This study focuses on the mesoscale features and radar data pertaining to the 2 killer tornadoes, the Selma Tornado and the Montgomery Tornado. The first tornado was associated with a thunderstorm on the south end of a short squall line as it moved across northern Dallas County. This F3 tornado was on the ground for 19 miles. It hit the northwestern section of Selma, killing 4 people and injuring forty. The storm weakened as it moved northeastward into Autauga County, but another short squall line rapidly formed to the immediate south over Lowndes County. This MCS transformed into a classic bow echo and comma-shaped echo as it traversed Montgomery County. A strong mesocyclone on the southern tip of the comma head produced a series of 3 weak tornadoes and 1 strong tornado in the city of Montgomery. The last tornado, an F2, killed 2 people in Montgomery and injured seventeen, and was on the ground for 4 miles.
This case was an excellent example of where the synoptic-scale environment only set the stage for severe weather; the actual timing and location of the severe weather was determined by mesoscale features.