EF0 tornado in Jefferson County, Alabama

The National Weather Service surveyed damage in Trussville and determined that a high-end EF-0 tornado occurred. Damage began along the north end of Mary Taylor Rd, where a construction trailer was flipped. A portion of the Metro Mini Storage had doors blown in and metal roofing lifted/peeled back. Next to this, approximately 13-14 trees in close proximity were uprooted, including 12 cedar trees in a tight row. Winds were estimated at about 80 mph here. The tornado crossed Highway 11, where minor roof damage was done to a car wash and Velma's restaurant. As the tornado moved southeastward along Mary Taylor Rd, large doors were partially blown in and roofing was removed from a warehouse, and a fence was damaged at a dog daycare center. The tornado crossed a railroad and struck Daniel Iron, with a section of a warehouse having large doors blown in and large pieces of metal roofing removed. A few flatbed semi trailers were moved in the lot as well.

The tornado then ascended a small ridge and moved through a subdivision, causing mainly shingle and fence damage at numerous homes, along with a few trees and limbs being downed. At least one home was observed to have had a garage door damaged. Of particular note was the discovery of a large chunk of steel roofing from the Daniel Iron warehouse that landed on a home before sliding off and coming to rest on the side of another home. This caused considerable roof damage to the first home, resulting in water damage from rain. After this, minor tree and shingle damage continued across Hidden Brook Dr, Amber Trace, Yvonne St, and Alabama Dr, with the most notable damage being a few uprooted trees in close proximity along Yvonne St. The last area of discernible damage, very minor in nature, was observed near a lake in a curve along Queenstown Rd. Wind speeds at the peak were estimated at 85 mph at Daniel Iron. The NWS would like to thank Jefferson County EMA for their assistance during this survey.

Scattered supercell thunderstorms developed near a slow-moving frontal boundary during the afternoon and evening hours on February 26. Cold temperatures were present aloft with strong deep layer shear but relatively weak low-level shear. Scattered severe hail reports were received, with the largest hailstones falling in portions of Blount, Jefferson, and St. Clair counties, as large as two inches in diameter. Damaging winds also occurred, with the most significant wind damage in Pinson where a microburst occurred. A hail storm associated with the microburst resulted in accumulating hail that covered the ground and resulted in the formation of hail fog. In addition, a brief EF-0 tornado also moved through Trussville, damaging some commercial and industrial buildings as well as homes, most of which was minor.