EF1 Tornado — Bullock, Alabama

2017-01-22 · near Hector, Bullock, Alabama

Event narrative

National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in northwest Bullock County and determined that the damage was consistent with an EF1 tornado, with maximum sustained winds near 90 mph. The tornado touched down .6 mile west of the town of Shopton, just south of U.S. Highway 82, where one home suffered damage. The tornado tracked northeast and produced tree damage. The tornado lifted 1.5 miles northeast of Shopton, just east of CR 37.

Wider weather episode

After over a week of near-record to record high temperatures, several upper-level disturbances followed by a strong upper-level low pressure system produced multiple rounds of severe weather across Central Alabama. This system was characterized by strong upper-level winds and very cold upper-level temperatures. The first round produced one brief, weak tornado in St. Clair County on the evening of January 19. The second round occurred on the morning of January 20 with 12 tornadoes across Marengo, Elmore, Macon, Lee, Pike, and Barbour Counties. A third round produced damaging straight line winds on the night of January 21, including in the Birmingham metro area where the Birmingham airport measured a 75 mph wind gust and in Oneonta where 80 mph straight-line winds caused significant damage. A brief tornado also occurred in Tuscaloosa County with this activity. Finally, a fourth round moved through during the day on January 22 with 3 tornadoes across Bullock and Lee Counties.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (32.1254, -85.9570)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 676467. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.