Fifteen Confirmed Tornadoes So Far Occurred On Easter Sunday

Image from ABC 33/40.

From the combination of Public Information Statements and Facebook posts from NWS Birmingham and NWS Huntsville.

An upper-level low over the Southwest United States evolved into a negatively-tilted shortwave trough as it moved over the Southeastern United States. A warm front steadily moved northward during the morning & afternoon hours on Sunday, April 12. This allowed an unstable air mass to move northward & overspread much of the region. At the same time, very strong wind shear moved in as the upper trough neared.

An initial wave of severe storms affected areas near & north of Interstate 20, involving tornadoes, damaging straight-line winds, and some hail. Through the evening, a second wave of thunderstorms affected the remaining areas of Central Alabama with tornadoes and damaging straight-line winds. Flooding also resulted from training rainfall near and north of Interstate 20. Some roads became impassible or were washed out.

Five tornadoes have not been released on the Public Information Statements. Here is the list of reported confirmed tornadoes that will make it to the Public Information Statements:

EF-2 … Reece City (Etowah Co.) … 115 mph.
EF-2 … Sayre (Jefferson Co.) … 125 mph.
EF-0 … Locust Fork (Blount Co.) … ??? mph.
EF-2 … Oneonta (Blount Co.) … ??? mph.

Here are the official survey results from confirmed tornadoes that occurred during the Easter Sunday Outbreak in Central Alabama:

Belle Creek Tornado (Fayette Co.)

Rating … EF-0
Estimated Peak Wind … 80 mph
Path Length … 1.79 miles
Path Width … 350 yards
Fatalities: … 0
Injuries: … 0

Survey Summary: A short-lived tornado moved northward along County Road 89, causing minor tree damage consisting of broken branches and uprooted trunks, between Mt. Pleasant/Burrow Road and County Road 35. This is located southeast of the town of Fayette.

Cedar Creek Tornado (Fayette & Walker Co.)

Rating … EF-1
Estimated Peak Wind … 95 mph
Path Length … 6.15 miles
Path Width … 600 yards
Fatalities … 0
Injuries … 0

Survey Summary: Just east of the town of Berry, a tornado moved northeastward from Christian Road to Highway 18. This track started in Fayette County and ended just inside the Walker County line. Damage was limited to broken and uprooted trees, aside from minor shingle loss.

Sardis City Tornado (Etowah Co.)

Rating … EF-1
Estimated Peak Wind … 105 mph
Path Length … 1.21 miles
Path Width … 180 yards
Fatalities … 0
Injuries … 0

Survey Summary: A tornado started along Pleasant Hill Road and Highway 205 in far northern Etowah County, north of the town of Mountainboro. Trees were snapped and uprooted, some of which fell on homes. This tornado then crossed into southern Marshall County. The NWS Huntsville office rated this part of the track as EF-2, related to significant damage done to homes.

Carbon Hill Tornado (Walker Co.)

Rating … EF-1
Estimated Peak Wind … 110 mph
Path Length … 2.9 miles
Path Width … 1000 yards
Fatalities … 0
Injuries … 0

Survey Summary: A short-lived but intense tornado moved through Carbon Hill. Damage consisted of snapped and uprooted trees, as well as structural damage including the rolling/destruction of manufactured homes, sections of roofing blown off site-built homes, and destruction of outbuildings.

NorthRiver Yacht Club Tornado (Tuscaloosa County)

Rating … EF-1
Estimated Peak Wind … 100 mph
Path Length … 9.86 miles
Path Width … 230 yards
Fatalities … 0
Injuries … 0

Survey Summary: A tornado began on the eastern banks of Lake Tuscaloosa, inside of the Northriver Yacht Club community. Trees where snapped and uprooted, with some residences sustaining relatively minor roofing damage, aside from anything more significant resulting from tree fall. The tornado moved northeastward and crossed the Black Warrior River, uprooting and snapping hundreds of trees along its path. The tornado ended just before the Whiteoak Creek branch of the Black Warrior River/just prior to the Jefferson County line. We’d like to thank the Tuscaloosa Police department for taking us into the air to survey this damage path.

Johnson’s Crossing Tornado (Cullman Co.)

Rating … EF-1
Estimated Peak Wind … 100 mph
Path Length … 5.42 miles
Path Width … 300 yards
Fatalities … 0
Injuries … 0

Survey Summary: The tornado touched down just west of Beech Grove Road just south of Good Hope before crossing Interstate 65 near mile marker 302 where dozens of trees were snapped or uprooted. The tornado continued on an east-northeast track crossing County Road 490 and County Road 573 uprooting dozens more trees. As the tornado neared Highway 31 along Day Gap Road, it intensified and removed the roof from a single wide trailer and caused more concentrated tree damage. The tornado crossed Highway 31 and continue to the east-northeast causing damage to a gas station and uprooting or snapping several more trees. The tornado lifted just east of County Road 599.

Walter Tornado (Cullman Co.)

Rating … EF-2
Estimated Peak Wind … 115 mph
Path Length … 2.5 miles
Path Width … 350.0 yards
Fatalities … 0
Injuries … 0

Survey Summary: The tornado touched down just east of County Road 640 near the Duck River and move to the northeast. Along its path, it uprooted numerous trees and removed the metal roofing on a chicken house as it move across County Road 645. The tornado intensified as it cross County Road 703 and removed the roof of a home. Another home along County Road 781 had its roof removed. The tornado continued briefly to the northeast, uprooting more trees and removing the metal roofing of a barn. The tornado lifted just east of County Road 771 near Buzzard Branch.

Welti Tornado (Cullman Co.)

Rating … EF-0
Estimated Peak Wind … 80 mph
Path Length … 0.35 miles
Path Width … 70.0 yards
Fatalities … 0
Injuries … 0

Survey Summary: A brief tornado touched down near the junction of County Road 749 and County Road 747 just south of the Welti Community. The tornado moved to the southeast where it uprooted several trees and destroyed a small shed. It cross 747 and uprooted a few more trees before lifting east of 747 near Glasscock Creek.

Boaz Tornado (Marshall & DeKalb Co.)

Rating … EF-2
Estimated Peak Wind … 132 mph
Path Length … 9.21 miles
Path Width … 440.0 yards
Fatalities … 0
Injuries … 2

Survey Summary: The tornado in Marshall County likely touched down west of HWY 431, south of Denson Ave. It quickly intensified to its peak strength as it crossed HWY 431 and plowed through a neighborhood north of Roden Rd. Nearly every single home (dozens) in this neighborhood experienced some degree of damage. The most intense damage was noted from two separate single family homes. The first home, with most devastating damage, was completely destroyed and was mostly taken off its foundation with only two small interior rooms remaining, where the residents took shelter. It was noted however that the anchorage system for the home appeared to be non-existent with no bolts observed to the foundation crawl space piers. This led to a much lower expected value for storm damage of this magnitude. The second heavily damaged home had damage indicators more in line with a strong EF2 tornado. This home, also on Lee Ave, experienced a collapse of exterior walls, likely occurring after the roof was taken off.

The tornado continued on an east to northeast track across and along Bethsaida Rd causing numerous trees to snap or be uprooted. Several houses appeared to have had shingle roof damage. The tornado continued in the southern DeKalb County and caused sporadic tree damage before it dissipated near the intersection of CR 29 and CR 26.

Collinsville Tornado (DeKalb Co.)

Rating … EF-0
Estimated Peak Wind … 80 mph
Path Length … 3.56 miles
Path Width … 110.0 yards

Survey Summary: National Weather Service Huntsville storm assessment team determined the sporadic and minor damage near Collinsville was caused by an EF-0 Tornado. Damage indicators at touch down were noted as several trees were uprooted along and just east of N. Valley Ave. Large branches were snapped off trees as the tornado tracked east of CR 822 before destroying a small barn shed along CR 853.

Shiloh/Higdon Tornado (DeKalb Co.)

Rating … EF-1
Estimated Peak Wind … 95 MPH
Path length … 1.95 Miles
Path width … 154 Yards
Fatalities … 0
Injuries … 0

Survey Summary: The tornado touched down half a mile to the west of Shiloh Community Church, damaging a barn. The tornado moved eastward along County Road 814 approaching the community of Shiloh. The greatest structural damage occurred at the church, with large sections of roof being damaged, and the walkway covering being removed from the church. At this point the tornado was at its widest, at 154 yards. The tornado continued moving to the east toward the Alabama/Georgia state line. Along the remainder of the path, relatively minor damage occurred to several mobile homes, peeling back metal from the roofs, and snapping both hardwood and softwood trees. The tornado was EF-1 strength at its highest intensity near Shiloh Community Church, with wind speeds of 95 mph. The tornado further strengthened and became larger in size after it crossed into Northwestern Georgia.

Category: Alabama's Weather, ALL POSTS, Severe Weather