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F1 tornado in Clarke County, Alabama

Tornado March 18, 1996 · Clarke County, Alabama

F1
Rating
8.0 mi
Path length
200 yd
Path width
15
Injuries
$1.0M
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 F1 means. This tornado was rated on Fujita’s original scale, used until 2007. F1 meant moderate damage: roofs badly stripped, mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned, windows broken; the scale paired it with winds of 73–112 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

A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN JUST EAST OF U. S. HWY 43, JUST SOUTH OF JACKSON NEAR THE BOISE CASCADE PLANT AND THE AIRPORT. HEAVY DAMAGE WAS SUSTAINED AT THE BOISE CASCADE PLANT TO A BUILDING UNDER CONSTRUCTION. SEVERAL HOMES NEAR THE AIRPORT ALSO SUFFERED ROOF DAMAGE. THE TORNADO MOVED NORTHEAST AND CROSSED STATE HIGHWAY 2 AND THEN PASSED JUST SOUTH OF WALKER SPRINGS. SEVERAL HOMES WERE DAMAGED HERE, WITH SEVERAL BARNS AND OUTBUILDINGS AND A TRAILER BEING DESTROYED. A LADY IN THE TRAILER CRAWLED UNDER A TRACTOR TO ESCAPE THE TORNADO. ANOTHER LADY ESCAPED INJURY BY HIDING IN THE CLOSET OF HER HOME. FIFTEEN PEOPLE WERE INJURED BUT NONE SERIOUSLY AND THREE COWS WERE ALSO KILLED. MOST OF THE OTHER DAMAGE WAS TO SHINGLES BEING BLOWN FROM ROOFS AND ALSO FROM TREES BEING BLOWN ON HOMES. THE TORNADO THEN LIFTED BACK INTO THE CLOUD NEAR COUNTY ROAD 29. THE TORNADO WAS ON THE GROUND FOR ABOUT EIGHT MILES.

Began near Jackson Muni Arpt (31.4700, -87.9000).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 5552291. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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