Tornadoes · United States · Alabama · 2020

EF1 tornado, Gorgas to Bryan, Alabama, April 12, 2020

Name: EF1 tornado, Gorgas to Bryan, Alabama, April 12, 2020
Start: 2020-04-12T22:04:00.000Z
End: 2020-04-12T22:16:00.000Z
Location: Gorgas to Bryan, Alabama

From Gorgas to Bryan, this EF1 tornado ran 9.0 miles across Walker County on April 12, 2020, touching down at 5:04 PM CDT and reaching 950 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.

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 mphthis tornado
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
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.
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: EF1
Date: April 12, 2020
Touchdown: 5:04 PM CDT (22:04 UTC)
Lifted: 5:16 PM CDT (22:16 UTC)
On the ground: 12 minutes
Path length: 9.0 miles (14.4 km)
Path width: 950 yards (869 m)
Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
County: Walker County
Touchdown point: 33.632, -87.202
Lift-off point: 33.703, -87.073
Record number: 2004121604-01

The damage survey

121 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS BMX, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF2. The highest wind the damage implies is 122 mph.

. numerous on house destroyed
3 large oak trees 1on a house
numerous pines and hardwoods snapped and uprooted chaotically. borderline ef2
several uprooted in a divergent pattern

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

An upper-level low over the southwest United States evolved into a negatively-tilted shortwave trough as it moved over the southeastern United States. A warm front steadily moved northward during the morning and afternoon hours on Sunday, April 12. This allowed an unstable air mass to move northward and overspread much of the region. At the same time, very strong wind shear developed over Alabama as the upper trough neared the state.||An initial wave of severe storms affected areas near and north of Interstate 20, involving tornadoes, damaging straight-line winds, and some hail. Through the evening, a second wave of thunderstorms affected the remaining areas of Central Alabama with tornadoes and damaging straight-line winds. Flooding also resulted from training rainfall near and north of Interstate 20. Some roads became impassible or were washed out. This weather event was large in scope and produced severe weather from Oklahoma and Texas, through the southeastern United States, then up the east coast to New York.

National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in southeast Walker County and determined that it was consistent with an EF1 tornado, with maximum winds near 110 mph.||The tornado developed just south of the Gorgas Power Plant along the Mulberry Fork near Copeland Bend. The most focused area of damage occurred along Rainwood Lodge Road where numerous trees were snapped and uprooted, some of which fell on homes. In addition, minor roof damage was observed at several residences along the road. The tornado continued northeastward, uprooting several more trees and breaking branches before crossing Interstate 22. Numerous trees were snapped and uprooted near a convenience store on Sharon Blvd, with one tree falling on a nearby manufactured home just before the tornado dissipated.

National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in eastern Walker County and determined that it was consistent with an EF1 tornado, with maximum winds near 100 mph.||The tornado began near Bryan Road at the Walker and Jefferson County line. The tornado tracked northeastward into Jefferson County where numerous trees were snapped off and uprooted along the path.

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

The forecast that day

The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Moderate Risk, with a 0.15 chance of a tornado within 25 miles, in the hatched area where significant tornadoes were expected. The outlook in force was issued at 20:07 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.

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 12, 2:56 PM CDT, 2 hours 8 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 12, 2:56 PM CDT, 2 hours 8 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Birmingham AL
256 PM CDT Sun Apr 12 2020

.UPDATE...
Long Term Discussion.

&&

.SHORT TERM...
/Updated at 0215 PM CDT Sun Apr 12 2020/

Mesoscale Update.

The upper level trough is currently at a neutral tilt and was
over Central Texas. Broad flat ridging was present to our east over
the Carolinas.

The primary surface low was located over Northern Oklahoma with a
cold front extending to the south arcing eastward from Central
Oklahoma through Central Texas. A secondary surface low was
located across eastern Arkansas.

The surface warm front has lifted north across much of the area
with strong warm air advection and positive moisture advection
occurring. Surface temperatures are now in the low 80s south with
dew points around 70.

The low-level jet continues to intensify with 50 kt winds now as
low as 925 mb per the 18z sounding. The dynamics remain favorable
with bulk shear values measured just over 60 kts and 0-1 km
storm-relative helicity values computed remaining around 400
m2/s2.

Thermodynamically, surface destabilization is underway from south
to north. Convection has been more sparce now that the elevated
mixed layer (EML) has streamed into the area aloft. This is
allowing surface-based instability values to increase. This warm
and dry layer will help act as a cap to limit convective
development and allow for instability to build through time.

The risk for tornadoes, including strong long-track tornadoes,
will increase through the afternoon and into the evening hours as
supercells may develop as the cap erodes with time as heights fall
with the approaching upper trough and as shortwaves ripple over the
area.

Later this evening and tonight the forcing aloft will increase
and a linear convective band is expected to push east across the
area. Straight-line winds along with embedded tornadoes and the
risk for hail will be present as the line of storms moves across
the area.

We will continue to provide mesoscale updates as we continue to
analyze and gather additional observations and information.

05

.LONG TERM...
/Updated at 0250 PM CDT Sun Apr 12 2020/

Monday through Saturday.

Cooler, clearing conditions are expected on Monday as the cold front
tracks towards the east coast. Lingering clouds may persist through
the morning across our north as an upstream reinforcing front moves
across the area, but a dry, northerly flow and increasing CAA will
support sunny skies during the afternoon with highs in the lower 60s
northwest to near 80F southeast. Guidance continues to indicate the
front stalling generally east to west across the Gulf Coast region
on Tuesday before lifting slightly into southern portions of Alabama
early Wednesday morning. This should focus highest PoPs over our
southeastern quadrant, but a flattened low-level ridge over the
Lower MS Valley may hinder much of the activity from entering our
forecast area, so PoPs may be lowered in future updates.

Otherwise, the remainder of the extended will remain dry and cool as
the weak low-level ridge slides eastward across the region with dry
zonal flow aloft persisting through the period. Northeasterly flow
Thursday morning should allow temps to lower into the 30s.
Therefore, I continued to mention localized patchy frost across our
northern counties. The latest round of data indicates lows may be a
couple degrees warmer than previously forecast, but leaned on the
cooler side since models are typically too warm under northeasterly
flow.

Rain chances will begin increasing at the end of the week as another
low propagates across the Desert SW towards the Tennessee Valley.
Kept PoPs around 40-50% since there is still plenty of uncertainty
regarding timing, moisture return, and the evolution of the system.

86

&&

.AVIATION...
18Z TAF Discussion.

A warm front is lifting northward across the area this afternoon
with associated thunderstorm activity occurring across our northern
terminals. Most of the activity during the afternoon should be
limited by a low-level inversion with ceilings gradually rising into
VFR criteria through the afternoon hours. However, an isolated
shower or storm will remain possible through the early/mid afternoon
at all terminals and may produce brief drops in flight conditions.
Nearing 21-22Z, conditions will become more favorable for severe
storms as a cold front begins tracking into the Lower MS Valley,
initially across our western sites, but spreading eastward through
the evening. Lower ceilings and visibilities will accompany the line
of +TSRA as it passes through. Additionally, pressure gradient
winds will increase this afternoon with southerly gusts up to
30-35kts outside of any thunderstorm activity. VFR conditions will
return after midnight at all sites with winds becoming
northwesterly, but an upstream reinforcing front may produce
lowering ceilings around 14Z for our northern terminals with
improvements expected beyond this forecast period.

86

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...

Widespread rain and thunderstorms are expected today and tonight
across Central Alabama. Winds will be gusty for much of the day,
even outside thunderstorm activity. Drier weather builds in for
most of the area on Monday before more rain showers lift into our
southeastern areas Tuesday night into Wednesday.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Gadsden     57  65  42  68  41 / 100   0   0   0  10
Anniston    59  69  44  70  44 / 100   0   0   0  10
Birmingham  58  67  45  69  43 / 100   0   0   0  20
Tuscaloosa  58  67  45  69  43 / 100   0   0   0  20
Calera      60  68  46  70  44 / 100   0   0   0  20
Auburn      63  76  49  76  49 / 100  10   0  10  40
Montgomery  64  77  51  78  50 / 100   0   0  10  40
Troy        66  80  52  81  52 / 100  10   0  10  50

&&

.BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES/...
Wind Advisory until 3 AM CDT Monday 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: Blount...Cherokee...Etowah...Fayette...Lamar...
Marion...Walker...Winston.

&&

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 12, 3:41 AM CDT, 13 hours 23 minutes before

Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Birmingham AL
341 AM CDT Sun Apr 12 2020

ALZ011>015-017>050-131145-
Marion-Lamar-Fayette-Winston-Walker-Blount-Etowah-Calhoun-Cherokee-
Cleburne-Pickens-Tuscaloosa-Jefferson-Shelby-St. Clair-Talladega-
Clay-Randolph-Sumter-Greene-Hale-Perry-Bibb-Chilton-Coosa-Tallapoosa-
Chambers-Marengo-Dallas-Autauga-Lowndes-Elmore-Montgomery-Macon-
Bullock-Lee-Russell-Pike-Barbour-
341 AM CDT Sun Apr 12 2020

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the counties served by the
National Weather Service office in Birmingham.

.DAY ONE...through Tonight.

Severe thunderstorms are likely across all of Central Alabama
between 1 PM today and 2 AM Monday. Threats include tornadoes, some
of which could be strong, damaging straight line winds up to 70 MPH,
and hail up to golf ball size. Localized flooding could also occur.

Winds will also be breezy today outside of thunderstorms with gusts
between 30 and 40 MPH.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday.

Minor flooding is forecast along portions of the Tombigbee River and
Black Warrior River starting midweek.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Activation of storm spotters and emergency management will be needed
today. Please follow all local, state, and CDC guidelines in regards
to travel.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 12, 4:26 PM CDT, 38 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
426 PM CDT SUN APR 12 2020

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

0348 PM     TSTM WND DMG     1 NNW BEVILL LOCK AND D 33.23N 88.30W
04/12/2020                   PICKENS            AL   BROADCAST MEDIA

            A FEW TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN NEAR
            PICKENSVILLE LAKE.

&&

MAL

Local storm report, Apr 12, 4:30 PM CDT, 34 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
430 PM CDT SUN APR 12 2020

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

0411 PM     TSTM WND DMG     6 SW ASHCRAFT CORNER    33.47N 87.99W
04/12/2020                   PICKENS            AL   AMATEUR RADIO

            A FEW TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN IN THE ZION AREA
            NORTH OF REFORM.

&&

MAL

Local storm report, Apr 12, 4:40 PM CDT, 24 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
440 PM CDT SUN APR 12 2020

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

0437 PM     TSTM WND DMG     4 NW SAMANTHA           33.46N 87.65W
04/12/2020                   TUSCALOOSA         AL   AMATEUR RADIO

            PEA SIZE HAIL AND UNKNOWN WIND GUSTS NEAR
            SAMANTHA.

&&

MAL

Local storm report, Apr 12, 4:41 PM CDT, 23 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
441 PM CDT SUN APR 12 2020

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

0423 PM     TSTM WND DMG     1 SE GORDO              33.31N 87.89W
04/12/2020                   PICKENS            AL   BROADCAST MEDIA

            TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN ALONG HIGHWAY 82 EAST
            OF GORDO.

&&

MAL

Local storm report, Apr 12, 4:48 PM CDT, 16 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
448 PM CDT SUN APR 12 2020

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

0410 PM     TSTM WND DMG     3 W CARROLLTON          33.27N 88.15W
04/12/2020                   PICKENS            AL   PUBLIC

            SEVERAL TREES AND POWER LINES WERE BLOWN
            DOWN WEST OF CARROLLTON.

&&

MAL

Local storm report, Apr 12, 4:52 PM CDT, 12 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
452 PM CDT SUN APR 12 2020

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

0420 PM     TSTM WND DMG     1 SE GORDO              33.31N 87.89W
04/12/2020                   PICKENS            AL   PUBLIC

            TREES UPROOTED OR SNAPPED; ROOF BLOWN OFF.

&&

MAL

The surface observations

Manchester (JFX), 31 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

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

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

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 65 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 22:03 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.

This ground now

The live radar over the track Every 2020 tornado in Alabama Every tornado in Alabama since 1950 Warnings in force in Alabama now The forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of April 12, 2020

72 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
April 12	1:03 AM CDT	EF1	Crockett, TX	5.6	250
April 12	4:05 AM CDT	EF1	McCulloch, TX	5.1	300
April 12	4:40 AM CDT	EF1	Gillespie, TX	11.6	150			$100,000
April 12	5:23 AM CDT	EF1	Blanco, TX	7.0	200		2	$1.0 million
April 12	6:05 AM CDT	EF0	Limestone, TX	0.2	50			$5,000
April 12	9:06 AM CDT	EF1	Shelby, TX	0.7	30
April 12	9:08 AM CDT	EF1	Harrison, TX	10.6	100			$150,000
April 12	9:41 AM CDT	EF2	De Soto Parish, LA	9.1	400		1	$1.0 million
April 12	9:52 AM CDT	EF1	Bossier Parish, LA	0.4	125			$150,000
April 12	9:57 AM CDT	EF1	De Soto Parish, LA	6.7	300			$25,000
April 12	10:10 AM CDT	EF1	Webster Parish, LA	6.1	1,000			$100,000
April 12	10:30 AM CDT	EF1	Bienville Parish, LA	1.6	400
April 12	10:39 AM CDT	EF1	Bienville Parish, LA	0.8	75			$200,000
April 12	11:36 AM CDT	EF3	Ouachita Parish, LA	8.0	300			$250 million
April 12	11:39 AM CDT	EF3	Ouachita Parish, LA	2.6	400			$750,000
April 12	11:46 AM CDT	EF1	Ouachita Parish, LA	1.1	50			$25,000
April 12	12:02 PM CDT	EF1	Morehouse Parish, LA	3.0	200			$20,000
April 12	12:10 PM CDT	EF2	West Carroll Parish, LA	9.5	700			$36,000
April 12	12:11 PM CDT	EF1	Richland Parish, LA	4.7	150			$12,000
April 12	12:11 PM CDT	EF1	Richland Parish, LA	7.5	700			$26,000
April 12	12:41 PM CDT	EF0	East Carroll Parish, LA	1.2	170			$75,000
April 12	1:00 PM CDT	EF1	Sharkey, MS	6.0	200			$15,000
April 12	1:17 PM CDT	EF1	Humphreys, MS	4.1	440			$50,000
April 12	1:22 PM CDT	EF2	Yazoo, MS	7.4	250			$150,000
April 12	1:46 PM CDT	EF0	Holmes, MS	2.3	50			$40,000
April 12	2:06 PM CDT	EF1	Attala, MS	2.5	500			$35,000
April 12	2:47 PM CDT	EF0	Choctaw, MS	3.0	150			$9,000
April 12	3:30 PM CDT	EF2	Noxubee, MS	8.5	1,100			$150,000
April 12	3:38 PM CDT	EF4	Hope–Bassfield tornado, MS	22.1	1,936	4	3	$2.8 million
April 12	3:42 PM CDT	EF1	Noxubee, MS	3.9	375			$20,000
April 12	4:01 PM CDT	EF0	Pickens, AL	1.5	200
April 12	4:12 PM CDT	EF4	Bassfield–Soso tornado, MS	67.4	3,960	7	98	$62 million
April 12	4:18 PM CDT	EF0	Pickens, AL	5.5	300
April 12	4:34 PM CDT	EF0	Fayette, AL	1.8	350
April 12	4:36 PM CDT	EF3	Lawrence, MS	83.2	2,041		2	$18 million
April 12	4:41 PM CDT	EF1	Fayette, AL	6.1	600
April 12	5:14 PM CDT	EF2	Jefferson, AL	6.9	940
April 12	5:22 PM CDT	EF2	Clarke, MS	14.3	300		2	$250,000
April 12	5:44 PM CDT	EF0	Blount, AL	0.5	125
April 12	5:47 PM CDT	EF1	Blount, AL	3.8	225
April 12	5:47 PM CDT	EF1	Lauderdale, MS	2.9	300			$50,000
April 12	5:50 PM CDT	EF2	Blount, AL	5.6	500
April 12	6:04 PM CDT	EF1	Blount, AL	0.8	115
April 12	6:08 PM CDT	EF1	Etowah, AL	5.5	525
April 12	6:10 PM CDT	EF2	Blount, AL	21.7	440		3
April 12	6:10 PM CDT	EF1	Jasper, MS	8.9	985			$30,000
April 12	6:14 PM CDT	EF2	Etowah, AL	12.2	875
April 12	8:15 PM EDT	EF2	Chattooga, GA	14.7	800			$400,000
April 12	8:12 PM CDT	EF1	Walker, AL	2.9	1,000		3
April 12	8:33 PM CDT	EF1	Tuscaloosa, AL	9.9	230
April 12	9:45 PM EDT	EF2	Murray, GA	8.9	860	8	24	$500,000
April 12	8:51 PM CDT	EF1	Cullman, AL	3.0	200
April 12	9:00 PM CDT	EF1	Cullman, AL	5.4	300
April 12	9:03 PM CDT	EF1	Choctaw, AL	0.4	100
April 12	9:11 PM CDT	EF1	Cullman, AL	0.3	70
April 12	9:12 PM CDT	EF2	Cullman, AL	2.5	350
April 12	9:16 PM CDT	EF1	Clarke, AL	0.8	100
April 12	9:27 PM CDT	EF1	Marshall, AL	5.0	200
April 12	9:41 PM CDT	EF1	Marengo, AL	8.1	1,000
April 12	9:50 PM CDT	EF1	Dade, AL to GA	7.5	350			$700,000

All 73 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.