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October 7, 2017 · Butler County · 2017
EF0

October 7, 2017

5:26 PM
Butler County, Alabama · Near Greenville (ZIP 36037)
Fatalities
0
Injuries
0
Path Length
0.6 mi
Max Width
200 yd
DateOctober 7, 2017
Time5:26 PM
CountyButler
CityGreenville
Property Loss$10.0K
Crop Loss$0
SourceNCEI 724110
NWS Birmingham

10 NE Greenville - 11 NE Greenville A brief EF-0 tornado touched down in far northeast Butler County on County Road 75. The tornado moved northwest and lifted just east of Highway 31. The tornado produced sporadic tree damage along its path. This tornado formed from Hurricane Nate. Start: 31.9460/-86.5072 End: 31.9528/-86.5122

NWS EF Scale: F0

Event Narrative

A brief EF-0 tornado touched down in far northeast Butler County on County Road 75. The tornado moved northwest and lifted just east of Highway 31. The tornado produced sporadic tree damage along its path and damage to a metal roof of a residence.

Episode Narrative

Hurricane Nate quickly moved north northwest out of the northwest Caribbean Sea and across the Gulf of Mexico, making landfall near Biloxi, MS just after midnight on October 8th as a Category 1 hurricane with maximum winds of 85 mph. Nate quickly weakened as it moved inland across inland southeast Mississippi and southwest Alabama and was downgraded to a tropical depression over central Alabama by 10am CDT on October 8th.||The most significant damage produced by Nate was a substantial storm surge, particularly in the Mississippi Sound and Mobile Bay. The highest surge values were observed in Mobile County, AL where peak surge inundation was generally 4 to 6 feet based on official tide gauges. However, an NWS Mobile storm survey indicated a peak surge inundation of 6 to 8 feet along the immediate coastal areas of Bayou La Batre and Coden. Similar inundation levels occurred on the west end of Dauphin Island. 3 to 6 feet of inundation occurred in Baldwin County, with the highest surge occurring along the eastern shore of Mobile Bay and points further north in the Mobile River Delta. Approximately 25 homes on the west end of Dauphin Island were significantly flooded by the surge waters. Several other homes experienced minor damage from the surge. Several homes in the Bayou La Batre, Coden, and the Dog River area of Mobile County experienced 2 to 3 feet of flooding inside the structures due to the surge. Hundreds of piers were damaged or destroyed n Mobile and Baldwin Counties. Some coastal roads were also closed due to surge, including the US Highway 90 Causeway and Water Street in Downtown Mobile. The surge and large breaking waves also resulted in significant beach erosion along the gulf facing beaches. 6 feet of sand was deposited on a 3 mile stretch of Bienville Blvd on the west end of Dauphin Island. ||Winds gusts of 50+ mph were observed in coastal areas with a the highest wind gust of 66 mph recorded at the Mobile Regional Airport just after 2am on October 8th. The winds resulted mainly in scattered power outages and downed trees. Gusty winds did spread further inland into southwest and south central Alabama with isolated to scattered power outages and downed trees reported. ||The fast movement of Nate resulted in limited, if any, impacts from flooding. 3 to 6 inches of rain was reported across southwest and south central Alabama, with the highest totals occurring in Mobile and Baldwin Counties. ||Four EF-0 tornadoes were reported in southwest and south central Alabama: one in Mobile County, two in Baldwin County, and one in Butler County.||2 rip current fatalities occurred on October 9th in Fort Morgan due to continued high surf and widespread rip currents left in the wake of the hurricane.||Based on available information from public and individual assistance reports, total damage from Hurricane Nate in southwest Alabama is roughly estimated at just over $21 million, with the vast majority of the damage resulting from surge and major beach erosion in Mobile and Baldwin Counties.

Outbreak Context

Part of 8-tornado outbreak on October 7, 2017

Shared Episode Narrative

Hurricane Nate quickly moved north northwest out of the northwest Caribbean Sea and across the Gulf of Mexico, making landfall near Biloxi, MS just after midnight on October 8th as a Category 1 hurricane with maximum winds of 85 mph. Nate quickly weakened as it moved inland across inland southeast Mississippi and southwest Alabama and was downgraded to a tropical depression over central Alabama by 10am CDT on October 8th.||The most significant damage produced by Nate was a substantial storm surge, particularly in the Mississippi Sound and Mobile Bay. The highest surge values were observed in Mobile County, AL where peak surge inundation was generally 4 to 6 feet based on official tide gauges. However, an NWS Mobile storm survey indicated a peak surge inundation of 6 to 8 feet along the immediate coastal areas of Bayou La Batre and Coden. Similar inundation levels occurred on the west end of Dauphin Island. 3 to 6 feet of inundation occurred in Baldwin County, with the highest surge occurring along the eastern shore of Mobile Bay and points further north in the Mobile River Delta. Approximately 25 homes on the west end of Dauphin Island were significantly flooded by the surge waters. Several other homes experienced minor damage from the surge. Several homes in the Bayou La Batre, Coden, and the Dog River area of Mobile County experienced 2 to 3 feet of flooding inside the structures due to the surge. Hundreds of piers were damaged or destroyed n Mobile and Baldwin Counties. Some coastal roads were also closed due to surge, including the US Highway 90 Causeway and Water Street in Downtown Mobile. The surge and large breaking waves also resulted in significant beach erosion along the gulf facing beaches. 6 feet of sand was deposited on a 3 mile stretch of Bienville Blvd on the west end of Dauphin Island. ||Winds gusts of 50+ mph were observed in coastal areas with a the highest wind gust of 66 mph recorded at the Mobile Regional Airport just after 2am on October 8th. The winds resulted mainly in scattered power outages and downed trees. Gusty winds did spread further inland into southwest and south central Alabama with isolated to scattered power outages and downed trees reported. ||The fast movement of Nate resulted in limited, if any, impacts from flooding. 3 to 6 inches of rain was reported across southwest and south central Alabama, with the highest totals occurring in Mobile and Baldwin Counties. ||Four EF-0 tornadoes were reported in southwest and south central Alabama: one in Mobile County, two in Baldwin County, and one in Butler County.||2 rip current fatalities occurred on October 9th in Fort Morgan due to continued high surf and widespread rip currents left in the wake of the hurricane.||Based on available information from public and individual assistance reports, total damage from Hurricane Nate in southwest Alabama is roughly estimated at just over $21 million, with the vast majority of the damage resulting from surge and major beach erosion in Mobile and Baldwin Counties.

Source Data
NCEI Event ID: 724110

See Also

0.6 mi200 yd wide