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F2 tornado in Jefferson County, Alabama

Tornado November 10, 2002 · Jefferson County, Alabama

F2
Rating
15.2 mi
Whole path
450 yd
Path width
3
Injuries
$800K
Damage as recorded

NOAA records this tornado county by county. Its path ran through Tuscaloosa County → Jefferson County; the totals above are for the whole tornado.

EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 450 yards (0.26 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.

The wider storm

The Abernant Tornado first touched down in Tuscaloosa County in a wooded area west of County Road 99 around 10:22 pm. The tornado traveled east-northeast, damaging structures on Ridge Road before crossing into Jefferson County.The tornado entered Jefferson County at 10:29 pm, and damaged structures in the North Johns and Sumter areas before damaging a manufacturing facility just southwest of VisionLand Theme Park. The tornado crossed Interstate 59 and US Highway 11 where additional houses and businesses sustained minor damage. The tornado ended at this point at 10:43 pm.This F2 tornado had a path length of 15.2 miles, 2.9 miles in Tuscaloosa County and 12.3 miles in Jefferson County. The path width was about 450 yards. Three injuries were reported in Tuscaloosa County.Beg: 33 19.740/87 13.724 End: 33 22.873/86 58.362

Began near Mc Calla (33.3333, -87.1833).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 5321523. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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