000 NOUS44 KBMX 182322 PNSBMX ALZ011>015-017>050-190000- PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 520 PM CST MONDAY FEB 18 2008 ...DAMAGE SURVEYS UNDERWAY ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA... ON SUNDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2008 A STRONG UPPER LEVEL LOW EJECTED OUT OF THE SOUTHERN PLAINS TRACKING ACROSS THE TENNESSEE VALLEY. STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS IN CONJUNCTION WITH DEWPOINTS CLIMBING INTO THE LOWER 60S...A STRONG LOW LEVEL JET...AND TEMPERATURES IN EXCESS OF 70 DEGREES RESULTED THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERAL SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS. BEFORE NOON A SQUALL LINE DEVELOPED ALONG THE ALABAMA MISSISSIPPI STATE LINE AND TRACKED EASTWARD ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA... INTENSIFYING DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. BY SUNSET...DAMAGE WAS REPORTED AT NUMEROUS LOCATIONS...GENERALLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM DEMOPOLIS TO WEDOWEE. TORNADO WATCHES WERE IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ALABAMA BETWEEN 530 AM AND 800 PM. A TOTAL OF 20 TORNADO WARNINGS AND 7 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS WERE ISSUED BETWEEN 1059 AM AND 505 PM BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM. SO FAR FIVE TORNADOES HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED BELOW IS A BY COUNTY DISCUSSION OF THE EVENT. AUTAUGA COUNTY: A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SURVEY TEAM HAS ASSESSED THE DAMAGE IN AUTAUGA COUNTY. IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED THE DAMAGE WAS THE RESULT OF A TORNADO...RANKING EF-3 ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE. THIS STORM TRACKED ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN CORNER OF THE COUNTY RESULTING IN A PATH LENGTH OF 10.3 MILES. IT WAS 450 YARDS WIDE AT ITS WIDEST POINT. THE MOST DAMAGE OCCURRED ALONG EAST MAIN STREET NEAR MCQUEEN SMITH ROAD AND IN THE SILVER HILLS SUBDIVISION. AN ESTIMATED 200 RESIDENTIAL HOMES AND 40 BUSINESSES WERE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. HUNDREDS OF TREES WERE EITHER SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. IN ADDITION...50 INJURIES WERE REPORTED. WIND SPEEDS ARE ESTIMATED TO BE UP TO 155 MILES PER HOUR. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE OCCURRED BETWEEN 300 AND 305 PM BUT DAMAGE LIKELY OCCURRED AS EARLY AS 253 PM. A TORNADO WARNING WAS IN EFFECT FROM 231 PM UNTIL 330 PM. THIS STORM ALSO PRODUCED DAMAGE IN LOWNDES COUNTY AND THIS STORM CONTINUED INTO ELMORE COUNTY. BARBOUR COUNTY: A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SURVEY TEAM HAS ASSESSED THE DAMAGE IN SOUTHEASTERN BARBOUR COUNTY AND DETERMINED IT WAS THE RESULT OF A TORNADO RANKING EF-1 ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE. THE PATH LENGTH WAS 21.5 MILES LONG AND 75 YARDS WIDE AT ITS WIDEST POINT. THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR RIVER ROAD ALONG HIGHWAY 10 WHERE IT SNAPPED TWO WOODEN POWER POLES. IT THEN TRACKED NORTHEAST ACROSS JOHN MARTIN ROAD BEFORE LIFTING NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF COUNTY ROAD 79 SOUTH AND HIGHWAY 30. WIND SPEEDS ARE ESTIMATED TO BE UP TO 100 MILES PER HOUR. ALONG THE PATH NUMEROUS TREES WERE UPROOTED OR SNAPPED AND SEVERAL MOBILE HOMES SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE. THIS DAMAGE OCCURED AT APPROXIMATELY 415 PM. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING WAS IN EFFECT FROM 410 PM UNTIL 515 PM. A TORNADO WARNING WAS IN EFFECT FROM 405 PM UNTIL 445 PM. ADDITIONAL POSSIBLE TORNADO TRACKS IN BARBOUR COUNTY ARE BEING INVESTIGATED. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. CHILTON COUNTY: A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SURVEY TEAM HAS ASSESSED THE DAMAGE NEAR EXIT 205 ALONG INTERSTATE 65 IN CHILTON COUNTY. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE MAJORITY OF THIS DAMAGE WAS THE RESULT OF STRAIGHT LINE WINDS. THIS DAMAGE ENCOMPASSED AN AREA NEARLY 2.75 MILES LONG BY 1.5 MILES WIDE BETWEEN COUNTY ROAD 7 AND COUNTY ROAD 41. HOWEVER THE SURVEY ALSO INDICATED A LOCALIZED AREA EAST OF INTERSTATE 65 WAS THE RESULT OF A TORNADO RATED EF-1 ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE. WINDS ARE ESTIMATED TO BE UP TO 110 MILES PER HOUR. THE DAMAGE PATH WAS 1.1 MILES LONG AND 0.25 MILES WIDE AT ITS WIDEST POINT. DAMAGE WAS PRIMARILY TO TREES...APPROXIMATELY 300 TREES WERE EITHER UPROOTED OR SNAPPED. IN ADDITION...AROUND 15 STRUCTURES WERE DAMAGED...THE WORST BEING A MOBILE HOME ALONG COUNTY ROAD 41 THAT HAD TWO LARGE OAK TREES FALL ON IT. SEVERAL FAST FOOD RESTRAINT SIGNS AND A COUPLE OF ROAD SIGNS WERE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. THIS DAMAGE OCCURRED AT APPROXIMATELY 105 PM. TWO TORNADO WARNINGS WERE ISSUED FOR THIS STORM. THE FIRST WAS ISSUED AT 1208 PM AND EXPIRED AT 100 PM. THE SECOND TORNADO WARNING WAS ISSUED AT 1253 PM AND EXPIRED AT 130 PM. IN ADDITION...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING WAS ISSUED AT 1228 PM AND EXPIRED AT 130 PM. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. DALLAS COUNTY: A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SURVEY TEAM HAS ASSESSED THE DAMAGE IN DALLAS COUNTY AND DETERMINED THE DAMAGE WAS THE RESULT OF A TORNADO...RANKING EF-2 ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE. THE TORNADO PATH WAS APPROXIMATELY 7 MILES LONG AND ONE HALF MILE WIDE AT ITS WIDEST POINT. SEVEN HOMES AND TWO BUSINESSES WERE TOTALLY DESTROYED IN ADDITION TWELVE TO FIFTEEN ADDITIONAL STRUCTURES WERE DAMAGED TO VARIOUS DEGREES. APPROXIMATELY 300 TREES WERE SNAPPED AND OR UPROOTED AS WELL. WIND SPEEDS ARE ESTIMATED TO BE UP TO 120 MILES PER HOUR. THIS TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR WARRIOR DRIVE...JUST SOUTHEAST OF THE PERRY COUNTY LINE...TRACKED ACROSS HIGHWAY 219 NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF COUNTY ROAD 230...AND ENDED JUST WEST OF THE INTERSECTION OF COUNTY ROAD 37 AND COUNTY ROAD 866. THIS DAMAGE OCCURRED AROUND 1229 PM. A TORNADO WARNING WAS IN EFFECT FROM 1208 PM UNTIL 100 PM. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. ELMORE COUNTY: A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SURVEY TEAM HAS ASSESSED THE DAMAGE IN ELMORE COUNTY AND DETERMINED THE DAMAGE WAS THE RESULT OF A TORNADO...RANKING EF-0 ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE(ALTHOUGH IT PREVIOUSLY PRODUCED EF-3 DAMAGE IN AUTAUGA COUNTY). THE DAMAGE PATH WAS APPROXIMATELY 8.5 MILES LONG(IN ELMORE COUNTY) AND IT WAS ONE QUARTER OF A MILE WIDE AT ITS WIDEST POINT. DAMAGE CONSISTED OF SEVERAL TREES BEING SNAPPED...A FEW UPROOTED AND SOME MINOR STRUCTURAL DAMAGE. MAXIMUM WINDS ARE ESTIMATED TO BE AROUND 80 MILES PER HOUR. THIS DAMAGE OCCURRED AROUND 310 PM. A TORNADO WARNING WAS IN EFFECT FROM 231 PM UNTIL 330 PM. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. THIS TORNADO ALSO PRODUCED DAMAGE IN LOWNDES AND AUTAUGA COUNTIES. LOWNDES COUNTY: A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SURVEY TEAM IS IN THE PROCESS OF ACCESSING THE DAMAGE IN LOWNDES COUNTY. IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED THE DAMAGE WAS THE RESULT OF A TORNADO...RANKING EF-2 ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE(ALTHOUGH IT WOULD LATER PRODUCE EF-3 DAMAGE IN AUTAUGA COUNTY). THE DAMAGE PATH WAS 20 MILES LONG(IN LOWNDES COUNTY) AND 225 YARDS WIDE AT ITS WIDEST POINT. THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR COLLIRENE...TRACKED ACROSS HIGHWAY 80 NEAR BIG SWAMP CREEK AND INTO AUTAUGA COUNTY ABOUT 3.5 MILES NORTHWEST OF MANACK. ELEVEN STRUCTURES WERE DAMAGED WITH THREE OF THESE COMPLETELY DESTROYED. IN ADDITION TEN PEOPLE WERE INJURED. HUNDREDS OF TREES WERE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. THE MOST EXTENSIVE DAMAGE WAS LOCATED NEAR COLLIRENE. WIND SPEEDS ARE ESTIMATED TO BE UP TO 120 MILES PER HOUR. THIS DAMAGE OCCURED AT APPROXIMATELY 225 PM. A TORNADO WARNING WAS IN EFFECT FROM 145 PM UNTIL 245 PM. THIS STORM CONTINUED INTO AUTAUGA COUNTY AND EVENTUALLY INTO ELMORE COUNTY BEFORE LIFTING. PIKE COUNTY: A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SURVEY TEAM HAS ASSESSED THE DAMAGE IN PIKE COUNTY AND DETERMINED THE DAMAGE WAS THE RESULT OF A TORNADO...RANKING EF-1 ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE. THE TORNADO PATH LENGTH WAS APPROXIMATELY 8.2 MILES LONG(IN PIKE COUNTY) AND 200 YARDS WIDE AT ITS WIDEST POINT. ONE HOME AND ONE CHURCH WERE DAMAGED AND NUMEROUS TREES WERE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. WINDS ARE ESTIMATED TO BE AROUND 100 MILES PER HOUR. THE STORM ENTERED PIKE COUNTY FROM COFFEE COUNTY APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF HENDERSON...CROSSED STATE HIGHWAYS 87 AND 167 AND ENDED JUST NORTH OF THE INTERSECTION OF COUNTY ROADS 6 AND 57. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THIS STORM TRACKED ACROSS COUNTIES IN BOTH MOBILE AND TALLAHASSEE AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY. THE FINAL EF RANKING AND PATH LENGTH/WIDTH WILL BE DETERMINED BY THE MAXIMUM RANKING FROM THE THREE OFFICES. THIS DAMAGE OCCURED AT APPROXIMATELY 223 PM. A TORNADO WARNING WAS IN EFFECT FROM 150 PM UNTIL 245 PM. IF YOU ARE AWARE OF DAMAGE AT LOCATIONS OTHER THAN LISTED ABOVE... PLEASE CALL IN YOUR REPORT TO YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OR YOUR COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY DONE SO. DAMAGE ASSESSMENT TAKES TIME AND IS A DYNAMIC PROCESS. THIS PRODUCT WILL BE UPDATED MANY TIMES. CHECK BACK FREQUENTLY FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION. IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING SUNDAYS EVENTS OR OUR PLANS TO SURVEY ON MONDAY...PLEASE CONTACT THE POST EVENT COORDINATOR AT THE BIRMINGHAM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE AT 205-664-3010. $$ 12/SIRMON