EF1 tornado in Marshall County, Alabama

As the tornado moved into Marshall county, its peak winds strengthened to around 110 mph, becoming an EF-1 intensity tornado. On Feemster Gap Road a mobile home was rolled over several times. The mobile home hit a tree and fell back on its side with the roof badly damaged and the frame bent. No injuries were sustained at this location, but residents that had been inside the mobile home took shelter in an underground storm shelter minutes before the tornado hit. Other mobile homes nearby only sustained minor damage to the roofs and flashing underneath. Northeast of this, another mobile home was blown several feet from its original location (as noted by the location of its remaining porch). Behind this mobile home, an unanchored outbuilding was rolled several times and numerous large trees were uprooted and snapped in the field behind the home.

As the tornado moved through the Johnsons Mill community, several barns were damaged, with one or two completely destroyed. A chicken house on Fry Gap Road was completely destroyed, as well, near the intersection of Fry Gap Road and Thompson Falls road. Further northeast, another chicken house sustained major damage but was not completely destroyed on Brazelton Road near Fry Gap Road.

Northeast of these locations, near the intersection of Warranton Road and Browns Valley Road, another chicken house was completely destroyed and numerous trees were splintered and snapped off near the base. The tornado was likely at its strongest at this location, with a width of 75 yards. Damage continued along the peninsula between Big Springs Creek and Browns Creek on Guntersville Lake. Trees were snapped and oriented in a convergent pattern along the peninsula as the tornado was weakening and eventually lifting near the intersection of Highway 431 and Highway 69.

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.