Alabama, 2009

Tornado in Alabama, October 7, 2009

October 7, 2009 · NWS HUN · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A quasi-linear convective system (QLCS) swept eastward across northern Alabama during the overnight hours. Strong low level wind shear, despite limited instability, produced a low level meso-vortex in eastern Franklin which tracked into central Lawrence county.

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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$30,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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 HUN wrote it up.

A quasi-linear convective system (QLCS) swept eastward across northern Alabama during the overnight hours. Strong low level wind shear, despite limited instability, produced a low level meso-vortex in eastern Franklin which tracked into central Lawrence county. A EF-0 tornado from this parent meso-vortex damaged a mobile home and collapsed a roof of a chicken house southwest of Moulton.

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 Huntsville, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 6, 11:22 PM CST, 1 hour 8 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 6, 11:22 PM CST, 1 hour 8 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
1222 AM CDT WED OCT 7 2009

.UPDATE...FOR 06Z TAFS
&&

.AVIATION...CDFNT NOW PUSHING INTO NW AL WITH SHRA AND TSRA ALONG
AND AHEAD OF IT. 00Z U/A SOUNDINGS WERE SHOWING SOME INSTABILITY AND
DEEP LAYER WIND SHEAR...SO A FEW STRONGER STORMS HAVE OCCURRED. ATTM
WIND GUSTS ARND 30 MPH WERE REPORTED AT MSL AS THE LINE OF SHRA/TSRA
WENT THRU THE AIRPORT. THE LINE OF SHRA/TSRA WILL MOVE THRU THE HSV
AREA THRU 07Z. BEHIND THE CDFNT WILL FCST IFR/MVFR CONDS AND
LINGERING SHRA THRU WED MORNING. AFTER 15Z VFR CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED.
&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 944 PM CDT TUE OCT 6 2009/

UPDATE...FOR MINOR WORDING CHANGES.

DISCUSSION...CDFNT EXTENDS THRU WRN TN WITH A LINE OF SHRA AND
ISOLATED TSRA AHEAD OF CDFNT. THE THREAT OF SVR WX ACROSS THE TN
VALLEY FOR OVERNIGHT HAS DIMINISH...HOWEVER A FEW STORMS COULD
PRODUCE WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH AND LOCALIZED HEAVY RAIN. CDFNT IS
DUE TO MOVE ACROSS NW AL BETWEEN 06Z/07Z...THE HUN AREA ARND 09Z
AND NERN AL BY 11Z. WILL KEEP CURRENT THINKING FOR ZONES BUT WILL
MAKE SOME MINOR WORDING CHANGES.

UPDATED ZONES/GRIDS OUT BY 10 PM.
&&

.HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AL...NONE.
TN...NONE.
&&

07/AK
Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 6, 7:33 PM CST, 4 hours 57 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
833 PM CDT TUE OCT 6 2009

ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-071000-
LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN-
MARSHALL-JACKSON-DEKALB-CULLMAN-MOORE-LINCOLN-FRANKLIN TN-
833 PM CDT TUE OCT 6 2009

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH ALABAMA AND PORTIONS
OF SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT...

AS A COLD FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE AREA...SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS
WILL BE POSSIBLE. NO SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED...HOWEVER SOME
STORMS MAY PRODUCE WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH AND LOCALIZED HEAVY
RAIN.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY...

ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AS
ANOTHER COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE AREA.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL
IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME.

SS

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Oct 6, 10:41 PM CST, 1 hour 49 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
1141 PM CDT TUE OCT 6 2009

ALZ002-004-005-007-070515-
COLBERT-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MORGAN-
1141 PM CDT TUE OCT 6 2009

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR COLBERT...LAWRENCE...LIMESTONE AND
MORGAN COUNTIES UNTIL 1215 AM CDT...

AT 1140 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING
A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR TOWN CREEK...OR 16 MILES NORTH OF
MOULTON...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

WINDS UP TO 50 MPH...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND HEAVY
DOWNPOURS ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.

* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE...
  COURTLAND.
  WHEELER.
  HILLSBORO...CHALYBEATE SPRINGS.
  RED BANK...RIPLEY.
  TRINITY...CADDO.
  DECATUR...TANNER.

THE GUSTY WINDS WILL BE CAPABLE OF KNOCKING DOWN SMALL TREES...TREE
LIMBS...AND POWERLINES. SEEK SAFE SHELTER UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO...OR YOUR LOCAL
TELEVISION STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS
CONCERNING THIS WEATHER SITUATION.

KDW
Special weather statement, Oct 6, 11:12 PM CST, 1 hour 18 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
1212 AM CDT WED OCT 7 2009

ALZ004>007-070545-
LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN-
1212 AM CDT WED OCT 7 2009

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR LAWRENCE...LIMESTONE...MADISON AND
MORGAN COUNTIES UNTIL 1245 AM CDT...

AT 1212 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING
A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR TRINITY...OR 8 MILES NORTHWEST OF
DECATUR...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

WINDS UP TO 40 MPH...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND HEAVY
DOWNPOURS ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.

* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE...
  DECATUR...TANNER.
  BELLE MINA...MOORESVILLE.
  MADISON.

THE GUSTY WINDS WILL BE CAPABLE OF KNOCKING DOWN SMALL TREES...TREE
LIMBS...AND POWERLINES. SEEK SAFE SHELTER UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO...OR YOUR LOCAL
TELEVISION STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS
CONCERNING THIS WEATHER SITUATION.

KDW
Special weather statement, Oct 6, 11:18 PM CST, 1 hour 12 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
1218 AM CDT WED OCT 7 2009

ALZ003-070600-
FRANKLIN-
1218 AM CDT WED OCT 7 2009

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR FRANKLIN COUNTY UNTIL 100 AM CDT...

AT 1218 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING
A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR HALLTOWN...OR 6 MILES EAST OF RED BAY...
MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

WINDS UP TO 40 MPH...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND HEAVY
DOWNPOURS ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.

* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE...
  ATWOOD.
  DEMPSEY.
  BELGREEN.
  DUKETON.
  ROCKWOOD...ISBELL.

THE GUSTY WINDS WILL BE CAPABLE OF KNOCKING DOWN SMALL TREES...TREE
LIMBS...AND POWERLINES. SEEK SAFE SHELTER UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO...OR YOUR LOCAL
TELEVISION STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS
CONCERNING THIS WEATHER SITUATION.

KDW
Special weather statement, Oct 6, 11:48 PM CST, 42 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
1248 AM CDT WED OCT 7 2009

ALZ003-004-070630-
FRANKLIN-LAWRENCE-
1248 AM CDT WED OCT 7 2009

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR FRANKLIN AND LAWRENCE COUNTIES UNTIL
130 AM CDT...

AT 1247 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING
A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR DUKETON...OR 9 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
RUSSELLVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

WINDS UP TO 50 MPH...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND HEAVY
DOWNPOURS ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.

* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE...
  SPRUCE PINE.
  PHIL CAMPBELL.
  MT HOPE.

THE GUSTY WINDS WILL BE CAPABLE OF KNOCKING DOWN SMALL TREES...TREE
LIMBS...AND POWERLINES. SEEK SAFE SHELTER UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO...OR YOUR LOCAL
TELEVISION STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS
CONCERNING THIS WEATHER SITUATION.

KDW
Special weather statement, Oct 6, 11:54 PM CST, 36 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
1254 AM CDT WED OCT 7 2009

ALZ006>008-070645-
MADISON-MARSHALL-MORGAN-
1254 AM CDT WED OCT 7 2009

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR MADISON...MARSHALL AND MORGAN
COUNTIES UNTIL 145 AM CDT...

AT 1253 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING
A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR TRIANA...OR 10 MILES SOUTH OF MADISON...
MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

WINDS UP TO 40 MPH...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND HEAVY
DOWNPOURS ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.

* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE...
  TRIANA.
  VALHERMOSO SPRINGS.
  LACEYS SPRING.
  WHITESBURG...FARLEY.
  MORGAN CITY.
  OWENS CROSSROADS.

THE GUSTY WINDS WILL BE CAPABLE OF KNOCKING DOWN SMALL TREES...TREE
LIMBS...AND POWERLINES. SEEK SAFE SHELTER UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO...OR YOUR LOCAL
TELEVISION STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS
CONCERNING THIS WEATHER SITUATION.

KDW
Special weather statement, Oct 7, 12:24 AM CST, 6 minutes before
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The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 106 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 06:30 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Lawrence

When
October 7, 12:30 AM CST to 12:32 AM CST
Where
Lawrence County, 1.29 mi S of Landersville to 1.51 mi SSE of Landersville
Rating
EF0
Path length
0.75 mi
Path width
25 yd
Property damage
$30,000
Reported by
NWS Storm Survey
Coordinates
34.431, -87.370

An EF-0 tornado tracked east along a 3/4 mile path in central Lawrence County. The tornado collapsed a chicken house which also sustained significant loss of the roof covering along County Road 59. The tornado also partially uplifted the metal roof of a mobile home along County Road 58. Several surrounding large trees were uprooted or snapped.

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

More

Every storm in Alabama in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Alabama, 2009Warnings in Alabama, October 2009

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 196314.