Tornadoes · United States · Alabama · 2016

EF0 tornado, Downing, Alabama, April 6, 2016

This EF0 tornado ran 0.8 miles across Montgomery County on April 6, 2016, touching down at 11:24 PM CDT and reaching 50 yards wide. It killed nobody.

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 mphthis tornado

    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 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
EF0
Date
April 6, 2016
Touchdown
11:24 PM CDT (04:24 UTC)
Lifted
11:26 PM CDT (04:26 UTC)
On the ground
2 minutes
Path length
0.8 miles (1.2 km)
Path width
50 yards (46 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
County
Montgomery County
Touchdown point
32.134, -86.013
Lift-off point
32.132, -86.002
Record number
1604062224-01

The damage survey

23 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS BMX, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF0. The highest wind the damage implies is 80 mph.

  • end line, lat long from path used in pns/lsr.
  • end. lat lon from path used in pns/lsr.
  • Estimated start point based on debris signature.

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

What the Weather Service recorded

As a strong shortwave trough approached central Alabama from the west a low level southerly jet intensified over the area. Cold air advection aloft associated with the short wave produced steep lapse rates favorable for damaging winds and large hail.|The low level jet also produced a maximum of storm-relative helicity over east Alabama during the evening hours, and enhanced the threat of tornadoes.

NWS meteorologists surveyed damage near the Mathews Community and determined it was the result of a tornado. The tornado touched down just southwest of the intersection of US Highway 82 and Old Pike Road. The tornado crossed Old Pike Road and snapped a few trees before dissipating a short distance to the east. Also, a tornado debris signature was observed from the KMXX radar.

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.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
17:00 UTC18:00 UTCWind AdvisoryBMX
21:39 UTC03:00 UTCWind AdvisoryBMX
03:53 UTC04:36 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMX
12:05 UTC14:00 UTCDense Fog AdvisoryBMX

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 Marginal Risk. The outlook in force was issued at 00:56 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

4.4 hours before the tornado, 137 km from the path. April 7, 2016.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 2016-04-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 96 joules per kilogram, CIN -15, lifted condensation level 1823 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 2016-04-07The 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 232 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 64 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
96 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-15 J/kg
Surface CAPE
191 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1823 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
64 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
232 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
324 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.5
0-3 km lapse rate
8.7 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), 12:00Z

7.6 hours after it, 137 km from the path. April 7, 2016.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Birmingham, AL at 12:00Z on 2016-04-07Temperature 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 -107091, lifted condensation level 1649 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, Birmingham, AL at 12:00Z on 2016-04-07The 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 28 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 73 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
-107091 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1649 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
73 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
28 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
140 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
3.5 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Troy Municipal (TOI), 30 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
02:50 UTC66.260.8210° 10 kt181013.2
02:53 UTC6761200° 9 kt181012.9
03:05 UTC6660200° 11 kt1012.5
03:53 UTC6661200° 11 kt181012.5
04:43 UTC6660210° 13 kt201012.2-RA
04:53 UTC6660190° 12 kt211011.5-RA
05:07 UTC6561310° 13 kt211012.9-RA BR
05:26 UTC6560270° 6 kt151012.9-RA
05:53 UTC6460280° 9 kt161012.9-RA

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

The radar

The Maxwell AFB radar (KMXX), 49 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 04:25 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)ReportWhereCountyRemark
03:55 UTCTORNADO 05 Sse MontgomeryMontgomery, ALA 6 MILE LONG 250 YARD WIDE TORNADO WITH WINDS UP TO 80 MPH TOUCHED DOWN NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF WOODLEY AND VIRGINIA LOOP ROADS. NUMEROUS LARGE TREES SNAPPED AND UPROOTED CAUSING DAMAGE OR DESTROYING MOBILE HOMES.
04:03 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 Ese PinedaleMontgomery, ALSEVERAL TRAILER HOMES SUSTAINED DAMAGE FROM WINDS AS WELL AS A TREE DOWN ON A TRAILER HOME OFF OF PIKE ROAD.
04:18 UTCTORNADO 06 Wsw HardawayBullock, ALA TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR THE MITCHELL COMMUNITY NEAR ALABAMA HWY 110. ESTIMATED PEAK WINDS OF 75 MPH WERE ENCOUNTERED ALONG THE 3 MILE LONG 300 YARD WIDE PATH...SNAPPING OR UPROOTING SEVERAL TREES ALONG THE PATH.
04:24 UTCTORNADO 04 Wnw ShoptonMontgomery, ALA WEAK TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN BRIEFLY NEAR THE MATHEWS COMMUNTY SOUTHWEST OF THE INTERSECTION OF US HWY 82 AND OLD PIKE ROAD...SNAPPING A FEW TREES ALONG THE .77 MILE LONG 50 YARD WIDE PATH. A TDS WAS OBSERVED BY THE KMXX
04:54 UTCTORNADO 14 Nw MidwayBullock, ALA TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN JUST WEST OF BULLOCK COUNTY RD 35 AND TRAVELED EAST FOR 7.74 MILES BEFORE LIFTING JUST WEST OF THE BARBOUR COUNTY LINE...WITH A MAXIMUM WIDTH OF 250 YARDS AND PEAK WINDS OF 120 MPH. THE TORNADO SNA
05:16 UTCTORNADO 0N Boot HillBarbour, ALA TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN RURAL BARBOUR COUNTY WEST OF CLAYTON...NORTH OF THE CR 9 AND CR 44 INTERSECTION. IT CONTINUED EASTWARD FOR NEARLY 5.4 MILES AND SNAPPED OR UPROOTED NUMEROUS TREES BEFORE LIFTING. IT PRODUCED A M

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

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2016 tornado in AlabamaEvery tornado in Alabama since 1950Warnings in force in Alabama nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of April 6, 2016

9 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 610:55 PM CDTEF0Montgomery, AL6.0250
April 611:18 PM CDTEF0Bullock, AL3.0300
April 611:32 PM CDTEF0Lee, AL0.7250
April 611:44 PM CDTEF0Lee, AL4.7200
April 611:54 PM CDTEF2Bullock, AL7.7250
April 611:57 PM CDTEF1Russell, AL7.5200
April 612:16 AM CDTEF0Barbour, AL5.4200
April 612:22 AM CDTEF0Russell, AL1.375
April 61:55 AM EDTEF0Stewart, GA0.250$20,000

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.