NWS Storm Survey Results

Below is the latest PNS from the NWS Birmingham… we understand the NWS is going to rank the Prattville tornado an EF3. We will pass along that release as soon as we receive it…. the info below concerns Chilton and Dallas Counties.

NOUS44 KBMX 181804
PNSBMX
ALZ011>015-017>050-190000-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1200 PM CST MONDAY FEB 18 2008

…DAMAGE SURVEYS UNDERWAY ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA…

ON SUNDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2008 A STRONG UPPER LEVEL LOW EJECTED OUT OF
THE SOUTHERN PLAINS TRACKING ACROSS THE TENNESSEE VALLEY. STRONG
SOUTHERLY WINDS IN CONJUNCTION WITH DEWPOINTS CLIMBING INTO THE
LOWER 60S…A STRONG LOW LEVEL JET…AND TEMPERATURES IN THE IN
EXCESS OF 70 DEGREES RESULTED THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERAL SUPERCELL
THUNDERSTORMS.

BEFORE NOON A SQUALL LINE DEVELOPED ALONG THE ALABAMA MISSISSIPPI
STATE LINE AND TRACKED EASTWARD ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA…
INTENSIFYING DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. BY SUNSET…DAMAGE WAS
REPORTED AT NUMEROUS LOCATIONS…GENERALLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE
FROM DEMOPOLIS TO WEDOWEE.

TORNADO WATCHES WERE IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ALABAMA
BETWEEN 530 AM AND 8 PM. A TOTAL OF 20 TORNADO WARNINGS AND 7
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS WERE ISSUED BETWEEN 10:59 AM AND 5:05
PM BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM.

CHILTON COUNTY:
AN INITIAL SURVEY OF DAMAGE IN CHILTON COUNTY WAS CONDUCTED SUNDAY
AFTERNOON NEAR EXIT 205 ALONG INTERSTATE 65. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT
THE MAJORITY OF THIS DAMAGE WAS THE RESULT OF STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.
THIS DAMAGE ENCOMPASSED AN AREA NEARLY 2.75 MILES LONG BY 1.5 MILES
WIDE BETWEEN COUNTY ROAD 7 AND COUNTY ROAD 41. HOWEVER THE SURVEY
ALSO INDICATED A LOCALIZED AREA EAST OF INTERSTATE 65 WAS THE RESULT
OF A TORNADO RATED EF-1 ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE. WINDS ARE
ESTIMATED TO BE UP TO 110 MPH. THE DAMAGE PATH WAS 1.1 MILES LONG
AND 0.25 MILES WIDE AT ITS WIDEST POINT. DAMAGE WAS PRIMARILY TO
TREES…APPROXIMATELY 300 TREES WERE EITHER UPROOTED OR SNAPPED. IN
ADDITION…AROUND 15 STRUCTURES WERE DAMAGED…THE WORST BEING A
MOBILE HOME ALONG COUNTY ROAD 41 THAT HAD TWO LARGE OAK TREES FALL
ON IT. THIS DAMAGE OCCURRED BETWEEN 1:00 PM AND 1:05 PM. TWO
TORNADO WARNINGS WERE ISSUED FOR THIS STORM. THE FIRST WAS ISSUED
AT 1208 PM AND EXPIRED AT 1:00 PM. THE SECOND TORNADO WARNING WAS
ISSUED AT 12:53 PM AND EXPIRED AT 1:30 PM. IN ADDITION…A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WARNING WAS ISSUED AT 12:28 PM AND EXPIRED AT 1:30 PM.
NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED.

DALLAS COUNTY:
A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SURVEY TEAM HAS ASSESSED THE DAMAGE IN
DALLAS COUNTY AND DETERMINED THE DAMAGE WAS THE RESULT OF A TORNADO
RANKED EF-2 ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE. THE TORNADO PATH WAS
APPROXIMATELY 6.75 MILES LONG AND 150 YARDS WIDE AT ITS WIDEST
POINT. SEVEN HOMES AND TWO BUSINESSES WERE TOTALLY DESTROYED IN
ADDITION TWELVE TO FIFTEEN ADDITIONAL STRUCTURES WERE DAMAGED TO
VARIOUS DEGREES. NUMEROUS TREES WERE SNAPPED AND OR UPROOTED AS
WELL. WIND SPEEDS ARE ESTIMATED TO BE AS HIGH AS 120 MPH. THIS
TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR WARRIOR DRIVE…JUST SOUTHEAST OF THE
PERRY COUNTY LINE…TRACKED ACROSS HIGHWAY 219 NEAR THE INTERSECTION
OF COUNTY ROAD 230…AND ENDED JUST WEST OF THE INTERSECTION OF
COUNTY ROAD 37 AND COUNTY ROAD 866. THIS DAMAGE OCCURRED AROUND
1230 PM. A TORNADO WARNING WAS IN EFFECT FROM 1208 UNTIL 100 PM.
NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED.

IF YOU ARE AWARE OF DAMAGE AT LOCATIONS OTHER THAN LISTED ABOVE…
PLEASE CALL IN YOUR REPORT TO YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OR YOUR
COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY DONE SO.

DAMAGE ASSESSMENT TAKES TIME AND IS A DYNAMIC PROCESS. THIS PRODUCT
WILL BE UPDATED MANY TIMES. CHECK BACK FREQUENTLY FOR THE LATEST
INFORMATION.

IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING SUNDAYS EVENTS OR OUR PLANS TO
SURVEY ON MONDAY…PLEASE CONTACT THE POST EVENT COORDINATOR AT THE
BIRMINGHAM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE AT 205-664-3010.

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