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EF1 tornado in Shelby County, Alabama

Tornado December 29, 2024 · Shelby County, Alabama

EF1
Rating
1.5 mi
Path length
175 yd
Path width
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 175 yards (0.10 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 Birmingham storm survey determined a brief EF-1 tornado impacted an area northwest of Harpersville, mainly on El Gezira Road north of U.S. Highway 280. The tornado caused damage to a horse farm, impacting at least four structures. Varying degrees of timber damage were also observed with trees uprooted and large branches removed. The tornado caused additional damage near Prince Road, dissipating near Highway 83. Maximum estimated winds were 90 mph.

The wider storm

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.

Began near Harpersville (33.3551, -86.4716).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

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

EF1 Lamar CountyEF1 Greene CountyEF1 St. Clair CountyEF1 Montgomery CountyEF1 Montgomery CountyEF0 Lamar CountyEF0 Lamar CountyEF0 Marion CountyEF0 Chilton CountyEF0 Lowndes CountyEF0 St. Clair CountyEF0 Lowndes CountyEF0 Montgomery CountyEF0 Macon CountyEF0 Macon CountyEF0 Macon CountyEF0 Macon County

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 1222516. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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