Burnsville
32.4769/-86.8952
12:45 pm CDT
Bluffport Tornado
(Sumter County)
EF-1
105 mph
None 9.78 miles
475 yards
4 N Lilita
32.5390/-88.1341
12:57 pm CDT
2 SE Epes
32.6764/-88.1070
1:15 pm CDT
East Billingsley Tornado
(Autauga County)

 
EF-1
90 mph
None 2.87 miles
150 yards
1 ENE Billingsley
32.6621/-86.6920
1:24 pm CDT
4 NE Billingsley
32.6855/-86.6518
1:27 pm CDT
East Clanton / Cooper Tornado
(Chilton County)
EF-1
95 mph
None 3.04 miles
500 yards
3 NNW Cooper
32.8165/-86.5539
1:56 pm CDT
5 W Higgins Ferry Park
32.8573/-86.5363
2:03 pm CDT
Demopolis Lock and Dam Tornado
(Marengo County)
EF-0
80 mph
None 0.83 miles
175 yards
2 ESE McDowell
32.5117/-87.8866
2:03 pm CDT
2 W Demopolis
32.5176/-87.8744
2:05 pm CDT
Moundville Tornado
(Hale/Tuscaloosa Counties)
EF-1
110 mph
None 22.03 miles
550 yards
3 NNW Akron
32.9081/-87.7584
2:12 pm CDT
3 NNW Duncanville
33.1254/-87.4878
2:55 pm CDT
Sweet Water Tornado #1
(Marengo County)
EF-1
90 mph
None 2.77 miles
500 yards
3 SW Sweet Water
32.0678/-87.9015
2:22 pm CDT
1 SE Sweet Water
32.0899/-87.8623
2:27 pm CDT
Unity Tornado
(Coosa County)
EF-0
65 mph
None 0.13 miles
25 yards
Unity
33.0063/-86.3522
2:29 pm CDT
1 ENE Unity
33.0073/-86.3503
2:31 pm CDT
Lake Wildwood Tornado
(Tuscaloosa County)
EF-1
90 mph
None
0.53 miles
150 yards
Lake Wildwood
33.1907/-87.3795
3:09 pm CDT
Lake Wildwood
33.1959/-87.3728
3:11 pm CDT
Brookwood Tornado
(Tuscaloosa County)
EF-1
100 mph
None
3.51 miles
650 yards
1 NW East Brookwood
33.2887/-87.2997
3:25 pm CDT
4 N East Brookwood
33.3361/-87.2896
3:34 pm CDT
Kellerman Tornado
(Tuscaloosa/Jefferson Counties)
EF-1
110 mph
None 5.82 miles
650 yards
4 NNW East Brookwood
33.3360/-87.3097
3:54 pm CDT
1 SE Bull City
33.3995/-87.2435
4:06 pm CDT
Central Mills Tornado
(Dallas County)
EF-0
65 mph
None 1.07 miles
75 yards
1 E Central Mills
32.2850/-87.4280
4:11 pm CDT
2 ENE Central Mills
32.2940/-87.4160
4:13 pm CDT
Shady Grove Tornado
(Jefferson County)
EF-1
110 mph
None 2.77 miles
650 yards
1 W Maytown
33.5371/-87.0217

4:30 pm CDT
2 NNW Mulga
33.5684/-86.9937

4:38 pm CDT
Perry Branch Tornado
(Marengo County)
EF-1
110 mph
None 1.93 miles
670 yards
2 W Morvin
31.9900/-88.0225
4:34 pm CDT
2 NNW Morvin
32.0107/-88.0003
4:40 pm CDT
Sweet Water Tornado #2
(Marengo County)
EF-0
65 mph
None 1.75 miles
75 yards
Sweet Water
32.0921/-87.8699
4:54 pm CDT
1 N Sweet Water
32.1171/-87.8646
4:58 pm CDT
Mount Olive Tornado
(Jefferson County)
EF-0
85 mph
1 injury 3.46 miles
660 yards
2 NNE Watson
33.6619/-86.8534

4:56 pm CDT
2 NNW Gardendale
33.6947/-86.8113

5:04 pm CDT
Pools Crossroads Tornado
(Chilton County)
EF-2
130 mph
None
5.84 miles
400 yards
2 WNW Billingsley
32.6746/-86.7364
5:12 pm CDT
1 ENE Pools Crossroads
32.7544/-86.7028
5:23 pm CDT
Rosa Tornado
(Blount County)
EF-1
100 mph
None 12.89 miles
300 yards
2 S Fairview
33.9227/-86.5887
5:43 pm CDT
2 ENE Hendrix
34.0614/-86.4172
6:05 pm CDT
White City Tornado
(Autauga County)
EF-0
70 mph
None 0.13 miles
75 yards
4 WSW Oak Grove
32.6004/-86.6099
8:35 pm CDT
4 WSW Oak Grove
32.6013/-86.6080
8:36 pm CDT
North Pine Level Tornado
(Montgomery County)
EF-0
80 mph
None 0.30 miles
140 yards
4 NNW Pine Level
32.1279/-86.0797
10:43 pm CDT
4 NNW Pine Level
32.1306/-86.0756
10:44 pm CDT
 
Outlooks & Reports
 

Day 3 Outlook
Local Day 3 Outlook
March 15 at 345 am

Day 2 Outlook
Local Day 2 Outlook
March 16 at 1 pm

Day 1 Outlook
Local Day 1 Outlook
March 17 at 645 am

Storm Reports
250 mb Analysis
March 17 at 7 pm


 


 

Surface Charts
 

Surface Chart
Surface Analysis
March 17 at 1 pm

Surface Chart
Surface Analysis
March 17 at 4 pm

Surface Chart
Surface Analysis
March 17 at 7 pm

Surface Chart
Surface Analysis
March 17 at 10 pm

Surface Chart
Surface Analysis
March 18 at 1 am

Surface Chart
Surface Analysis
March 18 at 4am

Upper Air Charts
 

250 mb
250 mb Analysis
March 17 at 7 am

500 mb
500 mb Analysis
March 17 at 7 am

850 mb
850 mb Analysis
March 17 at 7 am

250 mb
250 mb Analysis
March 17 at 7 pm

500 mb
500 mb Analysis
March 17 at 7 pm

850 mb
850 mb Analysis
March 17 at 7 pm

KBMX Sounding
KBMX Sounding
March 17 at 7 am

KBMX Sounding
KBMX Sounding
March 17 at 1 pm

KBMX Sounding
KBMX Sounding
March 17 at 7 pm

State Summary
 

Single event grqaphic
Highest Alabama Tornado
Count Single Event

Single event grqaphic
Tornadoes March 17-18
2021