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EF0 tornado in Macon County, Alabama

Tornado December 29, 2024 · Macon County, Alabama

EF0
Rating
2.6 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 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 south of U.S. 80 in a wooded area and moved northeast. Several trees and tree limbs were downed across Jackson Rd. Further northeast, along Old Federal Rd, numerous trees were uprooted behind the Shorter Post Office and Town Hall. Minor roof damage occurred to the post office building. A couple fences and signs were blown down as well. Tree damage continued across U.S. 80, where the Shorter Lodge building sustained minor roof damage and had a tree fall onto a ramp and porch overhang. An adjacent church had minor roof and siding damage as well. Minor tree damage continued into a wooded area east of County Road 40. A tornado debris signature was observed on KMXX (Maxwell Air Force Base) radar. Maximum winds were estimated at 80 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 Tysonville (32.3856, -85.9815).

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 1222528. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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