Uniontown Tornado - January 26, 2012

Isolated Tornado Damage and Minor Flooding on January 26, 2012

A line of showers and thunderstorms moved through Central Alabama on the morning and afternoon of January 26th, in advance of an approaching cold front. The threat for severe weather was limited as the warm, moist and unstable air expected to move northward was not as strong as expected. Still, there was sufficient moisture and instability to produce widespread rainfall amounts of one to three inches, which led to reports of widespread ponding of water on roadways and a few road closures. The rains also caused a couple of rivers to rise just above flood stage, but only minor flooding occurred.

24 Hr Rainfall ending at 7 am on Jan 26th

24 hr Rainfall ending at 7 am on Jan 27

Additionally, there were reports of possible tornado damage in Uniontown. A National Weather Service survey team conducted surveys in Uniontown based on public reports of damage, as well as portions of Autauga County based on radar data which prompted a warning in the area.

Uniontown (Perry) EF-0 Tornado

Rating: (Click for EF Scale)	EF-0
Estimated Maximum Wind:	80 mph
Injuries/Fatalities:	None
Damage Path Length:	0.60 miles
Maximum Path Width:	100 yards
Approximate Start Point/Time:	32.4412/-87.5026 at 1100 am
Approximate End Point/Time:	32.4434/-87.4960 at 1101 am

National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in southern Perry County and determined the damage to be caused by an EF-0 tornado with maximum winds of 80 mph. The tornado touched down at the intersection of Cahaba Road and Yelverton Street in the southern part of Uniontown, where it uprooted a few trees. It then traveled northeastward, uprooting more trees oriented across the path, causing minor roof and siding damage to 5 homes. One home on Church Street was shifted off its foundation. From there the tornado traveled through a wooded area, breaking large branches off trees before it lifted. Key indicators of this weak tornado included very small amounts of leaf and grass splattering and roof damage on the downstream side of the homes. Several eyewitnesses confirmed seeing the tornado as it left the area. The path length of the tornado was approximately 0.6 miles long, with a maximum path width of 100 yards.

Radar Data

This is an image of the 0.5 degree reflectivity data from KBMX at 1101 am as the brief, weak tornado lifted near Uniontown.
Click to enlarge.

This is an image of the 0.5 degree velocity (SRM) data from KBMX at 1101 am as the brief, weak tornado lifted near Uniontown.
Click to enlarge

Storm Damage Images - Click to Enlarge

Tree damage

House shifted off its foundation