An unusually prolific and very destructive late-winter tornado outbreak resulted in significant damage and numerous casualties across the southern and eastern half of the United States between February 23–24, 2016.

In addition to the outbreak, non-tornadic impacts were felt in the Midwest, where the storm system produced blizzard conditions and cold temperatures in places including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and even parts of southern Ontario in Canada.

[3] An EF3 tornado also caused major structural damage in Paincourtville, Louisiana before destroying an RV park near Convent, killing two people at that location.

[4] Later that night, a large supercell thunderstorm developed over the Gulf of Mexico and moved ashore, producing a destructive EF3 tornado in Pensacola, Florida.

With conditions continuing to favor widespread severe weather, the Storm Prediction center issued another moderate risk for Far South-Central Virginia and Central North Carolina in their 0600 UTC update, although it was originally because of a 45% hatched area of damaging winds.

[6] At the 1300 UTC outlook, however, that was omitted and replaced with another 15% hatched risk area for tornadoes across Southeastern Virginia and Eastern North Carolina.

Multiple large trees were stripped and denuded in this area, industrial buildings sustained major damage, and a tractor trailer was flipped over.

Wind speeds at this location were estimated at 140 mph (225 km/h), and two small frame homes nearby were completely swept from their pier foundations and destroyed with the debris strewn downwind.

The tornado began to shrink in size as it tracked further northeast, snapping and uprooting more trees and branches, before crossing LA 3125.

With their original warning on the storm set to expire at 8:15 pm CST and seeing that the rotation on radar had remained intense, the NWS Mobile office issued another PDS tornado warning for South Central Escambia and Southeastern Santa Rosa Counties at 8:11 pm CST, again stating that "a large...extremely dangerous and potentially deadly tornado is developing.

[76] The tornado then reached its peak intensity of mid-range EF3 as it impacted a GE plant, completely destroying a warehouse with some of the debris from the structure being found on the western shoreline of Escambia Bay in Santa Rosa County.

It continued through the residential area, causing additional EF1 tree and minor home damage before lifting near Shetland Circle just west of Avalon Boulevard at 8:21 pm CST (02:21 UTC) east-northeast of Mulat.

It then crossed into Appomattox County shortly thereafter, snapping more trees and damaging an outbuilding along County Line Road (SR 649) before reaching EF2 strength as it followed Berry Lane (SR 735) into Chap, where a church sustained collapse of its brick facade and had most of its roof torn off, a frail home lost its roof and exterior walls, and a manufactured home sustained minor damage.

The Evergreen Methodist Church sustained significant roof damage, and one fatality occurred in town as a man was killed in the destruction of his manufactured home.

Beyond this point, the tornado briefly strengthened back to EF2 intensity and ripped the roof off of a house along Webb Mill Road (SR 651).

[62] This long-lived and destructive EF3 tornado initially touched down at 6:34 p.m. EDT (23:34 UTC) on Homlestown Road to the north of Bruington.

The tornado continued to intensify and reached peak strength as it crossed Kino Road to the east of Dunbrooke, producing EF3 damage and expanding to a width of up to 500 yards (460 m).

Past Naylors Beach, it weakened to a low-end EF1 before re-intensifying to high-end EF1 strength as it entered Westmoreland County and crossed SR 3.

Nearing Mount Holly, the EF1 tornado continued damaging multiple homes and uprooted several trees before crossing the Potomac River into the state of Maryland.

[80] The tornado weakened and shrunk in size, and as it moved onshore, it uprooted some trees in the White Point Beach area before lifting at 7:14 p.m. EDT.