National Weather Service Raw Text Product

563 
NOUS44 KHUN 020252
PNSHUN
ALZ016-021500-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
952 PM CDT SUN MAY 1 2011

...PRELIMINARY STORM SURVEY INFORMATION FROM CULLMAN COUNTY...

A PRELIMINARY STORM SURVEY OF THE DAMAGE INCURRED ACROSS CULLMAN
COUNTY HAS BEEN COMPLETED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PERSONNEL.
INITIAL FINDINGS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

* EVENT TYPE: TORNADO
* EVENT DATE: 04/27/11

* ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 120.0 MPH
* PRELIMINARY RATING: EF-2

* PATH LENGTH: 26.0 MILES (ESTIMATED)
* MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH: 1/2 MILE

* INJURIES: UNKNOWN
* SUMMARY: A WEAK TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN EAST OF COLD SPRINGS...
  TOPPLING AND SNAPING NUMEROUS TREES. SEVERAL SHEDS SUSTAINED MINOR
  DAMAGE IN THIS EARLY PART OF THE TRACK. THE STORM CROSSED HWY 69
  WHERE IT DAMAGED A LARGE SHED. ADDITIONAL DAMAGE WAS NOTED AS THE
  TORNADO TRACKED NORTHEAST ACROSS COUNTY ROAD 46...WHERE TREES
  CONTINUED TO BE SNAPPED AND DAMAGE SUSTAINED TO MANY CHICKEN
  COOPS...SOME OF WHICH COLLAPSED. AFTER CROSSING I-65 JUST SOUTH OF
  DODGE CITY....ADDITIONAL CHICKEN COOPS AND TREES WERE DAMAGED ALONG
  THE PATH OF THE STORM.

  THE TORNADO THEN INCREASED IN STRENGTH AS IT APPROACHED WALLACE
  STATE COLLEGE IN HANCEVILLE...WHERE THE STRONGEST WINDS OCCURRED.
  EIGHT LARGE METAL POWER POLES WERE BENT OVER JUST ABOVE THE BASE
  AND SEVERAL CAMPUS BUILDINGS HAD SIGNIFICANT PORTIONS OF METAL
  ROOFING TORN OFF. A MID RISE UNDER CONSTRUCTION HAD WINDOWS IN
  HIGHRISE BUILDING SMASHED AND SUSTAINED ADDITIONAL MINOR
  DAMAGE...WHICH THE CONSTRUCTION CRANE REMAINED STANDING. TO THE
  SOUTH OF THE MAIN TRACK...IN HANCEVILLE PROPER...SIGNIFICANT
  NUMBERS OF LARGE PINE...POPLAR AND OTHER HARDWOOD TREES WERE
  TOPPLED ONTO HOUSES. THE ROOF OF THE HIGH SCHOOL GYM IN TOWN WAS
  PARTLY DESTROYED. ADDITIONAL SMALL BUILDINGS NEAR DOWNTOWN
  HUNTSVILLE SUSTAINED DAMAGE.

  EAST OF HANCEVILLE THE TRACK OF THE TORNADO CONTINUED TOWARD WALTER
  AND THEN TO SOUTH OF HOLLY POND...WHERE AN ASYMMETRICAL DAMAGE PATH
  WAS FOUND WITH A CONTINUED TRACK OF LARGE PINE AND HARDWOOD TREES
  SNAPPED OR TOPPLED. THE TRACK OF THIS STORM MAY CONTINUE FURTHER
  EAST AND AS ADDITIONAL SURVEYS ARE PERFORMED...THIS SUMMARY MAY BE
  UPDATED.

THESE FINDINGS ARE PRELIMINARY AND ARE SUBJECT TO ADJUSTMENT.
PICTURES AND SUMMARY MATERIALS WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE ON OUR WEB PAGE
AT WEATHER.GOV/HUNTSVILLE /ALL LOWER CASE/.

SURVEYED BY: CROWE/BURKS

$$