Three tornadoes touched down across north Alabama on Monday. Surveys are still ongoing, but we do have some preliminary information from the National Weather Service.
Monrovia EF-1: An EF-1 tornado touched down west of the middle school near Harbin road and moved northeast, lifting near Douglas road.
000 NOUS44 KHUN 172226 PNSHUN ALZ006-181030- PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 426 PM CST TUE DEC 17 2019 ...NWS DAMAGE SURVEY FOR 12/16/19 TORNADO EVENT UPDATE #2... .UPDATE...FOR MONROVIA TORNADO .OVERVIEW...EF-1 TORNADO CONFIRMED IN NORTHERN MADISON COUNTY .MONROVIA TORNADO... RATING: EF1 ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 105 MPH PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/: 1.25 MILES PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: 25.0 YARDS FATALITIES: 0 INJURIES: 0 START DATE: 12/16/2019 START TIME: 05:54 PM CST START LOCATION: 4 SSE HARVEST / MADISON COUNTY / AL START LAT/LON: 34.7904 / -86.7366 END DATE: 12/16/2019 END TIME: 06:00 PM CST END LOCATION: 4 SSE HARVEST / MADISON COUNTY / AL END LAT/LON: 34.8013 / -86.7194 SUMMARY: MINOR TREE DAMAGE WAS NOTED JUST NORTH OF HARBIN RD ON SUMMER COVE CIRCLE. THE TORNADO STARTED PRODUCING SPORATIC TREE DAMAGE ON PETTUS RD AS IT APPROACHED THE SUMMERFIELD SUBDIVISION. IT SKIPPED ALONG A PATH PRODUCING MAJOR STRUCTURAL DAMAGE OFF OF RUNNING BROOK CT, REMOVING NEARLY TWO THIRDS OF A ROOF HERE. MINOR ROOF AND SIDING DAMAGE OCCURRED TO SURROUNDING HOMES HERE AS WELL. IT WAS THIS DAMAGE THAT WAS RATED EF-1, WITH WIND SPEEDS OF 105MPH. ALONG SARAH JANE DR. WINDS LIFTED UP AN AWNING AND CAUSED DAMAGE TO A HOME, WINDOWS WERE BROKEN AND FENCES WERE NOT ONLY BLOWN OVER BUT BROKEN APART AND LOFTED ONTO AND INTO A HOUSE BEHIND THEM ON JASMINE DRIVE. THIS HOUSE EXPERIENCED DAMAGE FROM ADDITIONAL DEBRIS ALONG WITH FENCE SEGMENTS AND POSTS THAT IMPALED THE HOME. MINOR DAMAGE WAS NOTED AS THE TORNADO PROCEEDED TO MOVE NORTHEAST WITH SMALL BRANCHES AND SHINGLE DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED IN THE LEGACY NEIGHBORHOOD. A SMALL OUTDOOR METAL SHED WAS DAMAGED AND SEVERAL TREES WERE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED ALONG DOUGLASS NEAR GOLDEN OAK DRIVE BEFORE IT LIFTED. AT THIS POINT, THE TORNADO CYCLED AND PRODUCED ANOTHER TORNADO TRACK 6.7 MILES NORTHEAST, BEGINNING WEST OF MERIDIANVILLE, BUT BETWEEN THE TWO TRACKS, VERY SPORADIC TREE DAMAGE WAS FOUND. NO CLEAR PATH COULD BE DETERMINED, LINKING THE TWO TRACKS TOGETHER, THEREFORE, THE MERIDIANVILLE TRACK WILL BE A SEPARATE TORNADO TRACK. EF SCALE: THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE CLASSIFIES TORNADOES INTO THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES. EF0...WEAK......65 TO 85 MPH EF1...WEAK......86 TO 110 MPH EF2...STRONG....111 TO 135 MPH EF3...STRONG....136 TO 165 MPH EF4...VIOLENT...166 TO 200MPH EF5...VIOLENT...>200MPH NOTE: THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENTS AND PUBLICATION IN NWS STORM DATA. $$ SAARI/AMIN
NOTE: The data from this survey is preliminary and subject to change.
Colbert Heights EF-2: An EF-2 tornado has been confirmed in Colbert Heights. The survey is still being finalized. We don’t have information on the track of this tornado yet or a specific maximum wind speed, but this information will be made available once the survey is complete.
NOTE: The data from this survey is preliminary and subject to change.
Meridianville EF-0: The same storm that produced the tornado in Monrovia also produced a weak tornado in Meridianville.
000 NOUS44 KHUN 172222 PNSHUN ALZ006-181030- PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 422 PM CST TUE DEC 17 2019 ...NWS DAMAGE SURVEY FOR 12/16/19 TORNADO EVENT UPDATE #1... .UPDATE...FOR MERIDIANVILLE TORNADO .OVERVIEW...EF-0 TORNADO CONFIRMED IN NORTH CENTRAL MADISON COUNTY .MERIDIANVILLE TORNADO... RATING: EF0 ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 85 MPH PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/: 3.16 MILES PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: 37.0 YARDS FATALITIES: 0 INJURIES: 0 START DATE: 12/16/2019 START TIME: 06:05 PM CST START LOCATION: 3 WSW MERIDIANVILLE / MADISON COUNTY / AL START LAT/LON: 34.8593 / -86.6252 END DATE: 12/16/2019 END TIME: 06:12 PM CST END LOCATION: 1 S MERIDIANVILLE / MADISON COUNTY / AL END LAT/LON: 34.8622 / -86.5706 SUMMARY: AFTER CYCLING, THE STORM PRODUCED A SECOND AND WEAKER TORNADO NORTHEAST OF LIBERTY HILL ROAD, DOWNING NUMEROUS TREES IN A WOODED AREA ON A FARM. FROM THERE, IT APPROACHED MONROE ROAD, WITH SPORADIC TREE DAMAGE NOTED AS THE TORNADO AGAIN SKIPPED THROUGH THE SPENCER LAKE AND SPENCER ESTATES SUBDIVISIONS. MINOR ROOF DAMAGE WAS NOTED TO A COUPLE OF HOMES IN SPENCER LAKE, WITH ONE HOME ON MADELYN DRIVE SUSTAINING MODERATE ROOF DAMAGE, SPLAYING SHINGLES AND DEBRIS NORTHEAST INTO A FIELD. IT WAS AT THIS POINT THAT THE TORNADO WAS RATED EF-0, WITH WIND SPEEDS OF 80MPH. ADDITIONAL MINOR TREE AND ROOF DAMAGE WAS NOTED IN SPENCER ESTATES, UPROOTING A LARGE MAGNOLIA TREE, BEFORE SKIPPING TOWARD HIGHWAY 231 AND DAMAGING A BILLBOARD BEFORE DISSIPATING ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. THE TORNADO TRACK ENDED ON THE EAST SIDE OF HIGHWAY 231 WITH LITTLE/NO ADDITIONAL DAMAGE FOUND BEYOND THIS POINT. EF SCALE: THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE CLASSIFIES TORNADOES INTO THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES. EF0...WEAK......65 TO 85 MPH EF1...WEAK......86 TO 110 MPH EF2...STRONG....111 TO 135 MPH EF3...STRONG....136 TO 165 MPH EF4...VIOLENT...166 TO 200MPH EF5...VIOLENT...>200MPH NOTE: THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENTS AND PUBLICATION IN NWS STORM DATA. $$ SAARI/AMIN
NOTE: The data from this survey is preliminary and subject to change.
Lawrence County EF-2: A strong EF-2 tornado impacted the communities of Town Creek and Courtland in northern Lawrence county. This tornado tragically claimed 2 lives.
000 NOUS44 KHUN 172216 PNSHUN ALZ004-181030- PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 416 PM CST TUE DEC 17 2019 ...NWS DAMAGE SURVEY FOR 12/16/2019 TORNADO EVENT... .OVERVIEW...EF-2 TORNADO CONFIRMED IN NORTHERN LAWRENCE COUNTY .TOWN CREEK TORNADO... RATING: EF2 ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 134 MPH PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/: 7.91 MILES PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: 370.0 YARDS FATALITIES: 2 INJURIES: 3 START DATE: 12/16/2019 START TIME: 05:08 PM CST START LOCATION: 2 S TOWN CREEK / LAWRENCE COUNTY / AL START LAT/LON: 34.6445 / -87.4126 END DATE: 12/16/2019 END TIME: 05:23 PM CST END LOCATION: 2 NNE NORTH COURTLAND / LAWRENCE COUNTY / AL END LAT/LON: 34.6965 / -87.2897 SUMMARY: NWS, LAWRENCE COUNTY EMA, AND AN AUBURN UNIVERSITY STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING SURVEY TEAM DETERMINED THE DAMAGE IN NORTHERN LAWRENCE COUNTY WAS ATTRIBUTED TO A STRONG EF-2 TORNADO. DAMAGE WAS FIRST OBSERVED ALONG CR 101 NORTH OF CR 143. LARGE-LIMB TREE DAMAGE WAS THE PRIMARY DAMAGE INDICATOR OBSERVED IN THIS AREA, WITH ESTIMATED WINDS OF 107 MPH CLOSE TO TOUCHDOWN. AS OBSERVED ON RADAR, THE CIRCULATION OF THE TORNADO TIGHTENED EAST OF CR 101 AND INTENSIFIED SIGNIFICANTLY AS IT APPROACHED CR 265. CR 265, APPROXIMATELY 1 MILE SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 20, OBSERVED MAJOR DAMAGE TO THREE STRUCTURES. STRUCTURE DAMAGE INDICATORS WERE A COMBINATION OF SINGLE WIDE AND DOUBLE WIDE MANUFACTURED HOMES. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT ONE OF THE STRUCTURES LISTED AS A DOUBLE WIDE WAS A PREFABRICATED HOME WITH NO ANCHOR SYSTEM. THE TRADITIONAL DOUBLE WIDE MANUFACTURED HOME INCLUDED AN AUGER ANCHOR SYSTEM WHILE THE SINGLE WIDE HOME HAD A PAN ANCHOR SYSTEM. REGARDLESS OF THE ANCHOR, EACH SYSTEM FAILED DUE TO INTENSE LIFTING FORCE, WHICH LED TO THE STRUCTURE TO ROLL OFF ITS PLOT, CAUSING TOTAL DESTRUCTION. TWO FATALITIES AND AN INJURY WERE REPORTED AT THE DOUBLE WIDE HOME, WITH ADDITIONAL INJURIES AT THE OTHER DESTROYED STRUCTURES. THANKS TO PRELIMINARY FOOTAGE FROM ALABAMA EMA DRONE TEAM, THE TORNADO WAS OBSERVED TO TAKE A SLIGHT RIGHT TURN AND CONTINUE TOWARD THE COURTLAND AREA. ALONG AND SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 20 IN COURTLAND, UPROOTED AND LARGE SNAPPED TREE BRANCHES WERE THE MAIN DAMAGE INDICATORS. A SMALL MOBILE HOME WAS SLIGHTLY SHIFTED OFF ITS PLOT, DENOTING MID-RANGE EF-0 WINDS. THE PATH CONTINUED EAST-NORTHEAST AND CROSSED HIGHWAY 72, CAUSING MORE TREE DAMAGE ON CR 150. ALONG CR 150, SOUTH OF CR 400, THE STRONGEST DAMAGE INDICATOR WAS A SMALL AND WELL-BUILT BLOCK OUTBUILDING. THIS STRUCTURE WAS MOSTLY DESTROYED, EXCEPT FOR A BACK WALL. THE TORNADO CONTINUED TO WEAKEN AS IT APPROACHED AND CROSSED CR 389. LARGE TREE BRANCHES WERE DOWNED AND MINOR ROOF DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED AT THREE RESIDENCES. MINOR TREE DAMAGE CONTINUED TOWARD THE RIVER WHERE THE TORNADO LIKELY LIFTED. EF SCALE: THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE CLASSIFIES TORNADOES INTO THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES. EF0...WEAK......65 TO 85 MPH EF1...WEAK......86 TO 110 MPH EF2...STRONG....111 TO 135 MPH EF3...STRONG....136 TO 165 MPH EF4...VIOLENT...166 TO 200MPH EF5...VIOLENT...>200MPH NOTE: THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT AND PUBLICATION IN NWS STORM DATA. $$ BARRON/MAGEE
NOTE: The data from this survey is preliminary and subject to change.
Additional storm surveys are likely in the coming days. We will bring you any updated to these surveys as well as the findings from additional surveys as they become available.
Meteorologist Alex Puckett
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