Public Information Statement - January 10, 2008

Public Information Statement
Thursday, January 10, 2008
...DAMAGE SURVEYS COMPLETED ACROSS WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA...

NWS SURVEY CREWS EXAMINED STORM DAMAGE ACROSS WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA
IN LAMAR...TUSCALOOSA...PICKENS...AND MARENGO COUNTIES.

THE CREW IN TUSCALOOSA COUNTY HAS COMPLETED THE SURVEY OF THE DAMAGE
IN THE WINDHAM SPRINGS AND WILEY AREA...AND HAS CONFIRMED THAT IT IS
TORNADO DAMAGE.  THE TORNADO HAS BEEN RATED AS AN EF3 TORNADO ON THE
ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE...WITH ESTIMATED WINDS OF 140 TO 150 MILES PER
HOUR. THE TORNADO PATH LENGTH IS 4.89 MILES LONG...AND WAS 350 YARDS
WIDE AT IT`S WIDEST POINT. FIVE STRUCTURES WERE COMPLETELY
DESTROYED...AND APPROXIMATELY 300 TREES WERE DOWNED ALONG THE PATH.

A SURVEY TEAM HAS ALSO CONFIRMED A TORNADO TOUCHDOWN IN LAMAR
COUNTY. THE DAMAGE BEGAN ON WILLIE GREER ROAD WHERE A MOBILE HOME
WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED. THE TORNADO WAS ON THE GROUND FOR 3.81
MILES...TAKING THE ROOFS OFF OF TWO HOMES...DESTROYING TWO WOODEN
BARNS...MOVING THE FOUNDATIONS OF TWO MOBILE HOMES...AND UPROOTING
SEVERAL HUGE TREES ALONG THE PATH. THE TORNADO WAS RATED AN EF2 WITH
MAXIMUM WIND SPEEDS OF 125 MPH...AND WAS APPROXIMATELY ONE HALF MILE
WIDE AT ITS WIDEST POINT.

TWO TORNADOES WERE CONFIRMED IN PICKENS COUNTY. A BRIEF EF0 TORNADO
TOUCHED DOWN IN PICKENSVILLE TAKING THE ROOF OFF OF A BARN AND
DOWNING SEVERAL TREES. THE ESTIMATED WIND SPEED WAS 60 MPH. A SECOND
TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN JUST EAST OF GORDO AND CONTINUED FOR 1.76
MILES...CROSSING INTO EXTREME WESTERN TUSCALOOSA COUNTY. THERE WAS
DAMAGE TO NUMEROUS OLD CHICKEN HOUSES AT THE BEGINNING OF THE
TORNADO PATH. THIS TORNADO WAS RATED AN EF1...WITH WIND SPEEDS OF 90
TO 100 MPH. IT WAS 100 YARDS WIDE AT ITS WIDEST POINT.

A SURVEY CREW FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE CONDUCTED
A STORM SURVEY OF THE DAMAGE IN MARENGO COUNTY JUST WEST OF DIXONS
MILL...AND CONFIRMED THAT THE DAMAGE WAS FROM A BRIEF TORNADO
TOUCHDOWN. FOUR HOMES HAD MINOR DAMAGE AND SEVERAL TREES WERE
SNAPPED ALONG THE PATH. THE TORNADO WAS RATED AN EF0...WITH
ESTIMATED WIND SPEEDS OF 60 TO 70 MPH. IT WAS 200 YARDS WIDE AT ITS
WIDEST POINT...AND THE PATH LENGTH WAS ONLY 2400 FEET.

IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS...PLEASE CONTACT THE LEAD FORECASTER AT
THE BIRMINGHAM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE AT 205-664-3010.

$$