January 4, 2015 Tornado

...NWS DAMAGE SURVEY FOR JANUARY 4TH 2015 EF-2 TORNADO THAT OCCURRED IN CRENSHAW COUNTY...


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.CRENSHAW COUNTY TORNADO...

RATING:                 EF-2
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    NEAR 120 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/: 14.4 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/:   100 YARDS
FATALITIES:             0
INJURIES:               0

START DATE:             JANUARY 4TH 2015
START TIME:             311 AM CST
START LOCATION:         5.4 N DOZIER / CRENSHAW / AL
START LAT/LON:          31.570 / -86.375

END DATE:               JANUARY 4TH 2015
END TIME:               335 AM CST
END LOCATION:           3.7 E LUVERNE / CRENSHAW /_AL
END_LAT/LON:            31.715 / -86.201

SURVEY_SUMMARY: A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM MOVED NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS
CRENSHAW COUNTY AND SPAWNED A TORNADO WHICH TRACKED FROM EXTREME SOUTHWEST
CRENSHAW COUNTY TO EAST CENTRAL CRENSHAW COUNTY. THE TORNADO WAS
INITIALLY OF STRENGTH EF-0 ABOUT 5 MILES NORTH OF DOZIER OR ABOUT 1 MILE
NORTHEAST OF LEON THEN VARIED IN STRENGTH FROM EF-1 TO EF-2 BEFORE
DISSIPATING ABOUT 4 MILES EAST OF LUVERNE OR ABOUT 1 MILE SOUTH-SOUTHWEST
OF VIDETTE. THE SURVEY SHOWED STRONG EVIDENCE OF CONVERGENCE INTO THE CENTER
OF THE PATH FOR JUST ABOUT EVERY SINGLE DAMAGE LOCATION SURVEYED. DAMAGE
ALONG THE PATH WAS PRIMARILY SNAPPED TRUNKS OF PINE AND HARDWOOD TREES ON
BOTH HILLTOPS AND VALLEYS...DESTROYED CHICKEN HOUSES AND OUTBUILDINGS...AND
WITH SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO A HOUSE AND CAR AT THE END OF THE PATH BEFORE THE
TORNADO QUICKLY DISSIPATED. THE PATH WIDTH VARIED FROM 40 YARDS TO A
MAXIMUM OF 100 YARDS...BUT AVERAGED 60-80 YARDS AT MOST POINTS.

FUJITA SCALE CLASSIFIES TORNADOES INTO THE
FOLLOWING CATEGORIES.

EF0...WEAK......65 TO 85 MPH
EF1...WEAK......86 TO 110 MPH
EF2...STRONG....111 TO 135 MPH
EF3...STRONG....136 TO 165 MPH
EF4...VIOLENT...166 TO 200 MPH
EF5...VIOLENT...>200 MPH

NOTE:
THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE
PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENTS AND PUBLICATION IN NWS STORM DATA.