Alabama, 2008

Tornado and Damaging Wind in Alabama, October 8, 2008

October 8, 2008 · NWS MOB · 2 events in 1 county or zone

A couple of severe thunderstorms caused damage in Covington. One of the storms produced a small tornado.

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
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$60,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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 MOB wrote it up.

A couple of severe thunderstorms caused damage in Covington. One of the storms produced a small tornado.

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 Mobile, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 7, 2:57 PM CST, 17 hours 48 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 7, 2:57 PM CST, 17 hours 48 minutes before
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The radar

The Eglin Afb radar (KEVX), 97 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 14:46 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Covington

When
October 8, 8:45 AM CST to 8:47 AM CST
Where
Covington County, 2 mi SW of Andalusia
Measured
50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
Emergency Manager
Coordinates
31.279, -86.504

Thunderstorm winds blew down several trees near Pleasant Home.

Tornado, Covington

When
October 8, 9:25 AM CST to 9:29 AM CST
Where
Covington County, 4.82 mi NNW of Watkins Bridge to 4.76 mi S of Libertyville
Rating
EF0
Path length
1.89 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$50,000
Reported by
NWS Storm Survey
Coordinates
31.140, -86.472

A weak tornado first set down just southwest of Red Oak, blowing down several trees. The tornado continued through the woods and damaged a couple of residences near U. S. Highway 55. Tin was blow off a shed and was found a couple hundred yards northwest of Highway 55. The tornado continued across Highway 55 and dissipated just northwest of Highway 55. No injuries occurred.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
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

More

Every storm in Alabama in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Alabama, 2008Warnings in Alabama, October 2008

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: 137471, 137472.