Tornadoes · United States · Alabama · 2009

EF1 tornado, Loachapoka to Whatley Xrd, Alabama, April 10, 2009

From Loachapoka to Whatley Xrd, this EF1 tornado ran 2.2 miles across Lee County on April 10, 2009, touching down at 7:51 PM 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 Enhanced Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. EF065 to 85 mph

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

  2. EF186 to 110 mphthis tornado

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. EF2111 to 135 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. 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.

  5. EF4166 to 200 mph

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. 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.

  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
EF1
Date
April 10, 2009
Touchdown
7:51 PM CDT (00:51 UTC)
Lifted
7:55 PM CDT (00:55 UTC)
On the ground
4 minutes
Path length
2.2 miles (3.5 km)
Path width
100 yards (91 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$30,000
County
Lee County
Touchdown point
32.529, -85.388
Lift-off point
32.515, -85.355
Record number
0904101851-01

What the Weather Service recorded

A powerful spring storm system, including a deepening surface low and a strong cold front, brought widespread severe weather to central Alabama. Damaging wind gusts, large hail, and 8 tornadoes were reported across the area.

The tornado touched down just west of the town of Loachapoka along CR-64. It then moved through Loachapoka, and nearly paralleled AL-14 for several miles, before lifting just south of AL-14 east of CR-51. Hundreds of trees were snapped off and uprooted along the path. In Loachapoka, a church sustained moderate roof damage, several barns and outbuildings suffered varying degrees of damage, and a few vehicles were damaged by the fallen trees.

The tornado touched down south of the Beauregard community, just west of AL-51. It then traveled southeast for just over two miles, lifting near CR-42. The most significant damage occurred near CR-758, where a mobile home received damage, a few other structures suffered roof damage and several trees and power lines were either snapped off or were uprooted.

From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the tornado touched down, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Birmingham, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at Apr 10, 6:49 PM CDT, 1 hour 2 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 10, 6:49 PM CDT, 1 hour 2 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
649 PM CDT FRI APR 10 2009

.UPDATE...FOR AVIATION DISCUSSION.

&&

.DISCUSSION...

NOT MANY CHANGES TO PREVIOUS FORECAST PACKAGE. PARTS OF NE CWA UNDER
A HIGH RISK FROM SPC WITH REMAINDER OF AREA UNDER MDT RISK. RAPID
DESTABILIZATION IS TAKING PLACE THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS MUCH OF
CENTRAL ALABAMA...AS THE CAP IS QUICKLY ERODING AWAY FURTHER NORTH.
WILL WATCH THE CAP STAY STRONGER FURTHER SOUTH...SAY SOUTH OF
I20...BUT EVENTUALLY COOLING ALOFT COMBINED WITH SURFACE HEATING AND
MOISTENING WILL WIN OUT. THE OTHER QUESTIONS THAT REMAIN ARE PW
VALUES FOR AREAS SOUTH OF 20. FOR NOW WE ARE LOOKING AT VALUES JUST
ABOVE 1 INCH ALONG THE FRONT SUGGESTING THE CELLS WILL BECOME MORE
INDIVIDUALIZED AND ISOLATED AS THE LINE PUSHES FURTHER SOUTH AND
EAST. AREAS NORTH LOOK PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS AS AGAIN RAPID
DESTABILIZATION IS ALLOWING CAPE VALUES TO SOAR TO JUST BELOW 3000
J/KG AND SRH VALUES ABOVE 300 BOTH IN THE 0 TO 3 KM RANGE AND 0 TO 1
KM RANGE. TORNADOES WILL BE A HIGH THREAT...WITH EVEN STRONG
TORNADOES POSSIBLE ACROSS THE NORTHERN CWA. HAIL CONTINUES TO BE THE
BIGGEST THREAT AS LAPSE RATES ALOFT CONTINUE TO INCREASE AND CAPE
VALUES IN THE MAXIMUM HAIL GROWTH ZONE HAVE INCREASED TO NEARLY 500
J/KG...WHICH IS ABOUT THE HIGHEST IVE SEEN IN QUITE SOME TIME. IN
ADDITION...VERY STRONG GRADIENT FLOW WILL CONTINUE FOR AREAS AHEAD
OF THE FRONT...POTENTIALLY RESULTING IN SOME TREES GOING DOWN.

DUE TO ORIENTATION OF STORMS (NE-SW)...EXPECT SEVERE WEATHER TO
CONTINUE FOR AREAS EAST OF I-65 AND SOUTH OF I-20 UNTIL THE 02-04Z
TIMEFRAME WITH THE LINE MOVING INTO GA AFTER THAT TIME.

CALM AND COOLER ON SATURDAY WITH NEXT SYSTEM AFFECTING REGION AS
EARLY AS 00Z SUNDAY IN WESTERN SECTIONS AND ACROSS REMAINDER OF
STATE AFTER 06Z. TUE AND WED WILL HAVE NEAR NORMAL TEMPS WITH
ANOTHER ROUND OF STORMS LATE IN WEEK.

LAWS/STEFKOVICH

&&

.AVIATION...00Z TAF DISCUSSION.

WILL CONTINUE THREAT OF THUNDERSTORMS AT MGM AND TOI UNTIL 05Z.
VISIBLE SATELLITE SHOWS A LARGE BREAK IN THE CLOUD COVER BEHIND
FRONT...BEFORE COLD-AIR ADVECTION...MVFR CIGS MOVE SOUTHEAST BACK
OVER OUR NORTHERN TAF SITES.  I HAVE THESE MVFR CIGS BACK IN THE
TAFS BY 09Z.  THE TREND LOOKS GOOD FOR VFR CONDITIONS AT ALL TAF
SITES BY 18Z.

03

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
GADSDEN     49  67  42  68  56 /  30  10  10  10  70
ANNISTON    52  67  46  69  60 /  30  10  10  10  70
BIRMINGHAM  51  66  46  70  61 /  20  10  10  20  70
TUSCALOOSA  52  69  45  70  63 /  20  10  10  30  70
CALERA      53  67  47  69  60 /  20  10  10  20  70
AUBURN      56  71  48  72  57 /  30  10  10  10  70
MONTGOMERY  56  74  47  74  60 /  20  10  10  20  70
TROY        57  75  49  75  60 /  30  10  10  20  50

&&

.BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FOR ALL COUNTIES UNTIL 7 PM TODAY.
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 10, 1:04 PM CDT, 6 hours 47 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
104 PM CDT FRI APR 10 2009

ALZ011>015-017>050-111130-
AUTAUGA-BARBOUR-BIBB-BLOUNT-BULLOCK-CALHOUN-CHAMBERS-CHEROKEE-
CHILTON-CLAY-CLEBURNE-COOSA-DALLAS-ELMORE-ETOWAH-FAYETTE-GREENE-HALE-
JEFFERSON-LAMAR-LEE-LOWNDES-MACON-MARENGO-MARION-MONTGOMERY-PERRY-
PICKENS-PIKE-RANDOLPH-RUSSELL-SHELBY-ST CLAIR-SUMTER-TALLADEGA-
TALLAPOOSA-TUSCALOOSA-WALKER-WINSTON-
104 PM CDT FRI APR 10 2009

...MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS NORTH
ALABAMA...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ACROSS NORTH
CENTRAL ALABAMA. LARGE HAIL...TORNADOES...AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE ALL
POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS.

FOR AREAS ALONG AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM AUBURN...TO ALABASTER...TO
REFORM...THERE WILL BE A POTENTIAL FOR SCATTERED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
WITH STRONG TORNADOES AND VERY LARGE HAIL.

FOR AREAS SOUTH OF THIS LINE...ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE
WITH VERY LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.

THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL END WITH A COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE LATE
THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. THE FRONT WILL BE LOCATED NEAR A
LINE FROM SELMA TO ANNISTON BY AROUND 7 PM.

IN ADDITION TO THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...STRONG STRAIGHT LINE WINDS
NOT ASSOCIATED WITH THUNDERSTORMS WILL LAST THROUGH THE AFTERNOON.
WIND GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE. THESE WINDS MAY KNOCK
A FEW TREES DOWN OR BREAK SOME LIMBS. SECURE ALL OUTDOOR FURNITURE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE AGAIN ON MONDAY...AS A COLD FRONT
PUSHES THROUGH THE AREA.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT WILL BE NEEDED
INTO THE EVENING AND POSSIBLY AGAIN ON MONDAY.

75/LINHARES

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 10, 7:25 PM CDT, 26 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
Local storm report, Apr 10, 7:27 PM CDT, 24 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
Local storm report, Apr 10, 7:30 PM CDT, 21 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
730 PM CDT FRI APR 10 2009

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0212 PM     TSTM WND DMG     HACKLEBURG              34.27N 87.83W
04/10/2009                   MARION             AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            BARN BLOWN DOWN ON COUNTY ROAD 118.

&&

KSUMRALL
Local storm report, Apr 10, 7:37 PM CDT, 14 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
737 PM CDT FRI APR 10 2009

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0722 PM     HAIL             1 S ROXANA              32.67N 85.67W
04/10/2009  E1.00 INCH       LEE                AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            QUARTER SIZE HAIL REPORTED JUST SOUTH OF ROXANA.

&&

LINHARES
Local storm report, Apr 10, 7:43 PM CDT, 8 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
743 PM CDT FRI APR 10 2009

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0730 PM     HAIL             1 S DADEVILLE           32.82N 85.77W
04/10/2009  E1.75 INCH       TALLAPOOSA         AL   PUBLIC

            GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL REPORTED SOUTH OF DADEVILLE.

0730 PM     HAIL             DADEVILLE               32.83N 85.77W
04/10/2009  E1.75 INCH       TALLAPOOSA         AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL REPORTED JUST SOUTH OF DADEVILLE.

&&

LINHARES
Local storm report, Apr 10, 7:46 PM CDT, 5 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
746 PM CDT FRI APR 10 2009

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0230 PM     NON-TSTM WND DMG 2 S ONEONTA             33.92N 86.47W
04/10/2009                   BLOUNT             AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            TREE DOWN ON POWER LINE ON BOAT LANDING ROAD.

&&

KSUMRALL

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

11.1 hours after it, 125 km from the path. April 11, 2009.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 12:00Z on 2009-04-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 0 joules per kilogram, CIN -84211, lifted condensation level 896 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 12:00Z on 2009-04-11The 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 -137 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 48 knots.1939587897117Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-84211 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
896 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-137 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
89 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
2.5 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Auburn-Opelika Apt (AUO), 12 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
00:00 UTC

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2009 tornado in AlabamaEvery tornado in Alabama since 1950Warnings in force in Alabama nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of April 10, 2009

63 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 101:27 AM CDTEF1Richland Parish, LA4.4100$10,000
April 105:38 AM CDTEF0Marshall, AL2.0200$16,000
April 1010:41 AM CDTEF1Benton, TN4.075$500,000
April 1010:50 AM CDTEF0Humphreys, TN1.025$10,000
April 1010:59 AM CDTEF1Humphreys, TN12.0300$200,000
April 1011:16 AM CDTEF0Calloway, KY0.375$200,000
April 1011:45 AM CDTEF1Lyon, KY0.3501$70,000
April 1011:47 AM CDTEF0Christian, KY1.650$14,000
April 1011:54 AM CDTEF3Hopkins, KY2.0752$152,000
April 1012:19 PM CDTEF4Murfreesboro tornado, TN23.3750258$100 million
April 1012:49 PM CDTEF1Sumner, TN0.650$200,000
April 1012:58 PM CDTEF0Rutherford, TN0.225$5,000
April 101:01 PM CDTEF1Rutherford, TN3.7100$60,000
April 101:19 PM CDTEF0Cannon, TN0.875$10,000
April 101:59 PM CDTEF0Limestone, AL0.210$20,000
April 103:13 PM EDTEF1Lincoln, KY7.5100$140,000
April 102:18 PM CDTEF0Coffee, TN0.325
April 102:22 PM CDTEF1Putnam, TN6.0100$100,000
April 103:02 PM CDTEF2Sequatchie, TN5.0175$100,000
April 103:02 PM CDTEF3Marshall, AL32.54405
April 103:05 PM CDTEF1Sequatchie, TN0.240$15,000
April 104:23 PM EDTEF1Hamilton, TN0.530$50,000
April 105:00 PM EDTEF2Chattooga, GA0.3200$900,000
April 106:04 PM EDTEF1Pickens, GA3.4440$25,000
April 106:30 PM EDTEF0Oconee, SC0.130
April 106:53 PM EDTEF2Franklin, GA9.5200
April 106:57 PM EDTEF1Forsyth, GA0.2200$200,000
April 107:23 PM EDTEF1Anderson, SC2.8400$300,000
April 107:50 PM EDTEF0Anderson, SC1.6100
April 107:12 PM CDTEF1Tallapoosa, AL10.1250$52,000
April 108:23 PM EDTEF1Abbeville, SC1.2200$50,000
April 108:28 PM EDTEF2Abbeville, SC6.73002$1.0 million
April 107:30 PM CDTEF1Lee, AL5.5300$150,000
April 108:32 PM EDTEF1Union, SC3.9350$400,000
April 108:41 PM EDTEF1Greenwood, SC4.6200$200,000
April 108:43 PM EDTEF1Greenwood, SC2.6200$300,000
April 108:04 PM CDTEF1Russell, AL5.9150$10,000
April 108:19 PM CDTEF1Russell, AL1.0502$120,000
April 108:26 PM CDTEF1Macon, AL25.5440$210,000
April 109:46 PM EDTEF1Chattahoochee, GA3.7440$100,000
April 108:48 PM CDTEF1Montgomery, AL26.1440$366,000
April 109:53 PM EDTEF0McDuffie, GA0.440$72,000
April 1010:00 PM EDTEF1Chattahoochee, GA3.7100$150,000
April 1010:19 PM EDTEF0Hancock, GA1.133$10,000
April 109:20 PM CDTEF1Russell, AL0.51501$50,000
April 1010:23 PM EDTEF0Hancock, GA0.333$7,000
April 1010:28 PM EDTEF3Hancock, GA6.88801$500,000
April 1010:30 PM EDTEF3Columbia, GA17.788012$6.0 million
April 1010:56 PM EDTEF0Glascock, GA0.3150$4,000
April 1010:57 PM EDTEF3Aiken, SC14.688014$5.0 million
April 1011:00 PM EDTEF1Sumter, GA25.1250$380,000
April 1011:20 PM EDTEF0Dooly, GA5.5100$50,000
April 1011:34 PM EDTEF3Burke, GA26.38804$3.0 million
April 1011:40 PM EDTEF1Sumter, GA1.2200$5,000
April 1012:02 AM EDTEF1Glascock, GA4.6200$102,000
April 1012:15 AM EDTEF1Sumter, GA2.9200$1.0 million
April 1012:17 AM EDTEF0Barnwell, SC0.1100
April 1012:23 AM EDTEF1Crisp, GA25.3200$700,000
April 1012:24 AM EDTEF1Terrell, GA0.6100$300,000
April 1012:26 AM EDTEF1Allendale, SC1.2300$1.0 million

All 64 of them

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.