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EF2 tornado in Perry County, Alabama

Tornado March 30, 2022 · Perry County, Alabama

EF2
Rating
6.0 mi
Path length
620 yd
Path width
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 620 yards (0.35 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 central Perry County and determined that it was consistent with an EF2 tornado, with maximum winds near 115 mph. The tornado began along Dr JJ Howard Road where a path of trees were snapped and uprooted either side of farmland. Additional trees were snapped and uprooted along Albert Turner Sr Memorial Highway. The most significant damage occurred along Fikes Ferry Road where a large swath of pine trees were snapped, pushing the rating to EF2. The tornado continued northeastward, lifting before reaching Highway 14 just north of Radford.

The wider storm

A strong storm system approached Central Alabama on the afternoon of March 30th. A line of strong to severe thunderstorms moved west to east across the area during the evening and into the overnight hours. A few discrete supercell storms developed ahead of the main convective line as well. Damage from tornadoes, straight-line winds, and gradient winds ahead of the convective line was reported across numerous counties.

A total of 12 tornadoes occurred across Central Alabama. This included 3 EF2 tornadoes, 7 EF1 tornadoes, and 2 EF0 tornadoes. Widespread, significant tree damage and destruction of some residences occurred along the paths of the most intense tornadoes. There were no fatalities, but 2 injuries were reported in Bibb and Shelby Counties.

Began near Vilula (32.5475, -87.2944).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

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

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 1018972. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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