EF2 tornado in Bibb County, Alabama

Tornado February 3, 2022 · Bibb County, Alabama

EF2

Rating

7.6 mi

Whole path

725 yd

Path width

NOAA records this tornado county by county. Its path ran through Hale County → Bibb County → Tuscaloosa County; the totals above are for the whole tornado.

EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 725 yards (0.41 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What EF2 means. On the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF2 is considerable damage: roofs torn off well-built houses, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, consistent with estimated gusts of 111–135 mph. The rating comes from a survey of the worst damage after the storm, not from a wind measurement, so it says as much about what the tornado hit as about how strong it was.

What the National Weather Service wrote

National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in northwest Bibb County and determined that it was consistent with an EF2 tornado, with maximum winds near 125 mph. The tornado crossed into Bibb County from Hale County about one-half mile north of Forest Road 731. The tornado tracked northeast and snapped or uprooted several trees along a ridge line, just before it crossed over Forest Road 707. Widespread tree damage was noted along Forest Road 751, consistent with EF2 wind speeds. The tornado then turned northward and crossed into Tuscaloosa County about one-half mile east of Forest Road 721.

The wider storm

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.

Began near Camp Hugh (32.9700, -87.4210).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

4 more tornadoes the National Weather Service filed under this storm episode.

EF2 Hale County 1 dead EF2 Sumter County EF0 Elmore County EF0 Elmore County

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 1007157. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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