January 2012 tornado outbreak
The January 2012 tornado outbreak was a tornado outbreak that caused significant damage in several regions of the Southern United States and killed two in the Birmingham District on January 23, 2012.
During the late afternoon of January 22, a particularly dangerous situation tornado watch was issued for much of Arkansas and parts of Tennessee and Mississippi. At roughly sunset, severe storms developed along a pronounced line in central Arkansas with the southern cells prompting tornado warnings. Several tornadoes touched down before the storms reformed into a squall line near midnight.
Overnight, another round of tornadoes developed in Alabama ahead of the squall line. Early that morning, more very severe tornadoes hit the western and northeast parts of Jefferson County. Severe damage was reported in those areas, as well as in Chilton County, some of the same places hit extremely hard by the catastrophic April 27, 2011 tornado outbreak. At least 2 people were killed. After an inspection conducted by the National Weather Service in Birmingham, Alabama, the tornado was rated an EF3, the strongest so far in 2012.
Tornadoes
| EF# | Location | County | Coord. | Time (CST) | Path length | Comments/Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EF3 | Koffman area | Tuscaloosa | 33.3257°N 87.6579°W | 1:42 AM | 0.45 miles | Two dozen pine trees destroyed, roof of house torn off, and a barn destroyed. |
| EF2 | SE of Windham Springs | Tuscaloosa | 33.3961°N 87.4440°W | 2:00 AM | 0.56 miles | Several dozen trees were snapped and three campers were destroyed |
| EF2 | Oak Grove area | Tuscaloosa, Jefferson | 33.4316°N 87.3071°W | 2:09 AM | 13 miles | 1 death – Numerous trees snapped or uprooted and several structures damaged to varying degrees. One person was killed after a mobile home was completely destroyed. |
| EF0 | Parker area | Sumter | 32.6567°N 88.1705°W | 2:21 AM | 1.1 miles | Trees were damaged and uprooted. A shed suffered minor damage |
| EF3 | Clay/Center Point area | Jefferson, St Clair | 33.70°N 86.80°W | 4:10 AM | 15.5 miles | 1 death – Possibly part of a long track tornado. Extensive damage in the community with many houses damaged or destroyed and businesses also heavily damaged. At least 100 others were injured. Survey still incomplete and rating preliminary and subject to change. |
| EF1 | N of Marion | Perry | 32.71°N 87.31°W | 5:33 AM | 2.1 miles | Many trees were uprooted and snapped. |
| EF2 | Maplesville area | Perry, Chilton | 32.72°N 87.27°W | 5:37 AM | 39.5 miles | A church lost its steeple and part of its roof and its sanctuary was destroyed. A number of homes suffered partial or complete roof loss. A radio tower collapsed. Extensive tree damage ocurred along much of the damage path with hundreds uprooted or snapped. |
| EF1 | North Millbrook area | Elmore | 32.5209°N 86.4119°W | 6:48 AM | 4.02 miles | Several homes were damaged and dozens of trees were blown down. An apartment lost its roof and an auto center door was blown in. |
| Sources: NWS Birmingham | ||||||
References
- January 22–23, 2012 tornado outbreak. (January 25, 2012). Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed, January 25, 2012.