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January 19, 2017 · St. Clair County · 2017
EF1

January 19, 2017

5:58 PM
St. Clair County, Alabama · Near Pell City (ZIP 35135)
Fatalities
0
Injuries
0
Path Length
0.7 mi
Max Width
175 yd
DateJanuary 19, 2017
Time5:58 PM
CountySt. Clair
CityPell City
Property Loss$0
Crop Loss$0
SourceNCEI 676043
NWS Birmingham

2 ENE Coosa Island - 5 SW Pell City National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in Southern St. Clair County near Treasure Island and determined that the damage was consistent with an EF-1 tornado. A persistent mesocyclone spun up a brief weak tornado within a line of thunderstorms as it passed through St Clair County. The tornado touched down on Logan Martin Lake just south of the eastern shore of Treasure Island. The tornado tracked northward parallel to and just off the shores of the island, with the initial damage pointing largely offshore. Four boathouses were destroyed and a few trees were snapped or uprooted here, but the path of the tornado was far enough offshore so as not to cause any structural damage to the homes another 50 to 100 feet further inland. As the tornado continued northward across a large cove, it remained completely over water. As it approached the northeastern tip of the island, which jutted out into the lake, the tornado came ashore again and peeled metal roofing off a well-built boathouse. The tornado reached maximum strength here, with 10 large hardwood trees uprooted in a concentrated area in a convergent pattern. The tornado passed offshore again and dissipated before reaching the opposite point on the lake. The tornado was .7 miles long and was 175 yards wide at its widest point. The tornado was rated an EF-1 with maximum winds around 90 mph. Thanks to the St. Clair County EMA for their assistance with this survey. Start: 33.4785/-86.3045 End: 33.4877/-86.3025

NWS EF Scale: F1

Event Narrative

National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in southern St. Clair County near Treasure Island and determined that the damage was consistent with an EF1 tornado, with maximum sustained winds near 90 mph. A persistent mesocyclone spun up a brief weak tornado within a line of thunderstorms as it passed through St. Clair County. The tornado touched down on Logan Martin Lake just south of the eastern shore of Treasure Island. The tornado tracked northward parallel to and just off the shores of the island, with the initial damage pointing largely offshore. Four boathouses were destroyed and a few trees were snapped or uprooted here, but the path of the tornado was far enough offshore so as not to cause any structural damage to the homes another 50 to 100 feet further inland. As the tornado continued northward across a large cove, it remained completely over water. As it approached the northeastern tip of the island, which jutted out into the lake, the tornado came ashore again and peeled metal roofing off a well-built boathouse. The tornado reached maximum strength here, with 10 large hardwood trees uprooted in a concentrated area in a convergent pattern. The tornado passed offshore again and dissipated before reaching the opposite point on the lake.

Episode Narrative

After over a week of near-record to record high temperatures, several upper-level disturbances followed by a strong upper-level low pressure system produced multiple rounds of severe weather across Central Alabama. This system was characterized by strong upper-level winds and very cold upper-level temperatures. The first round produced one brief, weak tornado in St. Clair County on the evening of January 19. The second round occurred on the morning of January 20 with 12 tornadoes across Marengo, Elmore, Macon, Lee, Pike, and Barbour Counties. A third round produced damaging straight line winds on the night of January 21, including in the Birmingham metro area where the Birmingham airport measured a 75 mph wind gust and in Oneonta where 80 mph straight-line winds caused significant damage. A brief tornado also occurred in Tuscaloosa County with this activity. Finally, a fourth round moved through during the day on January 22 with 3 tornadoes across Bullock and Lee Counties.

Source Data
NCEI Event ID: 676043

See Also

0.7 mi175 yd wide