Tornadoes · United States · Alabama · 2005

F0 tornado, Wetumpka, Alabama, November 28, 2005

Name: F0 tornado, Wetumpka, Alabama, November 28, 2005
Start: 2005-11-29T01:30:00.000Z
Location: Wetumpka, Alabama

This F0 tornado ran 0.1 miles across Elmore County on November 28, 2005, touching down at 7:30 PM CST and reaching 30 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $10,000 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.

F040 to 72 mphthis tornado
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
F173 to 112 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
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.
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.
F4207 to 260 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
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.
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: F0
Date: November 28, 2005
Touchdown: 7:30 PM CST (01:30 UTC)
Path length: 0.1 miles (0.2 km)
Path width: 30 yards (27 m)
Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $10,000
County: Elmore County
Touchdown point: 32.720, -86.220
Lift-off point: 32.720, -86.220
Record number: 522

What the Weather Service recorded

National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed the damage that affected a small area just west of Weoka. It has been determined that the damage was the result of a tornado. The tornado has been rated an F0 on the Fujita Damage Intensity Scale. A weak tornado briefly touched down near the intersection of Woods Road and Grass Farm Road. This location is approximately 1.4 miles southwest of Weoka or 11.7 miles north of Wetumpka. A few trees were snapped off along the short path. The tornado damage path was only 0.1 miles long and 30 yards wide at its widest point. The tornado was on the ground at 730 PM CST. Begin/End: 32.7121/86.2078

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

The warnings

22 minutes of warning. NWS BMX issued a tornado warning for this county at 01:08 UTC, 22 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 01:45 UTC.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 23:40 UTC and running to 03:59 UTC.

Issued (UTC)	Expired	Product	Office
10:05 UTC	00:00 UTC	Wind Advisory	BMX
15:57 UTC	23:40 UTC	Tornado Watch	BMX
17:51 UTC	18:15 UTC	Tornado Warning	BMX
23:40 UTC	03:59 UTC	Tornado Watch	BMX
01:08 UTC	01:45 UTC	Tornado Warning	BMX

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 Slight Risk, with a 0.05 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 00:42 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.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the tornado touched down, 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 tornado touched down at Nov 28, 2:45 PM CST, 4 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 28, 2:45 PM CST, 4 hours 45 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
245 PM CST MON NOV 28 2005

.SHORT TERM...COLD FRONT ACROSS THE WESTERN SECTIONS OF THE AREA
WILL MOVE RAPIDLY EAST-SOUTHEAST THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT AND EXIT THE
SOUTHEAST SECTIONS EARLY ON TUESDAY.  WILL FORECAST SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY ACROSS THE EASTERN SECTIONS AHEAD OF THE
FRONT AND THEN TAPER POPS WESTWARD.  WILL NEED TO MENTION SOME
SEVERE STORMS POSSIBLE THIS EVENING ACROSS THE EAST.  SMALL POPS
ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST SECTIONS EARLY TUESDAY...BUT MUCH DRIER AIR WILL
OVERSPREAD THE AREA THROUGH THE DAY. OVERNIGHT LOWS TONIGHT IN THE
40S NORTH AND 50S SOUTH.  MUCH COOLER ON TUESDAY WITH READINGS IN THE
50S NORTH AND 60S SOUTH.

WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...RATHER QUIET PERIOD ACROSS THE AREA AS
WEAK HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS IN PLACE.  RE-ENFORCING SURGE OF COOLER
AIR POSSIBLE ON THURSDAY AS DRY WEAK FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE
NORTH.  HIGH TEMPERATURES MAINLY IN THE 50S NORTH AND 60S SOUTH.
OVERNIGHT LOWS MAINLY IN THE 30S.

.LONG TERM...(SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY)...MOIST SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT
WILL PREVAIL ACROSS THE AREA.  WILL GO WITH SLIGHT CHANCE POPS FOR
NOW.  STRONGER SYSTEM WILL APPROACH THE AREA JUST BEYOND THIS
PERIOD.  HIGH TEMPERATURES MAINLY IN THE 50 NORTH AND 60S SOUTH
SATURDAY AND IN THE 60S AREA-WIDE SUNDAY AND MONDAY.  OVERNIGHT
LOWS IN THE 30S NORTH AND 40S SOUTH SATURDAY AND IN THE 40S AREA-
WIDE SUNDAY AND MONDAY.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
GADSDEN     47  56  28  56 /  70  10  10   0
ANNISTON    49  58  33  56 /  70  10  10   0
BIRMINGHAM  46  57  33  57 /  60  10  10   0
TUSCALOOSA  46  59  31  59 /  30  10  10   0
CALERA      47  57  33  58 /  60  10  10   0
AUBURN      51  59  37  60 /  70  20  10   0
MONTGOMERY  49  61  32  60 /  70  10  10   0
TROY        53  62  32  61 /  70  20  10   0

&&

.BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AL...NONE.

&&

50

Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 28, 5:18 PM CST, 2 hours 12 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
518 PM CST MON NOV 28 2005

ALZ011>015-017>050-291230-
AUTAUGA-BARBOUR-BIBB-BLOUNT-BULLOCK-CALHOUN-CHAMBERS-CHEROKEE-
CHILTON-CLAY-CLEBURNE-COOSA-DALLAS-ELMORE-ETOWAH-FAYETTE-GREENE-HALE-
JEFFERSON-LAMAR-LEE-LOWNDES-MACON-MARENGO-MARION-MONTGOMERY-PERRY-
PICKENS-PIKE-RANDOLPH-RUSSELL-SHELBY-ST CLAIR-SUMTER-TALLADEGA-
TALLAPOOSA-TUSCALOOSA-WALKER-WINSTON-
518 PM CST MON NOV 28 2005

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH ISOLATED TORNADOES...HAIL AND DAMAGING
WIND ARE POSSIBLE FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ALABAMA ALONG AND SOUTHEAST
OF A LINE FROM SELMA...CLANTON...TALLADEGA...ANNISTON...TO HEFLIN.
THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER HAS ENDED ACROSS WESTERN ALABAMA
NORTHWEST OF THIS SAME LINE.  THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL END
IMMEDIATELY BEHIND THE FRONT.

IN ADDITION...AHEAD OF THE FRONT...BREEZY SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL BE
SUSTAINED AT TIMES AROUND 25 MPH. A FEW WIND GUSTS WILL APPROACH 35
MPH...ESPECIALLY IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS AND ON OPEN WATERWAYS.
THEREFORE...A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL WILL
BE REQUIRED THROUGH TONIGHT ACROSS SOUTHEAST PORTIONS OF ALABAMA.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Nov 28, 5:59 PM CST, 1 hour 31 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
559 PM CST MON NOV 28 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0520 PM     TORNADO          10 N SELMA              32.56N 87.03W
11/28/2005                   DALLAS             AL   AMATEUR RADIO

            ROOF DAMAGE - CNTY RD 37 AND 222

&&

MBAER

Local storm report, Nov 28, 6:02 PM CST, 1 hour 28 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
602 PM CST MON NOV 28 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0520 PM     TORNADO          10 N SELMA              32.56N 87.03W
11/28/2005                   DALLAS             AL   AMATEUR RADIO

            ROOF DAMAGE - CNTY RD 37 AND 222...LIKELY DELAYED RPT

&&

MBAER

Local storm report, Nov 28, 6:05 PM CST, 1 hour 25 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
605 PM CST MON NOV 28 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0443 PM     TORNADO          N ONEONTA               33.95N 86.47W
11/28/2005                   BLOUNT             AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            ROOF DAMAGE - 5940 CNTY RD 36 IN SUSAN MOORE
            COMMUNITY...LIKELY DELAYED RPT...COR. FOR LOCATION

&&

MBAER

Special weather statement, Nov 28, 6:24 PM CST, 1 hour 6 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
624 PM CST MON NOV 28 2005

ALZ040-041-290100-
AUTAUGA-DALLAS-
624 PM CST MON NOV 28 2005

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT IN EFFECT FOR DALLAS AND AUTAUGA
COUNTIES UNTIL 700 PM CST...

...SMALL HAIL IS POSSIBLE FROM AN APPROACHING THUNDERSTORM...

AT 624 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
THUNDERSTORM 7 MILES SOUTH OF SELMA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT AREAS IN AND NEAR TYLER...SELMA...JONES
AND BILLINGSLEY THROUGH 700 PM CST.

THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM THIS STORM IS SMALL HAIL. HAIL UP TO ONE
HALF INCH IN DIAMETER...IS POSSIBLE. IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS IN THE
VICINITY OF THESE STORMS...TAKE SHELTER NOW.

ANOTHER THREAT FROM THIS STORM IS STRONG GUSTY WINDS. THESE WINDS
CAN BREAK OFF SMALL TREE LIMBS...AND BLOW AROUND UNSECURED OBJECTS
SUCH AS LAWN FURNITURE AND TRASH CANS.

Local storm report, Nov 28, 6:58 PM CST, 32 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
658 PM CST MON NOV 28 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0520 PM     TORNADO          15 NE SELMA             32.57N 86.85W
11/28/2005                   AUTAUGA            AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            TREES DOWN CNTY RDS 222, 37, 39, 16. STRUCTURAL DAMAGE
            MOBILE HOME, SHED, CHURCH ON CNTY RD 222. SEE EARLIER
            REPORT 10N SELMA.

&&

MBAER

Local storm report, Nov 28, 7:19 PM CST, 11 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
719 PM CST MON NOV 28 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0654 PM     TORNADO          2 N AUTAUGAVILLE        32.46N 86.66W
11/28/2005                   AUTAUGA            AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            FENCE DOWN AND DAMAGE TO A SHED NEAR COUNTY ROAD 13

0658 PM     TORNADO          1 N AUTAUGAVILLE        32.45N 86.66W
11/28/2005                   AUTAUGA            AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            POSSIBLE TORNADO. TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN.

&&

STEFKOVICH

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

1.5 hours before the tornado, 73 km from the path. November 29, 2005.

Skew-T log-p

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.

Hodograph

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: -19337 J/kg
Surface CAPE: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 659 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 41 kt
0-1 km bulk shear: 14 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 83 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 242 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 1.9
0-3 km lapse rate: 4.0 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), 12:00Z

10.5 hours after it, 73 km from the path. November 29, 2005.

Skew-T log-p

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.

Hodograph

Mixed-layer CAPE: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -113532 J/kg
Surface CAPE: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1418 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 62 kt
0-1 km bulk shear: 23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -113 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: -21 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0
0-3 km lapse rate: 3.2 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Alexander City (ALX), 32 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)	Temp (°F)	Dew point (°F)	Wind	Gust (kt)	Pressure (mb)	Weather
23:40 UTC	68	64.4	140° 9 kt	20	1006.4	VCTS
00:00 UTC	68	64.4	160° 9 kt	21	1006.8	VCTS
00:20 UTC	68	64.4	140° 9 kt	17	1006.1	VCTS
00:40 UTC	68	64.4	160° 16 kt	21	1006.1	VCTS
01:00 UTC	68	66.2	150° 11 kt	23	1007.1	VCTS
01:20 UTC	68	66.2	170° 9 kt	18	1007.1	TS
01:40 UTC	68	66.2	150° 9 kt	20	1007.5	-TSRA
02:20 UTC	60.8	59	290° 7 kt	15	1008.5	+TSRA
02:40 UTC	59	55.4	240° 5 kt		1009.1	-VCTSRA
03:00 UTC	57.2	53.6	280° 5 kt		1009.5	-TSDZ
03:20 UTC	57.2	55.4	300° 8 kt		1009.1	+TSRA

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

What was reported nearby

Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.

Time (UTC)	Report	Where	County	Remark
00:46 UTC	TORNADO	1 N Autaugaville	Autauga, AL	SIGNIFICANT DEBRIS FIELD. CNTY RD 165 MINOR STRUCTURE DAMAGE. MAJOR POWER LINES AND TREES DOWN.
00:54 UTC	TORNADO 0	Autaugaville	Autauga, AL	NUMEROUS SUBSTANIAL TREES SNAPPED AND UPROOTED. A GARAGE ATTACHED TO A MOBILE HOME WAS BLOWN AWAY. VINYL SIDING DAMAGE TO A HOUSE AND A FENCE DOWN. A STORAGE SHED DESTROYED. ROOF DAMAGE TO A SUBSTANTIAL LARGE STEEL STRUC
00:54 UTC	TORNADO	2 N Autaugaville	Autauga, AL	FENCE DOWN AND DAMAGE TO A SHED NEAR COUNTY ROAD 13
00:58 UTC	TORNADO	1 N Autaugaville	Autauga, AL	POSSIBLE TORNADO. TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN.
01:30 UTC	TORNADO 0	14 N Wetumpka	Elmore, AL	FEW TREES SNAPPED AND UPROOTED 1 SW WEOKA ON CR80
01:46 UTC	TORNADO 1	2 W Equality	Coosa, AL	SEVERAL PINE TREES WERE SNAPPED ALONG COUNTY ROAD 2. ONE HOUSE SUSTAINED ROOF DAMAGE AND A POOL SHED WAS DESTROYED. THE TORNADO WAS 1000 YARDS LONG AND 150 YARDS WIDE.
02:06 UTC	TSTM WND DMG	2 W Jacksons' Gap	Tallapoosa, AL	SEVERAL TREES HAD FALLEN ACROSS A ROAD IN THE PECKERWOOD COMMUNITY

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.

This ground now

The live radar over the track Every 2005 tornado in Alabama Every tornado in Alabama since 1950 Warnings in force in Alabama now The forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of November 28, 2005

7 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
November 28	1:24 AM CST	F0	West Carroll Parish, LA	0.5	30	$50,000
November 28	1:56 AM CST	F0	Washington, MS	1.0	30	$50,000
November 28	2:10 PM CST	F0	Jefferson, AL	0.1	30	$20,000
November 28	2:40 PM CST	F0	Jefferson, AL	0.4	75	$40,000
November 28	4:53 PM CST	F0	Dallas, AL	5.8	50	$30,000
November 28	6:41 PM CST	F0	Autauga, AL	5.4	150	$30,000
November 28	7:44 PM CST	F1	Coosa, AL	0.4	150	$20,000

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.