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EF0 tornado in Lowndes County, Alabama

Tornado December 29, 2024 · Lowndes County, Alabama

EF0
Rating
5.7 mi
Path length
450 yd
Path width
2
Injuries
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 EF0 means. On the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF0 is light damage: shingles and siding peeled, gutters torn, branches broken, consistent with estimated gusts of 65–85 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

A tornado began along Knight Place Rd and moved northeastward. Numerous trees were downed along or just west of the road, mainly limbs broken or uprooted trunks. A few small trees were snapped as well, along with downed power lines. A few structures sustained damage, including minor roof damage to a double-wide manufactured home, a single-wide manufactured home that was rolled over onto its roof, and a large open air shed that lost roof panels. Two people were injured in the overturned single-wide. The tree damage continued across County Road 45 into a large inaccessible area. Radar and satellite data were conclusive in showing that the tornado continued for a few more miles to the northeast, with significant tree damage on satellite imagery. Radar data and satellite show an east-southeast bend in the path before the tornado dissipated just west of Salem Church Rd. The ground survey resumed along Salem Church Rd and noted no discernible area of tornado damage. However, there was a large area of wind damage southeast of Salem Church Rd apparent from satellite, and tree debris from the residual tornado debris signature was noted along the road. After satellite analysis, roughly 4 miles was added to the existing track. Maximum winds were estimated at 85 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 Lum (32.0072, -86.6616).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

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

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 1222518. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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