Public Information Statement - December 22, 2011

Public Information Statement for December 22, 2011

A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH A COLD FRONT MOVED
ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA ON DECEMBER 22ND...PRODUCING AREAS OF WIND
DAMAGE. SEVERAL AREAS OF DAMAGE WERE ASSOCIATED WITH ROTATING
SUPERCELLS WITHIN THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS AND RESULTED IN ISOLATED
TORNADOES.

.SURVEYS COMPLETED...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STORM SURVEY TEAMS HAVE ASSESSED THE DAMAGE
IN BIBB...DALLAS...EASTERN SHELBY...AUTAUGA...ELMORE...COOSA...AND
TALLAPOOSA COUNTIES AND HAVE FOUND SEVERAL TORNADO DAMAGE PATHS.

...BIBB COUNTY TORNADOES...

...FIRST TORNADO (CENTREVILLE)...

EVENT DATE: DECEMBER 22, 2011
EVENT TYPE: EF-0
TORNADO ESTIMATED PEAK WINDS (MPH): 70-80
INJURIES/FATALITIES: 0
EVENT START LOCATION AND TIME: 32.9053/-87.1224 AT 1256 PM
EVENT END LOCATION AND TIME: 32.9053/-87.1224 AT 1257 PM
DAMAGE PATH LENGTH (IN YARDS): 100 YARDS
DAMAGE WIDTH (IN YARDS): 25 YARDS

AN EF0 TORNADO WITH WINDS OF 70-80 MPH BRIEFLY TOUCHED DOWN 2 MILES
SOUTH OF CENTREVILLE. SEVERAL LARGE PINE TREES WERE UPROOTED AT THIS
LOCATION. NO OTHER DAMAGE WAS NOTED EITHER DIRECTION INDICATING A
BRIEF TOUCHDOWN ALONG ALABAMA HIGHWAY 219.

...SECOND TORNADO (LAWLEY)...

EVENT DATE: DECEMBER 22, 2011
EVENT TYPE: EF-0
TORNADO ESTIMATED PEAK WINDS (MPH): 80
INJURIES/FATALITIES: 0
EVENT START LOCATION AND TIME: 32.8692/-86.9742 AT 125 PM
EVENT END LOCATION AND TIME: 32.8796/-86.9307 AT 128 PM
DAMAGE PATH LENGTH (IN MILES): 2.63
DAMAGE WIDTH (IN YARDS): 150 YARDS

AN EF0 TORNADO WITH WINDS OF 70-80 MPH BRIEFLY TOUCHED DOWN BETWEEN
LAWLEY AND RANDOLPH IN SE BIBB COUNTY. DAMAGE BEGAN ALONG HWY 82
WITH LARGE LIMBS BROKEN FOR 50 YARDS IN WIDTH. THE TORNADO THEN
LIFTED JUST EAST OF CR 36. HERE DAMAGE WAS 150 YARDS WIDE WITH
NUMEROUS TREES UPROOTED.

...DALLAS COUNTY TORNADO...
(CORRECTED DESCRIPTION OF STARTING LOCATION)

EVENT DATE: DECEMBER 22, 2011
EVENT TYPE: EF-0
TORNADO ESTIMATED PEAK WINDS (MPH): 85
INJURIES/FATALITIES: 0
EVENT START LOCATION AND TIME: 32.4232/-86.9206 AT 130 PM
EVENT END LOCATION AND TIME: 32.4305/-86.8844 AT 133 PM
DAMAGE PATH LENGTH (IN MILES): 2.19
DAMAGE WIDTH (IN YARDS): 50 YARDS

THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN APPROXIMATELY 6 MILES EAST OF SELMA ALONG
COUNTY ROAD 306 WHERE MINOR TREE DAMAGE OCCURRED, ALONG WITH ROOF
DAMAGE TO TWO MOBILE HOMES. THE TORNADO THEN TRAVELED FURTHER
NORTHEAST TO GARDNER AND HARVILLE ROADS WHERE SEVERAL SOFT AND
HARDWOOD TREES WERE DAMAGED OR SNAPPED. THERE WAS ALSO SOME
STRUCTURE DAMAGE, WITH ONE OUTBUILDING DESTROYED AND A MOBILE HOME
THAT WAS SHIFTED OFF OF THE FOUNDATION BLOCKS. THE TORNADO LIFTED
SHORTLY AFTER RIVER RD, WITH ADDITIONAL TREE DAMAGE NOTED.

...SHELBY COUNTY TORNADO (COLUMBIANA)...

EVENT DATE: DECEMBER 22, 2011
EVENT TYPE: EF-0
TORNADO ESTIMATED PEAK WINDS (MPH): 70-80
INJURIES/FATALITIES: 0
EVENT START LOCATION AND TIME: 33.1828/-86.6070 AT 142 PM
EVENT END LOCATION AND TIME: 33.2027/-86.5860 AT 145 PM
DAMAGE PATH LENGTH (IN MILES): 1.94
DAMAGE WIDTH (IN YARDS): 150 YARDS

AN EF0 TORNADO WITH WINDS OF 70-80 MPH BRIEFLY TOUCHED DOWN IN
COLUMBIANA...ALONG COUNTY ROAD 47 AND MOVED NORTHEAST FOR 1.8
MILES...LIFTING ALONG ALABAMA HIGHWAY 25. ALONG ITS PATH, 2 HOMES
WERE DAMAGED DUE TO FALLING TREES. APPROXIMATELY 50 TREES WERE
SNAPPED OR UPROOTED.

...AUTAUGA/ELMORE COUNTY TORNADO...

EVENT DATE: DECEMBER 22, 2011
EVENT TYPE: EF-0
TORNADO ESTIMATED PEAK WINDS (MPH): 85
INJURIES/FATALITIES: 0
EVENT START LOCATION AND TIME: 32.6203/-86.5478 AT 202 PM
EVENT END LOCATION AND TIME: 32.7019/-86.4059 AT 216 PM
DAMAGE PATH LENGTH (IN MILES): 10.18
DAMAGE WIDTH (IN YARDS): 100 YARDS

THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN ALONG COUNTY ROAD 57, ABOUT 3 MILES
NORTHWEST OF BOONES CHAPEL, WHERE SIGNIFICANT ROOF DAMAGE OCCURRED
TO A MOBILE HOME, ALONG WITH DECKING MATERIAL DESTROYED AND TREE
DAMAGE. THE TORNADO CONTINUED NORTHEAST CROSSING INTERSTATE 65 AND
HIGHWAY 31, WHERE ADDITIONAL TREE DAMAGE OCCURRED. SIGNIFICANT
DAMAGE ALSO OCCURRED FURTHER NORTHEAST ALONG COUNTY ROAD 68 AND
HIGHWAY 143 IN THE WADSWORTH COMMUNITY, WHERE SEVERAL OUTDOOR
BUILDINGS SUSTAINED STRUCTURE DAMAGE ALONG WITH DAMAGE TO SEVERAL
HARD AND SOFTWOOD TREES. THE TORNADO BEGAN TO LIFT JUST ACROSS THE
ELMORE COUNTY LINE ON TRAM ROAD WHERE ADDITIONAL OUTBUILDING ROOF
AND TREE DAMAGE OCCURRED. THE PARENT SUPERCELL PRODUCED ANOTHER
TORNADO THAT MOVED THROUGH COOSA AND INTO TALLAPOOSA COUNTY AND IS
DESCRIBED BELOW.

...ELMORE/COOSA/TALLAPOOSA COUNTY TORNADO...

EVENT DATE: DECEMBER 22, 2011
EVENT TYPE: EF-1
TORNADO ESTIMATED PEAK WINDS (MPH): 90-100
INJURIES/FATALITIES: 0
EVENT START LOCATION AND TIME: 32.7438/-86.2996 AT 224 PM
EVENT END LOCATION AND TIME: 32.9902/-85.992 AT 252 PM
DAMAGE PATH LENGTH (IN MILES): 24.9
DAMAGE WIDTH (IN YARDS): 300 YARDS

A NON-CONTINUOUS TRACK TORNADO WITH MAXIMUM EF1 WINDS OF 90-100 MPH
MOVED ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHERN ELMORE...EASTERN COOSA...AND
LIFTED JUST EAST OF THE TALLAPOOSA COUNTY LINE. THE TORNADO FIRST
TOUCHED DOWN ON GREY FERRY ROAD RESULTING IN 50 SNAPPED TREES.
SPORADIC DAMAGE OCCURRED ALONG THE PATH WITH TWO DISTINCT AREAS
REACHING EF1 STRENGTH. THE FIRST AREA OF EF1 DAMAGE OCCURED ON
COUNTY ROAD 14 JUST EAST OF HWY 231 IN COOSA COUNTY. HERE HUNDREDS
OF TREES WERE SNAPPED WITH A DAMAGE WIDTH OF 200 YARDS. THE TORNADO
THEN CONTINUED ON A NORTHEAST TRACK CROSSING HWY 231 AND COUNTY ROAD
22. THIS IS WHERE THE TORNADO REACHED ITS MAXIMUM WIDTH OF 300 YARDS
NEAR HISSOP IN COOSA COUNTY. THE TORNADO CONTINUED NORTHEAST AND
REGAINED ITS EF1 STRENGTH ON COUNTY ROAD 89 NEAR HWY 280 IN
KELLYTON. HERE A LARGE METAL BUILDING WAS DESTROYED AND A LARGE 100
YEAR OLD OAK WAS UPROOTED. THE TORNADO LIFTED JUST NORTHEAST OF HWY
280 ON HIX ROAD IN TALLAPOOSA COUNTY. TOTAL PATH LENGTH WAS 24.9
MILES. ALONG ITS PATH, 1 BUILDING WAS DESTROYED AND 1 HOME WAS
DAMAGED. IN TOTAL...APPROXIMATELY 400 TO 500 TREES WERE SNAPPED OR
UPROOTED IN TOTAL.

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.