Historic Multi Day Tornado/Flooding Event 4/23-28/2011

[Jag95]

TORNADO 9...TUSCALOOSA/BIRMINGHAM (GREENE/TUSCALOOSA/JEFFERSON
COUNTIES)

PRELIMINARY DATA...
EVENT DATE: APRIL 27, 2011
EVENT TYPE: EF-4
ESTIMATED PEAK WINDS (MPH): UP TO 190
INJURIES/FATALITIES: OVER 1000 INJURIES/AT LEAST 65 FATALITIES.
EVENT START LOCATION AND TIME: 33.0297/-87.935 AT 443 PM
EVENT END LOCATION AND TIME: 33.6311/-86.7436 AT 614 PM
DAMAGE PATH LENGTH (IN MILES): APPROXIMATELY 80.3 MILES
DAMAGE WIDTH: 1.5 MILES CROSSING I-65.
NOTE: MORE DETAILS ON THIS SURVEY TO COME.

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS HAVE SURVEYED THE MASSIVE
DAMAGE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS LONG TRACK VIOLENT TORNADO...BY GROUND
AND AIR. THE START POINT IS BASED ON AERIAL SURVEY...WHILE THE END
LOCATION WAS DETERMINED BY A GROUND CREW. DETAILED DAMAGE INSPECTION
HAS REVEALED A MAXIMUM OF EF-4 DAMAGE FROM EAST OF HOLT...NEAR
CONCORD...AND THE PLEASANT GROVE AREAS. CASUALTY INFORMATION IS
BASED ON THE LATEST OFFICIAL RELEASES FROM THE ALABAMA EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT AGENCY. THIS TORNADO WAS PRODUCED BY A SUPERCELL
THUNDERSTORM THAT BEGAN IN NEWTON COUNTY MISSISSIPPI AT 254 PM
CDT...FINALLY DISSIPATING IN MACON COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA AT
APPROXIMATELY 1018 PM CDT. SO...THIS SUPERCELL EXISTED FOR ABOUT 7
HOURS AND 24 MINUTES...TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 380 MILES PRODUCING
SEVERAL STRONG TO VIOLENT TORNADOES ALONG THE WAY.

[HurricaneBill]

Does this mean the Tuscaloosa tornado was never an EF5?

[HurricaneBill]

So far, this is some of the only footage I can find of the EF5 tornado that struck Smithville, MS.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_JCoW22hA4

[Jag95]

Does this mean the Tuscaloosa tornado was never an EF5?

I think so. It looks like they are done with the survey and it's a confirmed EF4.

[vbhoutex]

Does this mean the Tuscaloosa tornado was never an EF5?

I don't know how detailed their surveys are, but I would imagine between detailed aerial and ground surveys that they are very sure of their rating. Probably the best Severe Weather Damage surveyor there is, Tim Marshall, was part of the special team doing the survey on this tornado. Was it ever an EF5? Can't say for sure. The 190 mph wind determination is only 10 mph below threshold for EF5 so as many of us have said, it was definitely high end EF4 and very close to EF5 if it wasn't at some point. There is the possibility that they did not find that one area that had the EF5 damage needed to designate it as such but you can be assured they did a very detailed survey on this one so I am not about to doubt their designation.

[HurricaneBill]

The latest statistics from SPC:

ZCZC STATIJ ALL
NWUS23 KWNS 031344

2011 PRELIMINARY KILLER TORNADOES
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0844 AM CDT TUE MAY 03 2011

TIME STATE
## DATE CST COUNTIES DEATHS A B C D WATCH EF CIRCUMSTANCE
-- ------ ---- ----------- ------ - - - - ----- -- ------------
01 FEB 28 1235 FRANKLIN TN 1 1 - - - WT031 2 01M
02 MAR 05 1000 ACADIA LA 1 1 - - - WT039 2 01H
03 APR 05 0037 DODGE GA 1 1 - - - WT098 2 01M
04 APR 14 1830 ATOKA OK 2 2 - - - WT135 3 02M
05 APR 15 0057 PULASKI AR 2 2 - - - WT136 1 02H
06 APR 15 1600 MARENGO AL 1 1 - - - WT141 3 01M
07 APR 15 1855 GREENE MS 1 1 - - - WT146 3 01M
1915 TO WASHINGTON AL 3 3 - - - WT146 3 03M
08 APR 15 2155 AUTAUGA AL 3 3 - - - WT146 3 03M
09 APR 16 1300 MOORE/WAKE NC 6 6 - - - WT150 3 05M 01V
10 APR 16 1400 HOKE/JOHNSTON NC 2 2 - - - WT150 3 02M
11 APR 16 1425 BLADEN NC 3 3 - - - WT150 2 03M
12 APR 16 1515 BLADEN NC 1 1 - - - WT150 2 01M
13 APR 16 1655 BERTIE NC 12 12 - - - WT150 3 02M 03P 07H
14 APR 16 1710 GLOUCESTER VA 2 2 - - - WT150 3 01M 01P
15 APR 25 1800 GARLAND AR 1 1 - - - WT205 3 01M
16 APR 25 1830 FAULKNER AR 4 4 - - - WT205 2 04M
17 APR 26 2012 SHARP AR 1 1 - - - WT221 1 01H
18 APR 27 0135 WEBSTER MS 1 1 - - - WT222 3 01M
19 APR 27 0530 CULLMAN/
JACKSON AL 2 2 - - - WT225 ? 01V 01?
20 APR 27 1345 KEMPER MS 3 3 - - - WT232 4 03M
21 APR 27 1354 CULLMAN/
MARSHALL AL 6 6 - - - WT235 ? 06?
22 APR 27 1420 CHICKASAW/
MONROE MS 21 21 - - - WT232 5 21?
1500 TO MARION AL 6 6 - - - WT235 3 06?
23 APR 27 1420 MARION/
FRANKLIN/
LAWRENCE/
LIMESTONE/
MADISON AL 70 70 - - - WT235 5 70?
24 APR 27 1501 JACKSON/DEKALB AL 8 8 - - - WT235 4 08M
25 APR 27 1530 FAYETTE/WALKER AL 11 11 - - - WT235 4 11?
26 APR 27 1550 TUSCALOOSA/
JEFFERSON AL 59 59 - - - WT235 4 59?
27 APR 27 1645 SMITH/JASPER/
CLARKE MS 7 7 - - - WT232 4 07M
28 APR 27 1650 HALE/BIBB AL 7 7 - - - WT235 3 07?
29 APR 27 1725 DEKALB AL 33 33 - - - WT235 4 33?
30 APR 27 1730 ST. CLAIR/
CALHOUN AL 23 23 - - - WT235 3 23?
31 APR 27 1920 ELMORE/
TALLAPOOSA AL 9 9 - - - WT245 4 04H 05?
-- APR 27 ---- GA-TN-VA OTHER -- 55 55 - - - WT--- ? 55?
___ ___ _ _ _
TOTALS: 369 369 - - -

Here's a link, if you prefer:
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/torn/fataltorn.html

[WeatherGuesser]

I don't know why, but this page won't load on this computer. Can somebody. Can somebody check it and post the current levels and discharge rate?

http://www.tva.gov/lakes/bah_r.htm

A screenshot of the table with the info would be best.

[RL3AO]

Currently at 15 violent tornadoes from the 27th. 13 EF4's and two EF5's. While its "only" half of Super Outbreak total, its still a staggering number of violent tornadoes considering many years have only 3 or 4 violent tornadoes in an entire year.

[MGC]

Another Mississippi resident died today of injuries from the tornado....MGC

[CrazyC83]

Maybe not even basements...but steel reinforced concrete rooms. The 1999 OKC Tornado, a lady survived because she turned her closet into a safe room...the concrete was a couple feet thick, with steel about an inch or so thick through the concrete every foot (both horizontally and vertically). It was on Tornado Diary on TWC last night.

In a lot of areas in the south, we can't have basements because of flooding (the hole literally becomes a pool, and stays that way, due to the water table being near the surface). Would one of those steel or steel reinforced concrete rooms be a good alternative? I think so. If they are properly built and anchored into the ground, they can survive darn near anything.

They could raise the surface level though? Have those reinforced rooms ever been tested in an EF4 or EF5 tornado?

[HurricaneBill]

Latest stats from SPC:

ZCZC STATIJ ALL
NWUS23 KWNS 042230

2011 PRELIMINARY KILLER TORNADOES
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0530 PM CDT WED MAY 04 2011

TIME STATE
## DATE CST COUNTIES DEATHS A B C D WATCH EF CIRCUMSTANCE
-- ------ ---- ----------- ------ - - - - ----- -- ------------
01 FEB 28 1235 FRANKLIN TN 1 1 - - - WT031 2 01M
02 MAR 05 1000 ACADIA LA 1 1 - - - WT039 2 01H
03 APR 05 0037 DODGE GA 1 1 - - - WT098 2 01M
04 APR 14 1830 ATOKA OK 2 2 - - - WT135 3 02M
05 APR 15 0057 PULASKI AR 2 2 - - - WT136 1 02H
06 APR 15 1600 MARENGO AL 1 1 - - - WT141 3 01M
07 APR 15 1855 GREENE MS 1 1 - - - WT146 3 01M
1915 TO WASHINGTON AL 3 3 - - - WT146 3 03M
08 APR 15 2155 AUTAUGA AL 3 3 - - - WT146 3 03M
09 APR 16 1300 MOORE/WAKE NC 6 6 - - - WT150 3 05M 01V
10 APR 16 1400 HOKE/JOHNSTON NC 2 2 - - - WT150 3 02M
11 APR 16 1425 BLADEN NC 3 3 - - - WT150 2 03M
12 APR 16 1515 BLADEN NC 1 1 - - - WT150 2 01M
13 APR 16 1655 BERTIE NC 12 12 - - - WT150 3 03M 09H
14 APR 16 1710 GLOUCESTER VA 2 2 - - - WT150 3 01M 01P
15 APR 25 1800 GARLAND AR 1 1 - - - WT205 3 01M
16 APR 25 1830 FAULKNER AR 4 4 - - - WT205 2 04M
17 APR 26 2012 SHARP AR 1 1 - - - WT221 1 01H
18 APR 27 0145 WEBSTER MS 1 1 - - - WT222 2 01M
19 APR 27 0530 CULLMAN/
JACKSON AL 2 2 - - - WT225 ? 01V 01?
20 APR 27 1345 KEMPER MS 3 3 - - - WT232 4 03M
21 APR 27 1354 CULLMAN/
MARSHALL AL 6 6 - - - WT235 ? 06?
22 APR 27 1420 CHICKASAW/
MONROE MS 21 21 - - - WT232 5 21?
1500 TO MARION AL 6 6 - - - WT235 3 06?
23 APR 27 1420 MARION/
FRANKLIN/
LAWRENCE/
LIMESTONE/
MADISON AL 71 71 - - - WT235 5 71?
1630 TO FRANKLIN TN 1 1 - - - WT235 4 01?
24 APR 27 1501 JACKSON/DEKALB AL 11 11 - - - WT235 4 11M
1535 TO DADE GA 2 2 - - - WT241 3 02?
25 APR 27 1530 FAYETTE/WALKER AL 13 13 - - - WT235 4 04M 03O 01P 05?
26 APR 27 1550 TUSCALOOSA/
JEFFERSON AL 59 59 - - - WT235 4 59?
27 APR 27 1610 JACKSON AL 1 1 - - - WT235 4 01?
28 APR 27 1645 SMITH/JASPER/
CLARKE MS 7 7 - - - WT232 4 07M
29 APR 27 1650 HALE/BIBB AL 7 7 - - - WT235 3 07?
30 APR 27 1725 DEKALB AL 28 28 - - - WT235 4 28?
31 APR 27 1730 ST. CLAIR/
CALHOUN AL 23 23 - - - WT235 3 15M 06H 01P 01?
32 APR 27 1730 BLEDSOE TN 4 4 - - - WT238 3 04?
33 APR 27 1820 CATOOSA GA 7 7 - - - WT241 4 07?
1835 TO HAMILTON/
BRADLEY TN 16 16 - - - WT238 4 16?
34 APR 27 1850 HALIFAX VA 1 1 - - - WT238 2 01?
35 APR 27 1920 ELMORE/
TALLAPOOSA AL 9 9 - - - WT245 4 04H 05?
36 APR 27 2056 GREENE TN 5 5 - - - WT238 2 05?
37 APR 27 2100 RABUN GA 1 1 - - - WT241 1 01?
38 APR 27 2155 JOHNSON TN 2 2 - - - WT238 2 02?
39 APR 27 2215 SPALDING GA 1 1 - - - WT241 3 01M
40 APR 27 2245 WASHINGTON TN 1 1 - - - WT238 3 01M
41 APR 27 2250 LAMAR GA 2 2 - - - WT241 3 02M
42 APR 27 2315 WASHINGTON VA 3 3 - - - WT247 3 03?
___ ___ _ _ _
TOTALS: 361 361 - - -

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/torn/fataltorn.html

[HurricaneBill]

The Hackleburg EF5 as it was hitting Phil Campbell.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkyCo6zkeYQ

[Brent]

COUNTY/PARISH: NESHOBA...KEMPER...WINSTON...AND NOXUBEE BEGINNING
POINT: 1 N PHILADELPHIA AT 230 PM
ENDING POINT: 6 SE MASHULAVILLE AT 300 PM
RATING: EF-5
MAX ESTIMATED WINDS 205 MPH
PATH LENGTH: 29 MILES
MAXIMUM WIDTH: .5 MILE
FATALITIES: 3
INJURIES: 8 (AT LEAST)

[Alacane2]

Some statistics about Alabama tornadoes...

Since 1950, Alabama averages 32 tornadoes a year which ranks in behind the more “wellknown” tornado alley states. However, Alabama holds the top rank in the percentage of tornadoes rated EF-3 or higher.
Alabama tornadoes from 1950-2010
-1889 tornadoes
-376 fatalities
-5765 injuries

Alabama tornadoes by EF-scale
EF-5…16
EF-4…41
EF-3…154
EF-2…406
EF-1…690
EF-0…571

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/images/rtimages ... limo-1.pdf

[RL3AO]

My quick count on wikipedia shows 139 confirmed tornadoes from April 27.

[HurricaneBill]

COUNTY/PARISH: NESHOBA...KEMPER...WINSTON...AND NOXUBEE BEGINNING
POINT: 1 N PHILADELPHIA AT 230 PM
ENDING POINT: 6 SE MASHULAVILLE AT 300 PM
RATING: EF-5
MAX ESTIMATED WINDS 205 MPH
PATH LENGTH: 29 MILES
MAXIMUM WIDTH: .5 MILE
FATALITIES: 3
INJURIES: 8 (AT LEAST)

Footage of the tornado forming and crossing the road in front of a stormchaser.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev2bZRV8eOo

[Shoshana]

They could raise the surface level though? Have those reinforced rooms ever been tested in an EF4 or EF5 tornado?

That one the lady in Moore OK built was about the only thing left standing in her neighborhood after an EF5.

[vbhoutex]

They could raise the surface level though? Have those reinforced rooms ever been tested in an EF4 or EF5 tornado?

That one the lady in Moore OK built was about the only thing left standing in her neighborhood after an EF5.

There is a picture of a family in AL who just came out of their safe room and it is the only thing left standing. The tornado was a confirmed EF4.

[MGC]

Wow, two EF-5's for Mississippi. Bet ya, Mississippi is the only state to be hit by EF-5 tornado and Cat-5 hurricane......MGC

[Ntxw]

Wow, two EF-5's for Mississippi. Bet ya, Mississippi is the only state to be hit by EF-5 tornado and Cat-5 hurricane......MGC

You're right no EF-5s, but Florida has been hit by F4's which had winds in excess of 200mph + in the 50s and 60s which if converted would be comparable to the recent MS EF5s. And of course we all know about Andrew and the Labor Day cane.