Columbiana National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in Shelby County and assessed damage that was consistent with a tornado. An EF-0 tornado with winds of 70 to 80 mph briefly touched down in Columbiana along County Road 47 and moved northeast for 1.9 miles and lifted along County Road 25. Along its path, 2 homes were damaged due to falling trees, and another home suffered minor shingle damage. Approximately 50 trees were either snapped or uprooted. Start: 33.1828/-86.6070 End: 33.2027/-86.5860

NWS EF Scale: F0

National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in Shelby County and assessed damage that was consistent with a tornado. An EF-0 tornado with winds of 70 to 80 mph briefly touched down in Columbiana along County Road 47 and moved northeast for 1.9 miles and lifted along County Road 25. Along its path, 2 homes were damaged due to falling trees, and another home suffered minor shingle damage. Approximately 50 trees were either snapped or uprooted.

In response to a strong upper level shortwave, a surface low developed over the northwestern Gulf of Mexico and rode along a previously stalled front across northwest Central Alabama, Thursday, December 22, 2011. Much of Central Alabama resided in an unseasonably warm airmass, with dewpoints near 70 degrees and CAPE over 1000 J/kg. As the surface low passed over northwest Central Alabama and low level winds backed, helicity increased. Rotating supercells within several thunderstorm complexes produced six tornadoes and isolated wind damage.

Part of 6-tornado outbreak on December 22, 2011