Campus Alert Archive
Auburn

An EF4 on the Ground Near Tuskegee, Moving Toward Auburn at 50 MPH

ALtornadoemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On the afternoon of March 3, 2019, a violent EF4 tornado tore through Lee County, Alabama, killing 23 people in the Beauregard community southeast of Auburn. Auburn University warned the campus that a confirmed tornado was located near Tuskegee and moving northeast at 50 mph, urging the community to take shelter. The National Weather Service issued a Particularly Dangerous Situation warning for the area.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Auburn University
Public R1 · AL
AU Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTTwitter/X
Approximate reconstruction273 chars
Tornado Warning in effect for Lee County and the Auburn community. From NWS: Confirmed tornado located near Tuskegee, moving NE at 50 mph. HAZARD...Damaging tornado. SOURCE...Radar confirmed tornado. IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without shelter.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The alert relays the National Weather Service's HAZARD/SOURCE/IMPACT impact-based warning format, including a radar-confirmed tornado near Tuskegee moving northeast at 50 mph.
Auburn is on Central time (UTC-6); the tornado warning for Lee and Russell counties was first issued around 1:58 p.m. CST, about two minutes before touchdown near Society Hill.
Naming the storm's direction and speed gives the campus an actionable sense of timing rather than a generic shelter instruction.
ALL CLEARTwitter/X
Approximate reconstruction228 chars
The tornado warning for Lee County has expired. The immediate threat to the Auburn community has passed. Severe damage has occurred in southern Lee County; stay clear of the Beauregard area and watch for downed lines and debris.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstruction of the all-clear; the verbatim warning text above is the documented official message, while the lifting of the warning is reconstructed from the NWS event timeline.
Honest all-clear: it confirms the warning expired for the campus while warning that southern Lee County (Beauregard) had suffered severe damage.
Context

Background

The March 3, 2019 Beauregard tornado was an EF4 with winds up to 170 mph that stayed on the ground for 76 minutes over a 68.6-mile path, per Wikipedia. It first touched down around 2:00 p.m. CST near Society Hill and killed 23 people in the Beauregard community of southern Lee County — the deadliest U.S. tornado since the 2013 Moore tornado. The National Weather Service in Birmingham issued a tornado warning at 1:58 p.m. CST and upgraded it to a Particularly Dangerous Situation as a radar-confirmed tornado moved northeast. Auburn University's campus safety account relayed the warning verbatim, noting the storm was near Tuskegee and moving toward the Auburn community at 50 mph. Auburn's main campus was spared, but the alert demonstrates how a university passes through the NWS impact-based warning during a fast-moving, deadly storm.
Outcome
The tornado missed Auburn's main campus but devastated Beauregard, killing 23 and injuring scores more — the deadliest U.S. tornado since 2013. The university's alert helped the campus shelter as the storm passed to the south.
Provenance

Sources

  1. reference
    2019 Beauregard tornado - Wikipedia
    en.wikipedia.org
  2. Official
    Beauregard-Smiths Station Tornado - March 3, 2019 - National Weather Service Birmingham
    weather.gov
Tags
tornadosevere-weatherbeauregardef4emergency-notificationalabamaauburn
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion