tuscaloosa alabama tornado path

(2011, May 3). 4:30 a.m.- Tornadoes begin crossing over from Mississippi and firing along a line stretching from Pickens County to Fayette County, causing damage to homes, power lines and felling trees. A tornado ripped the steeple from a Marshall County church, destroyed chicken houses near Albertville, and damaged homes and trailers in more than five counties in northeast Alabama. The path was a familiar one to Tuscaloosa County residents, as it followed closely to that of a tornado that had struck in March 2000 and killed one person. Special thanks to Sergeant Rocco Renno of the Hoover Police Department and Officer Chad Allinder of the Jefferson County Sherrif's Department for their assistance withground damage surveys in the Birmingham area. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Residents across the Deep South NEED to prepare for significant weather today, including the very real potential for violent, long track tornadoes, wrote the Weather Service office in Jackson, Miss. He was hospitalized and is conscious and responsive, the department said. The National Weather Service rated this tornado at EF4, with winds around 175 miles per hour, said local news reports. List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks, Bridge Creek, Moore, & Oklahoma City (Metro), OK, "Day 4-8 Severe Weather Outlook Issued on Apr 23, 2011", "Day 4-8 Severe Weather Outlook Issued on Apr 24, 2011", "Apr 25, 2011 0730 UTC Day 3 Severe Thunderstorm Outlook", "Apr 27, 2011 1200 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook", "Apr 27, 2011 1300 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook", "Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) Tornado Watch 235", "Storms, Tornadoes Leave Dozens Dead in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and Tennessee", "Tuscaloosa-Birmingham EF-4 Tornado April 27, 2011", "Tuscaloosa-Birmingham Tornado - April 27, 2011", "Discriminating EF4 and EF5 Tornado Damage", "Damage Survey of the Tuscaloosa-Birmingham Tornado on April 27, 2011", "THE AFTERMATH: Staff accounts of the tornado", "Obama In Tuscaloosa: 'I've Never Seen Devastation Like This', "Six UA students included in list of tornado deaths", Interview with Storm Chaser of April 27 Tuscaloosa Tornado, Full video of this tornado taken by the above storm chaser from Tuscaloosa University Mall parking lot, Full episode of Discovery Channel's Storm Chasers about the Tuscaloosa Tornado, "Normalized Damage from Major Tornadoes in the United States: 18901999", 10.1175/1520-0434(2001)016<0168:NDFMTI>2.0.CO;2, List of tornadoes in the 2011 Super Outbreak, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2011_TuscaloosaBirmingham_tornado&oldid=1141443200, 2011 natural disasters in the United States, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, April 27, 2011, 6:14p.m. CDT (UTC05:00), 64 fatalities (+8 indirect), 1,500+ injuries, This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 02:47. The tornado developed in the southwestern part of the county on the west side of the . Tree trunks were snapped relatively close to the ground, and the bark was ripped from them. Storm Data The tornado then struck the suburb of Fultondale, damaging homes and businesses in town. The warning is in effect until 4:15 p.m. (or 5:15 p.m. local time). Thats an ominous atmospheric signal of a violent weather day. The storms deadliness recalled an April 2011 tornado that killed 13 in Calhoun County, Brown said. The tornado rapidly strengthened as it approached the Old Kingston community and reached EF-3 intensity. While uncertainty exists as to how intense individual storms will become and what specific areas will be hit, an extremely serious outbreak of severe weather is anticipated. [12] The tornado then ripped through the neighborhoods of Rosedale and Forest Lake, leveling and sweeping away numerous poorly-anchored homes. Multiple locations were found. Severe storms and flash flooding, somewhat less intense than those earlier in the day, continued Thursday night. By the time the tornado reachedInterstate 65, it was evident that the storm was losing its energy. Severe Weather Videos Public Information Statement The tornado then moved across the rest of Tallapoosa County causing EF-0 to EF-1 tree damage, including in the Sessions area. The tornadic storms occurred amid an intensifying storm system unleashing all modes of severe weather from Mississippi to Kentucky to western South Carolina. Photos, video of damage, How bad will 2023 tornado season be? All NOAA, Tuscaloosa-BirminghamEF-4 Tornado See here and here. WATCH: Drone footage shows Alabama tornado devastation in Selma. [3] By the morning of April 27, the SPC upgraded to a high risk of severe weather,[4] noting that a dangerous tornado outbreak capable of producing several violent EF4 tornado or stronger on the Enhanced Fujita scale and long-track tornadoes was expected. One of the survivors, Kelly Dobbs, made it through the collapse of a Hackleburg pharmacy where she worked that day, summing up the fine line between devastation and survival. Life The Weather Service reported the storm had recently produced tree damage. in Greene County. Severe weather was also occurring outside Alabama with severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings in effect in northwest Georgia, and a line of severe thunderstorms was sweeping east through western Tennessee. Alabama was hit the worst, with the first reported tornado hitting Marion and others hitting Tuscaloosa, Chilton County, and other locales. It passed within a half mile of the Tuscaloosa Police Department Headquarters, forcing the evacuation of the dispatch personnel from the third floor offices until the storm passed. Our Office, Education A massive tornado . The tornado continued northeast, causing sporadic EF-1 timber damage as it crossed U.S. Highway 280. The weather service will have to analyze all the storm tracks to say for sure, but it appears that one storm held together -- possibly dropping tornadoes periodically along the way -- from Mississippi all the way across Alabama and into Georgia. @abc3340 @spann @TaylorSarallo #alwx pic.twitter.com/t5Aq29BkMX, 3:15 p.m.: Severe damage about 50 miles northeast of Birmingham. All rights reserved (About Us). That chilly upper-level air will foster rising motion and widespread storms, while a change of wind speed and/or direction with height imparted by the jet stream will cause them to spin. ON TV: Witness: Tornado Swarm 2011 airs Sunday, May 29, 9 p.m. ET/PT >>. The storm cut an 80-mile path of destruction through the heart of Tuscaloosa, killing 44 people, including six University of Alabama students. Incredibly sad looking at this radar data and seeing the debris signature triple in size after passing over/near #Columbiana Alabama #tornadooutbreak pic.twitter.com/ge7gY5iLWE, 5:30 p.m.: Tornado emergency for areas about 40 miles south of Birmingham. Past the coal yard, the tornado weakened to EF2 intensity, but still was able to destroy numerous pier and beam foundations homes and several industrial warehouses in McDonald Chapel. This was the third tornado to strike the city of Tuscaloosa in the past decade, and the second in two weeks. The tornado hit several homes along Sandy Ridge Road, where some of the deaths occurred. Were very accustomed to storms, and we know in the spring time that we deal with these, but you never really prepare for them.. DEVELOPING: Cahaba Valley FD says multiple people pulled from their homes in Eagle Point subdivision and hospitalized. Tornado Safety Rules, Awareness Weeks The watch, reserved for the most serious severe weather situations, calls for numerous tornadoes and several intense tornadoes, widespread damaging wind gusts up to 80 mph, and widespread large hail. A small club house that was anchored to a foundation, but with apparently no interior walls, was completely destroyed and swept from its foundation. Previsin de 7 Das He checked on his family and is still going forward to help inform viewers. May 16, 2011: NASA has released a unique satellite image tracing the damage of a monster EF-4 tornado that tore through Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on April 27th. A total of 44 people were killed in the Tuscaloosa area. It is surrounded by a larger zone, which includes Memphis, Nashville, and Jackson, Miss.., where the threat is rated at level 4 out of 5, and there is also a serious risk for severe weather. Satellite view of the long-track, tornadic supercell marching across Central Alabama. LARGE tornado debris signature continues on storm in Hale County, northeast of Greensboro. The storm will likely across Interstate 65 south of Birmingham a little before 1:30 p.m. Tornado debris signature has returned, near West Blocton. In the Concord area, the tornado became violent once again with total destruction noted to a few small retail shops along County Road 46. The Bethel Baptist Church also sustained significant damage to its roof, though the main structure of the building was still intact. National Weather Service meteorologists have surveyed the massive damage associated with this long track violent tornado, by ground and air. Almost all trees were blown down or snapped in the vicinity, as well as in the bottom of a narrow ravine nearly 100 feet below the house. Zoom in on the map above and click or tap the icons to get more information about each reported tornado. The mayor of Tuscaloosa estimated the cost of clearing the debris to be between $70 and $100 million. The tornado crossed Highway 63 South and neared the Wind Creek State Park area. Tornado Alley in the Plains is an outdated concept. It then went on to impact parts of Birmingham at high-end EF4 intensity before dissipating. Image of the Day Late Thursday evening, a third long-track tornadic storm developed near Wadley, Ala., about 60 miles northwest of Montgomery, and raced east-northeast into north Georgia, south of Atlanta. These are not individual tornadoes but reports of tornadoes. The weather service said that radar showed a debris ball in southern Coosa County which matched ground observation of a wide area of snapped pine trees on either side of McKissick Road between the communities of Speed and Equality. It is even more at risk from high-end tornadoes than the traditional Great Plains Tornado Alley, with swifter-moving storms that cover more ground. Devastating images are coming in from tornado damage in the Birmingham, AL area. [10][13][16][17], After causing massive timber damage in rural areas, the tornado entered Jefferson County and rapidly intensified to its maximum intensity and width. Severe Weather "Some people designate this as a. At least one death occurred here. 6:16 p.m. - An EF-4 tornado with multiple vortices ripped a 33-mile path of destruction through Fyffe, Rainsville and Sylvania, destroying businesses and the Rainsville Civic Center. The tornado quickly moved out of the Pleasant Grove area and into the McDonald Chapel community. (The National Weather Service in Birmingham issued an update on Jan. 18, saying damage near the Independence community in Autauga County led to the path length being extended from the previous 76 miles.). More than a dozen tornadoes were reported across Alabama on Thursday. Local Climatology Office History The tornado devastated the Cedar Crest neighborhood just north of 15th St, leveling many cinder block homes and causing at least 3 fatalities. Two happened on March 30, 2022. The tornado has a history of producing damage as it tracked from just south of Tuscaloosa to just south and east of Birmingham. The weather service said that the damage intensified as the tornado neared the Autauga-Elmore county line, where several site-built homes lost most of their roofs along County Road 68 East near Poplar Springs Road. Running roughly parallel to the tornado track is a contrail from a plane. Long-track, strong to violent tornadoes are possible. State highways 45, 20 and 72 in Mississippi, as well as the Natchez Trace Parkway, Highways 43 and 72 in Alabama, and Highways 64, 43 and 412 in Tennessee are among the major routes that could be impacted by especially dangerous weather. Looking at the statistics gives only the barest idea of what occurred. The Storm Prediction Center said it would like issue a new tornado watch for the northern two-third of Alabama into the nighttime hours. Winter Weather Warnings Help is needed #ALwx pic.twitter.com/UVRV6lOXRB, 4:50 p.m.: Tornado emergency south of Tuscaloosa due to large twister, while new tornado warning issued for northeast Birmingham, Massive tornado west of Greensboro, AL pic.twitter.com/KjFAG2bJfB. Along the same stretch, the bodies of a man and woman were blown almost 100 feet from their mobile home. The tornado's damage path appeared to be about a half mile wide as it passed south of the two communities, a vast expanse of downed trees and wires visible. The large tornado that passed south of Tuscaloosa is now roaring east into the zone about 40 miles south of Birmingham where a tornado emergency is in effect until 6 p.m. Although the most widespread severe storms will threaten central and northeast Mississippi, much of Middle Tennessee and northern and western Alabama, the threat of at least a few tornadoes extends as far north as Louisville or Indianapolis. The storm left more than 25 dead before crossing into Georgia. Alabama was hit the worst, with the first reported tornado hitting Marion and others hitting Tuscaloosa, Chilton County, and other locales. pic.twitter.com/efdr6wVo9S. In addition, several cinder block homes were completely destroyed with debris swept away (EF-4). On April 27, 2011, a devastating tornado tore through Tuscaloosa, Alabama. To get the best experience possible, please download a compatible browser. The tornado crossed the intersection of 15th Street and McFarland Boulevard, and numerous businesses and restaurants near the University Mall were completely flattened at low-end EF4 strength, and vehicles were either tossed around or destroyed. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Between 7:00 a.m. CDT on April 25 and 7:00 a.m. on April 28, a total of 305 tornadoes struck the southeastern and central United States, according to a preliminary estimate from NOAA released May 4. Share. Tornado damage in Old Kingston and Marbury,AL. The weather service said its unclear whether the damage in Selma and Autauga came from the same tornado or two separate ones. Yall please stay safe and vigilant!. The storm is sweeping northeast at 40 mph and is expected to pass very close to Pell City momentarily. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. The storm packed winds of 190 miles (310 kilometers per hour) and left a path of debris running southwest to northeast. All rights reserved (About Us). Throughout the afternoon hours, in the wake of an earlier mesoscale convective system, the airmass across western and northern portions of Alabama began to quickly destabilize, with mixed layer convective available potential energy (CAPE) estimated in the 25004000 j/kg range and low-level dewpoints of 7072F surging northward from Louisiana. n EF-4 tornado with multiple vortices ripped a 33-mile path of destruction through Fyffe, Rainsville and Sylvania, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. Tuscaloosa-area storm shelters, including those on the University of Alabama campus, will open when a tornado watch is issued, officials said. [5][6], Shortly before 12:00 CDT, the probability of tornadoes within 25 miles of a location was increased even further to 45%, a level exceeding even typical high risk standards, for an area including Tuscaloosa. The greatest risk exists across portions of Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee, where the moderate and high-risk categories are drawn. 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