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EF1 tornado in Pickens County, Alabama

Tornado January 5, 2025 · Pickens County, Alabama

EF1
Rating
6.9 mi
Path length
300 yd
Path width
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 300 yards (0.17 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

NWS meteorologists conducted a storm survey on January 6 that

revealed an EF1 tornado that impacted parts of Pickens County the

previous evening. The tornado began over an inaccessible area

southeast of Zach Simon Road and moved east-northeastward for

nearly seven miles. Along County Road 7, a house had metal

roofing removed, and several pine and cedar trees were downed or

had limbs broken off. The tornado was at its widest and strongest

point along Pine Grove Road, where numerous trees were downed,

including a stand of pine trees along the road of which

approximately 15-20 trunks were snapped. Power lines were downed

by falling trees. A couple uprooted pine trees fell onto a garage

and the adjacent house sustained partial roof loss. More trees

were uprooted and limbs were snapped as the tornado moved across

a farm along McDaniel Road. The path became more narrow along

McShane Road/Phoenix Avenue, where several trees were downed on

both sides of the road in a 125 yard-wide swath. Along County

Road 12, a few more trees and limbs were downed, and a small

wooden power pole was snapped, causing the power lines to fall.

Along Highway 17 near Herbert Windle Road, a couple trees were

downed near a house and across the highway several cedar limbs

were downed near another house. The tornado is estimated to have

ended at this point.

The wider storm

A line of thunderstorms moved into western Alabama during the evening hours of January 5. Although instability values were limited and little lightning existed within the line, wind shear values were favorable for tornadoes. One storm within the line produced a low-end EF1 tornado that impacted parts of Pickens County around 9 PM.

Began near Carrollton (33.2937, -88.1714).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 1222429. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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