Tornadoes · United States · Alabama · 2008
EF2 tornado, Glenville to Mahrt, Alabama, February 17, 2008
From Glenville to Mahrt, this EF2 tornado ran 17.1 miles across Russell and Stewart counties on February 17, 2008, touching down at 3:40 PM CST and reaching 1,000 yards wide. It killed nobody and injured 4, and did $140,000 of property damage.
The rating scale
Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Enhanced Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.
EF065 to 85 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
EF186 to 110 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
EF2111 to 135 mphthis tornado
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.
EF3136 to 165 mph
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
EF4166 to 200 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
EF5over 200 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
- EF2
- Date
- February 17, 2008
- Touchdown
- 3:40 PM CST (21:40 UTC)
- Lifted
- 4:05 PM CST (22:05 UTC)
- On the ground
- 25 minutes
- Path length
- 17.1 miles (27.5 km)
- Path width
- 1,000 yards (914 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 4
- Property damage
- $140,000
- Counties
- Russell and Stewart counties
- Touchdown point
- 32.086, -85.162
- Lift-off point
- 32.217, -84.886
- Record number
- 0802171540-01
What the Weather Service recorded
A broken squall line, sparked by an advancing cold front and strong upper level storm, caused severe thunderstorms and tornadoes across Central Alabama.
The tornado touched down near the intersection of US Highway 431 and CR-51 in the southern portion of the county. It then tracked northeastward to the Chattahoochee River near the Cottonton community, before crossing the river into Georgia. The most significant damage was located near CR-12. At least two mobile homes were destroyed and two frame houses received significant damage. Numerous trees were either snapped off or were uprooted along the path. At least one vehicle was flipped over. Four injuries were reported.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
59 minutes of warning. NWS BMX issued a tornado warning for this county at 20:41 UTC, 59 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 21:45 UTC.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 18:34 UTC and running to 00:55 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 UTC | 00:00 UTC | Lake Wind Advisory | BMX |
| 18:34 UTC | 00:55 UTC | Tornado Watch | BMX |
| 20:41 UTC | 21:45 UTC | Tornado Warning | BMX |
| 21:37 UTC | 22:15 UTC | Tornado Warning | BMX |
| 22:10 UTC | 23:00 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX |
| 22:40 UTC | 23:05 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 0.10 chance of a tornado within 25 miles, in the hatched area where significant tornadoes were expected. The outlook in force was issued at 19:42 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.
Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), 12:00Z
9.7 hours before the tornado, 144 km from the path. February 17, 2008.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -89262 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1892 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 54 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 37 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 320 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 438 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 2.7 K/km
Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), 00:00Z
2.3 hours after it, 144 km from the path. February 18, 2008.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 56 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -32 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 85 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 775 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 70 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 42 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 504 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 730 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 5.4 K/km
The surface observations
Fort Benning (LSF), 21 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19:48 UTC | 73.4 | 62.6 | 180° 10 kt | 20 | 1008.1 | |
| 19:55 UTC | 72.32 | 63.5 | 190° 10 kt | 1008.1 | ||
| 20:55 UTC | 72.32 | 63.86 | 170° 9 kt | 18 | 1007.5 | |
| 21:02 UTC | 71.6 | 64.4 | 170° 10 kt | 1007.5 | UP | |
| 21:17 UTC | 71.6 | 64.4 | 170° 9 kt | 1007.5 | VCTS -RA | |
| 21:48 UTC | 69.8 | 66.2 | 250° 3 kt | 1007.1 | TSRA BR | |
| 21:55 UTC | 68 | 66.2 | 290° 9 kt | 1007.5 | VCTS +RA BR | |
| 22:10 UTC | 66.2 | 66.2 | 200° 7 kt | 1007.1 | +TSRA FG | |
| 22:34 UTC | 66.2 | 66.2 | 6 kt | 1007.5 | VCTS -RA BR | |
| 22:55 UTC | 66.2 | 66.2 | 240° 12 kt | 22 | 1010.2 | +TSRA |
| 23:07 UTC | 64.4 | 62.6 | 240° 8 kt | 23 | 1008.5 | TSRA BR |
| 23:25 UTC | 62.6 | 62.6 | 190° 8 kt | 16 | 1008.5 | VCTS -RA |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21:40 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Seale | Russell, AL | TREES DOWN ON HWY 431 NEAR SEALE. |
| 21:48 UTC | TORNADO 2 | Cottonton | Russell, AL | *** 4 INJ *** TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF US HWY 431 AND CR 51. 2 MOBILE HOMES COMPLETELY DESTROYED AND 2 OTHER HOMES SIGNIFICANTLY DAMAGED. NUMEROUS TREES SNAPPED AND UPROOTED ALONG THE PATH...WHICH EX |
| 21:48 UTC | TORNADO | Cottonton | Russell, AL | CONFIRMED TORNADO TOUCHDOWN IN COTTONTON. |
| 21:50 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 N Omaha | Stewart, GA | ONE TREE ON A COUNTY VEHICLE. POSSIBLE TORNADO. |
| 21:50 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Omaha | Stewart, GA | TREE DOWN OVER TWO VEHICLES. |
| 21:50 UTC | TORNADO | 4 S Omaha | Stewart, GA | NUMEROUS TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN, POSSIBLE TORNADO. |
| 21:50 UTC | TORNADO | Omaha | Stewart, GA | MULTIPLE TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN, SOME OVER VEHICLES. |
| 22:10 UTC | TORNADO | 3 S Cusseta | Chattahoochee, GA | MULTIPLE TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN, POSSIBLE TORNADO. |
| 22:15 UTC | HAIL 0.88 | 4 N Batesville | Barbour, AL | REPORTED ALONG COUNTY ROAD 89. |
| 22:15 UTC | TORNADO | Cusseta | Chattahoochee, GA | MOBILE HOME DAMAGED BY POSSIBLE TORNADO. |
| 22:20 UTC | TORNADO 0 | 1 S Cusseta | Chattahoochee, GA | MOBILE HOME PICKED UP AND MOVED ONTO ANOTHER MOBILE HOME. DAMAGE MOSLTY CONFINED TO MOBILE HOME PARK AT U.S. 27 AND OLD LOUVALE ROAD. SEVERAL TREES AND POWERLINES ALSO DOWN IN THE AREA...RESULTING IN WIDESPREAD POWER OUT |
| 22:30 UTC | TORNADO | 1 S Cusseta | Chattahoochee, GA | MOBILE HOME PICKED UP AND MOVED ONTO ANOTHER MOBILE HOME. DAMAGE MOSLTY CONFINED TO MOBILE HOME PARK AT U.S. 27 AND OLD LOUVALE ROAD. SEVERAL TREES AND POWERLINES ALSO DOWN IN THE AREA...RESULTING IN WIDESPREAD POWER OUT |
| 22:39 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 6 E Clayton | Barbour, AL | MINOR DAMAGE TO A TRAILER. A FEW TREE TOPS SNAPPED OFF AND POWERLINES DOWN. NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF CR79 AND AL30. |
| 22:40 UTC | TORNADO 0 | 3 Sse Baker Hill | Barbour, AL | BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWN. BARN/OUT BUILDING DESTROYED WITH DEBRIS BLOWN 100 YARDS TO THE NORTH. METAL ROOFING CURLED UP ON GARAGE. WINDOW SHUTTER TORN OFF BRICK FACING. TWO FOOT DIAMETER PINE TREE UPROOTED ACROSS EUBANKS |
| 22:45 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 5 N Buena Vista | Marion, GA | WIDESPREAD TREES, POWERLINES, AND DAMAGE ACROSS THE NORTH HALF OF COUNTY. |
| 22:45 UTC | TORNADO 0 | 5 N Buena Vista | Marion, GA | WIDESPREAD TREES, POWERLINES, AND DAMAGE ACROSS THE NORTH HALF OF COUNTY. |
| 22:49 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Abbeville | Henry, AL | NUMEROUS TREES DOWN IN ABBEVILLE. |
| 23:00 UTC | TORNADO 0 | 1 S Mauk | Taylor, GA | OVER 15 TREES DOWN AND SNAPPED ALONG 50 TO 100 YARD PATH ON HIGHWAY 137. |
| 23:00 UTC | TORNADO | 1 S Mauk | Taylor, GA | OVER 15 TREES DOWN AND SNAPPED ALONG 50 TO 100 YARD PATH ON HIGHWAY 127. |
| 23:02 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Georgetown | Quitman, GA | SEVERAL TREES DOWN ACROSS QUITMAN COUNTY. |
| 23:15 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Cuthbert | Randolph, GA | 3 MOBILE HOMES DAMAGED IN RANDOLPH COUNTY. NUMEROUS TREES DOWN ACROSS THE NORTHERN PART OF THE COUNTY. NO INJURIES REPORTED. |
| 23:30 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 W Weston | Webster, GA | BARN SEVERELY DAMAGED, NUMEROUS TREES DOWN. |
| 23:30 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Preston | Webster, GA | NUMEROUS TREES DOWN ON SOUTH SIDE OF PRESTON. |
| 23:30 UTC | NON-TSTM WND DMG | Preston | Webster, GA | NUMEROUS TREES DOWN ON SOUTH SIDE OF PRESTON. |
| 23:35 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Plains | Sumter, GA | NUMEROUS TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN FROM NEAR PLAINS TO 5 MILES EAST OF FRIENDSHIP. |
| 00:38 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | Screamer | Henry, AL | NUMEROUS REPORTS OF QUARTER TO GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL ACROSS THE NORTHERN PORTIONS OF HENRY COUNTY. |
| 00:38 UTC | TORNADO | Screamer | Henry, AL | SEVERAL TREES DOWNED WITH THE TOPS CUT OFF OF OTHERS. EMERGENCY MANAGER SUSPECTS DAMAGE WAS FROM A TORNADO. |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2008 tornado in AlabamaEvery tornado in Alabama since 1950Warnings in force in Alabama nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of February 17, 2008
25 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 17 | 12:00 AM CST | EF1 | Barbour, AL | 2.3 | 50 | $75,000 | ||
| February 17 | 1:30 AM CST | EF1 | Saint Landry Parish, LA | 5.6 | 125 | $125,000 | ||
| February 17 | 3:42 AM CST | EF1 | Saint Helena Parish, LA | 0.3 | 15 | $30,000 | ||
| February 17 | 3:55 AM CST | EF1 | Tangipahoa Parish, LA | 2.0 | 15 | $15,000 | ||
| February 17 | 4:25 AM CST | EF0 | Washington Parish, LA | 0.1 | 15 | $8,000 | ||
| February 17 | 5:05 AM CST | EF0 | Washington Parish, LA | 0.3 | 15 | $20,000 | ||
| February 17 | 11:59 AM CST | EF1 | Escambia, FL | 5.1 | 200 | $750,000 | ||
| February 17 | 12:14 PM CST | EF1 | Santa Rosa, FL | 2.1 | 75 | $200,000 | ||
| February 17 | 12:26 PM CST | EF2 | Dallas, AL | 7.6 | 400 | $350,000 | ||
| February 17 | 1:04 PM CST | EF2 | Escambia, AL | 14.4 | 500 | $950,000 | ||
| February 17 | 1:05 PM CST | EF1 | Chilton, AL | 1.2 | 200 | $150,000 | ||
| February 17 | 1:42 PM CST | EF1 | Coosa, AL | 10.8 | 100 | $105,000 | ||
| February 17 | 1:47 PM CST | EF0 | Tallapoosa, AL | 4.5 | 50 | $10,000 | ||
| February 17 | 2:03 PM CST | EF0 | Clay, AL | 1.6 | 50 | $10,000 | ||
| February 17 | 2:17 PM CST | EF1 | Coffee, AL | 1.2 | 100 | $25,000 | ||
| February 17 | 2:22 PM CST | EF1 | Randolph, AL | 14.7 | 150 | $100,000 | ||
| February 17 | 2:23 PM CST | EF1 | Pike, AL | 8.4 | 250 | $60,000 | ||
| February 17 | 2:24 PM CST | EF2 | Lowndes, AL | 11.0 | 225 | 10 | $215,000 | |
| February 17 | 3:52 PM EST | EF1 | Carroll, GA | 4.0 | 150 | $150,000 | ||
| February 17 | 2:58 PM CST | EF3 | Autauga, AL | 14.7 | 440 | 50 | $10 million | |
| February 17 | 5:05 PM EST | EF0 | Chattahoochee, GA | 48.5 | 100 | $310,000 | ||
| February 17 | 4:17 PM CST | EF1 | Barbour, AL | 21.4 | 75 | $35,000 | ||
| February 17 | 4:38 PM CST | EF0 | Barbour, AL | 0.4 | 300 | $6,000 | ||
| February 17 | 6:18 PM EST | EF1 | Crawford, GA | 10.0 | 250 | 8 | $550,000 | |
| February 17 | 7:01 PM EST | EF0 | Jones, GA | 2.4 | 50 | $50,000 |
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.