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April 24, 2010 · Marshall County · 2010
EF3

April 24, 2010

9:05 PM
Marshall County, Alabama · Near Arab (ZIP 35980)
Fatalities
0
Injuries
35
Path Length
17.7 mi
Max Width
1,320 yd
DateApril 24, 2010
Time9:05 PM
CountyMarshall
CityArab
Property Loss$14000000.00M
Crop Loss$0
SourceNCEI 232519
NWS Birmingham

1.2 NW McLarty - 1.0 SSE Henagar The tornado first touched down about 4 miles northeast of Brooksville, and then tracked northeastward. It was on the ground for less than a mile before moving across the county line into Marshall County, just west of the intersection of Panky Lane and Nixon Chapel Road. Within Blount County, two structures were damaged and hundreds of trees were snapped and uprooted. One mobile home was moved off its foundation and also damaged by fallen trees. A long track EF-3 tornado produced severe damage in the towns of Albertville and Geraldine. The city of Albertville was especially hard hit with severe damage to numerous residences, Albertville High School and several large retail buildings. Extensive tree damage was also observed throughout the damage path. The tornado crossed into DeKalb County just east of County Road 372. A long track EF-3 tornado crossed into DeKalb County about 6.5 miles west-southwest of Geraldine, about one mile north of Highway 75. The tornado continued into the town of Geraldine, snapping or uprooting numerous large trees which also led to some structural damage to residences. This was also noted along County Roads 227 and 52, just southeast of State Highway 75. Start: 34.1917/-86.4146 End: 34.4600/-86.7800

NWS EF Scale: F3

Event Narrative

A long track EF-3 tornado produced severe damage in the towns of Albertville and Geraldine. The city of Albertville was especially hard hit with severe damage to numerous residences, Albertville High School and several large retail buildings. Extensive tree damage was also observed throughout the damage path. The tornado crossed into DeKalb County just east of County Road 372.

Episode Narrative

Four damaging tornadoes tore tracks through north central and northeast Alabama during the evening and overnight hours of the 24th. These tornadoes were part of a larger regional tornado outbreak across the lower Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys. The tornadoes were associated with three separate long track supercell thunderstorms that thrived upon a very unstable and high shear environment. One of the longer track tornadoes tore through several successive communities with up to EF-3 strength in Marshall and DeKalb Counties, including the towns of Albertville, Geraldine and Pine Ridge, lifting just before reaching Fort Payne. A tornado from the same storm then touched down again in the Mentone area before crossing the Georgia state line. Another supercell produced yet another tornado southwest of Collinsville, tracking just a few miles south of the earlier damaging tornado. This tornado reached EF-4 strength when it completely leveled the McNutt United Methodist Church on County Road 55. Fortunately, no fatalities occurred with these particular tornadoes, but damages were severe.||In Marshall County, total costs from the tornado had exceeded $14 million, which included 1032 homes experiencing at least some damage, and 93 homes destroyed. In DeKalb County, damage losses were still being tallied. Debris removal costs alone have exceeded $3 million.

Outbreak Context

Part of 13-tornado outbreak on April 24, 2010

Shared Episode Narrative

Four damaging tornadoes tore tracks through north central and northeast Alabama during the evening and overnight hours of the 24th. These tornadoes were part of a larger regional tornado outbreak across the lower Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys. The tornadoes were associated with three separate long track supercell thunderstorms that thrived upon a very unstable and high shear environment. One of the longer track tornadoes tore through several successive communities with up to EF-3 strength in Marshall and DeKalb Counties, including the towns of Albertville, Geraldine and Pine Ridge, lifting just before reaching Fort Payne. A tornado from the same storm then touched down again in the Mentone area before crossing the Georgia state line. Another supercell produced yet another tornado southwest of Collinsville, tracking just a few miles south of the earlier damaging tornado. This tornado reached EF-4 strength when it completely leveled the McNutt United Methodist Church on County Road 55. Fortunately, no fatalities occurred with these particular tornadoes, but damages were severe.||In Marshall County, total costs from the tornado had exceeded $14 million, which included 1032 homes experiencing at least some damage, and 93 homes destroyed. In DeKalb County, damage losses were still being tallied. Debris removal costs alone have exceeded $3 million.

Source Data
NCEI Event ID: 232519

See Also

17.7 mi1320 yd wide