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EF0 tornado in Shelby County, Alabama

Tornado April 19, 2009 · Shelby County, Alabama

EF0

Rating

2.0 mi

Path length

800 yd

Path width

$20K

Damage as recorded

EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 800 yards (0.45 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

The tornado touched down in Alabaster, near the intersection of US-31 and CR-66. It then traveled northeastward, crossed Interstate 65, and then lifted just after crossing CR-52 near the fire station in Pelham. Numerous trees were snapped and uprooted along the path. A few apartment complexes sustained minor to moderate roof damage. Several fallen trees landed on homes and mobile homes. A large billboard was blown down, which briefly blocked the north bound lanes of I-65.

The wider storm

A powerful spring storm system and associated cold front brought numerous thunderstorms to central Alabama. Many of the storms produced large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes.

Began near Scotrock (33.2566, -86.8123).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

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

EF2 Blount County EF2 Russell County EF1 Perry County EF1 Perry County EF1 Montgomery County EF1 St. Clair County EF0 Hale County EF0 Shelby County EF0 Montgomery County EF0 Bullock County

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 168511. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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