April 12, 2020
5:14 PM| Date | April 12, 2020 |
| Time | 5:14 PM |
| County | Etowah |
| City | Gadsden |
| Property Loss | $0 |
| Crop Loss | $0 |
| Source | NCEI 887611 |
2 ESE Ridgeville - 2 NE Keener The tornado first touched down near Oak Hill Cemetery on the north side of Attalla along Highway 11. Here, several large trees were uprooted. The tornado tracked northeast almost paralleling Highway 11. Many homes suffered extensive structural damage due to falling and snapped trees. Numerous power poles were also snapped along its track from Attalla into Reece City. The tornado widened and strengthened as it moved into Reece City with a wide swath of hardwood trees snapped and felled along both sides of Highway 11 near Bethany Baptist Church and Clifford Drive. Here, the tornado reached its maximum intensity of 115 mph. The tornado maintained intensity as it crossed Highway 211 and widened to its maximum width of 925 yards with damage as far east as Interstate 59 and Highway 11. A barn was also significantly damaged at this location. The tornado finally began to wind down as it tracked northeast with sporadic snapped and uprooted trees noted for the next couple of miles. The tornado lifted just south of Wallace Drive. The tornado damage path was 12.19 miles long and was 875 yards wide at its widest point. The maximum winds were estimated around 115 mph. Start: 34.0419/-86.0704 End: 34.1752/-85.9321
NWS EF Scale: F2
National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in northwest Etowah County, near the Blount County line, and determined that it was consistent with an EF2 tornado, with maximum winds near 115 mph.||This tornado is a continuation from Blount County. It tracked northeast along the ridgeline in northern Etowah County. Sporadic tree damage was noted along Cove Spring Road and Cove Road. The tornado began to strengthen as it moved northeast toward the southern portions of the city of Boaz. Several homes were damaged in this area some from falling trees. At least one home near the intersection of Highway 179 and Glover Road sustained significant structural damage. A large industrial building in this area also sustained significant damage. At this point, the tornado reached its maximum intensity of 115 mph with a width of approximately 350 yards. The tornado continued to track northeast through Boaz with homes and structures damaged along Pleasant Hill Road and Highway 205. Significant tree damage with uprooted and snapped trees were noted in this area. The tornado continued to track northeast and into Marshall County.
An upper-level low over the southwest United States evolved into a negatively-tilted shortwave trough as it moved over the southeastern United States. A warm front steadily moved northward during the morning and afternoon hours on Sunday, April 12. This allowed an unstable air mass to move northward and overspread much of the region. At the same time, very strong wind shear developed over Alabama as the upper trough neared the state.||An initial wave of severe storms affected areas near and north of Interstate 20, involving tornadoes, damaging straight-line winds, and some hail. Through the evening, a second wave of thunderstorms affected the remaining areas of Central Alabama with tornadoes and damaging straight-line winds. Flooding also resulted from training rainfall near and north of Interstate 20. Some roads became impassible or were washed out. This weather event was large in scope and produced severe weather from Oklahoma and Texas, through the southeastern United States, then up the east coast to New York.
Part of 27-tornado outbreak on April 12, 2020
An upper-level low over the southwest United States evolved into a negatively-tilted shortwave trough as it moved over the southeastern United States. A warm front steadily moved northward during the morning and afternoon hours on Sunday, April 12. This allowed an unstable air mass to move northward and overspread much of the region. At the same time, very strong wind shear developed over Alabama as the upper trough neared the state.||An initial wave of severe storms affected areas near and north of Interstate 20, involving tornadoes, damaging straight-line winds, and some hail. Through the evening, a second wave of thunderstorms affected the remaining areas of Central Alabama with tornadoes and damaging straight-line winds. Flooding also resulted from training rainfall near and north of Interstate 20. Some roads became impassible or were washed out. This weather event was large in scope and produced severe weather from Oklahoma and Texas, through the southeastern United States, then up the east coast to New York.