HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — A round of Severe Weather swept through North Alabama and Southern Middle Tennessee Thursday morning January 12th. So far one tornado has been confirmed. The tornado was an EF-1 Tornado with maximum winds of 104 mph.
Below is the official report from the National Weather Service Office in Huntsville, Alabama.
"SURVEY SUMMARY: A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SURVEY TEAM, ASSISTED BY LAWRENCE COUNTY, MORGAN COUNTY, AND LIMESTONE COUNTY EMAS, DETERMINED THE MULTI-COUNTY DAMAGE IN NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA WAS ATTRIBUTED TO AN EF-1 TORNADO WITH PEAK WINDS OF 104 MPH.
AN ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM MOVING ACROSS THE MISSISSIPPI/ALABAMA BORDER ON THE MORNING OF JANUARY 12 QUICKLY ORGANIZED INTO A SUPERCELL AS IT CROSSED INTO WESTERN LAWRENCE COUNTY. THE SUPERCELL PRODUCED A TORNADO AS IT TRAVERSED A RIDGE JUST WEST OF CR 101. NUMEROUS LARGE BRANCHES AND TREES UPROOTED WERE OBSERVED IN THIS LOCATION. AS THE TORNADO TRACKED EAST OF CR 101 TOWARD CR 117, A LARGE NUMBER OF SOFTWOOD TREES WERE SNAPPED. THE TORNADO CROSSED CR 117, SNAPPING AND UPROOTING MORE TREES, AND CAUSING MINOR ROOF DAMAGE TO SEVERAL RESIDENCES. WHAT WAS LIKELY THE CENTER OF THE VORTEX, A SINGLE-FAMILY HOME WAS OBSERVED TO HAVE MINOR ROOF DAMAGE AND NEAR DESTRUCTION OF A LARGE METAL WORKSHOP BEHIND THE PROPERTY. AS IT TRACKED EAST OF CR 117, NUMEROUS SOFTWOOD TREES WERE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED HEADING TOWARD DOWNTOWN MOULTON. DAMAGE INDICATORS ALONG AND NEAR CR 117 WERE THE FOCUS OF THIS TORNADO AND PRODUCED THE PEAK WIND ESTIMATE OF 104 MPH. MOVING NORTHEAST AT THIS POINT, THE TORNADO LIKELY BRIEFLY LIFTED BEFORE CAUSING ISOLATED DAMAGE IN DOWNTOWN MOULTON. MINOR DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED AT THE HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL FIELDS AND ROOF DAMAGE AT LAWRENCE MEDICAL CENTER. THE TORNADO EVENTUALLY CROSSED HIGHWAY 24 AND CAUSED ROOF DAMAGE TO A MOTEL NEAR THE HIGHWAY 24 AND CR 157 INTERSECTION. FROM THIS POINT, THE TORNADO CAUSED SPORADIC TREE DAMAGE AS THE TORNADO WAS LIKELY LIFTING AND DESCENDING THROUGH TRINITY, AL IN WESTERN MORGAN COUNTY.
CROSSING INTO WESTERN MORGAN CO., THE TORNADO WAS LIKELY CYCLING AND LIFTING AT TIMES BETWEEN TRINITY AND BELTLINE RD. POWER LINES AND OCCASIONALLY LIMB DAMAGE WERE NOTED. MOVING TOWARD HIGHWAY 20, MINOR MOBILE HOME ROOF DAMAGE WAS RECORDED AT KIMBERLY PINES. FURTHER EAST, AS THE TORNADO CROSSED HIGHWAY 20, A TRACTOR-TRAILER WAS BLOWN OFF THE ROAD AND TIPPED OVER. THE TORNADO APPROACHED JAY'S LANDING AND CAUSED SEVERAL LARGE CAMPERS TO FLIP OR BE DISPLACED. NEAR THIS LOCATION, AN INJURY WAS REPORTED AT A RECYCLING FACILITY. THE TORNADO APPROACHED INGALLS HARBOR. DAMAGE TO THE LAW ENFORCEMENT MARINA WAS NOTED NEAR THE SHORELINE WHILE SEVERAL LARGE TREES WERE UPROOTED ALONG HIGHWAY 20 IN THIS AREA.
THE TORNADO CROSSED THE TENNESSEE RIVER AND CONTINUED TO MOVE TOWARD THE NORTHEAST. TREE DAMAGE WAS NOTED ON THE CAMPUS OF CALHOUN COMMUNITY COLLEGE, WITH MINOR DAMAGE TO THE BASEBALL COMPLEX AS WELL. CEDAR TREES WERE UPROOTED EAST OF PRYOR FIELD ON GARRETT RD. THE FINAL DAMAGE POINT WAS ALONG FENNEL RD AND FENNEL LN, WITH LARGE BRANCHES DOWNED. THE TORNADO LIFTED IN THIS LOCATION.
