EF1 Tornado — Hale, Alabama

2024-12-28 · near Sawyerville, Hale, Alabama

Event narrative

A tornado moved into Hale County from Greene County. Pockets of non-contiguous damage were found along Carnation Road and County Road 17, where the tornado was nearly one mile wide. Near the intersection of Carnation Road and Quail Drive, a hay barn was demolished, and at least two residences sustained uplift and removal of roof covering materials. Along County Road 17, dozens of trees were snapped and uprooted. The tornado then made a northward turn as it moved through the center of Sawyerville, where only very minor damage was observed along State Highway 14. The tornado increased in intensity as it turned back to the northeast and continued to produce sporadic tree damage in a one mile wide path across County Road 18 and County Road 30. The tornado weakened and dissipated quickly as it crossed County Road 21 and Rasberry Road. Maximum estimated winds were 100 mph.

Wider weather episode

A quasi-linear convective system (QLCS) entered western Alabama from Mississippi just after 9 PM on December 28. With ample wind shear and adequate instability with the line as it passed through Central Alabama, 18 confirmed tornadoes were spawned within different line segments as the QLCS pushed eastward. Of the 18 tornadoes, 6 were rated EF1, including one that had a mile-wide path in Hale County near Sawyerville and two tornadoes that struck areas of central Montgomery County. An EF0 in Lowndes County resulted in two injuries. In addition, strong gusts associated with the QLCS resulted in scattered areas of non-tornadic wind damage.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (32.6912, -87.7940)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1222512. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.