Wikipedia

2011 Central Alabama tornado

In the afternoon hours of April 27, 2011, a large and long-tracked EF4 tornado moved across Central Alabama, devastating several communities along a 124 miles (200 km) path, including Cordova and Blountsville. The tornado killed 13 and had a maximum width of 2,600 yards (1.5 mi). It occurred as part of the largest tornado outbreak in modern history, and was one of eleven EF4 tornadoes to strike the Southern United States on April 27. The tornado was the second-longest tornado of the outbreak; only the Hackleburg tornado had a longer track.

2011 Central Alabama tornado
The tornado at EF4 intensity west of Cordova. A wall cloud is visible above the tornado, which took on a "wedge" shape.
Meteorological history
FormedApril 27, 2011, 3:40 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00)
DissipatedApril 27, 2011, 5:56 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00)
Duration2 hours, 16 minutes
EF4 tornado
on the Enhanced Fujita scale
Highest winds170–180 mph (270–290 km/h)[note 1]
Overall effects
Casualties67 total
Fatalities13
Injuries54
Damage$115,000,000 (2011 USD)
Areas affectedCordova, Alabama, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Blount County, Alabama
[3][4]
Part of the 2011 Super Outbreak and Tornadoes of 2011

The tornado first moved through northeast Pickens County, where it retained EF0 and EF1 intensity, moving past several smaller towns. As the tornado moved into Cordova it reached EF3 intensity, and heavily damaged the town. The tornado continued to strengthen as it moved across Alabama, reaching EF4 intensity as it passed northwest of Sumiton. The tornado retained this intensity as it caused sporadic damage across rural Alabama, destroying numerous homes and debarking trees. It dissipated south of Red Hill, after being on the ground for over two hours.

The tornado was the second EF3+ tornado to hit Cordova on April 27, and the town was devastated by both. Four people were killed in the downtown area of the town, and several businesses and homes were obliterated by the tornado as it moved through the area.

Meteorological synopsis

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Further information: 2011 Super Outbreak § Meteorological synopsis

On the morning of April 27, a strong cold front with several areas of embedded low pressure extended from the Texas Hill Country northeastward towards the Arklatex and the Ozarks, and later into the lower Ohio Valley. Warm moist air was in place due to strong southerly flow ahead of the front over Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee. An upper level disturbance sparked a broad area of showers and thunderstorms as it moved across the frontal boundary on the previous evening. The eastern edge of the line of showers and storms continued to move eastward, in concert with the upper disturbance, reaching the northwest Alabama border around 2:00 a.m. CDT.[5]

This produced the last and most violent round of severe weather, which began around 2:30 p.m. CDT for northern Alabama as supercells began to line up to the southwest of the area. During the early afternoon hours, the potential for destructive tornadoes was highlighted by the Storm Prediction Center's upgrade to a High Risk for severe weather around 1:00 p.m. CDT. The potential for tornadoes ramped up from noon through 4:00 p.m. CDT. During this period, much of Mississippi and Alabama experienced numerous supercell thunderstorms that produced violent tornadoes, including five EF4 tornadoes, one of which was the Central Alabama tornado.[5]

Cordova EF3 tornado

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Prior to the Central Alabama tornado, a large but short EF3 tornado crossed areas that would be hit hours later, notably Cordova. The tornado touched down near Fairview, rapidly intensifying to EF3 intensity as it destroyed a home to the south of Cedar Lake. The tornado continued to move in a northward direction, inflicting EF1 damage to trees as it moved to the east of Pleasent Field. After passing to the west of Drifton, the tornado moved northward, tracking directly into downtown Cordova.[6][7] The tornado damaged numerous brick buildings in the area, and uprooting several trees before lifting a short distance north of the town.[6][7][8]

Tornado summary

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Track and intensity map of the tornado through Lathrop and Reform.
Key
  EF0 65–85 mph
  EF1 86–110 mph
  EF2 111–135 mph
  EF3 136–165 mph
  EF4 166–200 mph

The tornado touched down at 3:40 p.m. CDT (20:40 UTC) in northeastern Pickens County, Alabama, damaging a few chicken homes at EF1 strength and uprooting several hardwood trees at the same strength. The tornado retained this intensity, and widened as it crossed Pine Grove Road near Carloss. The tornado ran parallel to the track of another EF2 tornado that hit areas a short distance north of the tornado. It crossed County Road 12, west of Owens, and moved through areas northwest of Stansel. As the tornado neared Reform, it turned to the east, directly impacting Lathrop.[7]

After the tornado impacted Lathrop, it moved through forested areas, uprooting trees at EF0 and EF1 intensity. Damage in the area was sporadic as the tornado neared Lubbub. At least two homes north of the town were damaged at EF0 intensity as the tornado crossed County Road 49, along with several swaths of trees.[7] The tornado continued along a straight path, crossing into Tuscaloosa County before turning to the east. It crossed Alabama State Route 171 at EF3 intensity, debarking several hardwood trees and inflicting minor damage to a home.[7] At least four people were killed in the area; two fatalities occurred within a home that was destroyed at EF3 intensity.[9]

 
The defined hook echo of the tornado as it was east of Cordova.

The tornado caused roof damage to houses and destroyed a few outbuildings before moving into Tuscaloosa County and briefly into Fayette County, causing major EF2 tree damage and minor structural damage. The tornado then moved back into Tuscaloosa County, causing mostly minor tree and structural damage at EF1 strength before rapidly intensifying and crossing into Fayette County once again. There, it completely destroyed at least one mobile home, with the frame being separated and the remaining debris being thrown a considerable distance. The tornado appeared to strengthen even further and several mobile homes were obliterated with debris thrown a considerable distance and frames twisted and thrown. Damage was rated EF3 in this area. Many trees were downed as well before the tornado moved into Walker County.[9]

It then weakened to EF1 strength and caused mostly minor damage to trees and mobile homes. South of Oakman, numerous trees were snapped and uprooted, a cell phone tower was knocked down, and mobile homes were destroyed at EF2 intensity. It then rolled vehicles and destroyed a cinder block house to the southeast of Oakman, with damage rated EF3 at that location. The tornado weakened considerably as it approached Corridor X of the Appalachian Development Highway System (now Interstate 22), with only minor EF0 tree damage, before it strengthened significantly as it entered the town of Cordova as a 0.5-mile (0.80 km) wide EF3 tornado.[1]

Damage in Cordova and Sipsey

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Track and intensity map of the tornado through Cordova. The orange line is the track of a separate EF3 tornado that hit the town 11 hours earlier.[10]
Key
  EF0 65–85 mph
  EF1 86–110 mph
  EF2 111–135 mph
  EF3 136–165 mph
  EF4 166–200 mph
 
Aerial view of high-end EF3 damage in Cordova.

In Cordova, numerous homes and manufactured houses were either damaged or destroyed in this area along with many trees being downed. Some unanchored homes in town were swept from their foundations. Buildings in downtown Cordova had already been damaged by an EF3 tornado earlier that morning and received further damage from this tornado.[11]

EF3 damage was documented in downtown Cordova, likely from the Central Alabama tornado. At least three homes were destroyed at this intensity, and four people were killed when their home was hit by the tornado.[7][12][13] In the same area, the tornado stripped vegetation out of the ground, producing a highly visible damage path.[14] The tornado also destroyed the town's city hall,[15] the Piggly Wiggly grocery store and at least one Methodist church.[16][17]

East of Cordova, the tornado crossed the Mulberry Fork of the Black Warrior River three times (along with the Sipsey Fork once, just north of its confluence with the Mulberry Fork). It intensified further into a violent EF4 tornado in northeastern Walker County, as it completely leveled a site-built home and obliterated two nearby mobile homes.

One of the mobile home undercarriages was tossed at least 500 yards (460 m). A 5-ton bulldozer was flipped over, a pickup truck was tossed 200 yards (180 m), and a dump truck was tossed 50 yards (46 m) and destroyed. A two-ton trailer was thrown 1 mile (1.6 km) and left a 2.5-foot (0.76 m) deep crater where it impacted the ground. Two double-wide mobile homes were tossed at least 100 yards (91 m), and a third mobile home was tossed 100 yards (91 m) up a 50 foot (15 m) embankment and destroyed along this segment of the path as well. South of Sipsey, additional homes and mobile homes were destroyed at EF2 to EF3 strength and numerous trees were snapped.[1]

Cullman and Blount counties

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Track and intensity map of the tornado through Blountsville.
Key
  EF0 65–85 mph
  EF1 86–110 mph
  EF2 111–135 mph
  EF3 136–165 mph
  EF4 166–200 mph

The tornado then crossed the Mulberry Fork for the fourth time and moved into Cullman County. South of Arkadelphia, a second area of EF4 damage was observed, as a cinder block construction home was leveled and a car was thrown 130 yards (120 m). Nearby, an underground storm shelter collapsed onto the occupants sheltering inside as the tornado passed overhead.[1] The tornado then crossed the Mulberry Fork again, moving into Blount County, where it caused EF1 roof damage to a home and snapped hundreds of trees. It then crossed Interstate 65 before crossing the Mulberry Fork into Cullman County southwest of Garden City, snapping numerous additional trees at EF1 strength. It quickly crossed the river again (the seventh crossing), moving back into Blount County.

As it continued to the south-southwest of Garden City, it straddled the Mulberry Fork before finally moving solidly into Blount County and toward Blountsville. On the southeast side of Blountsville, the tornado downed many trees and caused high-end EF2 damage to well-built brick and slab foundation homes, one of which had some exterior walls collapse. The storm continued to the northeast and out of Blountsville, where two additional homes sustained high-end EF3 damage.

A large portion of one of the homes was wiped off of its foundation; however, its garage sustained only minor roof damage. At the second of these two homes, a dump truck was thrown 30 feet (9.1 m).[1] The tornado then moved into Marshall County, causing significant damage to a house and downing numerous trees. A shed suffered roof damage and an industrial plant was completely destroyed at EF2 strength as well. The tornado then moved into a wooded area, weakened, and eventually lifted south-southwest of Guntersville at 5:56 p.m. CDT (22:56 UTC). Thousands of trees were downed along the tornado's path.[18] The tornado was on the ground for two hours and sixteen minutes, tracking for 124 miles (200 km) across seven counties. It was rated as a low-end EF4 with winds of 170 mph (270 km/h).[1][18]

Aftermath

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Cordova was devastated by the tornado, which was the second major tornado to hit the community on April 27.[19][20] Several businesses and other buildings were destroyed or heavily damaged in and outside of the town, and four were killed in the downtown area.[16] The city of Cordova was awarded $5,098,515 (2011 USD) to aid with recovery efforts after the tornado; Blount County was awarded $758,572 (2011 USD).[21] Recovery efforts after the tornadoes continued months after the event.[22] In the weeks and months after the tornado, numerous fires started in downtown Cordova, which further damaged structures and temporarily stunted recovery efforts.[23][24][25]

FEMA trailer controversy

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In May, the mayor of Cordova issued a city-wide ordinance that prohibited the use of FEMA aid trailers within city limits.[26][27] The ordinance was highly controversial, and was met with nationwide backlash.[28][29][30] FEMA was also criticized for not carrying out rebuilding work in downtown Cordova after the tornado; the downtown area was sealed off using a chain-link fence to prevent trespassers.[31]

See also

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Notes and references

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Notes

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  1. ^ The 170 miles per hour (270 km/h) wind speed is based on the finalized information published by the NOAA National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), which is now maintained by the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) as well as a web page made by the National Weather Service (NWS) Birmingham, Alabama.[1] However, NWS Birmingham noted the tornado caused damage which was rated EF4 with winds of 180 miles per hour (290 km/h) on the Damage Assessment Toolkit.[2] Due to this published wind speed difference, the winds for this tornado are set as 170–180 miles per hour (270–290 km/h).

Footnotes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Cordova (Pickens, Tuscaloosa, Fayette, Walker and Blount Counties) EF-4 Tornado April 27, 2011". National Weather Service in Birmingham, Alabama. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. August 23, 2011. Archived from the original on December 29, 2013. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
  2. ^ Branches of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; National Weather Service; National Severe Storms Laboratory (2024). "Damage Assessment Toolkit". DAT. United States Department of Commerce. Archived from the original on 2020-04-23. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  3. ^ Banner-Herald, Athens. "EF4 tornado on Apr. 27, 2011 16:35 PM CDT". Athens Banner-Herald. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  4. ^ "cultivating a state of readiness: OUR RESPONSE TO APRIL 27, 2011" (PDF). Alabama EMA. January 2012. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  5. ^ a b US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Weather Setup: April 27th, 2011 Historic Tornado Outbreak". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. Retrieved 2024-11-07.  This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  6. ^ a b US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Parrish/Cordova Tornado - April 27, 2011". National Weather Service. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "Damage Assessment Toolkit (DAT)". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  8. ^ Herald, The Times. "EF3 tornado on Apr. 27, 2011 15:29 PM CDT". The Times Herald. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  9. ^ a b US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Cordova Tornado - April 27, 2011". www.weather.gov. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  10. ^ "Reinventing Cordova, 5 years after 2 tornadoes destroyed its downtown". AL. 2016-04-21. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  11. ^ "Tornado Aftermath". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  12. ^ Gasque, Conan (April 27, 2021). "Memories of tornado show what Cordova once was". CBS 42. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  13. ^ Burch, Edward (2016-04-26). "April 27, 2011: Cordova community continues to recover from EF4 tornado". WBMA. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  14. ^ "Tornado Damage near Berry, Alabama". earthobservatory.nasa.gov. 2011-05-13. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  15. ^ Paepcke, Jon (2015-04-27). Tornado recovery progress comes slowly in hard-hit Cordova. Retrieved November 11, 2024 – via WVTM 13.
  16. ^ a b Collins, Alan (2017-04-28). "Folks in Cordova remember April 27th tornadoes". WBRC. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  17. ^ "The April 2011 Tornado Super Outbreak: 16 Things We'll Never Forget | Weather.com". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  18. ^ a b "Marshall County (The End of the Long Track Tornado – Ending East of Hwy 79 and South of Hwy 431) EF-2". National Weather Service in Huntsville, Alabama. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. October 2, 2011. Archived from the original on December 29, 2013. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
  19. ^ "The April 2011 Tornado Super Outbreak: 16 Things We'll Never Forget | Weather.com". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  20. ^ "About 200 residents turn out for long-range tornado recovery meeting in Cordova (slideshow)". AL. 2011-07-16. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  21. ^ "2011 Tornadoes". ADECA. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  22. ^ Laing, Carly (April 27, 2022). "'There was just no safe place that day': The city of Cordova reflects on April 27 tornadoes". CBS 42. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  23. ^ Reeves, Jay (April 26, 2021). "Pain, loss linger a decade after tornadoes hammer 6 states". Associated Press. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  24. ^ "Firefighters return to downtown Cordova after fires re-flare in several buildings". AL. 2011-10-28. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  25. ^ Hardison, Jonathan (2012-09-18). "Storm-damaged Cordova hit by third fire in 17 months". WBRC. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  26. ^ "Cordova mayor says no to FEMA trailers; our commenters say mayor needs some fresh thinking". AL. 2011-05-25. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  27. ^ "Cordova residents can't use FEMA trailers". The Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  28. ^ "Cordova residents fighting ordinance against FEMA trailers". WBRC. 2011-05-31. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  29. ^ Peralta, Eyder (May 31, 2011). "In Aftermath Of Tornado, Alabama Town Debates Trailer Ban". NPR. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  30. ^ Campbell, Robertson (June 15, 2011). "Around Tornado Deaths, a Nagging Tale of Shelter Denied". The New York Times. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  31. ^ "Left with tornado damage, Ala. town blaming FEMA". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-11-11.

Sources

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