EF2 tornado in Hale County, Alabama

National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in northeast Hale County and determined that it was consistent with an EF2 tornado, with maximum winds near 120 mph. The tornado touched down in the Talladega National Forest along Forest Road 704, where minor tree and limb damage was noted. The path continued northeast, crossing County Road 49, where several trees were snapped, with shingle damage to a single family home and sheet metal was torn from the roof of a barn. The tornado continued northeast crossing Forest Road 718A and tracking along County Road 50, snapping and uprooting trees along its path. An extensive area of tree damage occurred just north of County Road 50, where hundreds of trees were either snapped or uprooted. The tornado then crossed into Bibb County about one-half mile north of Forest Road 731.

A slow moving cold front moved through Central Alabama during the afternoon and overnight hours on February 3-4. A supercell thunderstorm developed in far eastern Mississippi and produced three EF2 tornadoes as it moved across west Alabama. Additional storms produced 2 EF0 tornadoes in Elmore County. A line of storms stalled along and south of the Interstate 85 corridor, resulting in a period of heavy rainfall and flash flooding. Rainfall totals of 4-6 inches were observed over a 3 hour period.