Severe Weather & Flooding of January 3, 2015

Tornadoes, Wind Damage & Flooding on January 3, 2015

Event Summary for Central Alabama

A coastal warm front moved quickly northward Friday, January 2nd and Saturday, January 3rd. This southerly surge provided moderate instability and moisture for early January across parts of the southeast. Coincident with the warm surge northward, a dynamic upper level storm system was moving into the Lower Mississippi Valley along with its associated surface cold front.

A significant wind speed increase through several layers of the atmosphere allowed enough shear for supercell thunderstorms and tornado development. As time progressed, a line of thunderstorms organized and moved eastward ahead of the cold front. Central Alabama had several reports of thunderstorm wind damage, flooding, and 5 tornadoes. Widespread rainfall amounts were 2 to 5 inches, with rain occurring several days in a row. Additionally, heavy rain fell a few times over the past 10 days.

Wind damage reports were received from Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. Tornadoes were reported in Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.

The information contained below is the individual tornado events that occurred. The data is PRELIMINARY and may be subject to change.

Location/Clickable Detailed Summary Link	Damage Rating/Estimated Maximum Wind Speeds	Injuries/Fatalities	Damage Path Length/Width	Starting Point/Time	Ending Point/Time
Cuba Tornado (Sumter County)	EF-0 80 mph	None	0.67 miles 100 yards	32.4312/-88.3707 406 pm	32.4370/-88.3615 408 pm
Old Bodka Road Tornado (Sumter County)	EF-1 95 mph	None	1.25 miles 200 yards	32.8062/-88.2937 436 pm	32.8211/-88.2822 437 pm
County Road 117 Tornado (Greene County)	EF-1 100 mph	None	1.63 miles 400 yards	32.9596/-88.1268 455 pm	32.9827/-88.1229 457 pm
Jena Tornado (Greene & Tuscaloosa County)	EF-0 80 mph	None	1.27 miles 100 yards	33.1243/-87.8438 519 pm	33.1382/-87.8298 521 pm
Hamilton Tornado (Marion County)	EF-0 85 mph	None	0.28 miles 60 yards	34.1765/-87.9537 523 pm	34.1778/-87.9491 523 pm

Flooding Information

Pertinent Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Data from this Event

Severe Weather Episode Data

250 mb Analysis January 3 6 am	250 mb Analysis January 3 6 pm	250 mb Analysis January 4 6 am
300 mb Analysis January 3 6 am	300 mb Analysis January 3 6 pm	300 mb Analysis January 4 6 am
500 mb Analysis January 3 6 am	500 mb Analysis January 3 6 pm	500 mb Analysis January 4 6 am
700 mb Analysis January 3 6 am	700 mb Analysis January 3 6 pm	700 mb Analysis January 4 6 am
850 mb Analysis January 3 6 am	850 mb Analysis January 3 6 pm	850 mb Analysis January 4 6 am
925 mb Analysis January 3 6 am	925 mb Analysis January 3 6 pm	925 mb Analysis January 4 6 am
Surface Analysis January 3 6 am	Surface Analysis January 3 6 pm	Surface Analysis January 4 6 am
Day 1 Outlook Issued January 3 2 pm	Day 2 Outlook Issued January 2 1130 am	Day 3 Outlook Issued January 1 228 am
Day 1 Tornado Probabilities Issued January 3 2 pm	Day 1 Wind Damage Probabilities Issued January 3 2 pm	Day 1 Hail Probabilities Issued January 3 2 pm
Storm Reports January 2 2015	Storm Reports January 3 2015	Storm Reports January 4 2015
JAN Sounding 12z	BMX Sounding 12z	JAN Sounding 18z
Rainfall Ending 7 am Jan 2nd	Rainfall Ending 7 am Jan 3rd	Rainfall Ending 7 am Jan 4th
Mesocyclone Tracks