Show more Show more. The storm packed winds of 190 miles (310 kilometers per hour) and left a path of debris running southwest to northeast. Regional Highs/Lows/Rainfall, Forecasts Thursday morning and afternoon, a warm front was lifting north through Mississippi and Alabama, ushering in an unstable and dangerous air mass. Tornado warnings are in effect about 30 miles south of Tuscaloosa, Ala. until 5 p.m. and 15 miles east of Rome until 4:45 p.m. (5:45 p.m. local time). An outbreak of severe weather, including several destructive tornadoes, swept across the South Thursday, killing at least five people in Alabama and one in Georgia. It also was similar to the path. Flight Center. It then crossed Interstate 65 and reached the Pine Level community, where several homes had roof damage and a manufactured home was rolled off its foundation and onto County Road 68 East. (2011, May 3). They need to have a plan in place NOW which includes having multiple ways to get warning information and [knowing] where to take shelter should a tornado warning be issued for their location., The sentiment was echoed by other Weather Service offices and broadcast meteorologists, the Weather Service in Birmingham writing the synoptic pattern checks nearly all the boxes for a Deep South/Tennessee Valley outbreak., Their neighboring office in Huntsville described the air mass as very unstable and downright volatile, while the Storm Prediction Center called the environment for violent, tornadic storms as uncommon, upper echelon.. Due to the combination of rich low-level moisture, strong shear, and focused large-scale ascent, there was relatively high confidence across the outlined area for strong tornadoes a tornado rated EF2 or higher on the Enhanced Fujita scale and widespread damaging winds. That was certainly the same parent storm that produced what is likely to be more than one tornado along its trek across our area, weather service meteorologist Gerald Satterwhite said Friday via email. Multiple rounds of intense supercell thunderstorms are expected this afternoon and early evening, with the potential for long-track strong to violent tornadoes, the Storm Prediction Center wrote. Latest update on Tuscaloosa from Mayor Maddox. Acquired May 7, 2011, this natural-color image shows part of a tornado track near the town of Berry, Alabama. SPC Stats. However, the same parent storm is responsible for both areas of damage. An extremely volatile atmospheric setup prompted the National Weather Service to declare a rare level 5 out of 5 high risk for severe thunderstorms, focused in Alabama but touching several surrounding states. Aviation Weather, Climate and Past Weather See all of AL.coms April 27, 2011 anniversary coverage here. The weather service will have to analyze all the storm tracks to say for sure, but it appears that one storm held together -- possibly dropping tornadoes periodically along the way -- from Mississippi all the way across Alabama and into Georgia. Its just destruction in those areas, Brown said. More photos of severe damage are emerging from the long-track tornadic storm which has cut across central Alabama. Elsewhere, only one other tornado warning was active, about 30 miles west of Tuscaloosa, until 2:30 p.m. Yall please stay safe and vigilant!. However, this was revised to 64 deaths and more than 1,500 injuries. Meteorologists have rated the tornado that took seven lives in Autauga County on Jan. 12 an EF-3, with top winds estimated at 150 mph in spots along its path. The tornado crossed through the Pine Flat community, damaging more homes, and a manufactured home was rolled and destroyed. Incredibly sad looking at this radar data and seeing the debris signature triple in size after passing over/near #Columbiana Alabama #tornadooutbreak pic.twitter.com/ge7gY5iLWE, 5:30 p.m.: Tornado emergency for areas about 40 miles south of Birmingham. Therefore, it was given a final rating of high-end EF4, with winds estimated at 190mph (310km/h). This was the third tornado to strike the city of Tuscaloosa in the past decade, and the second in two weeks. Coverage of the April 27, 2011 Tuscaloosa, Alabama tornado. Local Climate Data, Warnings and Other Products Numerous homes sustained damage in this area, anda 2-story apartment complexhad a large portion of its roof lifted and removed. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The tornado crossed University Blvd in the Alberta City community. The storm packed winds of 190 miles (310 kilometers per hour) and left a path of debris running southwest to northeast. Tornado Warnings [8:05 PM]: An EF-1 tornado was confirmed by @NWSHuntsville meteorologists today across portions of Lawrence, Morgan, And Limestone counties. The first was an EF-2 tornado that carved a 35.17-mile path through parts of Choctaw and Marengo counties. The National Weather Service has spent the past few days tracing the path of Alabamas deadliest tornado since 2019. It was here in Pleasant Grove where evidence of vehicles being moved by the winds become obvious, though most were only tossed 10 to 15 yards if they were picked up at all. The tornado continued northeastward out of the Concord area and into the Pleasant Grove community. This tornado was produced by a supercell thunderstorm that began in Newton County Mississippi at 2:54 pm CDT, and finally dissipated in Macon County, North Carolina at approximately 10:18 pm CDT. Office History Two happened on March 30, 2022. The tornado strengthened as it crossed the Black Warrior River, north of Interstate 20 and approached Tuscaloosa to a violent EF4 with winds of 170 mph. The effects of the tornado arguably contributed to a decrease in affordable housing in what has been called "an uneven recovery" for Tuscaloosa.[25]. Specific threats will depend on where one is in relation to the overarching storm system, but storms are expected to be both unusually widespread and intense across a large swath of area. All-Hazards Awareness Booklet The tornado weakened slightly as it moved across County Road 57 but still damaged several homes. Here is how the storms developed that day. [5] At 1:45p.m. CDT (18:45 UTC), a Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) tornado watch was issued for much of Alabama, northwest Georgia, southeast Mississippi, and southern middle Tennessee, with a >95% probability of at least two tornadoes and one or more strong tornadoes. Housing type, which includes large numbers of mobile homes, and the structure of communities, coupled with population density, puts more people in harms way, while trees and thick vegetation, along with rain-wrapped storms, frequently make it impossible to see a tornado coming. Long-track tornadoes are nothing new in Alabama. The tornado killed seven people and injured several others and caused widespread damage along its long path. As the tornado approached Interstate 359, several buildings were destroyed including the Tuscaloosa County Emergency Operations Center. Please Contact Us. Near Union at 4:50p.m. CDT, footage of the wedge tornado was captured by meteorologist John Oldshue during a storm chase for Birmingham ABC affiliate WBMA-LD/WCFT-TV/WJSU-TV (channels 58, 33, and 40 "ABC 33/40"), which broadcast Oldshue's live video of the tornado as he was tracking it outside of town. [9][10] Skycams operated by Tuscaloosa-based television station WVUA-CA (channel 7) as well as Birmingham Fox affiliate WBRC (channel 6) and ABC 33/40, and a ground-based camera crew with CBS affiliate WIAT (channel 42) captured video of the tornado as it struck Tuscaloosa. Land The tornado rapidly strengthened as it approached the Old Kingston community and reached EF-3 intensity. Acquired May 4, 2011, this false-color image shows a tornado track near Birmingham, Alabama. All rights reserved (About Us). The tornado reached a maximum path width of 1.5 miles (2.4 km) during its track through Tuscaloosa, and once again when it crossed Interstate 65 north of Birmingham, and attained estimated winds of 190 mph (310 km/h) shortly after passing through the city. A tornado killed at least five people in Calhoun County, Ala., located between Birmingham and the Georgia border. Images of tornado damage near Tuscaloosa, Ala., seen on May 4, 2011. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. A tornado watch means conditions are favorable for twisters to form, but not a guarantee. The frame of a manufactured home was thrown 250 yards and into a field. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Conciencia y Preparacin, Weather Safety To get the best experience possible, please download a compatible browser. The trail of damage stretched 80.3 miles (129.2 kilometers) long and as much as 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) wide. The large tornado that passed south of Tuscaloosa is now roaring east into the zone about 40 miles south of Birmingham where a tornado emergency is in effect until 6 p.m. Thats an ominous atmospheric signal of a violent weather day. Eleven were killed and 144 injured. Meteorologists found "at least" EF-3. [10][20][21][22] President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama visited Tuscaloosa on April 29, taking a ground tour of some of the affected areas. Davis ran inside and sheltered with his family until the storm passed. Although not a main damage indicator, there was also evidence of vehicles being moved, but only a couple of feet. Special thanks to Sergeant Rocco Renno of the Hoover Police Department and Officer Chad Allinder of the Jefferson County Sherrif's Department for their assistance withground damage surveys in the Birmingham area. East of Holt, the tornado path width widened from 0.5 mile to around 1 mile. Severe Weather Videos The Storm Prediction Center said it would like issue a new tornado watch for the northern two-third of Alabama into the nighttime hours. The emergency includes Montevallo, Wilton, and Calera, Ala. as the confirmed destructive tornado heads east at 50 mph. In April 2011, one of the most devastating tornado outbreaks in the history of Alabama left an unprecedented path of destruction through the City of Tuscaloosa. No one was home thank God. Hurricane Preparedness Dont let paying for a funeral add to your grief, Beware of these pitfalls when planning your own funeral, 401(k) balances are up, but the number of millionaires is down, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Weather Service had already received reports. It was right in my face, he said. Light poles were damaged along Interstate 65, and a Days Inn and several other commercial buildings sustained major damage along US 31 before the tornado began to rapidly narrow and weaken. Radar showed rotation associated with a confirmed large tornado about 20 miles east of Birmingham. Non-Precipitation Warnings The supercell that produced the Tuscaloosa/Birmingham tornado may have had potentially record-breaking longevity as that particular storm traveled more than 280 miles across five states from Mississippi to North Carolina, with damage reported . It is one of the costliest tornadoes on record. "Just as cities and towns from all over Alabama came together to support Tuscaloosa in the aftermath of the devastating April 27, 2011 tornado, the City of Tuscaloosa will support the City of Selma on their road to recovery," Mayor Walt Maddox said when the drive was . Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. The forecast continued to emphasize the risk of strong/violent and very damaging tornadoes, as confidence increased even further regarding the risk for an extreme, high-end tornado outbreak. Tuscaloosa and the additional four West Alabama counties were added at about 6 p.m. A tornado watch means conditions are favorable for severe thunderstorms or tornadoes in an area. A tornado warning was in effect about 25 miles north of the border with Mississippi and Alabama. A massive tornado . In all, 240 people died and more than 2,000 people were injured. A total of 44 people were killed in the Tuscaloosa area. The majority of it remained within a couple of yards of the home. NWS Birmingham, Alabama465 Weathervane RoadCalera, AL 35040205-664-3010Comments? As of 7 p.m., there were no tornado warnings in effect over Alabama but scattered storms continued, some severe. The tornado crossed Highway 63 South and neared the Wind Creek State Park area. Cinder block construction homes in the surrounding neighborhood were completely destroyed, and in a few cases debris was swept away from the site. Numerous homes, apartment buildings, and a large church sustained significant damage as the tornado entered Birmingham's city limits and impacted the neighborhood of Pratt City. Meteorologists have rated the tornado that took seven lives in Autauga. [10][13][14], The tornado then grew from 0.5 miles (0.80km) to 1 mile (1.6km) wide and ripped through the suburb of Holt, leveling and sweeping away homes while still at low-end EF4 strength. Additionally, wind rowing of debris was evident throughout the Pleasant Grove community which is characteristic of a storm of thismagnitude. Severe Storms, Image of the Day Although the most widespread severe storms will threaten central and northeast Mississippi, much of Middle Tennessee and northern and western Alabama, the threat of at least a few tornadoes extends as far north as Louisville or Indianapolis. However, the longest tornado track on record in Alabama happened on May 27, 1973. 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