Tornadoes · United States · Alabama · 2005
F0 tornado, Benevola, Alabama, September 25, 2005
This F0 tornado ran 0.3 miles across Pickens County on September 25, 2005, touching down at 3:39 PM CDT and reaching 25 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $2,000 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
- September 25, 2005
- Touchdown
- 3:39 PM CDT (20:39 UTC)
- Path length
- 0.3 miles (0.5 km)
- Path width
- 25 yards (23 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $2,000
- County
- Pickens County
- Touchdown point
- 33.170, -87.880
- Lift-off point
- 33.170, -87.880
- Record number
- 363
What the Weather Service recorded
Storm Spotters in western Tuscaloosa County reported a brief tornado touch down near the Tuscaloosa and Pickens County line. The brief tornado touched down at approximately 339 PM CDT in far southeastern Pickens County. The tornado affected only rural countryside and a few trees were damaged. The tornado damage path was 1/4 of a mile long and only 25 yards wide at its widest point. This tornado was produced by the remnants of Hurricane Rita. Begin/End: 33 09.65/87 51.35
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
25 minutes of warning. NWS BMX issued a tornado warning for this county at 20:14 UTC, 25 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 20:45 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17:05 UTC | 17:30 UTC | Tornado Warning | BMX |
| 17:29 UTC | 18:00 UTC | Tornado Warning | BMX |
| 18:00 UTC | 18:45 UTC | Tornado Warning | BMX |
| 18:47 UTC | 19:15 UTC | Tornado Warning | BMX |
| 19:09 UTC | 20:00 UTC | Tornado Warning | BMX |
| 20:14 UTC | 20:45 UTC | Tornado Warning | BMX |
| 21:35 UTC | 22:30 UTC | Tornado Warning | BMX |
| 22:35 UTC | 22:45 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 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
8.7 hours before the tornado, 102 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
3.3 hours after it, 102 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), 25 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), 91 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 20:37 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18:36 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | 5 Nw Palmetto | Lamar, AL | A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS REPORTED NEAR THE PALMETTO COMMUNITY. |
| 19:04 UTC | TORNADO | 8 Sw Aliceville | Pickens, AL | AN F0 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR THE COCHRANE RECREATION AREA ALONG THE TOMBIGBEE RIVER. THE TORNADO MOVED NORTHEAST AND CROSSED THE TOMBIGBEE RIVER AND LIFTED BEFORE IT ENTERED ALICEVILLE. THE TORNADO MAINLY AFFECTED RUR |
| 19:15 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Sw Aliceville | Pickens, AL | A FEW TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN WEST OF ALICEVILLE. |
| 19:18 UTC | TORNADO | Aliceville | Pickens, AL | TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN |
| 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 |
| 19:55 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 |
| 20:00 UTC | TORNADO | 10 W Samantha | Tuscaloosa, AL | ALONG COUNTY LINE NEAR ECHOLA, STRUCTURAL DAMAGES |
| 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 |
| 20:15 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 |
| 20:39 UTC | TORNADO | 10 Sse Gordo | Pickens, AL | STORM SPOTTERS IN WESTERN TUSCALOSA COUNTY REPORTED A BRIEF TORNADO TOUCH DOWN IN FAR SOUTHEASTERN PICKENS COUNTY NEAR THE TUSCALOOSA COUNTY LINE. THE F0 TORNADO AFFECTED ONLY RURAL COUNTRYSIDE BUT A FEW TREES WERE DAMAG |
| 20:52 UTC | TORNADO | 2 N Clinton | Greene, AL | VOLUNTEER FD REPORTING NEAR JENA... |
| 20:54 UTC | TORNADO | 5 Ne Union | Greene, AL | STORM SPOTTERS IN WESTERN TUSCALOOSA COUNTY OBSERVED ANOTHER TORNADO TOUCH DOWN NEAR THE SIPSEY RIVER. THE TORNADO BRIEFLY TOUCHED DOWN IN THE SIPSEY SWAMP IN EXTREME NORTHEASTERN GREENE COUNTY AND IN FAR WESTERN TUSCALO |
| 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 |
| 21:00 UTC | TORNADO | 2 Ne Mantua | Greene, AL | ON SIPSEY RIVER |
| 21:05 UTC | TORNADO | 2 Se Elrod | Tuscaloosa, AL | *** 2 INJ *** THE F1 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN JUST EAST OF COUNTY ROAD 19 NEAR CORNELIUS CHURCH ROAD. THE TORNADO TRAVELED NORTHEAST AND PRODUCED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE IN THE BUHL COMMUNITY. AT LEAST 3 MOBILE HOMES WERE DESTROY |
| 21:12 UTC | DOWNBURST | Se Elrod | Tuscaloosa, AL | CORNELIUS CHAPEL |
| 21:15 UTC | TORNADO | S Elrod | Tuscaloosa, AL | *** 2 INJ *** MCALISTER TRAILER PARK |
| 21:15 UTC | TORNADO | S Elrod | Tuscaloosa, AL | *** 2 INJ *** MCALISTER TRAILER PARK, 3 TRAILERS DESTROYED, 1 DAMAGED. AMD REPORT. |
| 21:15 UTC | TORNADO | S Elrod | Tuscaloosa, AL | MCALISTER TRAILER PARK |
| 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. |
| 22:34 UTC | HAIL 0.5 | Ne Mantua | Greene, AL | IN JENA |
| 22:37 UTC | TORNADO | 6 Sw Clinton | Greene, AL | AN F1 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN JUST EAST OF COUNT ROAD 20 NEAR TRUSSELLS CREEK. THE TORNADO MOVED NORTHEAST ROUGHLY PARALLEL TO TRUSSELLS CREEK AND LIFTED BEFORE THE TOWN OF CLINTON. THE TORNADO AFFECTED RUAL LOCATIONS BUT P |
| 22:43 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | Ne Mantua | Greene, AL | IN JENA |
| 22:52 UTC | TORNADO | 8 Se Elrod | Tuscaloosa, AL | AN FO TORNADO DEVELOPED ALONG SIPSEY VALLEY ROAD BETWEEN BUHL AND ROMULUS. THE TORNADO DAMAGED AT LEAST 3 HOMES AND SNAPPED OFF SEVERAL TREES NEAR SIPSEY VALLEY ROAD. THE TORNADO LIFTED AS IT MOVED NORTHEAST ACROSS RURAL |
| 22:54 UTC | TORNADO | Elrod | Tuscaloosa, AL | HILL TOP TRAILER PARK ON MCALISTER ROAD |
| 22:54 UTC | TORNADO | S Elrod | Tuscaloosa, AL | *** 2 INJ *** HILL TOP TRAILER PARK ON MCALISTER ROAD...CORRECTION TO EARLIER REPORT...PKA MCALISTER TRAILER PARK AT 1615 REPORT... |
| 22:59 UTC | TORNADO | 3 Se Elrod | Tuscaloosa, AL | AN F1 TORNADO DEVELOPED JUST EAST OF SIPSEY VALLEY ROAD AND MOVED DUE NORTH. THE TORNADO SIGNIFICANTLY DAMAGED SEVERAL HOMES NEAR SIPSEY VALLEY ROAD AND SIPSEY LANE. THE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT AND SEVERAL OTHER BUILDI |
| 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 |
| 23:19 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | 3 Ne Union | Greene, AL | HEADING TOWARD KNOXVILLE |
| 23:19 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | 3 Ne Union | Greene, AL | MANTUA VICINITY, HEADING NORTHEAST TOWARD SIPSEY RIVER. CORRECTED REPORT. |
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 | 3:00 PM CDT | F0 | Fayette, AL | 0.1 | 20 | |||
| 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 | 3:54 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.