The National Weather Service (NWS) in Birmingham has begun the overwhelming task of sorting out the storm events from early this morning. Their first stop was Marion County, and below is an excerpt from the Public Information Statement that they issued at 1:30 pm this afternoon.
…SHOTSVILLE TORNADO (MARION COUNTY)…
AN NWS STORM SURVEY TEAM FOUND A LONG TORNADO DAMAGE PATH ACROSS THE
NORTHERN PART OF MARION COUNTY. THE PATH BEGAN ON CR-13… BETWEEN
REEDY BRANCH ROAD AND CR-154…WHICH IS ABOUT 2.5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
THE SHOTSVILLE COMMUNITY. FROM THERE…THE TORNADO MOVED JUST SOUTH
OF DUE EAST FOR NEARLY 18 MILES…CROSSING CR-11…AL-19…AL-187…
US-43…AND AL-253. THE TORNADO THEN TURNED SLIGHTLY TO THE LEFT…
AND TRAVELLED DIRECTLY EAST ANOTHER 7.5 MILES…BEFORE LIFTING ON
CR-34 JUST EAST OF AL-241.
THE TORNADO REMAINED MOSTLY IN A HEAVILY FORESTED AREA…AND
THOUSANDS OF TREES WERE SNAPPED AND UPROOTED. IN ADDITION…SEVERAL
MOBILE HOMES SUSTAINED ROOF DAMAGE…AND ONE CARPORT WAS DAMAGED.
THIS TORNADO HAS BEEN RATED EF-1…WITH ESTIMATED PEAK WINDS AROUND
100 MPH. THE TOTAL DAMAGE PATH WAS JUST OVER 25 MILES LONG…AND
400 YARDS WIDE AT ITS WIDEST.
-Brian-
