Tornadoes · United States · Alabama · 2006

F0 tornado, Lawrence County, Alabama, April 7, 2006

This F0 tornado ran 0.1 miles across Lawrence County on April 7, 2006, touching down at 9:30 PM CDT and reaching 50 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.

  1. F040 to 72 mphthis tornado

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

  2. F173 to 112 mph

    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
F0
Date
April 7, 2006
Touchdown
9:30 PM CDT (02:30 UTC)
Path length
0.1 miles (0.2 km)
Path width
50 yards (46 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
County
Lawrence County
Touchdown point
34.450, -87.470
Lift-off point
34.450, -87.470
Record number
328

The warnings

14 minutes of warning. NWS HUN issued a tornado warning for this county at 02:16 UTC, 14 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 03:00 UTC.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 00:28 UTC and running to 05:34 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
17:18 UTC00:28 UTCTornado WatchHUN
23:55 UTC00:41 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUN
00:28 UTC05:34 UTCTornado WatchHUN
00:59 UTC01:30 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUN
01:00 UTC05:41 UTCFlash Flood WatchHUN
01:26 UTC02:15 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUN
01:40 UTC02:15 UTCTornado WarningHUN
02:16 UTC03:00 UTCTornado WarningHUN
02:35 UTC05:30 UTCFlash Flood WarningHUN
03:01 UTC03:45 UTCTornado WarningHUN

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 High Risk, with a 0.30 chance of a tornado within 25 miles, in the hatched area where significant tornadoes were expected. The outlook in force was issued at 00:59 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

2.5 hours before the tornado, 155 km from the path. April 8, 2006.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 2006-04-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 578 joules per kilogram, CIN -120, lifted condensation level 1683 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°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 2006-04-08The 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 156 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 59 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
578 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-120 J/kg
Surface CAPE
649 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1683 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
59 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
18 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
156 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
269 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
0.9
0-3 km lapse rate
6.8 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), 12:00Z

9.5 hours after it, 155 km from the path. April 8, 2006.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Birmingham, AL at 12:00Z on 2006-04-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 45 joules per kilogram, CIN -218, lifted condensation level 1050 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°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 2006-04-08The 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 -123 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 58 knots.19395878Sfc1 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
45 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-218 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1050 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
58 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-123 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
88 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
4.7 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 100 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 02:32 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)ReportWhereCountyRemark
23:33 UTCTSTM WND GST 66Muscle ShoalsColbert, AL
23:34 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 Se TuscumbiaColbert, ALALABAMA POWER REPORTED HIGH TENSION POWER POLES SNAPPED OFF.
23:35 UTCTSTM WND DMG7 Ese CherokeeColbert, ALTREE BRANCHES SNAPPED OFF AND FLAGPOLE BENT TO THE GROUND NEAR RED ROCK.
23:36 UTCHAIL 0.5SheffieldColbert, ALDIME HAIL.
23:40 UTCHAIL 0.5N FlorenceLauderdale, ALPEA TO DIME SIZE HAIL.
23:41 UTCHAIL 0.53 E Muscle ShoalsColbert, ALDIME SIZE HAIL.
23:52 UTCFUNNEL CLOUD1 W CoxeyLimestone, ALSPOTTED NEAR THE LAUDERDALE COUNTY LINE/U.S. 72 BRIDGE OVER THE ELK RIVER.
23:57 UTCFUNNEL CLOUDRogersvilleLauderdale, ALSPOTTED JUST NORTH OF TOWN.
01:00 UTCFLASH FLOODTuscumbiaColbert, ALWATER OVER ROADS IN TUSCUMBIA AND MUSCLE SHOALS.
01:06 UTCHAIL 1RogersvilleLauderdale, AL
01:30 UTCHAIL 0.88RussellvilleFranklin, AL
01:38 UTCHAIL 1.752 Nw LittlevilleColbert, ALGOLF BALL SIZE HAIL NEAR COLBERT HEIGHTS.
01:55 UTCTORNADO 16 N HamiltonMarion, AL*** 1 INJ *** SEVERAL TREES TWISTED AND BLOWN DOWN. DAMAGE TO A CHURCH AND SEVERAL OTHER STRUCTURES. DAMAGE PATH LENGTH 1/2 MILE LONG AND 50 YARDS WIDE. ONE PERSON WAS INJURED BY A FALLEN TREE. ONE WOMAN FROM HAMILTON DI
01:55 UTCTSTM WND DMGHodgesFranklin, ALPUBLIC REPORTED THE ROOF BLOWN OFF A BUILDING BEHIND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IN THE HODGES COMMUNITY. A LARGE TREE WAS ALSO REPORTED DOWNED IN A CEMETERY BEHIND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IN THE HODGES COMMUNITY.
01:57 UTCHAIL 1North CourtlandLawrence, AL
02:00 UTCTSTM WND DMGW HamiltonMarion, ALTREES AND POWER LINES DOWN.
02:01 UTCFUNNEL CLOUDHackleburgMarion, ALA FUNNEL CLOUD WAS REPORTED IN HACKELBURG.
02:01 UTCFUNNEL CLOUDHackleburgMarion, ALA FUNNEL CLOUD WAS REPORTED IN HACKLEBURG.
02:05 UTCTORNADOHackleburgMarion, ALPUBLIC REPORTED POSSIBLE TORNADO JUST NORTHEAST OF HACKLEBURG.
02:06 UTCTORNADOSw Phil CampbellFranklin, ALTORNADO ON THE GROUND JUST SOUTHWEST OF PHIL CAMPBELL
02:07 UTCTORNADON CourtlandLawrence, ALTORNADO ON THE GROUND JUST NORTH OF THE CITY OF COURTLAND
02:13 UTCHAIL 1Phil CampbellFranklin, AL
02:15 UTCFLASH FLOODTuscumbiaColbert, ALROAD WASHING OUT AT OLD LEE ROAD
02:21 UTCTORNADO4 W Belle MinaLimestone, ALTORNADO ON THE GROUND NEAR CALHOUN COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND U.S. 31.
02:38 UTCDOWNBURST4 N HamiltonMarion, ALTREES TWISTED...TREE BLOWN DOWN ON CAR RESULTING IN TWO SERIOUS INJURIES.
02:38 UTCFUNNEL CLOUDW HamiltonMarion, ALFUNNEL CLOUD JUST WEST OF HAMILTON.
02:38 UTCTSTM WND DMG4 N HamiltonMarion, AL*** 2 INJ *** TREES TWISTED...TREE BLOWN DOWN ON CAR RESULTING IN TWO SERIOUS INJURIES.
02:38 UTCTSTM WND DMG6 N HamiltonMarion, AL*** 2 INJ *** F1 TORNADO. TREES TWISTED...TREE BLOWN DOWN ON CAR RESULTING IN TWO SERIOUS INJURIES. DAMAGE TO CHURCH AND SEVERAL OTHER STRUCTURES. DAMAGE PATH 1/2 MILE LONG AND 50 YARDS WIDE.
02:44 UTCHAIL 1.751 W HackleburgMarion, ALGOLF BALL SIZED HAIL IN WIGINTON.
02:50 UTCTSTM WND DMGHamiltonMarion, ALNUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN IN AND AROUND HAMILTON. POWER OUTAGES ARE WIDESPREAD.
02:54 UTCHAIL 15 S RussellvilleFranklin, AL
02:59 UTCFUNNEL CLOUDBear CreekMarion, ALFUNNEL CLOUD SPOTTED NEAR LYNNELL AVENUE IN BEAR CREEK.
03:00 UTCTORNADO 1HaleyvilleWinston, ALF1 TORNADO PRODUCED MAJOR DAMAGE TO THE WINDWOOD HOTEL AND A GAS STATION IN HALEYVILLE. NUMEROUS TELEPHONE POLES AND TREES DOWN BLOCKING 4 LANES OF HWY 13. DAMAGE PATH LENGTH 4 MILES AND WIDTH 150 YARDS.
03:00 UTCTSTM WND DMGW MoultonLawrence, ALROOF BLOWN OFF A SHED WEST OF MOULTON. ALSO POWER OUTAGES ALONG STATE HWY 24. TIME ESTIMATED.
03:02 UTCHAIL 15 Ne MoultonLawrence, ALNICKEL TO QUARTER SIZE HAIL REPORTED.
03:05 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 Ne HaleyvilleWinston, ALPOSSIBLE TORNADO NEAR THE NEEDMORE COMMUNITY NORTHEAST OF HALEYVILLE.
03:05 UTCTORNADO1 Ne HaleyvilleWinston, ALPOSSIBLE TORNADO NEAR THE NEEDMORE COMMUNITY NORTHEAST OF HALEYVILLE.
03:07 UTCTSTM WND DMGHaleyvilleWinston, ALROOF DAMAGE TO A HOTEL AND DAMAGE TO A GAS STATION
03:07 UTCTSTM WND DMGHaleyvilleWinston, ALROOF DAMAGE TO A HOTEL AND DAMAGE TO A GAS STATION.
03:07 UTCTSTM WND DMGHaleyvilleWinston, ALWIND DAMAGE TO A GAS STATION AND ROOF DAMAGE TO A HOTEL IN HALEYVILLE.

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

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2006 tornado in AlabamaEvery tornado in Alabama since 1950Warnings in force in Alabama nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of April 7, 2006

46 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 712:40 PM CDTF0Benton, TN1.110$50,000
April 71:05 PM CDTF0Humphreys, TN0.220$10,000
April 71:10 PM CDTF0Humphreys, TN0.220$1,000
April 71:30 PM CDTF3Dickson, TN18.8880$6.0 million
April 71:34 PM CDTF2Henderson, TN9.01005$2.0 million
April 71:40 PM CDTF1Henderson, TN3.5100$40,000
April 71:53 PM CDTF2Benton, TN6.050$250,000
April 72:05 PM CDTF1Humphreys, TN4.550$100,000
April 72:08 PM CDTF3Davidson, TN22.78807128$79 million
April 72:43 PM CDTF0Lewis, TN0.3100
April 73:04 PM CDTF2Barren, KY8.12504$1.6 million
April 73:35 PM CDTF0Union Parish, LA6.8250$70,000
April 75:14 PM EDTF1Adams, IN0.8100$40,000
April 74:36 PM CDTF0Leflore, MS3.050
April 74:45 PM CDTF1Pike, IN0.775$120,000
April 74:45 PM CDTF1Warren, TN11.01502$500,000
April 74:53 PM CDTF0Washington, MS1.050$100,000
April 74:56 PM CDTF0Pontotoc, MS6.030$30,000
April 75:43 PM CDTF0Humphreys, MS1.030
April 75:46 PM CDTF1Cumberland, TN6.21504$4.0 million
April 75:50 PM CDTF0Colbert, AL0.150$20,000
April 75:52 PM CDTF0Leflore, MS1.050
April 76:14 PM CDTF0Lauderdale, AL0.130
April 76:17 PM CDTF0Moore, TN0.230
April 76:25 PM CDTF1Colbert, AL8.0100$120,000
April 76:28 PM CDTF1Warren, TN4.01001$100,000
April 76:30 PM CDTF0Lincoln, TN0.550$1,000
April 76:55 PM CDTF1Colbert, AL10.0100$70,000
April 77:02 PM CDTF1Muhlenberg, KY1.7150$40,000
April 77:05 PM CDTF1Limestone, AL0.7200$10,000
April 77:35 PM CDTF0Chickasaw, MS0.215$10,000
April 77:45 PM CDTF0Madison, AL0.250$10,000
April 77:48 PM CDTF0Lincoln, AL to TN2.130
April 78:01 PM CDTF0Lincoln, TN0.130$5,000
April 78:45 PM CDTF0Lawrence, AL0.130
April 78:55 PM CDTF1Marion, AL9.450$50,000
April 79:00 PM CDTF0Franklin, AL3.075$10,000
April 79:55 PM CDTF0Sunflower, MS3.050$30,000
April 710:00 PM CDTF0Lawrence, AL0.160$10,000
April 710:00 PM CDTF1Winston, AL4.7150$80,000
April 710:16 PM CDTF0Morgan, AL1.050$1,000
April 710:24 PM CDTF0Limestone, AL0.140
April 710:35 PM CDTF1Morgan, AL9.0150$110,000
April 711:15 PM CDTF0Marshall, AL0.1150$20,000
April 711:50 PM CDTF1Cullman, AL0.230$120,000
April 712:44 AM CDTF0DeKalb, AL0.185$10,000

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.