EF1 tornado — Washington County, Alabama

EF1 tornado in Washington County, Alabama

Tornado January 10, 2009 · Washington County, Alabama

EF1

Rating

1.6 mi

Path length

200 yd

Path width

$2.5M

Damage as recorded

EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 200 yards (0.11 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

An EF-1 tonado developed near the intersection of Topton Road and U.S. Highway 43. The tornado traveled northeast for about 1.6 miles and ended near the Ciba industrial plant. Numerous pine trees were snapped at their bases along the entire path and extensive roof damage was observed to single family residence homes. The Ciba plant experienced damage to several of its building's roofs. The high winds also blew through the glass door entry-ways of several buildings. High winds also blew out the rear windshields of an entire row of pickup trucks. One truck in the parking lot was flipped upside down and extensive tree damage occurred near the entrance to the plant.

The wider storm

An EF-1 tornado with winds estimated at 104 mph cut a 1.6 mile path across southeastern Washington County. The tornado went through the Ciba plant in McIntosh causing damage to the plants roofs and vehicles. No injuries were reported with this tornado.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 147391. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

EF1 tornado in Washington County, Alabama

What the National Weather Service wrote

The wider storm

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