Tornado outbreak of March 24–27, 2023

Tornado outbreak of March 24–27, 2023
Map of tornado warnings and confirmed tornadoes from the outbreak
Meteorological history
DurationMarch 24–27, 2023
Tornado outbreak
Tornadoes35
Maximum ratingEF4 tornado
Highest windsTornadic – 195 mph (314 km/h) (Rolling Fork, Mississippi EF4 on March 24)
Highest gustsNon-tornadic – 85 mph (137 km/h) (Wears Valley, Tennessee straight-line winds on March 25)
Estimated non-tornadic – 88 mph (142 km/h)
(Florence, Alabama straight-line winds on March 24)
Winter storm
Largest hail2.75 in (7.0 cm)
Burkburnett, Texas on March 23; multiple places in Alabama on March 25; multiple places across Mississippi and Georgia on March 26
Maximum snowfall or ice accretion20 in (51 cm)
Menasha, Wisconsin
Overall effects
Fatalities23 fatalities (+2 non-tornadic) 236 injuries
Damage$1.9 billion
Areas affectedTexas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia
Power outages≥80,000

Part of the tornado outbreaks of 2023 and 2022–23 North American winter

On March 24, 2023, a severe weather and tornado outbreak began across portions of the lower Mississippi River Valley in the United States. A slow-moving trough moved eastward across the United States and interacted with a moist and unstable airmass originating from the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in widespread heavy rainfall, severe thunderstorms, and significant tornadoes over a four-day period. A violent high-end EF4 tornado moved through the towns of Rolling Fork, Midnight, and Silver City in western Mississippi, causing catastrophic damage and many fatalities. Multiple tornado emergencies were issued for that tornado and two subsequent EF3 tornadoes from the same supercell that struck Winona and Amory.

Severe weather and tornadic activity continued into the early morning hours of March 25, as a squall line of severe storms with embedded circulations moved eastward across Tennessee and Alabama. A low-end EF2 tornado within the line killed a person in the northern part of Hartselle, Alabama. The slow-moving storm system then stalled the following day, producing more severe weather and tornadoes across portions of Alabama and Georgia from March 26 to March 27, including a couple of strong tornadoes. The outbreak also resulted in numerous reports of damaging straight-line winds, hail, and flooding.