Tornadoes in Alabama, November 10, 2002

Name: Tornadoes in Alabama, November 10, 2002
Start: 2002-11-10T20:15
End: 2002-11-10T21:52
Location: Alabama

November 10, 2002 · NWS BMX · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 7
Injuries: 53
Property damage: $4.3 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS BMX wrote it up.

The Saragossa Tornado was the fourth tornado to occur in Alabama and the longest track of the severe weather episode. It began in Fayette County, just east of the Sipsey River about 6 miles north-northeast of the city of Fayette at 8:15 pm. The tornado moved northeast, crossing portions of State Routes 102 and 13, and then SR 102 again around Stoddards Crossroads.The tornado crossed into Walker County at 8:34 pm and traveled through sparsely populated areas of western Walker County. It crossed the interchange of US Highway 78 about 5.5 miles east-southeast of Carbon Hill, and became very strong as it traveled through the Saragossa area. It crossed State Roads 5, 195, and 257, before entering Winston County.The tornado appeared to be at its most intense during the travel from US 78/SR 118 interchange across Saragossa and the areas near SR 5 and SR 195. Seven deaths occurred in this 10 mile stretch of the tornado track, along with an estimated 40 injuries.At 9:03 pm the tornado crossed the extreme southeastern tip of Winston County, crossing a part of Smith Lake.The tornado entered Cullman County at 9:08 pm, moving across portions of Smith Lake and across CR 222. Tornado intensity remained high during the first several miles after it entered Cullman County. Continuing northeast, it crossed Interstate 65 and US 31 just south of Cullman on the southside of the Cullman Golf Course.The tornado seemed to be significantly less intense as it continued to travel northeasterly toward Holly Pond. Damage from just east of US 31 to just south of Holly Pond was not nearly as intense as it was west of Interstate 65. Traveling through mostly rural areas downing trees and powerlines, and damaging scattered structures along the way, the tornado finally ended just south-southeast of Holly Pond at 9:52 pm, This was the longest tornado of the outbreak, with a path length of 72.6 miles and a width of 1100 yards. It was the second F3 tornado of the day. Seven deaths were reported with the storm, all in Walker County, along with an estimated 45 injuries.Structural damage details are difficult to report since reporting is based primarily on county and not by individual tornadoes. Based on EMA and Red Cross data, structures damaged or destroyed were approximately 20 in Fayette County, 300 in Walker County, 5 in Winston County, and 164 in Cullman County.This is also one of the longest tornadoes tracks in recent history. At 72.6 miles in length, this becomes the fourth longest tornado in Alabama since 1950.Beg: 33 45.072/87 45.991 End: 34 09.775/86 36.403

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Birmingham, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 10, 4:59 PM CST, 3 hours 16 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 10, 4:59 PM CST, 3 hours 16 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM, AL
459 PM CST SUN NOV 10 2002

GOING TO UPDATE TO INCLUDE THE NEW TORNADO WATCH.

.BHM...NONE.

Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 10, 1:00 PM CST, 7 hours 15 minutes before

ALZ001>050-102200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
100 PM CST SUN NOV 10 2002

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL ALABAMA.

.DAY ONE (THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT)...

A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL BE MOVING TOWARDS ALABAMA TONIGHT.  AHEAD
OF THIS SYSTEM...EXPECT INCREASING SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY.
THIS ACTIVITY SHOULD CONTINUE TO INCREASE IN AREAL COVERAGE AND
STRENGTH THIS EVENING AND INTO TONIGHT.  DEWPOINT TEMPERATURES AND
INSTABILITIES WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE THROUGH THE EVENING AHEAD OF
THIS COLD FRONT.  THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS PLACE MUCH OF
NORTHERN ALABAMA UNDER A HIGH RISK OF SEVERE STORMS TONIGHT.  THE
COUNTIES UNDER THE HIGH RISK ARE GENERALLY NORTH AND WEST OF
INTERSTATE 59.  ISOLATED TORNADOES...DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS...
AND EVEN SOME LARGE HAIL MAY BE ENCOUNTERED IN SOME OF THE STRONGEST
STORMS.

A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS POSSIBLE OVER THE
REMAINDER OF CENTRAL ALABAMA. THE SEVERE RISKS TAPERS OFF FARTHER
SOUTH TO A SLIGHT RISK ACROSS SOUTH-CENTRAL ALABAMA.

ALL PERSONS ACROSS THE STATE NEED TO REMAIN ALERT TONIGHT FOR
RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS...AND SHOULD BE READY TO TAKE
THE NECESSARY SAFETY PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERLY.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL PROBABLY BE
REQUIRED BY THIS EVENING OVER NORTHWEST ALABAMA.  ALL COUNTIES IN THE
HIGH AND MODERATE RISK AREAS WILL PROBABLY BE ACTIVATED AT SOMETIME
DURING THE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT HOURS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN (MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY)...
THIS COLD FRONT WILL STALL OUT ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE
FORECAST AREA KEEPING A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN THE FORECAST ON
MONDAY.  HOWEVER...WIDESPREAD SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOT
ANTICIPATED.  THEN ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM WILL MOVE IN FROM THE
WEST ON TUESDAY PUSHING THE RAIN AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY OUT OF
ALABAMA TUESDAY NIGHT.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Nov 10, 5:44 PM CST, 2 hours 31 minutes before

ALZ011>014-110045-

THUNDERSTORM ADVISORY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
544 PM CST SUN NOV 10 2002

.A THUNDERSTORM ADVISORY IN EFFECT FOR FAYETTE...LAMAR...WINSTON AND
MARION COUNTIES UNTIL 645 PM CST...

.FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS POSSIBLE FROM APPROACHING
STORMS.

AT 540 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 29 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
MOLLOY...MISSISSIPPI...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

* THIS STORM WILL AFFECT AREAS IN AND NEAR...BEAR
CREEK...BEAVERTON...BRILLIANT...GU-WIN...GUIN...LYNN...MANSFIELD...MO
LLOY...NATURAL BRIDGE...SULLIGENT...VERNON...WAYSIDE...WHITEHOUSE AND
WINFIELD.

STRONG WINDS COULD KNOCK DOWN SMALL TREE LIMBS OR BRANCHES. UNSECURED
SMALL OBJECTS COULD BE BLOWN AROUND. SOME MINOR STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO
NEW CONSTRUCTION SITES OR OLDER DETERIORATING BUILDINGS IS POSSIBLE.

LAT...LON 3357 8873 3343 8860 3406 8750 3428 8770

Local storm report, Nov 10, 7:33 PM CST, 42 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
733 PM CST SUN NOV 10 2002

TIME(CST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0707 PM    FAYETTE                   AL   WIND DAMAGE
11/10/02   FAYETTE                        7 MILE N OF FAYETTE -
                                          HOUSE DAMAGE

0712 PM    FAYETTE                   AL   TORNADO
11/10/02   FAYETTE                        NRN FAYETTE CNTY -
                                          NUMEROUS HOUSES DAMAGED-
                                          POSSILBE INJURIES - MTF

0726 PM    COUNTY WIDE               AL   WIND DAMAGE
11/10/02   WALKER                         HWY 13 CLOSED - TREES
                                          DOWN

Local storm report, Nov 10, 7:47 PM CST, 28 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
747 PM CST SUN NOV 10 2002

TIME(CST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0740 PM    POPLAR SPRINGS            AL   0.75 IN HAIL
11/10/02   WINSTON                        HWY 278 AREA

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Fayette

When: November 10, 8:15 PM CST to 8:34 PM CST
Where: Fayette County, 6 mi NNE of Fayette
Rating: F3
Path length: 14.6 mi
Path width: 1,175 yd
Property damage: $200,000
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 33.767, -87.800

Tornado, Walker

When: November 10, 8:34 PM CST to 9:03 PM CST
Where: Walker County, 6 mi W of Townley
Rating: F3
Path length: 24.7 mi
Path width: 1,175 yd
Deaths: 7 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 40 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 33.833, -87.533

Tornado, Winston

When: November 10, 9:03 PM CST to 9:08 PM CST
Where: Winston County, 7 mi SSE of Arley
Rating: F3
Path length: 2.4 mi
Path width: 1,175 yd
Injuries: 5 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $300,000
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 33.967, -87.167

Tornado, Cullman

When: November 10, 9:08 PM CST to 9:52 PM CST
Where: Cullman County, 8 mi W of Bremen
Rating: F3
Path length: 30.9 mi
Path width: 1,175 yd
Injuries: 8 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $1.3 million
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 33.983, -87.117

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Tornado, Walker	2002-11-10	39	Female	Mobile/Trailer Home	Direct
Tornado, Walker	2002-11-10	15	Female	Mobile/Trailer Home	Direct
Tornado, Walker	2002-11-10	50	Male	Mobile/Trailer Home	Direct
Tornado, Walker	2002-11-10	51	Male	Mobile/Trailer Home	Direct
Tornado, Walker	2002-11-10	73	Female	Mobile/Trailer Home	Direct
Tornado, Walker	2002-11-10	38	Female	Mobile/Trailer Home	Direct
Tornado, Walker	2002-11-10	61	Female	Mobile/Trailer Home	Direct

What these are

Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Alabama in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Alabama, 2002 Warnings in Alabama, November 2002

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5321435, 5321436, 5321437, 5321438.