Tornado outbreak of February 12, 1945

On February 12, 1945, a devastating tornado outbreak occurred across the Southeastern United States. The storms killed 45 people and injured 427 others.

This outbreak included a devastating tornado that struck Montgomery, Alabama, killing 26 people. The United States Weather Bureau described this tornado as "perhaps the most officially observed one in history" as it reached within 5 mi of the U.S. Weather Bureau's office. The tornado expert Thomas P. Grazulis estimated the intensity of the Montgomery tornado to be F3 on the Fujita scale. The Montgomery storm destroyed around 100 houses, as well as two warehouses and a freight train. This is the deadliest tornado to ever impact the city of Montgomery.

Earlier that day, another tornado – also estimated to be F3 intensity – struck Meridian, Mississippi, killing five to seven people. Between the Meridian tornado and the Montgomery tornado, the strongest tornado of the day struck near York and Livingston, Alabama, killing 11 people. Grazulis estimated the intensity of the tornado to be F4 on the Fujita scale.

Confirmed tornadoes
All ratings on the Fujita scale were made by Thomas P. Grazulis and are classified as unofficial ratings since official ratings for tornadoes began in 1950. Grazulis only documented tornadoes he considered to be significant (F2+), so the true number of tornadoes for this outbreak is most likely higher. That said, the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Birmingham, Alabama, published a list of tornadoes, which occurred in Alabama, during 1945. In this list, NWS Birmingham assigned ratings from the Fujita scale to the tornadoes, lending official support to the ratings for these tornadoes.

Montgomery–Chisholm, Alabama
The tornado started 5 mi southwest of Montgomery, Alabama, and moved northeast, toward Montgomery, where it would brush the western edge. The tornado leveled two government or U.S. army warehouses. A freight train was also struck, where, according to the Dothan Eagle, 50 cars "were ripped and tossed about like match boxes". Maxwell Air Force Base was plunged into hours of darkness from a blackout caused by the tornado, which passed extremely close to the base. After hitting Montgomery, the tornado struck Chisholm, Alabama, where it caused catastrophic damage. Thirty-five homes were completely swept away in Chisholm. All the fatalities from this tornado occurred in 15 homes within a 20-block radius. Over 100 homes were completely destroyed by the tornado. In total, the tornado killed 26 people, injured 293 others, and caused $1.7 million (1945 USD) in damage along its 13 mi path.

Grazulis has indicated the maximum width of this tornado was 100 yd. The United States Weather Bureau, in contrast, reported that the tornado was a uniform width of 100 yd except near Union Station, where it momentarily grew to its peak width of 350 yd. This is one of three tornadoes marked by Grazulis that the United States Weather Bureau originally marked as a single tornado. The U.S. Weather Bureau documented that this long-track tornado killed 40 people and injured 200 others. Modern research by Grazulis as well as a later publication from the U.S. Weather Bureau indicate that there were actually three separate tornadoes. The Tornado Project, headed by Grazulis, would later list this set of storms as one of the "worst tornadoes" in the history of Alabama.

The entire city of Montgomery lost power for several hours following the tornado. Chauncey Sparks, then governor of Alabama, ordered three companies from the Alabama National Guard to the state capital to prevent looting. As news of the tornado's impact on Montgomery and Chisholm spread, curiosity set in as residents attempted to travel to the affected areas "by the thousands", causing traffic congestion and blocking the roads. Military police from Maxwell Air Force Base and Gunter Field, along with local law enforcement, eventually cleared the streets of onlookers. Cadets from both military bases were sent to clear away the debris while organizations like the Red Cross cared for those who were injured or left homeless by the tornado.

Floyd C. Pate, a forecaster at the United States Weather Bureau office in Montgomery, Alabama, undertook an extensive assessment on this tornado between 1945 and 1946. During this assessment, Pate called this tornado "perhaps the most officially observed one in history", as it passed 2 mi away from four different government weather stations, including the U.S. Weather Bureau office in Montgomery. U.S. Weather Bureau meteorologist E.D. Emigh stated that he watched the tornado from his downtown observatory. The forward speed of the tornado was determined to have been 49 mph by the Maxwell Field radar, which was one of the government weather stations that was passed by the tornado. The radar also determined the height of the tornado to be 4000 ft. The storm which produced the tornado was dry, with no documentable precipitation. It was noted that as the tornado dissipated, a rain shaft formed in place of the tornado, which dropped 0.3 in of rain.