NWS Huntsville Storm Surveys from 03/31/2016

...NWS DAMAGE SURVEY FOR 3/31/16 TORNADO EVENT...

.HARTSELLE/PRICEVILLE TORNADO...

RATING:                 EF-2
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    115 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  8.5 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/:   200 YARDS
FATALITIES:             0
INJURIES:               0

START DATE:             MAR 31 2016
START TIME:             857 PM CDT
START LOCATION:         2 NE HARTSELLE AL
START LAT/LON:          34.47/-86.93

END DATE:               MAR 31 2016
END TIME:               912 PM CDT
END LOCATION:           4 NE PRICEVILLE AL
END LAT/LON:            34.5526/-86.8135

SURVEY SUMMARY:
THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN JUST SOUTHWEST OF THE INTERSECTION OF
INDIAN HILLS ROAD NE AND ROBERTS CATFISH LANE IN HARTSELLE. MULTIPLE
HARDWOOD TREES WERE SNAPPED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE TORNADO TRACK.
FROM THERE, THE TORNADO DAMAGED SEVERAL MOBILE HOMES ON ROBERTS
CATFISH LANE. ONE OF THE MOBILE HOMES ROLLED 45-50 YARDS TO THE
NORTHEAST AFTER SNAPPING ALL 6 OF THE TIE-DOWNS THAT ANCHORED THE
HOME. THE UNIT WAS MOSTLY DESTROYED WITH THE FRAME OF THE STRUCTURE
STILL LARGELY INTACT. THE SECOND MOBILE HOME AT THIS LOCATION
SEPARATED FROM ITS PORCH AND WAS SHIFTED OFF ITS FOUNDATION ABOUT 10
FEET. A WOODEN AND TIN CARPORT STRUCTURE HOUSING LAWN AND FARM
EQUIPMENT WAS PARTIALLY DESTROYED, WITH PIECES OF THE WOOD EMBEDDED
IN THE GROUND AROUND THE MOBILE HOMES. A SMALL SEDAN PARKED AT THE
SECOND MOBILE HOME WAS LIFTED AND HAD THE FRONT END EMBEDDED BRIEFLY
IN THE GROUND, TEARING OFF THE FRONT BUMPER, WHICH WAS FOUND 10 FEET
AWAY. DEBRIS FROM THESE BUILDINGS WAS FOUND HALF A MILE TO THE
NORTHEAST FROM THIS LOCATION AT THE NEXT AREA OF DAMAGE SURVEYED.
PATH WIDTH AT THIS LOCATION WAS ABOUT 50 YARDS WIDE.

ABOUT HALF A MILE NORTHEAST, JUST WEST OF INTERSTATE 65 ON BETHEL
CIRCLE NE, WIDESPREAD TREE DAMAGE WAS SURVEYED. LARGE HARDWOOD TREES
ABOUT 2 FEET IN DIAMETER WERE FOUND SNAPPED, SHEARED AND TWISTED OFF
ABOUT 10-15 FEET FROM THEIR BASES. MULTIPLE TREES HAD THE BARK
TWISTED OFF AND STREWN ABOUT THE FOREST. OF THE FEW HOMES THAT WERE
WITHIN THE TREE DAMAGE AREA, ONLY MINOR DAMAGE WAS NOTED TO A COUPLE
OF THE HOUSES. MOST OF THIS DAMAGE WAS FROM SIDING BEING BLOWN OFF OR
FROM TREES DIRECTLY CLIPPING THE EDGE OF A ROOF AS THEY FELL. THE
VAST MAJORITY OF THE TREE DAMAGE AT THIS LOCATION WAS ON PROPERTY
ALONG VILLAGE BRANCH CREEK BEHIND THE HOMES. PATH WIDTH AT THIS
LOCATION WAS ABOUT 200 YARDS WIDE.

THE TORNADO APPEARED TO LIFT BRIEFLY BEFORE SETTING DOWN AGAIN ALONG
BETHEL ROAD NEAR THE INTERSECTION WITH SPRING VALLEY ROAD...JUST EAST
OF INTERSTATE 65. SEVERAL TREES WERE UPROOTED AT THE WALNUT GROVE
BAPTIST CHURCH...AND SEVERAL GRAVESTONES WERE PUSHED OVER OR BROKEN.
NUMEROUS PINE TREES WERE SNAPPED IN A CLEAR...COHERENT PATH AS THE
TORNADO CONTINUED TO THE NORTHEAST.

TREE DAMAGE BECAME MORE CONSISTENT AND WIDESPREAD ALONG SHOAL CREEK
ROAD AND WHITE OAK DRIVE. HUNDREDS OF SOFTWOOD AND HARDWOOD TREES
WERE SNAPPED AND UPROOTED IN THIS GENERAL AREA...AND THERE WAS SOME
MINOR STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO A FEW SINGLE FAMILY HOMES. THE TREE DAMAGE
WAS MORE WIDESPREAD AS THE TORNADO MOVED INTO THE AUTUMN WOOD TRAIL
AREA. TREES FELL ONTO A SINGLE FAMILY HOME AND DAMAGED IT.

THE MOST SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURAL DAMAGE OCCURRED NEAR THE
INTERSECTION OF THOMPSON LANE AND PEACH ORCHARD ROAD. IN THIS AREA...
MULTIPLE SHEDS WERE COMPLETELY DESTROYED AND MOST OF THE SHINGLES ON
THE ROOF OF A SINGLE FAMILY HOME WERE TORN OFF. ONCE AGAIN...NUMEROUS
PINE TREES WERE SNAPPED. THE TORNADO APPEARED TO WEAKEN SLIGHTLY AS
IT MOVED TOWARDS UPPER RIVER ROAD. THERE WAS SOME MODEST TREE DAMAGE
IN A FIELD EAST OF THOMSON LANE...AND MANY OF THE SHINGLES ON THE
ROOF OF A SINGLE FAMILY HOME WERE DAMAGED OR REMOVED.

THE TORNADO CONTINUED NORTHEAST TO TURKEY MOUNTAIN ROAD...WHERE IT
SNAPPED SEVERAL MORE TREES AND PUSHED A DOUBLE-WIDE MOBILE HOME OFF
ITS PIERS AND DAMAGED THE ROOF. BASED ON DAMAGE VIEWED FROM TURKEY
MOUNTAIN ROAD...IT IS BELIEVED THAT THE TORNADO CONTINUED TO NEAR THE
TENNESSEE RIVER WHERE IT DISSIPATED.

SURVEYED BY: NASH/AMIN/BURGESS/LYZA-UAH
             DARDEN/CARCIONE/RAVENSCRAFT-UAH

EF SCALE: THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE CLASSIFIES TORNADOES INTO THE
FOLLOWING CATEGORIES.

EF0...WEAK......65 TO 85 MPH
EF1...WEAK......86 TO 110 MPH
EF2...STRONG....111 TO 135 MPH
EF3...STRONG....136 TO 165 MPH
EF4...VIOLENT...166 TO 200 MPH
EF5...VIOLENT...>200 MPH

NOTE:
THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO
CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT AND PUBLICATION IN
NWS STORM DATA.