EF4 Shoal Creek Valley–Ohatchee tornado, Alabama and Georgia, April 27, 2011

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 mph

   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 mphthis tornado

   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.

Rating

EF4

Date

April 27, 2011

Touchdown

6:28 PM CDT (23:28 UTC)

Lifted

8:15 PM CDT (01:15 UTC)

On the ground

107 minutes

Path length

97.3 miles (156.6 km)

Path width

1,760 yards (1609 m)

Deaths

22

Injuries

85

Property damage

$367 million

Counties

St. Clair, Jefferson, Etowah, Calhoun, Polk, Floyd and Bartow counties

Touchdown point

33.679, -86.570

Lift-off point

34.190, -84.990

Record number

1104271728-01

85 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS BMX, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF4. The highest wind the damage implies is 180 mph.

• Several mobile homes with significant damage.
• A not-so-well-built home had all of its walls collapsed, with the debris on a pile on the foundation.
• Well bulit home, brick, had exterior walls collapsed, leaving one or two interior rooms. Many other homes and mobile homes damaged in this area. Still about a mile wide path.
• .Approximate centerline of damage path.

Survey points are preliminary and are the raw material the published rating was built from. Source: NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.

A powerful storm system crossed the Southeast United States on Wednesday, April 27, 2011, resulting in a large and deadly tornado outbreak. This epic event broke the record for number of tornadoes in a day for the state of Alabama, becoming the most significant tornado outbreak in the state���s history. ||Central Alabama had two rounds of severe weather that day. During the early morning hours, a Quasi-Linear Convective System quickly moved across the northern half of the National Weather Service, Birmingham county warning area. Straight line winds of 90 mph (78kts) or greater and 11 tornadoes lead to widespread damage and power outages. During the afternoon, long-lived supercell thunderstorms produced long-track, strong and violent tornadoes. Destruction and loss of life across many towns and communities was devastating. ||The hardest hit areas included Shottsville and Hackleburg, both in Marion County, where winds of 160 mph and 210 mph respectively, caused unimagineable damage. Cordova, in Walker County, was hit twice; by a tornado along the Quasi-Linear Convective System during the early morning hours and again in the afternoon by a long-track EF4 tornado. A long track tornado moved across the city of Tuscaloosa and the western suburbs of Birmingham, resulting in the complete destruction of whole neighborhoods and numerous injuries and fatalities in those heavily populated areas. The same parent supercell produced another violent tornado in east Central Alabama as it tracked across St. Clair and Calhoun Counties, resulting in additional fatalities and incredible damage to a number of neighborhoods. Another violent EF4 tornado tracked across portions of Elmore and Tallapoosa Counties, including Lake Martin, destroying numerous homes and a large section of a mobile home park. ||Most of the violent tornadoes from this day were captured on video by a number of people, including storm spotters and chasers, as well as numerous television news crews and remotely controlled web-enabled video cameras. This allowed unprecedented coverage and viewing of this historic event in real time from people worldwide.

A highly diffluent, deep upper trough, centered across Texas, took on a negative tilt and began to rotate northeast during this period. A strong maritime-Pacific (mP) cold front accompanied the upper trough through the mid-south into the southeast from the early morning hours of the 27th to the early morning hours of the 28th. An intense low-level jet with winds in excess of 70 knots was noted in advance of this system and tracked across the mid-south early on the 27th, across north Alabama and north Georgia into the early morning hours of the 28th. West-southwest winds aloft were highly diffluent and near 200 mph across this same region. The strong low-level jet brought unseasonably, warm, moist Gulf air northward in advance of the mP cold front. Dewpoints in the 70s and maximum temperatures in the 80s combined with the extremely strong low-level and upper jets to create an almost perfect environment for severe thunderstorms and large devastating tornadoes. Indeed, the tornado outbreak that affected much of the eastern U.S., but particularly the south central and southeastern U.S. during this period, was unprecedented and likely the largest recorded in U.S. history. The tornado outbreak that accompanied this combination of weather features has been termed the 2011 Super Outbreak, an outbreak even worse than the 1994 and 1974 super tornado outbreaks across the eastern U.S. The outbreak affected the South Central, Southeast, Midwest, and even the usually less tornado prone Northeastern United States. Over 330 tornadoes were reported during this outbreak which began on April 25th and continued into the 28th affecting 21 states from Texas to New York. Even isolated tornadoes were noted in Canada. Nearly 350 people died from these tornadoes, of which over 230 of these were in Alabama alone. Four tornadoes on April 27th in Alabama and Mississippi were ranked EF5, the highest tornado damage rating on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. On average, there is only one EF5 tornado per year in the entire U.S.||Widespread and destructive tornadoes occurred on each day of the outbreak, but April 27th was clearly one of the most prolific and destructive tornado days in U.S. history, probably only surpassed by the Tri-State outbreak of 1925 and the Tupelo-Gainesville outbreak of 1936. The 24-hour period from 8 am April 27th to 8 a.m. April 28th is listed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as the fourth deadliest tornado outbreak in U.S. history, with the 24 hours commencing April 28th at 8 a.m. as the fifth deadliest tornado day in U.S. history. It has also been determined to be the costliest tornado outbreaks and one of the costliest natural disasters in the U.S., even after adjustments for inflation, with total damages estimated to exceed $10 billion. ||Georgia was heavily impacted by this tornado outbreak, especially the northwest part of the state which bore the brunt of the massive supercell thunderstorms producing killer tornadoes that tracked east-northeast from northern Alabama during the late evening. All together, there were 15 tornadoes affecting 28 counties within the Peachtree City, Georgia 96-county warning area (CWA) of North and Central Georgia. All of these occurred within a 24-hour period commencing at 8 am April 27th. One of these tornadoes was rated an EF4, the first EF4 tornado in Georgia since the Palm Sunday outbreak in 1994. In addition, there were also four EF3 tornadoes. Fifteen tornado-related deaths were observed in north and central Georgia, the most tornado-related deaths within the Peachtree City, Georgia forecast area since its inception in 1994. The previous highest tornado-related death total was 12 on March 20, 1998, when a tornado struck Gainesville, Georgia.||Finally, it should be noted that while the most significant period of severe weather during this outbreak for Georgia was from the afternoon of the 27th through the early morning hours of the 28th, there was an initial round of severe weather across northwest Georgia early on the 27th as a decaying line of severe thunderstorms moved into the region from northeast Alabama. Widespread wind damage and even a few brief weaker tornadoes accompanied this system into the northwest counties of the state.

This tornado initially touched down in eastern Jefferson County, north northeast of Trussville and moved northeast through portions of St. Clair, Calhoun, Etowah and Cherokee Counties. The tornado then moved into Georgia, across Polk, Floyd and Bartow (See Storm Data Peachtree City) Counties. The tornado crossed into St. Clair County near Argo where it caused mostly tree damage consistent with an EF1 rating as it tracked north of Margaret. The tornado began to strengthen as it neared US Hwy 411 where it caused minor roof damage to one home. The tornado crossed US Hwy 411 north of Odenville, taking a turn to the northeast, and then moved parallel to Shoal Creek. The tornado strengthened rapidly to an EF4 with winds of 170 mph, and caused extensive damage along Shoal Creek Rd, east of CR 26. At least 6 homes were destroyed, with only small interior rooms remaining. At least one home was swept clean from the foundation. Many mobile homes were also destroyed. In addition, tree damage was extensive in this area, with every tree left mangled. At least 14 fatalities occurred along Shoal Creek Rd. The path width increased to around 1 mile as the tornado approached Neely Henry Lake and the Calhoun County line. The tornado maintained a path along Shoal Creek Rd until it crossed the lake. ||This tornado was produced by a supercell thunderstorm that began in Newton County Mississippi at 13:54 pm CST, and dissipated in Macon County, North Carolina at approximately 21:18 pm CST. This supercell spawned several strong to violent tornadoes along its long path, including another violent EF4 tornado that crossed portions of Tuscaloosa and western suburbs of the Birmingham.

This tornado initially touched down in eastern Jefferson County, north northeast of Trussville and moved northeast through portions of St. Clair, Calhoun, Etowah and Cherokee Counties, before it moved into Georgia, across Polk, Floyd and Bartow (See Storm Data Peachtree City) Counties. The tornado crossed Neely Henry Lake and into Calhoun County at Eagle Cove Rd., northwest of Ohatchee. At this point, the tornado had winds of 180 mph, an EF4 rating, and a path width of 1 mile. As the tornado crossed AL Hwy 77, numerous homes were leveled and mobile homes were demolished. Trees were left as stumps. Four fatalities occurred in this area. The tornado continued to cause extensive damage as it moved northeast crossing US Hwy 431 at Colwell and CR 23, where several homes and one church were destroyed. Four fatalities occurred in this area. As the tornado approached the Etowah County line, it weakened to an EF2 with winds of 120 mph, but continued to cause damage. Several homes were damaged and one mobile home destroyed along CR 64. The tornado moved into Etowah County east of Cannonball Rd. ||This tornado was produced by a supercell thunderstorm that began in Newton County Mississippi at 13:54 pm CST, and dissipated in Macon County, North Carolina at approximately 21:18 pm CST. This supercell spawned several strong to violent tornadoes along its long path, which included another violent EF4 tornado that crossed portions of Tuscaloosa and western suburbs of the Birmingham.

A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City and the Cherokee County Emergency Management Director confirmed that a second and stronger EF3 tornado touched down approximately five miles northeast of Kingston, then tracked across extreme northwest Cherokee and into Pickens county, lifting seven miles west of Jasper. This tornado was spawned by the same thunderstorm supercell that had earlier resulted in an EF2 tornado that tracked from Cherokee county, Alabama across northwest Polk, southern Floyd, and into western Bartow county before lifting approximately four miles southwest of Kingston. The total path length of this tornado was 23 miles across the three Georgia counties. Slightly over 15 miles of this path was within Bartow county. The tornado had a maximum path width of 1/2 mile and maximum winds estimated to be 150 mph. Extensive damage was observed across north central and northeast Bartow county to homes. A total of 40 homes were destroyed with 240 others suffering minor damage. Several chicken houses near Interstate-75 were destroyed as well as several outbuildings. Damage was most extensive in the Crowe Springs Road area of Bartow county, approximately five miles northwest of White and north of Cassville. Hundreds of trees and many power lines were also down along the tornado path. Twenty-five injuries were observed in Bartow county, nearly all at the severely damaged or destroyed homes. No fatalities were reported within Bartow county from either tornado.||[04/27-04/28/11: Tornado #6, County #1-3, EF3, Bartow-Cherokee-Pickens, 2011:015].

The deaths

21 direct deaths are recorded for this tornado, each with what Storm Data knows of it.

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

57 minutes of warning. NWS BMX issued a tornado warning for this county at 22:31 UTC, 57 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 23:30 UTC.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 18:45 UTC and running to 03:00 UTC.

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 Storm Prediction Center had this point in a High Risk, with a 0.45 chance of a tornado within 25 miles, in the hatched area where significant tornadoes were expected. The outlook in force was issued at 19:12 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.

NWS Birmingham, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at Apr 27, 3:47 PM CDT, 2 hours 41 minutes earlier.

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
347 PM CDT WED APR 27 2011

...SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK ONGOING...

.DISCUSSION...

A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION IS CURRENTLY UNFOLDING ACROSS CENTRAL
ALABAMA...AND SUPERCELLS HAVE ERUPTED ACROSS THE NORTHERN AND
WESTERN SECTIONS OF THE CWA THIS AFTERNOON. A FEW TORNADOES HAVE
ALREADY TOUCHED DOWN...AND REPORTS OF MAJOR DAMAGE ARE STARTING TO
COME IN. THE 18Z SPECIAL SOUNDING THAT WAS PERFORMED PRESENTS A
DESTRUCTIVE SETUP...WITH 2700J/KG OF CAPE...EXTREMELY STEEP LAPSE
RATES...AND DRY AIR ALOFT. 0-3 KM HELICITY VALUES ARE ALMOST 700.
THE PARAMETERS WILL ONLY WORSEN AS WE GO THROUGHOUT THE REST OF
THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE TIME FRAME FOR THE WORST SEVERE
WEATHER WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS FOR
NORTHWEST SECTIONS OF THE STATE...ROUGHLY FROM 2PM TO
8PM...CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE STATE...INCLUDING THE BIRMINGHAM
METRO AREA...FROM 4PM TO 10PM...AND THE SOUTHEAST SECTIONS FROM
6PM TO 2AM. I CANNOT STRESS HOW SERIOUS THIS SITUATION IS. DO
WHATEVER YOU CAN TO PROTECT YOUR LIFE AND PROPERTY NOW...YOUR LIFE
MAY DEPEND ON IT! ALL WEATHER WILL CLEAR THE AREA AFTER 6Z
TONIGHT...SO THE CLEANUP PROCESS CAN BEGIN.

56/GOGGINS

&&

.AVIATION...18Z TAF DISCUSSION.

VERY DIFFICULT FORECAST FOR AVIATION THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...AS
CONFIDENCE IS LOW ON THE EXACT TIMING OF THUNDERSTORMS TO INITIALLY
DEVELOP ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA. GENERALLY SPEAKING...WE ARE
EXPECTING AT LEAST VCTS FOR ALL SITES FROM 21Z TO 23Z AREAWIDE.
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP...FIRST AS SCATTERED TORNADIC
SUPERCELLS...THEN CONSOLIDATING INTO A SQUALL LINE LATER THIS
EVENING. AMENDMENTS WILL BE MADE AFTER STORMS INITIALLY DEVELOP
THIS AFTERNOON. AT THE MOMENT...HAVE INCLUDED THE PASSAGE OF THE
SQUALL LINE IN THE TAF FOR ALL LOCATIONS WITH +TSRA AND 1SM. WINDS
WILL CONTINUE TO BE VERY GUSTY FROM THE SOUTH AHEAD OF THE COLD
FRONT THROUGHOUT THE DAY TODAY...WITH GUSTS UP TO 35KTS POSSIBLE.
WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE NORTHWEST LATE TONIGHT AND INTO THE
MORNING HOURS ON THURSDAY.

NOTICE...KEET TAF WILL HAVE (AMD LTD TO VIS WIND AND WX) AMENDED TO
THE END OF THE FORECAST UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. THE CEILOMETER DATA
WILL BE GOING THROUGH NUMEROUS TESTS AND MONITORED FOR ACCURACY.

56

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
GADSDEN     79  57  69  47  74 /  70  80  10   0   0
ANNISTON    82  60  73  50  78 /  60 100  10   0   0
BIRMINGHAM  79  55  75  52  77 /  80  60  10   0   0
TUSCALOOSA  79  55  76  51  79 / 100  50  10   0   0
CALERA      81  57  74  51  77 /  70  70  10   0   0
AUBURN      82  60  73  53  75 /  50 100  10   0   0
MONTGOMERY  84  61  79  52  81 /  60  80  10   0   0
TROY        85  62  76  51  81 /  50  80  10   0   0

&&

.BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT TONIGHT FOR THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES: 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.

FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT TONIGHT FOR THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES: FAYETTE...LAMAR...MARION...WALKER...WINSTON.

&&

56

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
127 PM CDT WED APR 27 2011

ALZ011>015-017>050-281828-
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-
127 PM CDT WED APR 27 2011

...TORNADO OUTBREAK LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...

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

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

A SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK IS LIKELY TODAY FOR ALL OF CENTRAL
ALABAMA. STRONG...LONG LIVED TORNADOES...DAMAGING WINDS...AND
VERY LARGE HAIL ARE ALL POSSIBLE.  TORNADIC SUPERCELLS ARE EXPECTED
TO BEGIN DEVELOPING ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI-ALABAMA STATE LINE BETWEEN
2 AND 3 PM...AND THIS THREAT WILL GRADUALLY SHIFT EASTWARD THROUGH
THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS...POTENTIALLY REACHING THE INTERSTATE
65 CORRIDOR BETWEEN 4 AND 6 PM. CURRENT THINKING IS A LINE OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP LATE THIS EVENING AND TRAVERSE THE
EASTERN HALF OF THE BIRMINGHAM COUNTY WARNING AREA...EXITING INTO
GEORGIA BY 6 AM...AFFECTIVELY ENDING THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT FOR
CENTRAL ALABAMA.

THIS IS POTENTIALLY A VERY DANGEROUS SCENARIO FOR ANYONE IN
CENTRAL ALABAMA.  NOW IS THE TIME TO REVIEW YOUR SEVERE WEATHER
ACTION PLAN AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE QUICK ACTION WHEN WATCHES AND
WARNINGS ARE EVENTUALLY ISSUED.

LOCALIZED TORRENTIAL RAINFALL IS ALSO POSSIBLE THROUGH TONIGHT.
A FEW INCHES OF RAINFALL MAY OCCUR IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.
ADDITIONALLY...MORE THAN ONE STORM MAY AFFECT THE SAME AREA. THIS
MAY PRODUCE SOME LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING.

EVEN OUTSIDE OF THUNDERSTORM AREAS...STRONG GRADIENT WINDS ARE ALSO
EXPECTED. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH ALONG WITH HIGHER GUSTS
UP TO 35 MPH ARE EXPECTED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT WILL BE NEEDED
THROUGH TONIGHT DUE TO THE TORNADO THREAT.

27

In the hours before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
509 PM CDT WED APR 27 2011

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

0507 PM     TORNADO          DORA                    33.73N 87.08W
04/27/2011                   WALKER             AL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            TORNADO ON THE GROUND IN DORA.

&&

JT

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
515 PM CDT WED APR 27 2011

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

0509 PM     TORNADO          TUSCALOOSA              33.24N 87.54W
04/27/2011                   TUSCALOOSA         AL   AMATEUR RADIO

            TORNADO ON THE GROUND ALONG HWY 82 NEAR THE MCFARLAND
            MALL.

&&

DS

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
518 PM CDT WED APR 27 2011

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

0512 PM     TORNADO          SMOKE RISE              33.89N 86.82W
04/27/2011                   BLOUNT             AL   AMATEUR RADIO

            TORNADO REPORTED ON THE GROUND NEAR EXIT 284 ON I-65 AT
            PHILADELPHIA ROAD.

&&

DS

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
602 PM CDT WED APR 27 2011

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

0556 PM     TORNADO          HUEYTOWN                33.44N 87.00W
04/27/2011                   JEFFERSON          AL   AMATEUR RADIO

            MAJOR DAMAGE IN HUEYTOWN...HOUSES LEVELED.

&&

DS

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
606 PM CDT WED APR 27 2011

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

0546 PM     TORNADO          BLOUNTSVILLE            34.10N 86.58W
04/27/2011                   BLOUNT             AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            *** 1 INJ *** MULTIPLE HOMES DESTROYED IN BLOUNTSVILLE.
            ONE INJURY CONFIRMED AT THIS TIME.

&&

DS

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
623 PM CDT WED APR 27 2011

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

0609 PM     TORNADO          FULTONDALE              33.62N 86.80W
04/27/2011                   JEFFERSON          AL   AMATEUR RADIO

            TREES DOWN, ROOFS OFF OF HOUSES, AND POWERLINES DOWN
            ACROSS I65 AND US31.

&&

DS

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.

Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.

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

The live radar over the trackEvery 2011 tornado in AlabamaEvery tornado in Alabama since 1950Warnings in force in Alabama nowThe forecast where you are

209 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

All 210 of them

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.

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.