Tornadoes · United States · Alabama · 2006
F0 tornado, Mt Hope to Caddo, Alabama, April 7, 2006
From Mt Hope to Caddo, this F0 tornado ran 0.1 miles across Lawrence County on April 7, 2006, touching down at 10:00 PM CDT and reaching 60 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
- April 7, 2006
- Touchdown
- 10:00 PM CDT (03:00 UTC)
- Path length
- 0.1 miles (0.2 km)
- Path width
- 60 yards (55 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $10,000
- County
- Lawrence County
- Touchdown point
- 34.570, -87.130
- Lift-off point
- 34.570, -87.130
- Record number
- 331
What the Weather Service recorded
A short lived tornado briefly touched down and produced minor tree damage with maximum estimated winds at 70 miles an hour.
A short lived tornado touched down and produced minor tree damage two three trees and minor roof damage to a manufactured home.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
44 minutes of warning. NWS HUN issued a tornado warning for this county at 02:16 UTC, 44 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) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17:18 UTC | 00:28 UTC | Tornado Watch | HUN |
| 23:55 UTC | 00:41 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HUN |
| 00:28 UTC | 05:34 UTC | Tornado Watch | HUN |
| 00:59 UTC | 01:30 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HUN |
| 01:00 UTC | 05:41 UTC | Flash Flood Watch | HUN |
| 01:26 UTC | 02:15 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HUN |
| 01:40 UTC | 02:15 UTC | Tornado Warning | HUN |
| 02:16 UTC | 03:00 UTC | Tornado Warning | HUN |
| 02:35 UTC | 05:30 UTC | Flash Flood Warning | HUN |
| 03:01 UTC | 03:45 UTC | Tornado Warning | HUN |
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
3.0 hours before the tornado, 158 km from the path. April 8, 2006.
- 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
Birmingham, AL (KBMX), 12:00Z
9.0 hours after it, 158 km from the path. April 8, 2006.
- 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
The radar
The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 104 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 02:59 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00:36 UTC | TORNADO | Ardmore | Limestone, AL | TORNADO TOUCHDOWN...TORNADO MOVING NE. RELAYED THRU AMATEUR RADIO. |
| 00:42 UTC | HAIL 2.5 | 2 N Toney | Madison, AL | GOLF BALL TO TENNIS BALL SIZE HAIL AT OLD RAILROAD BED ROAD IN THE BOBO COMMUNITY. |
| 00:44 UTC | TORNADO | 5 E Ardmore | Madison, AL | TORNADO WRAPPED IN RAIN NEAR THE STATE LINE ON ELKWOOD STATION ROAD. |
| 00:49 UTC | HAIL 1 | Elkwood | Madison, AL | NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF ELKWOOD SECTION ROAD AND BUTTER-AND-EGG ROAD. |
| 01:00 UTC | FLASH FLOOD | Tuscumbia | Colbert, AL | WATER OVER ROADS IN TUSCUMBIA AND MUSCLE SHOALS. |
| 01:00 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | Elkwood | Madison, AL | |
| 01:06 UTC | HAIL 1 | Rogersville | Lauderdale, AL | |
| 01:30 UTC | HAIL 0.88 | Russellville | Franklin, AL | |
| 01:38 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | 2 Nw Littleville | Colbert, AL | GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL NEAR COLBERT HEIGHTS. |
| 01:57 UTC | HAIL 1 | North Courtland | Lawrence, AL | |
| 02:06 UTC | TORNADO | Sw Phil Campbell | Franklin, AL | TORNADO ON THE GROUND JUST SOUTHWEST OF PHIL CAMPBELL |
| 02:07 UTC | TORNADO | N Courtland | Lawrence, AL | TORNADO ON THE GROUND JUST NORTH OF THE CITY OF COURTLAND |
| 02:13 UTC | HAIL 1 | Phil Campbell | Franklin, AL | |
| 02:15 UTC | FLASH FLOOD | Tuscumbia | Colbert, AL | ROAD WASHING OUT AT OLD LEE ROAD |
| 02:21 UTC | TORNADO | 4 W Belle Mina | Limestone, AL | TORNADO ON THE GROUND NEAR CALHOUN COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND U.S. 31. |
| 02:46 UTC | HAIL 0.75 | Madison | Madison, AL | ALONG SLAUGHTER ROAD NEAR HUNTSVILLE/MADISON CITY LIMITS. |
| 02:46 UTC | HAIL 1 | Harvest | Madison, AL | |
| 02:54 UTC | HAIL 1 | 5 S Russellville | Franklin, AL | |
| 02:55 UTC | FLASH FLOOD | Huntsville | Madison, AL | 4 INCHES OF WATER ON ROAD AT INTERSECTION OF JEFF ROAD AND BLAKE BOTTOM |
| 03:00 UTC | TORNADO 1 | Haleyville | Winston, AL | F1 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 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | W Moulton | Lawrence, AL | ROOF BLOWN OFF A SHED WEST OF MOULTON. ALSO POWER OUTAGES ALONG STATE HWY 24. TIME ESTIMATED. |
| 03:00 UTC | FLASH FLOOD | Athens | Limestone, AL | 2 TO 3 INCHES OF WATER IN PLACES ON HIGHWAY 72 HEADING EAST |
| 03:00 UTC | FLASH FLOOD | Huntsville | Madison, AL | 2 TO 3 INCHES OF WATER IN PLACES ON HIGHWAY 72 HEADING WEST |
| 03:02 UTC | HAIL 1 | 5 Ne Moulton | Lawrence, AL | NICKEL TO QUARTER SIZE HAIL REPORTED. |
| 03:05 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Ne Haleyville | Winston, AL | POSSIBLE TORNADO NEAR THE NEEDMORE COMMUNITY NORTHEAST OF HALEYVILLE. |
| 03:05 UTC | TORNADO | 1 Ne Haleyville | Winston, AL | POSSIBLE TORNADO NEAR THE NEEDMORE COMMUNITY NORTHEAST OF HALEYVILLE. |
| 03:07 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Haleyville | Winston, AL | ROOF DAMAGE TO A HOTEL AND DAMAGE TO A GAS STATION |
| 03:07 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Haleyville | Winston, AL | ROOF DAMAGE TO A HOTEL AND DAMAGE TO A GAS STATION. |
| 03:07 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Haleyville | Winston, AL | WIND DAMAGE TO A GAS STATION AND ROOF DAMAGE TO A HOTEL IN HALEYVILLE. |
| 03:07 UTC | HAIL 1 | Haleyville | Winston, AL | QUARTER SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED IN HALEYVILLE. |
| 03:07 UTC | TORNADO 1 | Haleyville | Winston, AL | F1 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. |
| 03:07 UTC | TORNADO | Haleyville | Winston, AL | POSSIBLE TORNADO PRODUCED MAJOR DAMAGE TO THE WINDWOOD HOTEL AND A GAS STATION IN HALEVILLE. NUMEROUS TELEPHONE POLES AND TREES DOWN BLOCKING 4 LANES OF HWY 13. |
| 03:07 UTC | TORNADO | Haleyville | Winston, AL | POSSIBLE 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. |
| 03:07 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | 3 E Phil Campbell | Franklin, AL | |
| 03:09 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | Trinity | Morgan, AL | |
| 03:10 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 S Haleyville | Winston, AL | TREES BLOWN DOWN SOUTH OF HALEYVILLE ALONG HIGHWAY 13. |
| 03:10 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | Haleyville | Winston, AL | GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL WAS OBSERVED IN HALEYVILLE. |
| 03:10 UTC | HAIL 0.88 | 2 Nw Hartselle | Morgan, AL | |
| 03:12 UTC | TORNADO | Hartselle | Morgan, AL | TORNADO ON THE GROUND...COMING IN VIA HWY 36. |
| 03:13 UTC | HAIL 2.75 | Decatur | Morgan, AL | BASEBALL SIZE HAIL REPORTED NEAR THE BELTLINE. |
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.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 7 | 12:40 PM CDT | F0 | Benton, TN | 1.1 | 10 | $50,000 | ||
| April 7 | 1:05 PM CDT | F0 | Humphreys, TN | 0.2 | 20 | $10,000 | ||
| April 7 | 1:10 PM CDT | F0 | Humphreys, TN | 0.2 | 20 | $1,000 | ||
| April 7 | 1:30 PM CDT | F3 | Dickson, TN | 18.8 | 880 | $6.0 million | ||
| April 7 | 1:34 PM CDT | F2 | Henderson, TN | 9.0 | 100 | 5 | $2.0 million | |
| April 7 | 1:40 PM CDT | F1 | Henderson, TN | 3.5 | 100 | $40,000 | ||
| April 7 | 1:53 PM CDT | F2 | Benton, TN | 6.0 | 50 | $250,000 | ||
| April 7 | 2:05 PM CDT | F1 | Humphreys, TN | 4.5 | 50 | $100,000 | ||
| April 7 | 2:08 PM CDT | F3 | Davidson, TN | 22.7 | 880 | 7 | 128 | $79 million |
| April 7 | 2:43 PM CDT | F0 | Lewis, TN | 0.3 | 100 | |||
| April 7 | 3:04 PM CDT | F2 | Barren, KY | 8.1 | 250 | 4 | $1.6 million | |
| April 7 | 3:35 PM CDT | F0 | Union Parish, LA | 6.8 | 250 | $70,000 | ||
| April 7 | 5:14 PM EDT | F1 | Adams, IN | 0.8 | 100 | $40,000 | ||
| April 7 | 4:36 PM CDT | F0 | Leflore, MS | 3.0 | 50 | |||
| April 7 | 4:45 PM CDT | F1 | Pike, IN | 0.7 | 75 | $120,000 | ||
| April 7 | 4:45 PM CDT | F1 | Warren, TN | 11.0 | 150 | 2 | $500,000 | |
| April 7 | 4:53 PM CDT | F0 | Washington, MS | 1.0 | 50 | $100,000 | ||
| April 7 | 4:56 PM CDT | F0 | Pontotoc, MS | 6.0 | 30 | $30,000 | ||
| April 7 | 5:43 PM CDT | F0 | Humphreys, MS | 1.0 | 30 | |||
| April 7 | 5:46 PM CDT | F1 | Cumberland, TN | 6.2 | 150 | 4 | $4.0 million | |
| April 7 | 5:50 PM CDT | F0 | Colbert, AL | 0.1 | 50 | $20,000 | ||
| April 7 | 5:52 PM CDT | F0 | Leflore, MS | 1.0 | 50 | |||
| April 7 | 6:14 PM CDT | F0 | Lauderdale, AL | 0.1 | 30 | |||
| April 7 | 6:17 PM CDT | F0 | Moore, TN | 0.2 | 30 | |||
| April 7 | 6:25 PM CDT | F1 | Colbert, AL | 8.0 | 100 | $120,000 | ||
| April 7 | 6:28 PM CDT | F1 | Warren, TN | 4.0 | 100 | 1 | $100,000 | |
| April 7 | 6:30 PM CDT | F0 | Lincoln, TN | 0.5 | 50 | $1,000 | ||
| April 7 | 6:55 PM CDT | F1 | Colbert, AL | 10.0 | 100 | $70,000 | ||
| April 7 | 7:02 PM CDT | F1 | Muhlenberg, KY | 1.7 | 150 | $40,000 | ||
| April 7 | 7:05 PM CDT | F1 | Limestone, AL | 0.7 | 200 | $10,000 | ||
| April 7 | 7:35 PM CDT | F0 | Chickasaw, MS | 0.2 | 15 | $10,000 | ||
| April 7 | 7:45 PM CDT | F0 | Madison, AL | 0.2 | 50 | $10,000 | ||
| April 7 | 7:48 PM CDT | F0 | Lincoln, AL to TN | 2.1 | 30 | |||
| April 7 | 8:01 PM CDT | F0 | Lincoln, TN | 0.1 | 30 | $5,000 | ||
| April 7 | 8:45 PM CDT | F0 | Lawrence, AL | 0.1 | 30 | |||
| April 7 | 8:55 PM CDT | F1 | Marion, AL | 9.4 | 50 | $50,000 | ||
| April 7 | 9:00 PM CDT | F0 | Franklin, AL | 3.0 | 75 | $10,000 | ||
| April 7 | 9:30 PM CDT | F0 | Lawrence, AL | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| April 7 | 9:55 PM CDT | F0 | Sunflower, MS | 3.0 | 50 | $30,000 | ||
| April 7 | 10:00 PM CDT | F1 | Winston, AL | 4.7 | 150 | $80,000 | ||
| April 7 | 10:16 PM CDT | F0 | Morgan, AL | 1.0 | 50 | $1,000 | ||
| April 7 | 10:24 PM CDT | F0 | Limestone, AL | 0.1 | 40 | |||
| April 7 | 10:35 PM CDT | F1 | Morgan, AL | 9.0 | 150 | $110,000 | ||
| April 7 | 11:15 PM CDT | F0 | Marshall, AL | 0.1 | 150 | $20,000 | ||
| April 7 | 11:50 PM CDT | F1 | Cullman, AL | 0.2 | 30 | $120,000 | ||
| April 7 | 12:44 AM CDT | F0 | DeKalb, AL | 0.1 | 85 | $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.