Tornadoes · United States · Alabama · 2002

F1 tornado, Steele, Alabama, November 10, 2002

This F1 tornado ran 3.2 miles across St. Clair County on November 10, 2002, touching down at 10:41 PM CST and reaching 50 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $40,000 of property damage.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F040 to 72 mph

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F173 to 112 mphthis tornado

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2113 to 157 mph

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3158 to 206 mph

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4207 to 260 mph

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5261 to 318 mph

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

The record

Rating
F1
Date
November 10, 2002
Touchdown
10:41 PM CST (04:41 UTC)
Path length
3.2 miles (5.1 km)
Path width
50 yards (46 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$40,000
County
St. Clair County
Touchdown point
33.950, -86.250
Lift-off point
33.950, -86.200
Record number
388

What the Weather Service recorded

A weak tornado touched down on Chandler Mountain causing minor damage to about three houses and downing several trees. The tornado came off the mountain (plateau) and damaged one structured and downed trees at the base of the mountain before dissipating. No injuries were reported.Beg: 33 57.002/86 15.331 End: 33 57.482/86 11.950

From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.

The warnings

7 minutes of warning. NWS BMX issued a tornado warning for this county at 04:34 UTC, 7 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 05:00 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
04:34 UTC05:00 UTCTornado WarningBMX
05:07 UTC05:45 UTCTornado WarningBMX

Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.

The forecast that day

The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Moderate Risk, with a 0.15 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 19:23 UTC.

SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.

The air that afternoon

The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), 00:00Z

4.7 hours before the tornado, 100 km from the path. November 11, 2002.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 2002-11-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 2257 joules per kilogram, CIN -3, lifted condensation level 800 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 2002-11-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 277 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 64 knots.1939587897Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
2257 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-3 J/kg
Surface CAPE
2626 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
800 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
64 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
277 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
331 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
4.4
Supercell composite
15.3
0-3 km lapse rate
6.3 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), 12:00Z

7.3 hours after it, 100 km from the path. November 11, 2002.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Birmingham, AL at 12:00Z on 2002-11-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 0 joules per kilogram, CIN -82972, lifted condensation level 937 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Birmingham, AL at 12:00Z on 2002-11-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -207 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 72 knots.1939587897Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-82972 J/kg
Surface CAPE
11 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
937 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
72 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
18 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-207 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-153 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
4.6 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Gadsden Municipal (Awos) (GAD), 13 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
02:55 UTC75.266.2190° 12 kt201004.7
03:15 UTC75.266.2190° 12 kt231005.4
03:35 UTC75.266.2190° 12 kt191005.1VCTS
03:55 UTC75.266.2220° 10 kt171005.8TS
04:15 UTC75.266.2210° 9 kt201005.8

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 100 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 04:42 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track

Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2002 tornado in AlabamaEvery tornado in Alabama since 1950Warnings in force in Alabama nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of November 10, 2002

63 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
November 1012:10 AM CSTF1Madison, TN4.0220$3.0 million
November 1012:50 AM CSTF0Montgomery, TN0.120
November 101:00 AM CSTF1Montgomery, TN0.34002$100,000
November 101:05 AM CSTF0Robertson, TN0.120
November 102:00 AM CSTF1Allen, KY1.525$70,000
November 102:00 AM CSTF2Sumner, TN2.69006$500,000
November 102:30 PM ESTF1Blackford, IN5.01003$250,000
November 101:32 PM CSTF0Jackson, IL9.0100$4,000
November 101:41 PM CSTF0Franklin, IL0.550$1,000
November 102:46 PM ESTF0Wells, IN1.0100$10,000
November 102:59 PM ESTF3Adams, IN5.0200$120,000
November 103:15 PM ESTF4Van Wert, OH52.8880417$30 million
November 104:38 PM ESTF3Union, OH9.03002$530,000
November 104:51 PM ESTF1Union, OH0.5200$50,000
November 104:54 PM ESTF1Wood, OH4.550$850,000
November 104:57 PM ESTF2Hancock, OH9.050$12 million
November 105:10 PM ESTF0Marion, OH0.125$10,000
November 105:10 PM ESTF0Wood, OH0.125
November 105:15 PM ESTF3Seneca, OH21.010012$13 million
November 105:19 PM ESTF1Wood, OH0.525$330,000
November 105:20 PM ESTF1Sandusky, OH3.550$1.3 million
November 105:21 PM ESTF0Bibb, GA0.8200$500,000
November 105:30 PM ESTF2Ottawa, OH10.0504$14 million
November 105:42 PM ESTF1Huron, OH12.550$1.3 million
November 105:45 PM ESTF1Richland, OH1.025$200,000
November 105:48 PM ESTF2Ashland, OH9.550$2.4 million
November 106:15 PM ESTF0Franklin, FL0.150$10,000
November 106:20 PM ESTF2Wayne, OH5.0100$1,000
November 106:27 PM ESTF1Stark, OH3.325$850,000
November 106:35 PM ESTF0Morgan, TN1.525$20,000
November 106:40 PM ESTF1Scott, TN4.150$110,000
November 105:40 PM CSTF0Carroll, TN0.333$10,000
November 105:42 PM CSTF1Coffee, TN4.150
November 105:45 PM CSTF2Bedford, TN5.05003$150,000
November 106:50 PM ESTF1Scott, TN4.250$130,000
November 105:55 PM CSTF0Madison, TN0.366$50,000
November 107:00 PM ESTF2Summit, OH10.1100$17 million
November 106:52 PM CSTF2Coffee, TN12.3450224$250,000
November 106:52 PM CSTF3Fayette, AL44.31,175438$3.2 million
November 107:54 PM ESTF2Mercer, PA7.0500119$1.0 million
November 107:08 PM CSTF3Lowndes, MS to AL29.244055$60 million
November 107:08 PM CSTF1Cumberland, TN3.4400
November 108:15 PM ESTF1Adams, OH1.350$100,000
November 107:20 PM CSTF1Winston, MS to AL51.04001$140,000
November 108:30 PM ESTF1Crawford, PA1.040$330,000
November 107:30 PM CSTF2Attala, MS10.01,000$140,000
November 108:30 PM ESTF0Casey, KY0.125
November 108:31 PM ESTF3Morgan, TN8.3300728$970,000
November 107:36 PM CSTF1Lowndes, MS to AL9.5400$20,000
November 108:45 PM ESTF0Lincoln, KY0.125
November 108:54 PM ESTF2Anderson, TN5.575$210,000
November 108:10 PM CSTF2Van Buren, TN2.9100$70,000
November 108:15 PM CSTF3Fayette, AL72.61,175753$4.3 million
November 108:20 PM CSTF1Winston, MS15.0500$200,000
November 108:30 PM CSTF1Bledsoe, TN6.2100$100,000
November 108:34 PM CSTF1Madison, MS2.050$10,000
November 108:46 PM CSTF0Cumberland, TN0.120
November 109:10 PM CSTF1Fayette, AL4.390$40,000
November 109:38 PM CSTF1Walker, AL4.3300$400,000
November 109:43 PM CSTF3Cumberland, TN12.2900418$500,000

All 64 of them

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.