NWS Birmingham, Alabama
Weather Forecast Office
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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NWS Birmingham, Alabama
465 Weathervane Road
Calera, AL 35040
205-664-3010
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