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Two teams of national weather service employees surveyed some of the
damage from the severe thunderstorms of Sunday, February 13th. Here
are summaries of two areas of damage. Images to the right were taken with a
digital camera, click on the graphic to get a larger image.
Southern Montgomery County Tornado
A supercell thunderstorm moved across southern Montgomery County and
produced an 11.4 mile track, F1 tornado. The tornado began at 3:00
PM just southwest of Ada, and tracked to the northeast. It lifted
about a mile west of U.S. Highway 231, southwest of Teasleys Mill at
around 3:17 PM. The tornado crossed Montgomery county road 70
several times in the Davis Crossroads area. Some of the most
intense damage was a mile or two southwest of Davis Crossroads,
where the Ramer
manufacturing plant sustained considerable damage.
Several homes and mobile homes sustained damage along the path of
the tornado, and hundreds of trees were snapped or uprooted. At
times, the tornado path was up to 300 yards wide. Click on the map image to
view a map showing the damage path.
A Tornado Warning was in effect for Montgomery County from 2:43 PM
to 3:45 PM. A tornado watch was issued for Central Alabama,
including Montgomery County, at 2:30 PM.
Madison County
There were two significant events in southern Madison County, one in
south central
Huntsville
and one that extended from the Redstone
Arsenal into a residential area. Both events were evaluated as
straight-line wind events, or downbursts. Click on the map image to
view a map showing the damage path.
The first event began around 7:28 PM and continued for about 4
minutes ending around 7:32 PM. Minor damage occurred just west of
Huntsville Park with damage at Joe Davis Stadium and a shopping area
known as Stadium Place. Several businesses sustained significant
damage including an NTB store where the wind collapsed an exterior
wall and threw roofing material across Memorial Parkway. A number
of other businesses in the immediate area sustained damage, too.
One person was apparently injured slightly as they sought shelter
when the wind struck while eating at one of the restaurants that was
damaged.
After crossing Memorial Parkway, the downburst worked its way
eastward downing numerous trees and power lines. The wind damage
extended up the west side of a ridge running north from Garth
Mountain. Significant damage ends near the top of the ridge. Most
houses damaged sustained roof damage with shingles removed. One
tree fell on a car severely damaging it.
On the Redstone Arsenal, several large buildings just north of the
Tennessee River were damaged, at least one severely. A large stand
of pine trees was 70 percent destroyed. The downburst proceeded
east-northeast damaging several houses just outside of the Arsenal.
Damage to the houses was primarily shingle damage.
In both cases, the downbursts probably reached speeds of 75 to 95
miles an hour. An instrumented tower about three-quarters of a mile
north of the damage on the Redstone Arsenal recorded wind to 81 mph
at the 300 foot level. Surface wind measurements about 3 miles away
reached 58 miles an hour.
A Tornado Watch was in effect at the time of these events. A severe
Thunderstorm Warning was issued for Madison County at 6:48 PM. A
Tornado Warning was issued for Madison County at 7:29 PM.
Two National Weather Service
employees surveyed some more wind
damage from the severe thunderstorms of Sunday...February 13th.
here are summaries of two more areas of damage.
East-Central Montgomery County/Northwest Bullock County F0
Tornado
The same supercell thunderstorm that produced the southern
Montgomery County tornado of February 13, also produced a weak (F0)
tornado that began in extreme east-central Montgomery County, near
Panther. The 3-mile track,
F0 tornado,
apparently began around
3:30 PM, just west of Panther and crossed County Road 36 moving
into northwest Bullock County near the Piney Grove Church, around
3:32 PM. It crossed County Road 37 near the Mt. Zion Church
area, and then dissipated around 3:35 PM. There were numerous
trees snapped or uprooted along the 100-yard wide track.
A Tornado Warning was in effect for Montgomery County from 2:43 to
3:45 PM. A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was in effect for Bullock
County from 3:32 to 4:00 PM, which was upgraded to a Tornado
Warning at 3:40 PM. A Tornado Watch was issued for central
Alabama, including Montgomery and Bullock counties, at 2:30 PM.
Northwest Bullock County F0 Tornado
The same supercell thunderstorm produced another weak
F0 tornado
north of Fitzpatrick. This 1-mile track, 50-yard wide tornado
crossed county road 7 about 2 miles north of
Fitzpatrick.
Several trees were uprooted or damaged. Based on radar data, this tornado
began around 3:42 PM, and apparently lasted for only 1 minute or
less.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was in effect for Bullock County from
3:32 to 4:00 PM, which was upgraded to a Tornado Warning at 3:40
PM. A Tornado Watch was issued for central Alabama, including
Bullock County, at 2:30 PM.
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