Public Information Statement - February 6, 2008

Public Information Statement
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
...PRELIMINARY DAMAGE SURVEYS CONFIRM THREE TORNADOES IN CENTRAL
ALABAMA...

NWS STORM SURVEY TEAMS HAVE EXAMINED THE MOST SIGNIFICANT REPORTS OF
STORM DAMAGE ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA...AND HAVE CONFIRMED THREE
TORNADOES.  ALL THREE TORNADOES WERE SPAWNED BY SUPERCELL
THUNDERSTORMS OUT AHEAD OF THE SQUALL LINE THAT MOVED THROUGH
CENTRAL ALABAMA IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS TODAY.

THE FIRST TORNADO AFFECTED NORTHEASTERN LAMAR AND SOUTHWESTERN
MARION COUNTIES...FROM BEAVERTON TO JUST WEST OF GUIN...AND HAS BEEN
RATED AS AN EF1 TORNADO ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE. WINDS WERE
ESTIMATED AT 90 MILES PER HOUR. THE TORNADO PATH LENGTH IS
APPROXIMATELY 6 MILES LONG...AND WAS 150 YARDS WIDE THE WIDEST
POINT. NUMEROUS TREES WERE EITHER SNAPPED OR UPROOTED ALONG THE
PATH. THERE WAS ROOF DAMAGE IN BEAVERTON...WITH TREES ON HOUSES.

A SECOND SURVEY TEAM HAS ALSO CONFIRMED A TORNADO TOUCHDOWN ALONG A
PATH ACROSS SOUTHERN FAYETTE...PORTIONS OF NORTHERN TUSCALOOSA
COUNTY...AND INTO WALKER COUNTY. THE GREATEST DAMAGE ASSOCIATED WITH
THIS TORNADO NOTED THUS FAR HAS BEEN EF2 DAMAGE JUST ON PATTON HILL
ROAD...JUST WEST OF OAKMAN IN WALKER COUNTY...WITH ESTIMATED WINDS
OF UP TO 130 MPH. THIS TORNADO PRODUCED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE ALONG THE
PATH...WITH AT LEAST 15 STRUCTURES...INCLUDING 10 HOMES...EITHER
DAMAGED OR DESTROYED...AND APPROXIMATELY 500 TREES WERE SNAPPED OR
UPROOTED. IT WAS APPROXIMATELY ONE HALF MILE WIDE AT THE
WIDEST...AND THE PATH LENGTH WAS APPROXIMATELY 23 MILES LONG.

THE THIRD TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN WESTERN COOSA COUNTY OVER SPARSELY
POPULATED AREAS...AND TRAVELED NORTHEASTWARD INTO SOUTHERN TALLADEGA
COUNTY. THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR MARBLE VALLEY...AND CONTINUED
NORTHEASTWARD PARALLEL AND JUST SOUTH OF PAINT CREEK. THE TRACK
CONTINUED FOR APPROXIMATELY 17 MILES...CROSSING  INTO TALLADEGA
COUNTY JUST EAST OF COUNTY LINE ROAD...CROSSING HIGHWAY 21/231...
HIGHWAY 280...AND ENDING NEAR COUNTY ROAD 511. THIS TORNADO WAS
RATED AN EF2...WITH WIND SPEEDS OF UP TO 120 MPH. AT THE WIDEST
POINT...THE TORNADO WAS APPROXIMATELY ONE HALF MILE WIDE. THE
TORNADO MOVED OVER MOSTLY RURAL AREAS OF BOTH COUNTIES PRODUCING
SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO APPROXIMATELY 300 SOFT AND HARDWOOD
TREES...WHERE A MAJORITY OF THE TREES WERE EITHER UPROOTED OR
SNAPPED ALONG THE PATH. STRUCTURAL DAMAGE WAS NOTED IN THE HIDDEN
VALLEY COMMUNITY AS TWO MOBILE HOMES WERE SHIFTED ALONG THEIR
FOUNDATIONS AND ROOF DAMAGE WAS REPORTED TO CABIN ALONG LAKE
MITCHELL.

IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS...PLEASE CONTACT THE LEAD FORECASTER AT
THE BIRMINGHAM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE AT 205-664-3010.

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