Tornadoes · United States · Alabama · 2005
F0 tornado, Fayette, Alabama, September 25, 2005
This F0 tornado ran 0.1 miles across Fayette County on September 25, 2005, touching down at 3:00 PM CDT and reaching 20 yards wide. It killed nobody.
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
- September 25, 2005
- Touchdown
- 3:00 PM CDT (20:00 UTC)
- Path length
- 0.1 miles (0.2 km)
- Path width
- 20 yards (18 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- County
- Fayette County
- Touchdown point
- 33.820, -87.680
- Lift-off point
- 33.820, -87.680
- Record number
- 361
What the Weather Service recorded
Storm Spotters witnessed a brief tornado touch down just north of the Hubbertville community, west of State Highway 129. The tornado affected rural countryside and little to no damage occurred. The tornado path was less than 0.1 miles long and 20 yards wide at its widest point. This tornado was produced by the remnants of Hurricane Rita. Begin/End: 33 50.92/87 44.21
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
19 minutes of warning. NWS BMX issued a tornado warning for this county at 19:41 UTC, 19 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 20:30 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17:48 UTC | 18:30 UTC | Tornado Warning | BMX |
| 19:05 UTC | 19:45 UTC | Tornado Warning | BMX |
| 19:41 UTC | 20:30 UTC | Tornado Warning | BMX |
| 20:27 UTC | 21:00 UTC | Tornado Warning | BMX |
| 21:51 UTC | 22:06 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 19:49 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), 12:00Z
8.0 hours before the tornado, 110 km from the path. September 25, 2005.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 126 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -23 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 198 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 767 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 31 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 33 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 184 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 245 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.1
- Supercell composite
- 0.4
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 5.1 K/km
Birmingham, AL (KBMX), 00:00Z
4.0 hours after it, 110 km from the path. September 26, 2005.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1115 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -6 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 1362 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 771 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 37 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 36 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 310 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 443 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.8
- Supercell composite
- 10.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 6.4 K/km
The surface observations
Tuscaloosa Municipal (TCL), 68 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18:53 UTC | 85 | 73 | 170° 14 kt | 24 | 1011.2 | |
| 19:53 UTC | 84 | 72 | 170° 14 kt | 21 | 1010.8 | VCTS |
| 20:53 UTC | 83 | 73 | 160° 14 kt | 22 | 1010.2 | TS |
| 21:53 UTC | 80 | 73 | 1009.8 |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 61 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 19:59 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18:01 UTC | TORNADO | 4 E Vernon | Lamar, AL | STORM SPOTTERS WITNESSED A BRIEF F0 TORNADO JUST WEST OF CROSSVILLE. THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN JUST NORTH OF STATE HIGHWAY 18, EAST OF HUDSON ROAD. THE TORNADO SNAPPED OFF OR UPROOTED A FEW TREES ALONG THE SHORT PATH. NO |
| 18:13 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | 3 E Vernon | Lamar, AL | A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS REPORTED IN THE CROSSVILLE COMMUNITY. |
| 18:36 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | 5 Nw Palmetto | Lamar, AL | A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS REPORTED NEAR THE PALMETTO COMMUNITY. |
| 19:22 UTC | TORNADO | 1 Se Kennedy | Lamar, AL | AN F1 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR KENNEDY. A FEW TREES WERE DOWNED AND A FEW STUCTURES WERE DAMAGED INITIALLY. THE TORNADO MOVED NORTHEAST AND PRODUCED SIGNIFICANT TREE DAMAGE IN EASTERN LAMAR AND WESTERN FAYETTE ACROSS TH |
| 19:28 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | Belk | Fayette, AL | NEAR FAYETTE |
| 19:28 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Belk | Fayette, AL | ROOF AND PORCH DESTROYED |
| 19:42 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | Winfield | Marion, AL | A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS REPORTED NEAR WINFIELD. |
| 19:53 UTC | TORNADO | 5 N Fayette | Fayette, AL | |
| 19:54 UTC | TORNADO | 5 Se Double Springs | Winston, AL | AN FO TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN JUST WEST OF COUNTY ROAD 8 NORTHWEST OF THE BLACK POND COMMUNITY. SEVERAL TREES AND POWER LINES WERE BLOWN DOWN ALONG THE PATH. THE UNION GROVE BAPTIST CHURCH SUFFERED MINOR DAMAGE. THE TORNADO |
| 19:54 UTC | TORNADO | 6 Sse Double Springs | Winston, AL | NWS STORM SURVEY TEAM FOUND AN F0 TORNADO TRACK NEAR UNION GROVE CHURCH ON COUNTY ROAD 8...JUST EAST OF HIGHWAY 195. |
| 19:55 UTC | TORNADO | 5 S Glen Allen | Fayette, AL | TORNADO WAS REPORTED BETWEEN GLEN ALLEN AND HUBBERTVILLE. |
| 19:55 UTC | TORNADO | 8 Nw Samantha | Tuscaloosa, AL | AN F0 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN JUST WEST OF MORMON ROAD JUST TO THE NORTH OF NORTHSIDE ROAD. THE TORNADO CROSSED MORMON ROAD WHERE AT LEAST TWO HOME SUSTAINED ROOF DAMAGE. SEVERAL TREES WERE SNAPPED OFF OR UPROOTED ALONG THE |
| 19:55 UTC | TORNADO | 9 Nw Elrod | Pickens, AL | AN F0 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN WEST OF COOPER ROAD AND ROBERTSON ROAD NEAR DUNN CREEK. THE TORNADO TRAVELED JUST EAST OF NORTH AND CROSSED ROBERTSON ROAD. AT LEAST TWO HOMES SUFFERED ROOF DAMAGE AND SEVERAL OUT-BUILDINGS AND |
| 19:57 UTC | TORNADO | 3 E Double Springs | Winston, AL | AN F1 TORNADO DEVELOPED JUST EAST OF COUNTY ROAD 89 SOUTH OF THE FAIRVIEW COMMUNITY. THE TORNADO MOVED NORTHEAST AND CROSSED US HIGHWAY 278. NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES WERE SNAPPED OFF AND THE HIGHWAY WAS TEMPORARILY |
| 19:58 UTC | TORNADO | 4 E Double Springs | Winston, AL | NWS STORM SURVEY TEAM FOUND AN F0 TORNADO TRACK IN FAIRVIEW...ABOUT 4 MILES EAST OF DOUBLE SPRINGS...ON HIGHWAY 278. THIS TORNADO TRACK WAS 2 MILES LONG AND 150 YARDS WIDE. |
| 20:00 UTC | TORNADO | 10 W Samantha | Tuscaloosa, AL | ALONG COUNTY LINE NEAR ECHOLA, STRUCTURAL DAMAGES |
| 20:00 UTC | TORNADO | 12 Ne Fayette | Fayette, AL | STORMS SPOTTERS WITNESSED A BRIEF F0 TORNADO TOUCH DOWN JUST NORTH OF HUBBERTVILLE, JUST WEST OF STATE HIGHWAY 129. THE TORNADO AFFECTED RURAL COUNTRYSIDE AND LITTLE OR DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED. THE TORNADO PATH WAS LESS THAN |
| 20:05 UTC | TORNADO | 8 Nw Samantha | Tuscaloosa, AL | AN F0 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN JUST WEST OF MORMON ROAD JUST TO THE NORTH OF NORTHSIDE ROAD. THE TORNADO CROSSED MORMON ROAD WHERE AT LEAST TWO HOME SUSTAINED ROOF DAMAGE. SEVERAL TREES WERE SNAPPED OFF OR UPROOTED ALONG THE |
| 20:06 UTC | TORNADO | 4 Ne Natural Bridge | Winston, AL | A BRIEF F0 TORNADO OCCURRED ALONG COUNTY ROAD 17 JUST EAST OF STATE HIGHWAY 13. THE TORNADO SNAPPED OFF A FEW TREE TOPS AND KNOCKED A FEW POWER LINES DOWN. THE TORNADO DAMAGE PATH WAS 0.5 MILES LONG AND 30 YARDS WIDE AT |
| 20:08 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | Glen Allen | Fayette, AL | |
| 20:08 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 5 E Double Springs | Winston, AL | ROOF BLOWN OFF, PSBL TORNADO |
| 20:15 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 10 W Samantha | Tuscaloosa, AL | STRUCTURAL DAMAGES, PSBL TORNADO NEAR ECHOLA |
| 20:25 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | E Berry | Fayette, AL | HAMS RELAYED |
| 20:50 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Haleyville | Winston, AL | BETWEEN HIWAYS 13 AND 278 |
| 20:55 UTC | TORNADO | 6 W Samantha | Tuscaloosa, AL | THE F1 TORNADO STARTED NEAR COUNTY ROAD 140 JUST EAST OF ELROD. THE TORNADO TRAVELED NORTHEAST ALONG THE SIPSEY RIVER BASIN AND CROSSED COUNTY ROAD 21, STATE HIGHWAY 171 AND LIFTED EAST OF COUNTY ROAD 35. NUMEROUS TREES |
| 21:19 UTC | TORNADO | 5 Sw Samantha | Tuscaloosa, AL | THE F0 TORNADO DEVELOPED JUST WEST OF LAKE LURLEEN ROAD NEAR THE SOUTHERN END OF THE LAKE. THE TORNADO DOWNED NUMEROUS TREES AS IT CROSSED STATE HIGHWAY 171. THE HIGHWAY WAS TEMPORARILY CLOSED. THE TORNADO LIFTED NORTHEA |
| 21:24 UTC | TORNADO | 5 Sw Samantha | Tuscaloosa, AL | AN FO TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR STATE HIGHWAY 171 AND RUE ROAD. THE TORNADO TRACKED NORTHEASTWARD AND CROSSED US HIGHWAY 43 BEFORE IT LIFTED NEAR THE NORTHERN END OF LAKE TUSCALOOSA. AT LEAST ONE HOME SUFFERED MINOR DAMA |
| 21:36 UTC | TORNADO | 3 S Samantha | Tuscaloosa, AL | TORNADO STILL ON THE GROUND ACROSS HIGHWAY 43 NEAR LAKE TUSCALOOSA. THIS AREA IS JUST SOUTH OF SAMANTHA. DEBRIS CLOUD VISIBLE AND TREES DOWN. |
| 23:14 UTC | TORNADO | 5 Ne Elrod | Tuscaloosa, AL | A VERY WEAK F0 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN ON THE NORTHERN END OF LAKE LURLEEN. THE SHORT LIVED TORNADO WAS VISIBLE TO MANY PEOPLE AND WAS CAPTURED ON VIDEO. THE TORNADO PULLED A SMALL AMOUNT WATER OUT OF THE LAKE AND DAMAGED A |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2005 tornado in AlabamaEvery tornado in Alabama since 1950Warnings in force in Alabama nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of September 25, 2005
44 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 25 | 1:39 AM CDT | F0 | Franklin Parish, LA | 0.7 | 100 | $200,000 | ||
| September 25 | 1:43 AM CDT | F0 | Madison Parish, LA | 4.0 | 75 | $30,000 | ||
| September 25 | 3:17 AM CDT | F2 | Jefferson, MS | 10.0 | 600 | $180,000 | ||
| September 25 | 3:37 AM CDT | F1 | Jefferson, MS | 1.0 | 75 | |||
| September 25 | 3:49 AM CDT | F2 | Jefferson, MS | 5.0 | 800 | 1 | $300,000 | |
| September 25 | 3:54 AM CDT | F2 | Claiborne, MS | 2.0 | 800 | $20,000 | ||
| September 25 | 4:44 AM CDT | F0 | Jefferson, MS | 4.0 | 50 | $40,000 | ||
| September 25 | 5:00 AM CDT | F0 | Monroe, AL | 2.2 | 50 | $80,000 | ||
| September 25 | 8:02 AM CDT | F1 | Claiborne, MS | 0.7 | 50 | $70,000 | ||
| September 25 | 9:21 AM CDT | F0 | Warren, MS | 1.5 | 100 | $10,000 | ||
| September 25 | 12:26 PM CDT | F0 | Warren, MS | 0.5 | 50 | $30,000 | ||
| September 25 | 1:01 PM CDT | F0 | Lamar, AL | 0.1 | 25 | $1,000 | ||
| September 25 | 1:55 PM CDT | F0 | Attala, MS | 2.0 | 75 | $50,000 | ||
| September 25 | 2:04 PM CDT | F0 | Pickens, AL | 5.2 | 30 | $4,000 | ||
| September 25 | 2:05 PM CDT | F0 | Madison, MS | 3.0 | 75 | |||
| September 25 | 2:22 PM CDT | F1 | Lamar, AL | 6.2 | 300 | $140,000 | ||
| September 25 | 2:25 PM CDT | F0 | Smith, MS | 1.0 | 50 | $30,000 | ||
| September 25 | 2:30 PM CDT | F1 | Marion, AL | 2.5 | 40 | $10,000 | ||
| September 25 | 2:38 PM CDT | F1 | Oktibbeha, MS | 3.5 | 75 | 7 | $2.0 million | |
| September 25 | 2:47 PM CDT | F1 | Leake, MS | 1.5 | 100 | $200,000 | ||
| September 25 | 2:54 PM CDT | F0 | Winston, AL | 0.8 | 50 | $30,000 | ||
| September 25 | 2:55 PM CDT | F0 | Tuscaloosa, AL | 1.6 | 80 | $40,000 | ||
| September 25 | 2:57 PM CDT | F1 | Winston, AL | 2.5 | 150 | $20,000 | ||
| September 25 | 3:01 PM CDT | F0 | Jasper, MS | 1.0 | 50 | |||
| September 25 | 3:05 PM CDT | F0 | Tuscaloosa, AL | 0.8 | 50 | $20,000 | ||
| September 25 | 3:06 PM CDT | F0 | Winston, AL | 0.5 | 30 | $3,000 | ||
| September 25 | 3:28 PM CDT | F0 | Hinds, MS | 1.0 | 75 | |||
| September 25 | 3:39 PM CDT | F0 | Pickens, AL | 0.3 | 25 | $2,000 | ||
| September 25 | 3:54 PM CDT | F0 | Greene, AL | 0.1 | 25 | |||
| September 25 | 3:55 PM CDT | F1 | Tuscaloosa, AL | 13.8 | 100 | $10,000 | ||
| September 25 | 3:55 PM CDT | F0 | Tuscaloosa, AL | 0.2 | 25 | |||
| September 25 | 3:58 PM CDT | F1 | Rankin, MS | 2.0 | 75 | $400,000 | ||
| September 25 | 4:05 PM CDT | F1 | Tuscaloosa, AL | 6.7 | 150 | 2 | $250,000 | |
| September 25 | 4:14 PM CDT | F0 | Oktibbeha, MS | 1.0 | 50 | |||
| September 25 | 4:19 PM CDT | F0 | Tuscaloosa, AL | 5.8 | 100 | $20,000 | ||
| September 25 | 4:21 PM CDT | F1 | Lauderdale, MS | 1.8 | 150 | $250,000 | ||
| September 25 | 4:24 PM CDT | F0 | Tuscaloosa, AL | 5.0 | 60 | $10,000 | ||
| September 25 | 5:07 PM CDT | F0 | Rankin, MS | 1.0 | 50 | $10,000 | ||
| September 25 | 5:24 PM CDT | F0 | Noxubee, MS | 1.0 | 50 | |||
| September 25 | 5:37 PM CDT | F1 | Greene, AL | 6.0 | 250 | $250,000 | ||
| September 25 | 5:52 PM CDT | F0 | Tuscaloosa, AL | 1.2 | 60 | $60,000 | ||
| September 25 | 5:59 PM CDT | F1 | Tuscaloosa, AL | 4.8 | 125 | $200,000 | ||
| September 25 | 6:14 PM CDT | F0 | Tuscaloosa, AL | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| September 25 | 9:42 PM CDT | F0 | Sumter, AL | 2.8 | 50 | $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.