EF1 tornado in Lauderdale County, Alabama

A tornado of EF-1 intensity produced peak wind speeds up to 110 mph. The tornado touched down along County Road 90, 1 mile north-northeast of Waterloo. Here, numerous trees were snapped on the hillside along County Roads 90 and 78. Two docks along Second Creek sustained damage.

Just southeast of the intersection of County Roads 90 and 21, 3 residences sustained minor damage. The first home had its windows blown out on the upper floor. The second sustained shingle damage and had the rear wall of a garage blown out. The third had a portion of a garage picked up and thrown over the house about 75 yards. A brick was thrown through the back window of the residence. Numerous trees were snapped immediately to the southeast of this home.

The tornado continued along County Road 90. Near the intersection of Lester Hollow Road, several large/wide trees were snapped off from 8 to 15 feet off the base. To the east along Lester Hollow Road, trees were knocked onto 3 homes. The tornado produced significant tree damage as it progressed northeastward. At the intersection of State Highway 20 and County Road 40, a building had 3 awnings blown off, with one being deposited across Highway 20. The tornado then tracked into a wooded area and moved into Tennessee.

A powerful storm system roared across the Southeast United States on Wednesday, April 27, 2011. In the wake of this system, hundreds of people were left injured and/or homeless, along with approximately 100 people who lost their lives in the northern Alabama area alone. Some of the devastation was literally unimaginable with countless homes, neighborhoods and even portions of cities or towns either partially or completely destroyed. This storm system would be responsible for one of the largest and deadliest tornado outbreaks to ever impact much of the southeastern region.

The powerful storm system that affected the National Weather Service, Huntsville service area would actually occur in three separate waves of severe weather that day. The first occurred during the early morning hours of April 27, 2011 roughly between the hours of 2 AM and 8 AM CDT, while the second occurred during the late-morning to early afternoon period. The third and most devastating wave occurred during the afternoon hours on Wednesday, with some of the most violent and destructive tornadoes to affect the central Tennessee Valley area in recent decades.

The worst areas impacted by these storms included the towns of Phil Campbell and Oak Grove in eastern Franklin County Alabama, Mt. Hope in western Lawrence County and the Tanner Community in eastern Limestone County. Along a line connecting these areas tracked an EF5 tornado with peak winds around 210 mph, the strongest and most violent on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

Other areas impacted by the storms include the city of Cullman, where extensive damage occurred to buildings in the downtown area, and to the town of Fairview, both of which are located in Cullman County. Downstream, further significant damage occurred to the Ruth and Oak Grove communities in Marshall County. In addition, the communities of Rainsville and Sylvania along with the towns of Henagar and Ider in DeKalb County were severely impacted. Fatalities in DeKalb County alone numbered at least 33 people. Furthermore, the towns of Flat Rock, Higdon and Pisgah in Jackson County sustained incredible damage. The tornadoes that affected these areas were rated as an EF4 with maximum winds near 190 mph.

In most of these areas alone, numerous people lost their lives. These represent just several of the communities and towns impacted by the events of April 27, 2011. While the majority of the analysis and survey work conducted by the National Weather Service, Huntsville and its partners have been completed, there will undoubtedly be countless research studies conducted by both academia and operational personnel in order to further evaluate and understand the complex processes associated with this near unprecedented severe weather outbreak.