The tornado quickly moved out of the Pleasant Grove area and into the McDonald Chapel community. Alberta Elementary School suffered nearly complete destruction, with only a few portions of walls still standing. Words simply can't adequately describe what . 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. On the street corners and in the neighborhoods, thousands of citizens transformed into heroes by aiding the injured, searching for the missing, clearing debris, and volunteering from dawn to dusk. Show more. The particularly dangerous situation tornado watch issued signaled a high-end threat and the possibility of intense tornadoes. The tornado that passed through Tuscaloosa caused more than 1,000 injuries and at least 65 deaths across several towns and cities, the highest number of fatalities from a single tornado in the United States since May 25, 1955. They call this tornado alley, you know? Brown said. The tally would only mount as the sun rose. The weather service has a list of the longest tracks for tornadoes in Alabama. Looking at the statistics gives only the barest idea of what occurred. #alwx pic.twitter.com/Kfgmey9oKW, 12:30 p.m.: "[C]onfirmed large and extremely dangerous tornado south of Tuscaloosa. The tornado continued northeast and struck the Chastain Manor Apartments at the north end of 34th Ave E. Buildings on the east side of this new 2 story apartment complex were completely destroyed, with only a pile of debris remaining and a few walls set into the hillside. Hazardous Weather Outlook, Current Conditions Any relatively discrete supercells will be capable of multiple tornadoes, some long-tracked/strong to violent (EF2-5 possible) w/considerable destructive potential, wrote the Storm Prediction Center. The weather service said the tornado touched down in Autauga County and remained on the ground until it reached Chambers County on Alabamas eastern border with Georgia. The tornado struck a marina on Holt Lake at the end of Recreation Area Road where it caused significant damage to a restaurant as well as numerous boats. 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. Alabama was hit the worst, with the first reported tornado hitting Marion and others hitting Tuscaloosa, Chilton County, and other locales. Were very accustomed to storms, and we know in the spring time that we deal with these, but you never really prepare for them.. If a tornado warning is issued, that means a rotating storm has been detected or a tornado spotted on the ground, and that action should be taken immediately. On one road after another, pieces of buildings, furniture, appliances and trees were strewn about and vehicles came to rest in awkward positions . The deadliest tornado outbreak since 1974 hit the United States on April 27, 2011. "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 . However, the same parent storm is responsible for both areas of damage. That chilly upper-level air will foster rising motion and widespread storms, while a change of wind speed and/or direction with height imparted by the jet stream will cause them to spin. He was hospitalized and is conscious and responsive, the department said. The watch indicates a near certainty (95 percent chance) of at least one strong tornado that produces EF2 or higher damage on the 0 to 5 Enhanced Fujita scale. Theyll probably clear Mississippi by sunset and plow through Alabama and eastern Tennessee after dark while diminishing in intensity, although at least some isolated severe weather risk will remain. It spawned a few tornadoes in Texas on Wednesday and is set to unleash vicious weather across the South. Initially over West and Southwest Alabama Monday, and statewide Monday night and Tuesday." The National Weather Service in Birmingham issues the following guidelines for our coverage area. Previsin de 7 Das The storm packed winds of 190 miles (310 kilometers per hour) and left a path of debris running southwest to northeast. 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. Office History 2:30 p.m.: Tornado warning for Meridian, Miss. To the east of US-31, the damage quickly diminished from EF-2 intensity to EF-1 and EF-0. Regional Highs/Lows/Rainfall, Forecasts 5:17 a.m. - Tornadoes touched down from the Mercedes plant in Tuscaloosa to Lake Guntersville. NOAA National Weather Service. Thats why meteorologists stress on days such as Thursday that its imperative to stay weather-aware, have a plan and know what to do. Multiple locations were found. As the tornado approached Interstate 359, several buildings were destroyed including the Tuscaloosa County Emergency Operations Center. 3:05 p.m. - A wicked EF-5 tornado slammed into Hackleburg, destroying subdivisions, Hackleburg High School and the Wrangler Plant. *Note: This story was updated to reflect the adjusted path of the Autauga tornado, which upon further analysis from the National Weather Service had a path length of 82.31 miles. A Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) tornado watch has been issued for portions of eastern Mississippi into the northwestern half of Alabama, far northwest Georgia, and far southern Tennessee until 8PM CDT/9PM EDT. As it crossed Hurricane Creek, it tore apart a large metal railroad trestle, and a 34-tonne (74,957lb) metal truss support structure was thrown 100ft (30m) up on a nearby hill. It turns out another tornado from Thursday would also qualify as a long-track storm: The EF-1 twister that left a 30.4-mile-long track through parts of Lawrence, Morgan and Limestone counties in northwest Alabama. https://t.co/r5wRwYAbMV. One of the cities hit hardest was Tuscaloosa, Ala. A nearly mile wide tornado cut a path though the town, killing 53 people, and injuring 1200 more. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. The tan-toned, debris-filled path passes through the center of town, affecting both commercial and residential properties. Also, to Gene Bussell and his crew with the AlabamaNational Guard for their cooperation with aerial surveys along this track. Elsewhere, only one other tornado warning was active, about 30 miles west of Tuscaloosa, until 2:30 p.m. On April 27, 2011, a devastating tornado tore through Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Tuscaloosa 2011 Tornado Path Google Earth - Then and now Posted on 1/14/23 at 6:41 pm 16 5 The yellow drawn off area in the second set was Alabama long snapper Carson Tinker's Home. Local first responders drill for these emergencies, but no amount of preparation can steel you for the real thing, he added. Share. Latest update on Tuscaloosa from Mayor Maddox. The Storm Prediction Centers language in its forecast discussion is even stronger compared with the high-risk event last week, signaling the significant potential for an extreme event. NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA Satellite Observes Damage Path of April Tornadoes in Alabama, Follow this link to skip to the main content, Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer or ASTER. At that same time, the Tuscaloosa County Emergency Management Office sustained a direct hit and was totally destroyed along with most of their equipment and vehicles but with no injuries to the staff present. Regional Weather Roundup The large tornado that was on the ground about 30 to 40 miles south of both Tuscaloosa and Birmingham lifted and the warning for the storm discontinued around 6:15 p.m. And just like that -- it's gone! Storms laid waste to state parks at Guntersville and Bucks Pocket, with an EF-2 tornado crossing the lake, toppling trees and destroying cabins, a chalet, a wing of the lodge, campers, cars and boats. The threat wanes into Louisiana, as well as north into the Ohio Valley, but an isolated tornado, as well as instances of wind, hail and localized flooding are still concerns. The twister damaged the home of renowned Birmingham meteorologist James Spann, the legendary broadcaster told viewers as he covered the storm. #alwx pic.twitter.com/cpMwa23Q8L. through north central Alabama to just northeast of Rome, Ga. (see 3:55 p.m. update) has generated several areas of rotation, prompting both tornado and flash flood warnings. To those who perished in the storm or lost their lives as a result of tornado-related injuries, Tuscaloosa will never forget you. In [your] safe places, have helmets for everybody, a portable air horn first responders can hear that a mile a way hard sole shoes [for] walking over tornado debris, said Spann in a morning video posted to his Facebook page. However, the longest tornado track on record in Alabama happened on May 27, 1973. Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States on April 29, 2011 The scar across Tuscaloosa, one of two metropolitan areas this tornado devastated. Another tornado on Feb. 2, a deadly EF-2, had a 25.87-mile path through Greene and Hale counties. The weather service said that radar showed a debris ball in southern Coosa County which matched ground observation of a wide area of snapped pine trees on either side of McKissick Road between the communities of Speed and Equality. (NASA) Recent images of the April 27 storm damage path have been captured by NASA's Terra satellite, part of NASA's Earth Observing Satellite system, or EOS. There have been reports of downed trees and damaged homes and businesses in Calhoun County and across the state, with some houses reduced to rubble. Stephen Quinn, a reporter for the Birmingham ABC television affiliate, tweeted that, according to the local fire department, multiple people [were] pulled from their homes in Eagle Point subdivision and hospitalized from the tornado that passed about 10 miles southeast of the city in the Eagle Point subdivision. The National Weather Service rated this tornado at EF4, with winds around 175 miles per hour, said local news reports. The tornadoes left behind pockets of severe damage along with reports of injuries and fatalities. The storm did regenerate itself and eventually put down the EF-4tornado in the Ohatchee area. The path was a familiar one to Tuscaloosa County residents, as it followed closely to that of a tornado that had struck in March 2000 and killed one person. US Dept of Commerce 869K views 9 years ago. Along the same stretch, the bodies of a man and woman were blown almost 100 feet from their mobile home. Several injuries were noted in this area. Just downstream, several manufactured homes in a cluster were shredded and thrown considerable distances, the weather service said. Your browser or your browser's settings are not supported. Police were using the Sawmeal Restaurant as a checkpoint for southbound travelers, turning back the majority who did not live in the area. Images of tornado damage near Tuscaloosa, Ala., seen on May 4, 2011. Tornado now confirmed by radar, and some tree damage reported in the same area. The tornado was radar-indicated with no confirmation as of yet. Half of those were in the state of Alabama including the strongest of the day. 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