Public Information Statement
Sunday, May 3, 2009
...DAMAGING WINDS AND TORNADOES SUNDAY MAY 3 2009... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DISPATCHED TWO STORM ASSESSMENT TEAMS TO INVESTIGATE DAMAGE FROM SUNDAY. SURVEYS HAVE BEEN UPDATED BASED ON INFORMATION COLLECTED AND REVIEWED BY THE STORM ASSESSMENT TEAMS. HERE ARE THEIR FINDINGS SO FAR: A DERECHO MOVED ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON. A DERECHO IS A WIDESPREAD AND LONG-LIVED STRAIGHT LINE WIND STORM ASSOCIATED WITH A FAST MOVING SQUALL LINE. A DERECHO CAN PRODUCE A LONG-LIVED GUST FRONT WHICH CAUSES STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE WITH WINDS OVER 58 MPH. THE DERECHO ON SUNDAY PRODUCED DAMAGE IN SEVERAL COUNTIES FROM THE MISSISSIPPI STATE LINE TO THE GEORGIA STATE LINE. ASSOCIATED SPECIFICALLY WITH THE DERECHO... ...DERECHO RELATED DAMAGE... THE DERECHO MOVED INTO WESTERN ALABAMA AROUND 1130 AM SUNDAY MORNING. THIS DERECHO TRACKED EASTWARD AND EXITED INTO GEORGIA AROUND 500 PM. CENTRAL ALABAMA EXPERIENCED WIDESPREAD WINDS OF 50 TO 60 MPH. SEVERAL LOCATIONS RECEIVED MAXIMUM WINDS OF 70 TO 80 MPH. A FEW THOUSAND TREES MAY HAVE BEEN BLOWN DOWN IN CENTRAL ALABAMA. FALLEN TREES LANDED ON STRUCTURES AND VEHICLES AND PRODUCED VARYING DEGREES OF DAMAGE. AT LEAST ONE PERSON WAS INJURED AS THE WINDS BLEW OVER A TRACTOR TRAILER. EXTENDED POWER OUTAGES WERE ALSO REPORTED IN A FEW LOCATIONS. THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES RECEIVED DAMAGE FROM THE DERECHO...SUMTER, GREENE, HALE, MARENGO, PERRY, BIBB, DALLAS, SHELBY, CHILTON, AUTAUGA, LOWNDES, MONTGOMERY, ELMORE, COOSA, TALLADEGA, CLAY, TALLAPOOSA, MACON, LEE, CHAMBERS, AND RANDOLPH. ...SUNSHINE TORNADO (HALE COUNTY)... EVENT DATE: SUNDAY 03 MAY 2009 TYPE: EF-1 TORNADO ESTIMATED PEAK WINDS (MPH): 90-95 MPH INJURIES/FATALITIES: NONE EVENT START LOCATION & TIME: 32.5614/-87.5510 EVENT END LOCATION & TIME: 33.5614/-87.5510 DAMAGE PATH LENGTH (IN MILES): 0.05 MILES DAMAGE WIDTH (IN YARDS): 50 YARDS START TIME: 132 PM CDT END TIME: 132 PM CDT WARNINGS: TORNADO WARNING 128-145 PM WATCHES: SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 233 1135 AM UNTIL 500 PM A BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN ALONG COUNTY ROAD 10 WEST OF STATE HIGHWAY 61. THIS LOCATION IS SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF NEWBERN IN THE SUNSHINE COMMUNITY. THE ROOF WAS TAKEN OFF ONE BARN AND ANOTHER STRUCTURE HAD PARTIAL ROOF DAMAGE. A FEW TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN ALONG THE SHORT PATH. IN ADDITION TO THE DERECHO...A FEW SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED JUST AHEAD OF THE SQUALL LINE. SUPERCELL STORMS ARE PERSISTENTLY ROTATING THUNDERSTORMS THAT PRODUCE ALL TYPES OF SEVERE WEATHER. A FEW TORNADOES DEVELOPED WITHIN THESE SUPERCELLS. ASSOCIATED SPECIFICALLY WITH THE SUPERCELLS AHEAD OF THE DERECHO... ...DUNAVANT TORNADO (SHELBY COUNTY)... EVENT DATE: SUNDAY 03 MAY 2009 TYPE: EF-1 TORNADO ESTIMATED PEAK WINDS (MPH): 90-100 MPH INJURIES/FATALITIES: NONE EVENT START LOCATION & TIME: 33.4913/-86.5707 EVENT END LOCATION & TIME: 33.4992/-86.5477 DAMAGE PATH LENGTH (IN MILES): 1.43 MILES DAMAGE WIDTH (IN YARDS): 300 YARDS START TIME: 203 PM CDT END TIME: 205 PM CDT WARNINGS: TORNADO WARNING 123-230 PM WATCHES: SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 233 1135 AM UNTIL 500 PM A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN ALONG COUNTY ROAD 470 AND TRACKED NORTHEASTWARD. THE TORNADO LIFTED AFTER IT CROSSED STATE HIGHWAY 25 JUST NORTH OF DUNAVANT. DOZENS OF TREES WERE SNAPPED OFF OR WERE UPROOTED ALONG THE PATH. ...BROOK HIGHLAND/GREYSTONE LEGACY TORNADO (SHELBY COUNTY)... EVENT DATE: SUNDAY 03 MAY 2009 TYPE: EF-0 TORNADO ESTIMATED PEAK WINDS (MPH): 75-85 MPH INJURIES/FATALITIES: NONE EVENT START LOCATION & TIME: 33.4372/-86.6758 EVENT END LOCATION & TIME: 33.4510/-86.6338 DAMAGE PATH LENGTH (IN MILES): 2.61 MILES DAMAGE WIDTH (IN YARDS): 200 YARDS START TIME: 154 PM CDT END TIME: 157 PM CDT WARNINGS: TORNADO WARNING 123-230 PM WATCHES: SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 233 1135 AM UNTIL 500 PM NUMEROUS TREES WERE UPROOTED ALONG THE PATH. AT LEAST 20 HOMES SUFFERED MINOR ROOF DAMAGE MAINLY LOSS OF SHINGLES. DAMAGE WAS REPORTED ON ASHINGTON DRIVE, ASHINGTON CIRCLE, CANNOCK DRIVE, BROOK HIGHLAND DRIVE, WINGFIELD DRIVE, AND KESTEVEN DRIVE IN BROOK HIGHLAND AREA. IN ADDITION, THE TORNADO CROSSED HIGHWAY 119 AND ENTERED INTO THE GREYSTONE LEGACY COMMUNITY. DAMAGE WAS LIMITED TO TREES UPROOTED AND SNAPPED ON THE GOLF COURSE. ...WOLF CREEK TORNADO (ST. CLAIR COUNTY)... EVENT DATE: SUNDAY 03 MAY 2009 TYPE: EF-1 TORNADO ESTIMATED PEAK WINDS (MPH): 90-100 MPH INJURIES/FATALITIES: NONE EVENT START LOCATION & TIME: 33.5215/-86.4101 EVENT END LOCATION & TIME: 33.6651/-86.1795 DAMAGE PATH LENGTH (IN MILES): 16.58 MILES DAMAGE WIDTH (IN YARDS): 800 YARDS START TIME: 227 PM CDT END TIME: 247 PM CDT WARNINGS: TORNADO WARNING 202-300 PM WATCHES: SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 233 1135 AM UNTIL 500 PM A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN PLEASANT GROVE ALONG COUNTY ROAD 27. THE TORNADO TRACKED NORTHEASTWARD AND GENERALLY PARALLELED COUNTY ROAD 27 AND WOLF CREEK. THE TORNADO CROSSED INTERSTATE 20 NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF US HIGHWAY 231. THE TORNADO CONTINUED NORTHEASTWARD ALL THE WAY TO THE COOSA RIVER JUST BEYOND THE RIVER RANCH ROAD COMMUNITY. NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER POLES WERE SNAPPED OFF ALONG THE PATH. MANY FALLEN TREES AND POWER POLES LANDED ON HOMES AND OUTBUILDINGS. ...STEWARTS CROSSROADS TORNADO (ST. CLAIR COUNTY)... EVENT DATE: SUNDAY 03 MAY 2009 TYPE: EF-1 TORNADO ESTIMATED PEAK WINDS (MPH): AROUND 90 MPH INJURIES/FATALITIES: NONE EVENT START LOCATION & TIME: 33.5415/-86.4590 EVENT END LOCATION & TIME: 33.5458/-86.4430 DAMAGE PATH LENGTH (IN MILES): 1 MILE DAMAGE WIDTH (IN YARDS): 100 YARDS START TIME: 215 PM CDT END TIME: 216 PM CDT WARNINGS: TORNADO WARNING 202-300 PM WATCHES: SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 233 1135 AM UNTIL 500 PM A BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF SEQUOYAH ROAD AND CHEROKEE ROAD AT STEWARTS CROSSROADS. SEVERAL TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN ALONG THE SHORT PATH. AT LEAST 10 HOMES SUFFERED MINOR TO MODERATE DAMAGE ASSOCIATED WITH THE FALLEN TREES. ALL INFORMATION IN THE STATEMENT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED PRELIMINARY UNTIL ALL THE DATA IS THOROUGHLY REVIEWED. 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. $$ LINHARES