Town Creek Tornado - February 13, 2020

Town Creek EF-1 Tornado (Tallapoosa County)
February 13, 2020

Event Summary

Rating: (Click for EF Scale)	EF-1
Estimated Maximum Wind:	90 mph
Injuries/Fatalities:	None
Damage Path Length:	2.10 miles
Maximum Path Width:	300 yards
Approximate Start Point/Time:	3 SSE Hackneyville 33.0162/-85.9171 at 412 AM CST
Approximate End Point/Time:	3 NNW Hillabee Creek 33.0162/-85.8819 at 415 AM CST

NWS Meteorologists surveyed damage in northwestern Tallapoosa County, northeast of Alexander City, and determined it was the result of a tornado.

This tornado began northeast of Alexander City along Campground Road where some tree damage was initially observed. The tornado moved eastward where it increased in intensity and width. The worst damage occurred along Town Creek Road where the road bends northward along Hillabee Creek. In that area, many trees were snapped or uprooted. There were just a few structures within the path of the tornado. One home had minor shingle loss and failure of a window frame, along with damage to outbuildings. One home had damage to a window from flying debris. One home had a bit more in the way of shingle loss and shifting of the ridge vent, shifting of porch columns (likely due to uplift of the porch overhang), and a window blown out of a truck. Due to the number of fallen trees (the most notable damage indicator in this case), this tornado was assigned a low-end EF-1 intensity. The tornado then crossed Hillabee Creek in a weakening state and ended between the creek and Sanford Road.

Special thanks to the Tallapoosa County EMA for their assistance in the survey.

The data is PRELIMINARY and may be subject to change.

Reflectivity (left) and velocity (right) of the tornado at peak intensity along
Town Creek Road, northeast of Alexander City.
Images from KMXX at 414 am.

Path of the tornado.

Trees snapped and uprooted

Large trees snapped