North of Cullman, damage had been reported at Terri Pines Country Club,
and in the town of Vinemont. At Terri Pines, there were several tall
trees damaged, either uprooted or snapped off at mid-trunk at
approximately 1:00 PM CST. One witness at the golf course reported to have
seen a funnel; another witness reported a sudden end to
a downpour, the sky turning black, then a sudden return of the downpour
with the sky becoming lighter. From the golf course, the storm moved
northeast. The tornado appears to have lifted or
weakened as it crossed I-65, as there was only minimal debris from the
trees along the road. The tornado continued northeasterly to Vinemont,
just west of US Highway 31 and south of County Road 1292 just after 1:00 PM CST. The
tornado reached F1
strength, destroying 2 chicken barns and severely
damaging a third, scattering debris at least a mile away. A mobile home
slightly downhill from the chicken barns had parts of it's roof torn
off, and there were several holes in the side of the mobile home caused
by debris projectiles. The final damage along the track was a stick
frame garage, which was shifted off it's slab in a twisting motion,
causing it to collapse on itself. Witnesses at this location reported
hearing a load roaring noise, similar to a jet aircraft. At it's widest
point, the tornado was approximately 200 yards wide. The total length
of the path was about 2.1 miles.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for Cullman County 1225 PM,
valid until 1:00 PM CST. At 12:41 PM CST, the warning was upgraded to a Tornado
Warning, valid until 1:30 PM CST. Tornado Watch 818 was in effect for
Cullman County, which was issued at 9:19 AM CST.
Click on the images to see a larger view.
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Damage to mobile homes.
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Damage to chicken coop building.
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Another shot of the damage to the chicken coop building.
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