3 tornadoes confirmed in Alabama from earlier storms
At least three tornadoes touched down in Alabama during the latest round of severe weather — and that number could climb over the next few days.
The National Weather Service in Huntsville has confirmed an EF-2 tornado in the Hartselle area, an EF-2 in Lauderdale County and an EF-1 in northeastern Morgan County near Lacey’s Spring. The Morgan County tornado was spawned from the same storm that produced the tornado in Hartselle, according to the weather service.
The weather service sent several storm survey teams into the field on Saturday to assess storm damage. The number of tornadoes may climb as more surveys are completed. Surveys were planned today for Lauderdale and Morgan counties in north Alabama. The weather service in Birmingham said another storm survey could be done on Monday in Marion County.
The Lauderdale County tornado had winds estimated at 120 mph. It was on the ground for 0.6 miles and was 100 yards wide. There were no injuries.
The tornado touched down at 10:54 p.m. Friday in the Hunter Ridge subdivision northeast of Florence and south of Saint Florian along County Road 61, the weather service said. It took off part of a roof in that neighborhood. It continued northeast and into the Plantation Springs subdivision, where it damaged the roofs of 2 homes. The tornado then intensified between Cottonwood Trail and Karley Lane, damaging the roofs of several homes and the backsides of several houses. The house with the worst damage had half of its roof destroyed and two rooms with collapsed walls.
The Lacey’s Spring tornado in Morgan County had top winds estimated at 94 mph, according to a preliminary report from the weather service.
It had a track that was just over 2 miles long, and the tornado had a path width of 325 yards. There were no injuries.
The tornado touched down at 12:47 a.m. Saturday likely near Highway 32 and Crisco Circle. It tracked northeast, uprooting trees along the way, and destroyed a shed near Rescue Road and U.S. Highway 231. The tornado crossed the highway and continued to damage trees and the roofs of chicken houses.
The weather service said the tornado likely lifted just west of the Morgan and Marshall county line.
Details were still to come on the Hartselle tornado as of Saturday evening.
Wind damage was also reported in the city of Florence, and the weather service said numerous trees were snapped and uprooted. The weather service said the damage was too widespread to determine if it was caused by a tornado.
The winds in Florence were estimated at 70-80 mph, the weather service said.
More results from Saturday’s storm surveys will be released by the weather service as it becomes available.