Samford University - 1 SW Mountain Brook An EF-1 tornado touched down just west of US Highway 31 in the Southwood community, just east of Lakeshore Foundation. Numerous softwood trees were knocked down across Old Montgomery Highway and Ashley Road, with some on homes. The tornado tracked east, nearly paralleling Lakeshore Drive/Shades Creek Parkway. At this point the tornado was near its maximum EF-1 intensity and also its widest point of 200 yards. Several houses on the north side of Shades Creek Parkway along Yorkshire Drive, Devon Drive, and Windsor Drive were damaged by falling trees. Power poles were snapped as well. The north facing side of Brookwood Mall also sustained minor structural damage. The very narrow tornado passed through the interchange of US Highway 280 and Shades Creek Parkway, with tree and power line damage noted around the interchange. The tornado moved northeastward across Cahaba Road and up a ridge, with a defined area of tree damage consisting of uproots and snapped limbs and tree tops. The last observable damage occurred at the top of the ridge along Cherokee Road. Start: 33.4685/-86.7849 End: 33.4772/-86.7559

NWS EF Scale: F1

A tornado first touched down just north of Lakeshore Parkway along Snow Drive. Here the damage was very light with large tree branches broken. The tornado tracked northeast, skirting John Carroll High School before producing significant tree damage along Oak Grove Road. One home was heavily damaged by falling trees, with lesser damage to others, and a large stand of mostly pine trees were snapped or uprooted east of Oak Grove Road. The tornado widened and intensified as it approached Wildwood Parkway. A strip mall there sustained very minor damage. However, a large office complex on the north end of Wildwood Parkway sustained substantial damage. A large number of windows were blown out of a 5-story professional building with many windows and debris blown back westward. A large load bearing beam was also pulled from the roof structure. The tornado is estimated to have reached its maximum intensity here at EF-1 / 100 mph. The tornado continued to move northeast, felling numerous trees south of Kent Drive. Along State Farm Parkway, a couple hotels sustained roof damage, a large hotel sign was blown out, and a vehicle was flipped before it crossed Interstate 65. The tornado reached its maximum width of approximately 600 yards as it crossed Green Spring Avenue. Significant structural damage was noted to an auto repair shop with the roof blown off. Several additional businesses and an apartment complex in this area also sustained minor roof damage. Power poles were snapped in this area as well. Further northeast, the tornado tracked through a densely populated residential area. Here the primary damage was caused by snapping and felling of trees. Many large and mature trees fell through homes in this area, causing moderate to severe damage. The most concentrated area of damage was along and north of Saulter Road and surrounding streets. It is estimated that over three dozen homes in this area sustained at least moderate damage from falling trees. The tornado began to weaken as it tracked on the north side of the Samford University campus with a few trees down in this area. The tornado dissipated near the Windsor Highlands Community along the north edge of the Samford Campus.

A pre-frontal line of thunderstorms tracked eastward across Alabama around and just after midnight on December 10th. A segment of the line intensified over Jefferson County, producing two tornadoes and a large swath of wind damage. Elsewhere, two weak tornadoes were spawned over parts of southeast Central Alabama.

Part of 4-tornado outbreak on December 10, 2023