@NWSBirmingham @spann #alwx pic.twitter.com/0QhnzMfgRZ. Weather service meteorologist Mark Linhares said a long-track tornado has a path that is typically 25 miles or longer. Storm Data (Patch.com) TUSCALOOSA, AL The National Weather Service has issued a . Along 15th St E. and McFarland Blvd E., several small restaurants and stores were destroyed, with only a wall or two still standing. Office History In addition, several cinder block homes were completely destroyed with debris swept away (EF-4). 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. Initially over West and Southwest Alabama Monday, and statewide Monday night and Tuesday." The National Weather Service in Birmingham issues the following guidelines for our coverage area. Clarence Davis, 73, was standing outside his house on Closhire Drive after debris was dumped in his yard. Tornado now confirmed by radar, and some tree damage reported in the same area. Heres a look at tornado reports from Thursday from the National Weather Service. On April 23, the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) began monitoring the potential for a substantial severe weather outbreak in the extended range. Several suburbs in the area sustained catastrophic damage from the tornado as it tore through the west side of Birmingham, resulting in twenty fatalities. Meanwhile, radar indicated a rotating thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado over northeastern Birmingham at 4:45 p.m., sprinting northeast at 55 mph. The tornado continued northeastward into Tallapoosa County, where EF-1-caliber damage was observed. This was the first video evidence that the tornado had touched the ground; the video, along with NEXRAD evidence of a tornado debris signature, prompted the National Weather Service office in Birmingham to declare a tornado emergency. That especially includes areas near and north of Interstate 22 and along and south of Interstate 40, where the most widespread severe weather can be expected. Randy Robbins, a survivor of the Tuscaloosa storm, made it through, with the storm ripping his jeans, watch, glasses, and shirt from his body, leaving only his boxers, a silver cross necklace and his iPhone remaining in his right hand. Radar confirmed tornado, with a history of producing damage, is moving down the SR-119 corridor, toward Meadow Brook, Inverness. Extent of injuries unknown. At least three manufactured homes were obliterated, the weather service said, with their frames thrown up to 100 yards along County Road 43. Looking at the statistics gives only the barest idea of what occurred. The trail of damage stretched 80.3 miles (129.2 kilometers) long and as much as 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) wide. 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. The tornado that killed seven people in Autauga County had a path that was 82 miles long and stretched through several counties. More EF-3 damage occurred along County Road 18, where the weather service said vehicles were moved or flipped, numerous trees were snapped, one site-built home was destroyed and others heavily damaged. The storm injured more than 1,000 people as it tracked through three counties. Just downstream, several manufactured homes in a cluster were shredded and thrown considerable distances, the weather service said. It was right in my face, he said. As the tornado moved across a coal yard in this area, a 35.8-tonne (78,925lb) coal car was thrown 391ft (119m) through the air. Tell your friends, neighbors, and relatives about the severe weather threat, and what they need to do to get ready. The storm packed winds of 190 miles (310 kilometers per hour) and left a path of debris running southwest to northeast. Video from Ohatchee, AL where multiple fatalities have occurred. Only piles of debris were left on the foundation. Straight from a @NWSSPC forecaster on why they chose to use the word "violent" to describe today's #tornado potential over "intense" which was used last week. The tornado crossed the river near Neely Road on the west bank and Kelly Road on the east bank. Severe storms and flash flooding, somewhat less intense than those earlier in the day, continued Thursday night. Then they went outside to see home after home, destroyed. The tornado entered the southern portion of Tuscaloosa as a low-end EF4 and crossed 35th Street, completely destroying a cell phone tower and several warehouses in an industrial area. NWS Birmingham, Alabama465 Weathervane RoadCalera, AL 35040205-664-3010Comments? It spawned a few tornadoes in Texas on Wednesday and is set to unleash vicious weather across the South. Multiple trailer homes destroyed as well this church and a large commercial building. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. All rights reserved (About Us). Overview of the Tuscaloosa-Birmingham EF4 Tornado - April 27, 2011 Published by Jen Narramore-Nelson Tucker-Nick Wilkes on July 18, 2021 I've never seen devastation like this. The storms deadliness recalled an April 2011 tornado that killed 13 in Calhoun County, Brown said. The tornado weakened slightly as it moved across County Road 57 but still damaged several homes. Severe Storms. The tornado then moved toward Coven Abbett Road and then Elbert Road, damaging several homes and destroying several boat houses. PLEASE TAKE COVER if you are in the path of this storm! Regional Weather Roundup The storm cut an 80-mile path of destruction through the heart of. Please Contact Us. It was here in Pleasant Grove where evidence of vehicles being moved by the winds become obvious, though most were only tossed 10 to 15 yards if they were picked up at all. The tornadic storms occurred amid an intensifying storm system unleashing all modes of severe weather from Mississippi to Kentucky to western South Carolina. Know how to get there quickly.. Daily Rainfall Plots That was certainly the same parent storm that produced what is likely to be more than one tornado along its trek across our area, weather service meteorologist Gerald Satterwhite said Friday via email. The tornado passed south of downtown Brent and Centreville, sparing the most heavily populated neighborhoods, but several structures were heavily damaged or destroyed on Belcher Road. This was the third tornado to strike the city of Tuscaloosa in the past decade, and the second in two weeks. Non-Precipitation Warnings In all, 299 Alabamians were killed in the outbreak. Show more Show more. Current Hazards The supercell produced a large wedge tornado in rural Greene County, Alabama, which tracked towards the adjacent Tuscaloosa County at EF2 intensity, uprooting numerous trees and causing minor damage to structures. The tornado reached EF4 strength as it approached U.S. 43.As it approached Hackleburg, moving parallel to U.S. 43, the tornado further . Tornado Safety Rules, Awareness Weeks The ABC 33/40 feed was periodically disrupted due to power outages caused by wind damage to electrical transformers. Just before noon, the Storm Prediction Center has issued a particularly dangerous situation tornado watch for central and eastern Mississippi, western and northern Alabama, southern middle Tennessee, and northwest Georgia until 8 p.m. central time. javascript is enabled. It also was similar to the path. A tornado warning is in effect until 2 p.m. for the general area. However, the same parent storm is responsible for both areas of damage. 1:40 p.m.: Tornado emergency southeast of Birmingham for destructive twister with history of producing damage, The Weather Service in Birmingham declared a tornado emergency for Shelby County, which is just to the south and southeast of the city, for a confirmed large and destructive tornado, heading northeast at 45 mph. As of 7 p.m., there were no tornado warnings in effect over Alabama but scattered storms continued, some severe. Tornado: Where: highest chances west of I65 When: Monday and Tuesday Wind: What: Winds up to 40 mph Where: highest chances west of I65 Even a decade later, it seems hard to believe. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Not surprisingly, several of them happened during the superoutbreak of April 27, 2011. 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. Here is how the storms developed that day. Winter Weather, Special Programs 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. Storm chaser footage provided confirmation of the large, dangerous tornado. [10][18], The National Weather Service determined the path length of this violent tornado to be 80.68 miles (129.84km) with a maximum damage path width of 1.5 miles (2.4km), or 2,600 yards (2,400m). Specific threats will depend on where one is in relation to the overarching storm system, but storms are expected to be both unusually widespread and intense across a large swath of area. Local Climate Data, Warnings and Other Products The tornado struck a marina on Holt Lake at the end of Recreation Area Road where it caused significant damage to a restaurant as well as numerous boats. One fatality occurred at the destroyed mobile home seen at about :27 seconds in. Light poles were damaged along Interstate 65, and a Days Inn and several other commercial buildings sustained major damage along US 31 before the tornado began to rapidly narrow and weaken. The storm was racing off to the northeast at 45 mph, in the general direction of Birminghams southern suburbs, which it may approach in about 45 minutes. Local first responders drill for these emergencies, but no amount of preparation can steel you for the real thing, he added. [7] Shortly thereafter, at 3:09p.m. CDT (20:09 UTC), the National Weather Service office in Jackson, Mississippi issued the first tornado warning on the supercell that would eventually produce the TuscaloosaBirmingham tornado.[8]. The track was about 12 miles long, and the tornado caused more than 20 deaths. In all, 240 people died and more than 2,000 people were injured. Contact Us Tornadoes probably will not be readily visible because of heavy rain, fog and low overcast. About Radar A long-track, destructive tornado continues plowing east, south of Birmingham, where a tornado emergency, the most severe alert for twisters, is in effect until 6:30 p.m. Several vehicles were picked up and thrown, and one pickup truck had its cab separated from the bed. The suburbs of Concord, Pleasant Grove, and McDonald Chapel, along with residential areas in northern Birmingham itself, were devastated. The tornado that passed through Tuscaloosa caused more than 1,000 injuries and at least 65 deaths across several towns and cities, the highest number of fatalities from a single tornado in the United States since May 25, 1955. The Weather Service reported the storm had recently produced tree damage. See here and here. The Autauga tornado was a dreaded long-track tornado, with a path that was 82 miles long. *Note: This story was updated to reflect the adjusted path of the Autauga tornado, which upon further analysis from the National Weather Service had a path length of 82.31 miles. Winter Weather, About Us In fact, there were three just last year. The warning is in effect until 4:15 p.m. (or 5:15 p.m. local time). Then, as the lower atmosphere is heated, the cap will break allowing storms to explosively develop. Its made up of cold air and counterclockwise spin at high altitudes nestled within a dip in the jet stream. Additional twister potential sets up into eastern Mississippi. [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. Noon: Particularly dangerous situation tornado watch issued. 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