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EF1 tornado in Chilton County, Alabama

Tornado April 2, 2024 · Chilton County, Alabama

EF1
Rating
15.1 mi
Path length
450 yd
Path width
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 450 yards (0.26 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What EF1 means. On the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF1 is moderate damage: roofs badly stripped, mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned, windows broken, consistent with estimated gusts of 86–110 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

The same storm that produced the Plantersville tornado continued northeastward. Some sporadic minor tree damage was observed around Pletcher but was more consistent with straight line winds. Damage became more consistent with a tornado as it reached a residence along County Road 359 where a couple trees were downed and minor roof damage occurred to the residence. Damage remained sporadic until it reached some residences along County Road 37. There portions of a porch overhang were blown off a residence, and two barns were damaged. One of these was destroyed though minimal damage was observed to nearby trees. A racecar trailer was blown 100 yards downstream and flattened. Minor tree damage continued as the tornado moved northeastward across County Road 9 and additional outbuildings were damaged or destroyed. The tornado intensified as it crossed an inaccessible area east of County Road 387 as depicted on satellite imagery by an area of heavier vegetation/timber damage, with winds estimated at 95 mph. Much of the roof was blown off a manufactured home on County Road 49, with another manufactured home having about half of its roofing materials removed. Another pole barn was destroyed near County Road 391 where a personal weather station measured a 95.7 mph gust at an elevation of 7 feet. Occasional trees and limbs were downed as the tornado crossed Interstate 65 near Highway 31, before the tornado dissipated after crossing County Road 480.

The wider storm

A surface low positioned over Lake Michigan moved an associated cold front through Central Alabama during the evening of April 2. While a widespread severe weather outbreak unfolded to the north, Alabama saw more concentrated areas of severe weather across northern and central counties in the state. After 10 PM CDT April 2, a small mesoscale convective vortex developed within a broken line of thunderstorms, spawning four tornadoes and areas of wind damage across northern Dallas, southern Chilton, and central and eastern Coosa counties. Three of the tornadoes were rated EF1, with damage primarily consisting of trees and sporadic small structures.

Began near Pletcher (32.7121, -86.7786).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

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

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 1161492. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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