EF1 Tornado — Bullock, Alabama

2017-01-02 · near Almeria, Bullock, Alabama

Event narrative

National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in southwest Bullock County just west of Clayton determined that the damage was consistent with an EF1 tornado, with maximum winds estimated near 90 mph. The tornado touched down along CR 13, between CR 7 and Rabbit Rd, and then traveled northeast. The majority of the damage was around Hooks Crossroads, the intersection of CR 14 and CR 15, where numerous trees were snapped or uprooted and one camper was overturned. A concentrated area of tree damage was noted in a wooded area between CR 15 and East Creek. The tornado lifted just north of East Creek. Special thanks to Bullock County Emergency Management Agency for their help in conducting the survey.

Wider weather episode

A warm front lifted northward during the morning hours on January 2nd. Cold temperatures aloft created steep mid level lapse rates and several of the storms produced hail, mostly below 1 inch. During the afternoon, a low level jet developed across south Alabama increasing the instability across region. Precipitable water values also increased to above 1.5 inches, setting the stage for heavy rainfall and flash flooding.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (32.0308, -85.8742)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 674971. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.