Public Information Statement from April 11, 2011 Event

...EVENT OVERVIEW...

A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS...WITH AREAS OF EMBEDDED ROTATION...MOVED
THROUGH CENTRAL ALABAMA MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THESE
THUNDERSTORMS CAUSED WIDESPREAD WIND DAMAGE ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA.
THESE DAMAGING WINDS KNOCKED DOWN NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES.
SEVERAL OF THE FALLEN TREES LANDED ON HOMES AND OUTBUILDINGS.
STRUCTURAL DAMAGE WAS ALSO REPORTED AT SEVERAL LOCATIONS.

...JEFFERSON COUNTY TORNADO...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS HAVE COMPLETED ALL SURVEYS
IN JEFFERSON COUNTY...AND HAVE BEEN DETERMINED THAT THE WIDESPREAD
STORM DAMAGE FOUND IN SOUTHERN JEFFERSON COUNTY WAS THE RESULT OF
BOTH STRAIGHT LINE WINDS AS WELL AS A BRIEF EF-1 TORNADO.

EVENT DATE: APRIL 11, 2011
EVENT TYPE: EF-1 TORNADO
ESTIMATED PEAK WINDS (MPH): 100
INJURIES/FATALITIES: NONE
EVENT START LOCATION AND TIME: 33.4496/-86.7883 AT 727 PM
EVENT END LOCATION AND TIME: 33.4520/-86.7823 AT 728 PM
DAMAGE PATH LENGTH (IN MILES): 0.4
DAMAGE WIDTH (IN YARDS): 100

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS SURVEYED LOCATIONS OF
REPORTED DAMAGE FROM BESSEMER...TO SHANNON...BLUFF PARK...AND
VESTAVIA HILLS. THE DAMAGE BEGAN AROUND CLARENDON ROAD IN
BESSEMER...WHERE WINDS OF UP TO 85 MPH CAUSED A FEW LARGE TREES TO
BE UPROOTED. MINOR TREE LIMB DAMAGE CONTINUED ACROSS 14TH STREET
SOUTH OF CAROLINA AVENUE. SPORADIC MINOR DAMAGE WAS FOUND ALONG THE
LINE...ESPECIALLY ALONG SHADES CREST ROAD...WHERE TERRAIN
ENHANCEMENTS TYPICALLY PRODUCE STRONGER WINDS. AS THE STORMS
APPROACHED VESTAVIA HILLS...SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE WAS NOTED...WITH A
CONCENTRATED AREA OF DAMAGE ASSOCIATED WITH THE TORNADO ROUGHLY FROM
BEHIND THE VESTAVIA HILLS POLICE DEPARTMENT...ACROSS BIRD PARK...TO
JUST NORTH OF THE VESTAVIA HILLS COUNTRY CLUB. THIS IS WHERE
NUMEROUS LARGE HARDWOOD TREES WERE UPROOTED...AND THIRTY PINE TREES
WERE SNAPPED IN BIRD PARK. ONE HOME ADJACENT TO THE COUNTRY CLUB
SUSTAINED POTENTIALLY SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURAL DAMAGE...WITH DRYWALL
FASTENERS ON THE CEILING LOOSENED BY THE FORCE OF THE WINDS ON THE
ROOF. OTHER HOMES IN THE AREA RECEIVED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE DUE TO
IMPACT FROM FALLING TREES. JUST TO THE SOUTH OF THIS TORNADO
PATH...STRONG REAR INFLOW NOTCH WINDS UP TO 90 MPH SNAPPED OR
UPROOTED DOZENS OF HARDWOOD AND SOFTWOOD TREES...WITH SOME HOMES
IMPACTED. REAR INFLOW WIND DAMAGE EXTENDED FROM ABOUT A MILE WEST OF
HIGHWAY 31 NEAR OLD CREEK TRAIL...CROSSING JUST SOUTH OF CANYON
ROAD...EXTENDING ABOUT A MILE EAST OF HIGHWAY 31 ACROSS THE SOUTHERN
PORTION OF THE COUNTRY CLUB.

THIS STORM SURVEY WAS VERY COMPLICATED AND DETAILED...AND COULD NOT
HAVE BEEN ACCOMPLISHED WITHOUT THE ASSISTANCE FROM THE JEFFERSON
COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY...VESTAVIA HILLS PD...AS WELL AS
THE NUMEROUS DETAILED PUBLIC REPORTS SUBMITTED TO THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE.

...BIBB COUNTY STORM SURVEY...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS SURVEYED DAMAGE LOCATIONS IN
BIBB COUNTY IN THE CITY OF BRENT. DAMAGE WAS NOTED NEAR DOWNTOWN
BRENT JUST TO THE WEST OF STATE HIGHWAY 5...EASTWARD ACROSS STATE
HIGHWAY 25 ALONG BEAR CREEK ROAD. DOZENS OF SOFTWOOD AND HARDWOOD
TREES WERE UPROOTED...WITH SOME TREES LANDING NEAR RESIDENTIAL HOMES
AND DESTROYING AUTOMOBILES. THE PATH LENGTH OF THE DAMAGE WAS AROUND
ONE HALF MILE...WITH THE WIDTH AROUND ONE QUARTER OF A MILE. THERE
WAS LACK OF ANY STRONG EVIDENCE THAT SUGGESTED A TORNADO. BASED ON
THESE FINDINGS...THE DAMAGE WAS CONSISTENT WITH STRAIGHT LINE WINDS
AROUND 105 MPH AT THE SURFACE. AN OBSERVATION FROM A LOCAL FIRE
TOWER CONFIRMED A WIND GUST OF 110 MPH FROM INSTRUMENTS THAT WERE
MOUNTED 70 FEET OFF THE GROUND ON THE 110 FOOT TOWER. SPECIAL THANKS
TO THE BIBB COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY FOR ASSISTANCE IN THE
DAMAGE ASSESSMENT.

...TUSCALOOSA COUNTY STORM SURVEY...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS SURVEYED DAMAGE LOCATIONS IN
TUSCALOOSA COUNTY JUST SOUTH OF THE BUHL COMMUNITY. DAMAGE WAS NOTED
OFF OF COUNTY ROAD 103 CROSSING SIPSEY VALLEY ROAD NORTH...THEN TO
THE NORTH-NORTHEAST...TO CORNELIUS CHAPEL ROAD. SEVERAL HARDWOOD
TREES WERE UPROOTED. THE MAJORITY OF THE DAMAGE WAS TREES BLOWN
DOWN. THERE WAS ALSO ROOF DAMAGE TO A MANUFACTURED HOME. TREE DAMAGE
PATH LENGTH WAS ABOUT 3.4 MILES. PATH WIDTH WAS ABOUT 200 YARDS.
THERE WAS LACK OF ANY STRONG EVIDENCE THAT SUGGESTED A TORNADO.
BASED ON THESE FINDINGS...THE DAMAGE WAS CONSISTENT WITH STRAIGHT
LINE WINDS AROUND 90 MPH. A SPECIAL THANKS TO THE TUSCALOOSA COUNTY
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY FOR ASSISTANCE IN THE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT.

...PICKENS COUNTY STORM SURVEY...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS SURVEYED DAMAGE LOCATIONS IN
PICKENS COUNTY IN THE TOWN OF ALICEVILLE. DAMAGE WAS NOTED BETWEEN
SECOND STREET NORTHWEST AND NINTH STREET NORTHEAST AND NORTH OF
FIRST AVENUE NORTHEAST. A FEW HARDWOOD AND SOFTWOOD TREES WERE
UPROOTED OR SNAPPED. THERE WERE SIGNS OF VISIBLE DAMAGE AND
SIGNIFICANT LOSS OF ROOF COVERING TO SOME SMALL RETAIL BUILDINGS.
DAMAGE PATH LENGTH WAS ABOUT .9 MILE. PATH WIDTH WAS ABOUT 200
YARDS. THERE WAS LACK OF ANY STRONG EVIDENCE THAT SUGGESTED A
TORNADO. BASED ON THESE FINDINGS...THE DAMAGE WAS CONSISTENT WITH
STRAIGHT LINE WINDS AROUND 90 MPH. A SPECIAL THANKS TO THE PICKENS
COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY FOR ASSISTANCE IN THE DAMAGE
ASSESSMENT.

...FAYETTE COUNTY STORM SURVEY...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS SURVEYED DAMAGE LOCATIONS IN
FAYETTE COUNTY JUST EAST OF THE TOWN OF FAYETTE. DAMAGE WAS NOTED
BETWEEN NEAR HIGHWAY 18 AND COUNTY ROAD 26. A FEW SOFTWOOD TREES
WERE SNAPPED. THERE WAS LACK OF ANY STRONG EVIDENCE THAT SUGGESTED A
TORNADO. BASED ON THESE FINDINGS...THE DAMAGE WAS CONSISTENT WITH
STRAIGHT LINE WINDS AROUND 90 MPH. A SPECIAL THANKS TO THE FAYETTE
COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY FOR ASSISTANCE IN THE DAMAGE
ASSESSMENT.

...WALKER COUNTY STORM SURVEY...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS SURVEYED DAMAGE LOCATIONS IN
WALKER COUNTY OFF OF CURRY ROAD NORTH OF JASPER. THERE WAS
WIDESPREAD TREE DAMAGE 3 MILES SOUTH OF CURRY. DOZENS OF SOFTWOOD
TREES WERE EITHER SNAPPED OFF OR WERE UPROOTED. SEVERAL HARDWOOD
TREES WERE ALSO UPROOTED. THE MAJORITY OF THE DAMAGE WAS TREES BLOWN
DOWN. HOWEVER...A COUPLE OF HOUSES HAD MINOR WIND DAMAGE OR DAMAGE
DUE TO A TREE FALLING ON THEM. ONE HOME SUSTAINED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE
WHEN A LARGE LIMB FELL ON IT RENDERING THE HOME UNLIVABLE. TREE
DAMAGE PATH LENGTH WAS ABOUT 3.6 MILES. THERE WAS LACK OF ANY STRONG
EVIDENCE THAT SUGGESTED A TORNADO. BASED ON THESE FINDINGS...THE
DAMAGE WAS CONSISTENT WITH STRAIGHT LINE WINDS AROUND 90 MPH. A
SPECIAL THANKS TO THE WALKER COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY FOR
ASSISTANCE IN THE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT.

A MAJOR CONTRIBUTION TO THE SUCCESS OF OUR SEVERE WEATHER WARNING
PROGRAM IS THE RECEIPT OF STORM REPORTS FROM ALL OUR CUSTOMERS AND
PARTNERS ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA. IF YOU WITNESSED OR ARE AWARE OF
ANY STORM DAMAGE DUE TO HIGH WINDS OR TORNADOES...PLEASE CONTACT
YOUR LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICE...OR CALL OUR STORM REPORTING
HOTLINE AT 1-800-856-0758.