0.7 W Rainbow City - 1.1 WNW Rainbow City A tornado touched down in Rainbow City. After the tornado touched down near Hill Street, the tornado took a turn to the northwest and crossed U.S. Highway 411 west of Bland Street. The tornado turned back to the north and lifted near Irene Street, west of Alabama Highway 77. Ten to fifteen pine trees were snapped and a few hardwood trees were uprooted. Several HVAC units were blown off the roof of Rainbow City City Hall on U.S. Highway 411 and minor structural damage occurred at the Spring Lake Lodge Apartments. The tornado was associated with the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee and had estimated peak winds of 80 mph. Start: 33.9481/-86.0423 End: 33.9577/-86.0463

NWS EF Scale: F0

An EF0 tornado, associated with Tropical Storm Lee, with estimated peak winds of 80 MPH touched down in Rainbow City. After touching down near Hill St, the tornado took a turn to the northwest, crossing U.S. Highway 411 west of Bland St. The tornado turn back to the north and lifted near Irene St., west of Alabama Highway 77. Ten to 15 pine trees were snapped and a few hardwood trees were uprooted. Several HVAC units were blown off the roof of Rainbow City Hall on U.S. Highway 411 and minor structural damage occurred at the Spring Lake Lodge Apartments.

A tropical depression developed in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday, September 1 and strengthened as it remained nearly stationary becoming Tropical Storm Lee Friday afternoon, September 2. Tropical Storm Lee slowly moved northward toward the central Louisiana coast, eventually making landfall Sunday, September 4 near Vermillion Bay, LA, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 45 mph. Rain bands spread northward into Central Alabama Saturday afternoon, September 3, skirting the southwest corner of the area for approximately 6 hours before pushing further north across west Central Alabama. Moderate to heavy rainfall finally moved into other portions of the area overnight and continued through Sunday, September 4. Lee was downgraded to an extratropical cyclone early Monday morning, September 5. As the remnants of Lee interacted with an approaching cold front, heavy rainfall and gusty winds continued to affect Central Alabama through late Monday evening, September 7. ||The remnants of Tropical Storm Lee brought beneficial rainfall to Central Alabama over several days. However, an extended period of heavy rainfall led to significant flash flooding across portions of north Central Alabama, including the Birmingham metro area. First Responders across the Birmingham area conducted at least 30 water rescues as heavy rainfall caused widespread urban flooding and area creeks to rise out their banks, flooding nearby streets and neighborhoods. In addition, two tornadoes touched down and strong gradient winds caused widespread damage across many counties. ||An area of maximum rainfall stretched from southwest to northeast along and north of the Interstate 59 corridor, with more than 8 inches of event total rainfall in many locations. The Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport set a new record for maximum daily rainfall with 7.11 inches on Monday, September 5. The previous record was 2.1 inches set in 1949. Longtime COOP Observer in Pinson Alabama, James B. Price, has been taking observations since January 1, 1951. The remnants of Tropical Storm Lee set a new record daily maximum rainfall of 8.94 inches on Monday, September 5 in Pinson. The previous record for September 5 was 1.2 inches set in 1968. Also, the 8.94 inches on September 5, 2011 breaks the all time record of rainfall received on any calendar day in Pinson. The previous record was 6.85 inches set on March 19, 1970.

Part of 3-tornado outbreak on September 4, 2011