Mid-December Deep South Tornado Event
December 14th, 2022
Summary of all Local Storm Reports (LSRs) on December 14th, as well as all the LSRs across the region for this event.
Storm survey teams have concluded that there were 2 EF-2 tornadoes in Choctaw County, AL and thunderstorm wind damage in Baldwin County, AL.
YEARLY TORNADO STATS NOTE - The tornado count for the year now stands at 55 - this stands alone as the highest number of tornadoes in our county warning area since 1950.
The data provided on this page are considered preliminary as we continue to analyze all available data. We will add more information to this page and our social media accounts as it becomes available. We thank you in advance for your patience.
----- IMPORTANT 2023 UPDATE -----
Significant updates were made to several tornado tracks and wind swaths impacting the NWS Mobile/Pensacola area in the 2018 to 2023 timeframe thanks to the introduction of high-resolution Sentinel, Worldview, and Planet satellite imagery. One or multiple tornado tracks/wind swaths listed on this event webpage were updated in 2023.
An updated graphic and details surrounding these significant updates can be found further down on this webpage in the section for that specific tornado track or wind swath. More information on this Local Tornado Reanalysis Project and a list of all updates can be found on our webpage at weather.gov/mob/TornadoReanalysis or the National Damage Viewer.
Here is a list of the significant updates:
1. December 14, 2022 - Updated Tornado - Washington/Choctaw County, AL: The overall track of the 1st tornado that occurred west of the Frankville community received cosmetic updates based on Worldview satellite imagery. The EF2 intensity remains the same.
2. December 14, 2022 - Updated Tornado - Choctaw County, AL: The starting point of the 2nd tornado that occurred northeast of the Frankville community was extended further to the southeast based on Planet and Worldview satellite imagery. The EF2 intensity remains the same.
Summerdale Wind Damage (Baldwin County, AL)
Public Information Statement National Weather Service Mobile AL 327 PM CST Thu Dec 15 2022 ...NWS Damage Survey for 12/15/2022 Severe Weather Event Update 1... .Summerdale Wind Damage... National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in Summerdale, AL and determined it to be from straight line wind damage. The tin roof of a building along Highway 59 was peeled off, with the roof decking remaining in place. A tree and some power lines were downed in the same area. A few miles to the northeast, near Summerdale School, a few limbs were downed and the underside of an awning was damaged. Due to the sporadic nature of the damage it was determined to be from straight line winds of up to 60 mph. Special thanks to the Baldwin County EMA and the Summerdale Fire Department for their assistance with the survey. More details about damage surveyed in Choctaw County will be provided in the coming days.
Frankville Tornado (Choctaw County, AL)
Public Information Statement National Weather Service Mobile AL 759 PM CST Sun Dec 18 2022 ...NWS Damage Survey for 12/14/22 Tornado Event Update #1... .Update...This serves as an update to the Frankville Tornado from 12/14/22. The major changes with this update were to adjust the intensity of the Frankville tornado from 115mph to 130mph based on extensive deforestation noted on sentinel satellite imagery, making it a high-end EF2. Additionally, via sentinel satellite imagery from this afternoon it has been determined that two tornadoes were responsible for the damage across northeastern Washington and southeastern Choctaw Counties. Additional details can be found below in each tornadoes summary. .Frankville Tornado... Rating: EF2 Estimated Peak Wind: 130 mph Path Length /statute/: 3.38 miles Path Width /maximum/: 140 yards Fatalities: 0 Injuries: 0 Start Date: 12/14/2022 Start Time: 05:40 PM CST Start Location: 2 W Silver Cross / Washington County / AL Start Lat/Lon: 31.6801 / -88.2137 End Date: 12/14/2022 End Time: 05:48 PM CST End Location: 1 ESE Bladon Springs / Choctaw County / AL End Lat/Lon: 31.7201 / -88.182 Survey Summary: An EF2 tornado has been confirmed in far northern Washington into southeastern Choctaw Counties. The tornado touched down as an EF0 along Dry Creek Road where a few trees were uprooted. The next available road was along County Road 31 where significant tree damage occurred to the north of Frankville. Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted in a 120 yard swath. Significant snapping and deforestation seemed evident looking further southwest along the track; however, this area was inaccessible at the time and required satellite data to confirm the degree of damage. Update 12/18/22: Our first sentinel satellite imagery pass was this afternoon and cleared up the details of how this tornado evolved. The first major change was to the intensity of the tornado. Complete deforestation of trees to the southwest of County Road 31 was noted on satellite imagery, indicating numerous if not all trees in the path were uprooted/snapped low at their base. Based on this, the intensity is bumped to 130mph making this a high-end EF2. The next major change is to end the tornado just northeast of County Road 31. Sentinel satellite imagery indicates the tornado occluded to the left rather abruptly, and reached its widest point of 140 yards as it once again produced EF2 damage with widespread deforestation during the occlusion process. The damage path ends abruptly once the tornado was moving due north on satellite imagery. It's possible it continued to travel to the north for a bit while weakening, however, based on the storm survey on Blue Dirt Road it never reached the road. This satellite imagery explains the discontinuity that was noted in the original storm survey downstream by Blue Dirt Road where a new tornado began.
&& EF Scale: The Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories: EF0...Weak......65 to 85 mph EF1...Weak......86 to 110 mph EF2...Strong....111 to 135 mph EF3...Strong....136 to 165 mph EF4...Violent...166 to 200 mph EF5...Violent...>200 mph NOTE: The information in this statement is preliminary and subject to change pending final review of the event and publication in NWS Storm Data.
Blue Dirt Road Tornado (Choctaw County, AL)
Public Information Statement National Weather Service Mobile AL 759 PM CST Sun Dec 18 2022 ...NWS Damage Survey for 12/14/22 Tornado Event Update #1...
.Blue Dirt Road Tornado... Rating: EF2 Estimated Peak Wind: 115 mph Path Length /statute/: 1.79 miles Path Width /maximum/: 120 yards Fatalities: 0 Injuries: 0 Start Date: 12/14/2022 Start Time: 05:49 PM CST Start Location: 2 E Bladon Springs / Choctaw County / AL Start Lat/Lon: 31.7296 / -88.1707 End Date: 12/18/2022 End Time: 05:52 PM CST End Location: 3 ENE Bladon Springs / Choctaw County / AL End Lat/Lon: 31.7489 / -88.1505 Survey Summary: After reviewing sentinel satellite imagery available on 12/18/22, the determination has been made that the segment of the original surveyed tornado track from Blue Dirt Road to Highway 84 was a separate EF2 tornado with peak winds of 115mph. The original tornado occluded a few minutes prior to the genesis of this tornado. A remarkable gradient at the point of genesis was noted by the survey team in a field of snapped/uprooted trees, where trees went from untouched to numerous snaps of softwood trees in as little as 5 to 10 feet. Based on sentinel satellite imagery, the tornado maintained intensity, perhaps slightly strengthening as it moved off to the northeast of Blue Dirt Road where significant deforestation was noted in an approximate 120 yard swath. At the tornadoes halfway point, it likely weakened to an EF0/EF1 as it passed by a field with no notable tree damage on satellite imagery. Once the tornado reached Highway 84, it was a very weak EF0 that uprooted a couple softwood trees, lifting at that location.
&& EF Scale: The Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories: EF0...Weak......65 to 85 mph EF1...Weak......86 to 110 mph EF2...Strong....111 to 135 mph EF3...Strong....136 to 165 mph EF4...Violent...166 to 200 mph EF5...Violent...>200 mph NOTE: The information in this statement is preliminary and subject to change pending final review of the events and publication in NWS Storm Data.
Additional Information
NWS Local Write-Ups and Webpages:
NWS Jackson, MS
NWS New Orleans
NWS Birmingham
NWS Tallahassee
Acknowledgements: Page created by Morgan Barry (Lead Forecaster) and Michael Mugrage (Forecaster).
LAST UPDATED: March 2024
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