Three Tornadoes Confirmed

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PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT…UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
624 AM CST TUE JAN 24 2012

…LONG TRACK SUPERCELLS PRODUCE MULTIPLE TORNADOES…

…UPDATED FOR TODAYS PLAN OF THE DAY…

A STRONG COLD FRONT APPROACHED THE REGION SUNDAY NIGHT AND
INTERACTED WITH A VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENT ALREADY IN
PLACE. NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED ALONG AND OUT
AHEAD OF THE FRONT ACROSS ARKANSAS AND MISSISSIPPI AND PUSHED
EASTWARD ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA SUNDAY NIGHT AND INTO MONDAY
MORNING. THERE WERE SEVERAL SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS THAT PRODUCED
TORNADOES AS THEY TRACKED ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. NUMEROUS
REPORTS OF STRAIGHT-LINE WIND DAMAGE AND SEVERAL REPORTS OF LARGE
HAIL AND FLASH FLOODING WERE ALSO RECEIVED DURING THE EVENT.

DAMAGE SURVEYS WILL CONTINUE TODAY. THESE SURVEY TEAMS WILL PASS
ANY NEW INFORMATION BACK TO THE OFFICE AND THIS STATEMENT WILL
UPDATED WITH THAT INFORMATION…SO PLEASE CHECK THE WEBSITE
FREQUENTLY THROUGHOUT THE DAY.

TEAM ONE: PERRY AND CHILTON COUNTIES.
MEDIA INQUIRES SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO JOHN DE BLOCK AT
205-287-1652.

TEAM TWO: TUSCALOOSA AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES.
MEDIA INQUIRES SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO JIM STEFKOVICH AT
205-585-8635.

TEAM THREE: ELMORE…AUTAUGA…TALLAPOOSA…AND AUTAUGA COUNTIES.
MEDIA INQUIRES SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO MARK ROSE AT 205-492-1724.

ADDITIONAL SURVEYS MAY BE NEEDED ON WEDNESDAY AS WELL.

COMPLETED SURVEYS ARE BELOW:

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS HAVE COMPLETED DAMAGE
SURVEYS ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL TUSCALOOSA COUNTY AND HAVE FOUND
EVIDENCE OF TWO DISTINCT TORNADO PATHS. SPORADIC WIND DAMAGE WAS
ALSO NOTED BETWEEN THE TWO TORNADO PATHS ALONG THE SAME SUPERCELL
TRACK.

…KOFFMAN TORNADO…

EVENT DATE: JANUARY 23, 2012
EVENT TYPE: EF-3
ESTIMATED PEAK WINDS (MPH): 140
INJURIES/FATALITIES: 0
EVENT START TIME/LOCATION COORDINATES: 33.3257/-87.6579 AT 242 AM
EVENT END TIME/LOCATION COORDINATES: 33.3305/-87.6526 AT 243 AM
DAMAGE PATH LENGTH (IN MILES): 0.45
DAMAGE WIDTH (IN YARDS): 400

WARNINGS: A TORNADO WARNING WAS IN EFFECT FROM 231 AM UNTIL 315 AM.
WATCHES: TORNADO WATCH #7 WAS IN EFFECT FROM 11 PM UNTIL 6 AM.

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS SURVEYED DAMAGE JUST EAST
OF AL HWY 171 IN THE KOFFMAN AREA AND DETERMINED THAT IT WAS THE
RESULT OF AN EF-3 TORNADO. THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR THE
INTERSECTION OF AL HWY 171 AND KOFFMAN RANCH RD WHERE
APPROXIMATELY TWO DOZEN PINE TREES WERE UPROOTED AND ORIENTED IN
MULTIPLE DIRECTIONS. THE TORNADO THEN TRAVELED NORTHEAST
DESTROYING ONE OUTBUILDING ALONG KOFFMAN SPUR. JUST TO THE
NORTHEAST OF KOFFMAN SPUR…A BARN WAS DESTROYED AND THE ENTIRE
ROOF WAS TORN OFF OF A WELL-CONSTRUCTED SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENCE.
THE TORNADO LIFTED BEFORE REACHING CARROLL CREEK. THE TORNADO DAMAGE
PATH WAS APPROXIMATELY 0.46 MILES LONG AND WAS 400 YARDS WIDE AT
ITS WIDEST POINT.

…WATERMELON RD TORNADO…

EVENT DATE: JANUARY 23, 2012
EVENT TYPE: EF-2
ESTIMATED PEAK WINDS (MPH): 115
INJURIES/FATALITIES: 0
EVENT START TIME/LOCATION COORDINATES: 33.3961/-87.4440 AT 300 AM
EVENT END TIME/LOCATION COORDINATES: 33.4038/-87.4395 AT 301 AM
DAMAGE PATH LENGTH (IN MILES): 0.56
DAMAGE WIDTH (IN YARDS): 300

WARNINGS: A TORNADO WARNING WAS IN EFFECT FROM 231 AM UNTIL 315 AM.
WATCHES: TORNADO WATCH #7 WAS IN EFFECT FROM 11 PM UNTIL 6 AM.

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS HAVE SURVEYED THE DAMAGE
JUST WEST OF THE BLACK WARRIOR RIVER ALONG WATERMELON RD AND
DETERMINED THAT IT WAS THE RESULT OF AN EF-2 TORNADO. THE TORNADO
TOUCHED DOWN ABOUT A QUARTER MILE WEST OF WATERMELON RD SNAPPING
AND UPROOTING A FEW SMALL PINE TREES. FROM THERE…THE TORNADO
TRAVELED NORTHEAST AND HIT A HUNTING CAMP WHERE APPROXIMATELY
TWENTY SMALL PINE TREES WERE SNAPPED AND EIGHT CAMPERS WERE
ROLLED. THREE OF THE CAMPERS WERE DESTROYED AND THE OTHER FIVE
RECEIVED DIFFERING DEGREES OF DAMAGE. THE TORNADO CONTINUED
NORTHEAST CROSSING WATERMELON RD WHERE IT SNAPPED 3 WOODEN
H-FRAME TRANSMISSION LINES BEFORE LIFTING JUST TO THE EAST OF
WATERMELON RD. THE TORNADO DAMAGE PATH WAS APPROXIMATELY 0.56
MILES LONG AND WAS 300 YARDS WIDE AT ITS WIDEST POINT.

…JEFFERSON COUNTY…

THE SAME SUPERCELL THAT SPAWNED TWO TORNADOES IN NORTH CENTRAL
TUSCALOOSA COUNTY MOVED EASTWARD INTO JEFFERSON COUNTY PRODUCING
ADDITIONAL TORNADO AND STRAIGHT-LINE WIND DAMAGE ACROSS THE
NORTHERN PORTIONS OF JEFFERSON COUNTY. A SURVEY TEAM WENT TO THE
HARDEST HIT AREAS TODAY AND DID CONFIRM AN EF-3 TORNADO STRUCK THE
TOWN OF CLAY. WIND SPEEDS WERE ESTIMATED AROUND 150 MPH.
METEOROLOGISTS WILL BE SURVEYING THE ENTIRE STORM TRACK ON TUESDAY
TO DETERMINE THE PATH LENGTH AND WIDTH OF A POSSIBLE LONG TRACK
TORNADO ACROSS NORTHERN JEFFERSON COUNTY. AT THIS TIME…TWO
FATALITIES HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED IN JEFFERSON COUNTY ALONG THE STORM
TRACK.

ADDITIONAL PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENTS WILL BE ISSUED PERIODICALLY
OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS…AS SURVEY TEAMS REPORT BACK THEIR
FINDINGS.

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.

Tags: storm survey

Category: Severe Weather