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Marengo County Tornado...February 15, 2003
In what was believed
to be the first tornado in Alabama in 2003, a small tornado touched
down briefly in the northern half of Marengo County between Linden
and Demopolis. No injuries or deaths were reported with the short-lived
tornado.
The tornado first touched
down about 1.6 miles west-northwest of Providence on the west side
of US 43 and about half a mile south of County Road 44. The tornado
traveled northeasterly moving across County Road 44 and through the
western sections of Chickasaw State Park. Where it first touched down,
two mobile homes were damaged and a number of trees were either uprooted
or snapped off.
The tornado damaged one house significantly on the west side of
US 43 just north of Chickasaw State Park and moved across US 43
downing several more trees. The tornado ended after crossing US
43 about 2.1 miles north of Providence on the east side of US 43.
The tornado was rated an F1 primarily due to the damage done to
the house just north of Chickasaw State Park. The tornado path length
was 2.5 miles with a width of about 80 yards. The tornado began
around 8:36 pm and ended at approximately 8:40 pm.
The weak tornado was produced on the north side of what meteorologists
refer to as a bow echo (in radar image below, bow echo is within
white circle). Cycloninc rotation is often induced on the north
side of the center of the bow. Bow echoes are known primarily for
producing downbursts or straight line wind damage but also have
the capability of producing weak tornadoes as apparently happened
in this case.
Tornado Watch Number 8 was issued at 5:40 pm and included Marengo
County. A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for Marengo County
at 7:43 pm valid until 8:45 pm.
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