Tornado count at 14 after 2023′s first round of storms

Tornado count at 14 after 2023′s first round of storms

The tornado count from severe weather on Jan. 3 and 4 stands at 14 as of Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

But there’s a chance it could tick upward again.

The weather service in Birmingham said that meteorologists took a look at storm damage in Walker County on Saturday to see whether it was caused by a tornado or straight-line winds.

The weather service said the damage was located along Smith Lake about 5.7 miles southeast of Arley. The time was 12:48 p.m. on Jan. 3 (last Tuesday).

It’s still unclear if it was a tornado that caused it, however. The weather service said that pictures, videos, survey results and radar images will be looked at again before a ruling comes down.

The weather service asked that if anyone in that area has any additional information, pictures or videos to please send them to the weather service office in Birmingham.

There have been 14 tornadoes confirmed in Alabama from 2023′s first round of severe storms, which spanned from Jan. 3 until Jan. 4.

Here’s a look at those tornadoes from preliminary storm survey results from the weather service:

1. Shady Grove tornado (Franklin County): EF-1, top winds 88 mph. Path length 0.60 miles; path width 70 yards. No injuries. The tornado touched down at 10:48 a.m. Jan. 3 just west of Shady Grove Road and damaged a farm outbuilding and several trees. The tornado moved on and damaged a few more outbuildings and trees. The weather service said the farm owner took shelter in his tractor as the tornado quickly passed and was uninjured. The tornado went on to cause minor damage to chicken houses and a mobile home northeast of Shady Grove Road before dissipating.

2. Old Spring Hill tornado (Marengo and Hale counties): EF-1, top winds 90 mph. Path length 8.86 miles; path width 275 yards. No injuries. The tornado touched down Jan. 3 at 11:21 a.m. and was on the ground for about 12 minutes. The track began along Highway 43 near Old Spring Hill and continued northeast. It peaked in intensity along Highway 54, where numerous trees were snapped. Metal roofing was also tossed into trees. The tornado continued to Highway 80 in Gallion, where it lifted.

3. County Road 29 tornado (Perry County): EF-1, top winds 95 mph. Path length 0.15 miles; path width 100 yards. No injuries. The tornado touched down at 12:10 p.m. Jan. 3 along County Road 29 northwest of Marion. A manufactured home was shifted off its foundation and a section of roof was taken off. Two people inside were tossed to the floor but weren’t injured. The tornado quickly lifted.

4. Liberty Road tornado (Bibb County): EF-0 top winds 70 mph. Path length 2.82 miles; path length 100 yards. No injuries. The tornado touched down at 12:41 p.m. Jan. 3 southwest of Liberty Road in extreme southeastern Bibb County and was on the ground for about 4 minutes. It headed northeast but weakened rapidly. However, tree damage was noted along County Roads 19 and 29.

5. County Road 40 tornado (Autauga County): EF-0, top winds 75 mph. Path length 3.18 miles; path width 60 yards. No injuries. The tornado touched down at 1:18 p.m. Jan. 3 on Old Kingston along County Road 21 north of Poseys Crossroads. A few manufactured homes had some damage.

6. Lay Lake tornado (Chilton and Coosa counties): EF-1, top winds 90 mph. Path length 2.51 miles; path width 250 yards. No injuries. The tornado touched down at 1:39 p.m. Jan. 3 just west of County Road 190 on the Chilton County side of Lay Lake. It damaged trees and several homes and boathouses, mainly along County Road 192. The tornado crossed Lay Lake into Coosa County, where additional trees were damaged on County Road 5 and Hidden Valley Drive.

7. Jordan Lake tornado (Elmore County): EF-2, top winds 120 mph. Path length 9.06 miles; path length 800 yards. No injuries. The tornado touched down at 1:42 p.m. Jan. 3 and was on the ground for 17 minutes. The tornado began in a wooded area near the Autauga-Elmore County line west of Highway 43. It headed northeast and intensified as it reached the Coosa River and Foreman Road, where multiple trees were uprooted, a barn was damaged and minor roof damage was seen at homes. It continued to cause damage as it crossed Highway 111 near Chase Drive and Toad Road. It began to cross Lake Jordan and downed some trees, some of which fell on houses. The tornado reached its peak as it reached the northeast side of Lake Jordan. Multiple homes had roof damage, and most of the roof was removed from one home. Some boathouses were also destroyed. The tornado tracked along the northeast shore of the lake, causing more trees to fall on homes, damaging dozens. The tornado left the lake and eventually dissipated northeast of Titus Road before reaching Highway 231.

8. Horne Mountain tornado (Clay County): EF-0, top winds 85 mph. Path length 6.41 miles; path width 300 yards. No injuries. The tornado touched down at 2:31 p.m. Jan. 3 along the eastern slope of Horne Mountain in the Talladega National Forest and was on the ground for about 14 minutes. It did a lot of tree damage, including along Horns Valley Road and County Roads 7 and 18, where one tree fell on a barn. The tornado took down a few more trees along Highway 77 near Antioch Road before dissipating.

9. Fuller Crossroad tornado (Randolph County): EF-0, peak winds 80 mph. Path length 1.11 miles; path width 0 yards. No injuries. The tornado touched down at 3:17 p.m. Jan. 3 just east of the Clay-Randolph county line near County Road 231. The tornado did mainly tree damage in the area and dissipated after crossing County Road 113.

10. Clackville tornado (Chambers County): EF-0, peak winds 75 mph. Path length 4.40 miles; path width 500 yards. No injuries. The tornado touched down at 3:27 p.m. Jan. 3 near County Roads 155 and 158 near the Clackville Community and was on the ground for about 10 minutes. The tornado mainly damaged trees as it tracked northeast, but one home on County Road 237 had roof damage. The tornado lifted before reaching the Randolph County line.

11. Dadeville tornado (Tallapoosa County): EF-1, peak winds 90 mph. Path length 3.77 miles; path wide 50 yards. No injuries. The tornado touched down at 2:59 a.m. Jan. 4 in the Raintree Drive area, near where the Elkhatchee Creek empties into the Tallapoosa River. It headed northeast and crossed Highway 280 before lifting along the western shore of the Tallapoosa River just south of the county boat ramp. The tornado damaged mostly trees but there was also significant roof damage to a cement mixing plant near Dadeville Road and U.S. 280.

12. Halcyon tornado (Montgomery County): EF-1, peak winds 110 mph. Path length 1.87 miles; path width 130 yards. One injury. The tornado touched down at 3 a.m. Jan. 4 west of Bell Road near Post Oak Lane, and was on the ground for 5 minutes. It damaged some trees and a carport before heading east-northeast along Eastwood Glen Place. It continued to damage trees and outbuildings along Thach Road and Kathmoor Drive. The tornado briefly reached EF-1 intensity near Meriwether Road and Hollis Drive, where several homes had roof damage and a garage was destroyed. One home had significant roof damage. A few trucks were also possibly rolled. The tornado weakened as it crossed Taylor Road but downed fences and scoreboards at Buddy Watson Park. The tornado dissipated near Parkview Drive.

13. Deer Run tornado (Macon County): EF-0, peak winds 70 mph. Path length 0.67 miles; path width 75 yards. No injuries. The tornado touched down at 3:25 a.m .Jan. 4 near Shorter and was on the ground for 2 minutes. It caused minor tree, outbuilding and fascia damage along Deer Run Trail and topped a few metal basketball goals before quickly dissipating.

14. Society Hill tornado (Macon County): EF-0, top winds 75 mph. Path length 1.11 miles; path width 100 yards. No injuries. The tornado touched down at 4:07 a.m. Jan. 4 in an open field just west of U.S. 80 and County Road 26. It headed through a farm, where it destroyed a cotton gin and did minor roof damage to other outbuildings. It toppled a tree, which fell onto a mobile home. The tornado ended along U.S. 80 just west of the Lee County line.