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F2 tornado in Cherokee County, Alabama

Tornado November 24, 2001 · Cherokee County, Alabama

F2
Rating
8.2 mi
Path length
200 yd
Path width
2
Deaths
4
Injuries
$300K
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 F2 means. This tornado was rated on Fujita’s original scale, used until 2007. F2 meant considerable damage: roofs torn off well-built houses, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted; the scale paired it with winds of 113–157 mph, figures later judged too high, especially toward the top of the scale, and revised downward in the Enhanced Fujita scale. Ratings then, as now, came from the damage.

What the National Weather Service wrote

The tornado began about 2.7 miles south-southwest of Sand Rock at 3:01 pm moving northeast. The tornado moved across the southern and eastern portions of Sand Rock damaging a number of structures. Two people were killed in a mobile home just east of Sand Rock. The tornado continued northeast moving through mostly open areas with structures damaged and trees downed along the way. The tornado finally dissipated around 3:18 pm about 5.5 miles northeast of Sand Rock.The tornado was rated an F2 with a path length of 8.2 miles and a width of 200 yards.Beginning: 34 12.477/85 47.520 Ending: 34 18.063/85 42.139

Began near Sand Rock (34.2500, -85.7667).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 5272365. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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