Wind, Tornadoes and Flooding on January 30, 2013

Wind, Tornadoes and Flooding on January 30, 2013

Event Summary for Central Alabama

On the morning of January 30th, 2013, a strong storm system moved across the lower Mississippi River and Tennessee River Valleys. This system not only produced a long-lived squall line or QLCS, but also discrete supercells out ahead of the line. As the storms crossed into Central Alabama that morning, these thunderstorms caused 5 tornadoes, two areas of significant straight line wind damage and isolated flash and areal flooding. In addition to the severe weather, widespread reports of downed trees caused by pressure gradient winds were received throughout the day.

The information contained below is the individual tornado events that occurred. The data is PRELIMINARY and may be subject to change.

Location/Clickable Detailed Summary Link	Damage Rating/Estimated Maximum Wind Speeds	Injuries/Fatalities	Damage Path Length/Width	Starting Point/Time	Ending Point/Time
Sulligent (Lamar County)	EF-1 90 mph	None	3.8 miles 300 yards	33.8723/-88.2275 433 am	33.8855/-88.1674 436 am
Fayette (Fayette County)	EF-1 90 mph	None	6.5 miles 500 yards	33.7331/-87.9042 518 am	33.7551/-87.7916 525 am
Nauvoo (Walker County)	EF-0 80 mph	None	4.88 miles 200 yards	33.9315/-87.5063 542 am	33.9573/-87.4164 546 am
Smith Lake (Winston County)	EF-1 105 mph	None	10.26 miles 1000 yards	34.0622/-87.3696 550 am	34.1113/-87.2007 600 am
Addison (Winston County)	EF-1 90 mph	None	4.16 miles 300 yards	34.2090/-87.1797 601 am	34.2267/-87.1102 606 am

The tornado damage "swaths" as depicted in the image above, and on the individual tornado links, are an estimate of the damage widths along the track. In other words, the track width may not represent the actual damage in all locations, as we interpolate the values between actual surveyed damage points. These maps are soley for the purpose of showing the general track of each tornado. Remember, tornadoes do not always move in straight lines, and the intensity does not remain constant. It is also possible to have other thunderstorm wind-related damage in close proximity to the tornado tracks from such features as inflow and rear flank downdrafts, which can produce tornado-like damage.

Pertinent Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Data from this Event

Other affected County Warning Areas

NWS Huntsville, AL	NWS Memphis, TN
NWS Peachtree City, GA

Severe Weather Episode Data

500 mb Analysis Jan 29 at 6 pm	500 mb Analysis Jan 30 at 6 am
Surface Analysis Jan 29 at 6 pm	Surface Analysis Jan 30 at 6 am
Day 2 Severe Weather Outlook Issued Jan 29 at 1130 am	Day 1 Severe Weather Outlook Issued Jan 30 at 6 am
BMX Upper Air Sounding Jan 29 at 6 pm	BMX Upper Air Sounding Jan 30 at 6 am

Storm Reports for January 29, 2013

Storm Reports for January 30, 2013