EF3 tornado in Dekalb County, Alabama

The assessment team was able to connect the previous Rosalie track to the Ider track after observing significant roof damage to single family home with complete destruction to a barn on the property near the intersection of CR-345 and CR-78. Additional points were added along CR-330 to CR-117 (DeKalb Co.) after the team recorded snapped softwood and hardwood trees and damage to a large anchored shed.

Significant damage was observed from the tornado along CR-117 and CR-159. Numerous hardwood and softwood trees were either uprooted or snapped at the

trunk along CR-117 leading up to CR-159. The strongest winds of this tornado were recorded near this location. A one story day care center was completely destroyed and blown off its foundation. Preliminary info recorded 10 injuries at this location. The damage assessment team noted the structure was bolted the foundation, however the floor plates connecting to the foundation were observed to have some degree of degradation. This led to a preliminary assessment of a tornado of EF-3 strength with winds approximately 145 mph. *Update: of the 10 injuries, one individual has since passed away on 2/8/17.

Between CR-117 and AL-75 in DeKalb County, numerous chicken farms were completely destroyed along. Several homes in the area sustained significant roof damage and two anchored mobiles homes were observed to have rolled. One unanchored mobile home was completely destroyed with scattered debris.

Finally, the team traveled along CR-792 in the Deer Head Cove area (near the AL/GA

state line) and observed complete destruction to a well anchored and large metal

shed. Winds were estimated to be 111 MPH at this location. Numerous soft wood pine trees were snapped or uprooted up to the AL/GA state line. The team traveled into

nearby Dade County, observed minor debris, but no damage.

A tornado outbreak occurred during the evening hours of the 29th into the early morning hours of the 30th. A very mild and unstable air mass was in place along with a strong southwesterly upper level jet. These ingredients combined with a cold front and pre-frontal trough sweeping from west to east across the area sparked scattered supercell thunderstorms during the evening, a few of which were tornadic. This was followed by a quasi-linear convective system (QLCS) that occurred with the trough, which also was responsible for severe weather. Beneficial rainfall occurred with this system with 2-5 inches reported. Some of the rainfall fell fast enough to produce brief flash flooding in the Florence area during the evening.