Tornadoes · United States · Alabama · 2006
F0 tornado, Childersburg, Alabama, April 8, 2006
This F0 tornado ran 0.6 miles across Talladega County on April 8, 2006, touching down at 3:03 AM CDT and reaching 100 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $30,000 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 8, 2006
- Touchdown
- 3:03 AM CDT (08:03 UTC)
- Path length
- 0.6 miles (1.0 km)
- Path width
- 100 yards (91 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $30,000
- County
- Talladega County
- Touchdown point
- 33.280, -86.370
- Lift-off point
- 33.270, -86.370
- Record number
- 345
What the Weather Service recorded
The tornado touched down near Edgewater Drive and the Coosa River, just east of the Morgan Bridge on US 231/280. It then tracked southeastward through the Pinewood Terrace Community and dissipated near 4th Avenue NE. Many trees were either snapped off or uprooted along the path. A few of the fallen trees landed on homes and automobiles. The most damage occurred in the Lakeside and Bates Subdivisions near State Highway 235.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
No tornado warning for this county appears in the archive as in force at the moment the tornado touched down. One was issued for the county at another hour that day.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 00:30 UTC and running to 09:00 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:00 UTC | 09:00 UTC | Lake Wind Advisory | BMX |
| 00:30 UTC | 09:00 UTC | Tornado Watch | BMX |
| 06:59 UTC | 07:30 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX |
| 07:09 UTC | 07:45 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 General Thunderstorms Risk. The outlook in force was issued at 05:58 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
8.1 hours before the tornado, 40 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
3.9 hours after it, 40 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 Birmingham radar (KBMX), 39 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 08:01 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06:16 UTC | TORNADO 1 | 5 Sw Trussville | Jefferson, AL | F1 TORNADO IN ROEBUCK. NUMEROUS LARGE HARDWOOD TREES UPROOTED. SEVERAL PINE TREES SNAPPED OFF 10 TO 25 FEET OFF THE GROUND. TORNADO PATH WAS MAINLY THROUGH VERY HEAVILY FORESTED NEIGHBORHOODS. NUMEROUS HOMES AND STRUCTUR |
| 06:16 UTC | TORNADO 1 | Gardendale | Jefferson, AL | *** 1 INJ *** F1 TORNADO. LARGE TREE BLOWN DOWN ON HOUSE RESULTING IN ONE INJURY. TWO LARGE COMMERCIAL AIR CONDITIONING UNITS BLOWN OFF ROOF OF K-MART. DOZENS OF BUSINESSES AND HOMES DAMAGED IN THE VICINITY OF HWY 31. DA |
| 06:23 UTC | TORNADO 1 | 5 Sw Trussville | Jefferson, AL | F1 TORNADO IN ROEBUCK. NUMEROUS LARGE HARDWOOD TREES UPROOTED. SEVERAL PINE TREES SNAPPED OFF 10 TO 25 FEET OFF THE GROUND. TORNADO PATH WAS MAINLY THROUGH VERY HEAVILY FORESTED NEIGHBORHOODS. NUMEROUS HOMES AND STRUCTUR |
| 06:23 UTC | TORNADO 1 | Gardendale | Jefferson, AL | *** 1 INJ *** F1 TORNADO. LARGE TREE BLOWN DOWN ON HOUSE RESULTING IN ONE INJURY. TWO LARGE COMMERCIAL AIR CONDITIONING UNITS BLOWN OFF ROOF OF K-MART. DOZENS OF BUSINESSES AND HOMES DAMAGED IN THE VICINITY OF HWY 31. DA |
| 06:29 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 5 Sw Trussville | Jefferson, AL | STRAIGHT LINE WIND. MANY PINES AND LARGE HARDWOOD TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN ACROSS THE ROEBUCK AREA. SEVERAL TREES LANDED ON HOMES. ESTIMATED WINDS 65-70 MPH. |
| 06:30 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Birmingham | Jefferson, AL | FULTONDALE-3 HOMES DAMAGED. MT OLIVE ROAD-DOWNED POWER LINES CAUSED AUTO ACCIDENT. OAK GROVE-POWER LINES DOWN. CROSS CREEK COURT APARTMENTS- 6 UNITS DAMAGED WITH 30 PEOPLE DISPLACED. |
| 06:30 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Birmingham | Jefferson, AL | FULTONDALE-3 HOMES DAMAGED. MT OLIVE ROAD-DOWNED POWER LINES CAUSED AUTO ACCIDENT. OAK GROVE-POWER LINES DOWN. CROSS CREEK COURT APARTMENTS-6 UNITS DAMAGED WITH 30 PEOPLE DISPLACED. |
| 06:30 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Gardendale | Jefferson, AL | *** 1 INJ *** HOME DAMAGED. NUMBER OF INJURIES YET TO BE DETERMINED. |
| 06:30 UTC | TORNADO 1 | Gardendale | Jefferson, AL | *** 1 INJ *** F1 TORNADO. LARGE TREE BLOWN DOWN ON HOUSE RESULTING IN ONE INJURY. TWO LARGE COMMERCIAL AIR CONDITIONING UNITS BLOWN OFF ROOF OF K-MART. DOZENS OF BUSINESSES AND HOMES DAMAGED IN THE VICINITY OF HWY 31. DA |
| 06:32 UTC | HAIL 0.75 | 2 E Pinson | Jefferson, AL | PENNY SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED IN CLAY. |
| 06:33 UTC | HAIL 0.75 | Trussville | Jefferson, AL | PENNY SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED IN TRUSSVILLE. |
| 06:35 UTC | DOWNBURST | 1 Nnw Leeds | Jefferson, AL | HALF INCH HAIL ON I-20 ON JEFFERSON...ST. CLAIR COUNTY LINE |
| 06:35 UTC | DOWNBURST | 1 Nnw Leeds | Jefferson, AL | HALF INCH HAIL ON I-20 ON JEFFERSON...ST. CLAIR COUNTY LINE. |
| 06:35 UTC | HAIL 0.5 | 1 Nnw Leeds | Jefferson, AL | HALF INCH HAIL ON I-20 ON JEFFERSON...ST. CLAIR COUNTY LINE. |
| 06:43 UTC | TSTM WND GST 59 | Inverness | Shelby, AL | 59 MPH WIND GUST IN INVERNESS. |
| 06:45 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 8 Nw Vincent | Shelby, AL | STRAIGHT LINE WIND EVENT IN DUNAVANT. MULTIPLE TREES DOWN AND SHINGLES OFF OF SEVERAL HOMES. FRONT DOOR AND PORCH DAMAGED TO ONE HOME. |
| 06:45 UTC | HAIL 0.25 | 1 S Leeds | Jefferson, AL | PEA TO DIME SIZE HAIL ON HIGHWAY 78 JUST SOUTH OF LEEDS. |
| 06:50 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Nw Vincent | Shelby, AL | TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN IN STERRETT. |
| 06:58 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 5 N Pell City | St. Clair, AL | TREES DOWN ACROSS ARGO, NEW LONDON, AND WATTSVILLE. |
| 07:00 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Childersburg | Talladega, AL | SEVERAL TREES BLOWN DOWN AND MANY LANDING ON STRUCTURES. |
| 07:01 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Childersburg | Talladega, AL | NUMEROUS TREES DOWN. MAINLY CONCENTRATED IN CHILDERSBURG. AT LEAST 15 TREES DOWN ON STRUCTURES. UPROOTED TREE CAUSED WATER MAIN BREAK. ONE STRUCTURE FIRE DURING STORM-UNDETERMINED CAUSE. |
| 07:03 UTC | TSTM WND GST 60 | 6 E Vincent | Talladega, AL | WIND GUSTS OF 50 TO 60 MPH REPORTED AT LOGAN MARTIN DAM. |
| 07:03 UTC | TORNADO 0 | Childersburg | Talladega, AL | F0 TORNADO. MANY TREES SNAPPED AND UPROOTED...SOME ONTO HOMES AND CARS...IN THE LAKESIDE AND BATES SUBDIVISIONS NEAR STATE ROUTE 275 ABOUT A QUARTER MILE EAST OF US-280. DAMAGE PATH WAS 6/10 MILE LONG AND ABOUT 100 YARDS |
| 07:05 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Childersburg | Talladega, AL | TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN. |
| 07:10 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | 3 S Winterboro | Talladega, AL | REPORTED IN SYCAMORE BY TRAINED SPOTTER VIA EMA. |
| 07:30 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 8 Nw Vincent | Shelby, AL | STRAIGHT LINE WIND EVENT IN DUNAVANT. MULTIPLE TREES DOWN AND SHINGLES OFF OF SEVERAL HOMES. FRONT DOOR AND PORCH DAMAGED TO ONE HOME. |
| 07:33 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Nw Vincent | Shelby, AL | TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN IN STERRETT. |
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 8, 2006
12 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 8 | 1:16 AM CDT | F1 | Jefferson, AL | 2.3 | 100 | 1 | $500,000 | |
| April 8 | 1:23 AM CDT | F1 | Jefferson, AL | 3.2 | 100 | $300,000 | ||
| April 8 | 1:52 AM CDT | F1 | Calhoun, AL | 0.8 | 120 | $10,000 | ||
| April 8 | 3:20 AM EDT | F0 | Polk, GA | 5.0 | 100 | 1 | $350,000 | |
| April 8 | 3:30 AM EDT | F2 | Polk, GA | 3.0 | 100 | 1 | $450,000 | |
| April 8 | 3:50 AM EDT | F0 | Cobb, GA | 2.5 | 50 | $150,000 | ||
| April 8 | 3:55 AM EDT | F1 | Cobb, GA | 18.0 | 200 | $7.5 million | ||
| April 8 | 5:09 AM EDT | F0 | Banks, GA | 0.2 | 100 | $350,000 | ||
| April 8 | 3:53 PM EDT | F1 | Charleston, SC | 4.5 | 100 | 1 | ||
| April 8 | 4:20 PM EDT | F0 | Charleston, SC | 2.6 | 50 | |||
| April 8 | 4:23 PM EDT | F0 | Berkeley, SC | 0.2 | 50 | |||
| April 8 | 4:25 PM EDT | F0 | Charleston, SC | 0.2 | 50 |
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.