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Severe WX 1/24/21-1/26/21 Severe Event (Fultondale, AL)

Equus

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Here's the loop for anyone who missed it; now I must sleep

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Bama Ravens

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My cousin's house in Fultdondale was basically destroyed. I haven't seen pictures of it yet, but my Mom talked to him. They are okay and safe, though. I drove Interstate 65 south through there this morning. The tornado clearly touched down somewhere just west of I-65, and then rapidly strengthened as it crossed I-65. It had a clear northeastward track to it.

This was a big one. The damage in Fultondale from this one is likely worse than the damage Fultondale experienced from the Tuscaloosa-Birmingham tornado on April 27, 2011.
 

Peter Griffin

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Image from Fultondale. From Joshua Neely.


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Do you have any idea in that area where everything is leveled if those were houses or mobile homes?

Obviously for the people living there it makes no difference and I send my condolences but from a strength aspect it could be important.
 

Bama Ravens

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Do you have any idea in that area where everything is leveled if those were houses or mobile homes?

Obviously for the people living there it makes no difference and I send my condolences but from a strength aspect it could be important.
Most of what you're seeing in this image is all houses. They are older houses, but houses nonetheless.
 

warneagle

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The mid-EF3 windspeed people inferred from the debris lofting definitely seems believable based on the damage photos.
 

Equus

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It's clear via aerials and interviews that the destroyed residences are almost all frame houses; while many are old and construction quality/condition is a question, we certainly do have completely leveled frame homes as opposed to having only mobile homes that heavily damaged. Just a shocking amount of destruction out there.

Mid-end EF3 seems probable, gotta say that's stronger than I thought we'd see yesterday.

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TH2002

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Are the conditions that led to the Fultondale tornado similar to the conditions that led to the Middle Tennessee tornado outbreak last year (high shear low CAPE)? Again the area was only under a Slight Risk and Tornado Watch 0003 only indicated a 20% probability for EF2+ tornadoes.

If I had to guess the damage we've seen so far probably ranges from mid EF3 to possibly low end EF4, based on available damage pics. Horrible damage and my thoughts and prayers are with the people of Fultondale.
 

rolltide_130

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Are the conditions that led to the Fultondale tornado similar to the conditions that led to the Middle Tennessee tornado outbreak last year (high shear low CAPE)? Again the area was only under a Slight Risk and Tornado Watch 0003 only indicated a 20% probability for EF2+ tornadoes.

If I had to guess the damage we've seen so far probably ranges from mid EF3 to possibly low end EF4, based on available damage pics. Horrible damage and my thoughts and prayers are with the people of Fultondale.

Surface temps were significantly warmer this time around. The Nashville storm was almost cold core-esque. It had similar characteirstics beyond that though. Very high shear and of course waiting until it got into the metro to really organize and produce despite having meandered for a while up from Jackson
 

Equus

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Also boundary interactions, warm front and thermal boundary respectively iirc. Probably significantly enhanced local helicity
 

Equus

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Yeah that batch of storms rolled over here for two hours and knocked temps down 5 degrees or more (from 71 to 66 here) and probably set up the perfect boundary over B'ham; anyone got surface charts from 10-ish last night?
 
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