In Selma, the tornado destroyed multiple churched and struck a daycare that 70 children were sheltering in; only one child sustained minor injuries and the others were unharmed.

On January 11, the Storm Prediction Center outlined a level 1/Marginal risk across the Mid-South valid for the overnight and early morning hours.

Although the environment was initially capped, conditions were expected to become more conducive for severe weather given the approach of a mid-level trough and a gradually moistening airmass.

Here, numerical weather prediction models indicated the presence of 6.5 C/km mid-level lapse rates and 500-1000 J/kg convective available potential energy (CAPE) values supportive of transient supercells and bowing segments.

The tornado uprooted several trees as it crossed County Road 163,[9] and retained EF1 intensity as it moved across SR 22 north of Beloit.

The now strong tornado then crossed SR 219 as it entered the southwest side of Selma, causing significant damage along Old Orville Road.

A couple of older residences that were built on brick piling foundations collapsed, cars were flipped, signs were destroyed and numerous power poles were snapped.

Apartment buildings were also badly damaged and debris from structures was strewn across streets, or left tangled in power lines or wrapped around trees.

Past the downtown area, the tornado weakened slightly to mid-range EF2 strength as it crossed Marie Foster Street and moved through neighborhoods in the northeastern part of Selma,[29][30] where many homes and apartment buildings had roofs and exterior walls torn off, and many trees and power lines were downed.

Some re-intensification was observed as the tornado then impacted a small residential area along Parkway Drive,[31][32] where a few houses had roofs torn off with some collapse of exterior walls noted.

It inflicted EF0 damage to a house and dissipated as it crossed SR 140 to the southeast of Burnsville at 12:31 p.m. CST (18:31 UTC), just before reaching the Autauga County line.

[57][58][59] U.S. Representative Terri Sewell stated during initial recovery efforts after the tornado: "This will be a marathon, not a sprint, but rest assured we will come back stronger than before.

[62][63] A makeshift American Red Cross shelter was also set up inside of the Selma High School to provide residents with food and water.

[67][68] Selma, the origin point of the Civil Rights era marches to Montgomery in the 1960s, was "brought together" by the tornado, which hit the town just days before Martin Luther King Jr.