Power Outage in Decatur, AL

Trees and power lines were blown down near the intersection of Garrison Road and Targum Road. Time was estimated from radar.

A tornado touched down on Highway 55 in Falkville and tracked generally northeastward. Initially, the tornado snapped trees and a small power pole in a yard on Highway 55. Farther to the northeast, the tornado did considerable roof damage to a barn at a residence on Chappell Road, and uprooted trees near the intersection of Chappell Road and Bert Stinson Road. The tornado then tracked along a largely wooded area, before snapping and uprooting trees on Nature Trail. There, the tornado also created roof damage to a small log cabin style home. ||Farther to the northeast, in a heavily wooded area to the north of Nature Trail, the tornado uprooted and snapped a long swath of trees nearly continuously before emerging into an open field, where it continued to snap and uproot trees along its path. In the open field, the tornado completely destroyed a large pole barn that contained 4x4 posts, some of which were anchored into the ground with cement. The walls of the barn were made of exterior metal sheeting with 2x4 wooden studs, which were toe-nailed into the 4x4 posts, and accompanied by a metal truss system. The barn contained 10,500lb hay bales which were blown downstream. A very large, old oak tree was uprooted adjacent to the barn. The width at its base was estimated to be 5 feet. ||The tornado continued to track generally to the northeast, snapping and uprooting trees along Wilson Mountain Road, which continued along the northeast adjacent and along Blankenship Narrell Drive. On Cottonwood Lane, trees were uprooted and snapped. One tree fell on an RV at a residence. From there, the tornado moved into a largely inaccessible heavily wooded area.

A tornado touched down on Highway 55 in Falkville and tracked generally northeastward. Initially, the tornado snapped trees and a small power pole in a yard on Highway 55. Farther to the northeast, the tornado did considerable roof damage to a barn at a residence on Chappell Road, and uprooted trees near the intersection of Chappell Road and Bert Stinson Road. The tornado then tracked along a largely wooded area, before snapping and uprooting trees on Nature Trail. There, the tornado also created roof damage to a small log cabin style home. ||Farther to the northeast, in a heavily wooded area to the north of Nature Trail, the tornado uprooted and snapped a long swath of trees nearly continuously before emerging into an open field, where it continued to snap and uproot trees along its path. In the open field, the tornado completely destroyed a large pole barn that contained 4x4 posts, some of which were anchored into the ground with cement. The walls of the barn were made of exterior metal sheeting with 2x4 wooden studs, which were toe-nailed into the 4x4 posts, and accompanied by a metal truss system. The barn contained 10,500lb hay bales which were blown downstream. A very large, old oak tree was uprooted adjacent to the barn. The width at its base was estimated to be 5 feet. ||The tornado continued to track generally to the northeast, snapping and uprooting trees along Wilson Mountain Road, which continued along the northeast adjacent and along Blankenship Narrell Drive. On Cottonwood Lane, trees were uprooted and snapped. One tree fell on an RV at a residence. From there, the tornado moved into a largely inaccessible heavily wooded area.

Very windy conditions developed ahead of and immediately behind a line of severe thunderstorms. Sustained wind speeds of 30-40 mph gusted frequently from 45-60 mph at times, peaking at 60 mph at Pryor Field in Decatur. Numerous trees and power poles and lines were knocked down.

A peak gust of 59 mph was recorded at Pryor Field. Multiple trees were snapped or knocked down in the Athens area. Power lines were knocked down along Highway 20, which backed up morning commute traffic significantly.

Crossing into western Morgan County, the tornado lifted at times between Trinity and Beltline Road. Power lines were knocked down and occasionally limb damage was noted. Moving toward Highway 20, minor mobile home roof damage was recorded at Kimberly Pines. Further east, as the tornado crossed Highway 20, a tractor-trailer was blown off the road and tipped over. The tornado approached Jay's Landing and caused several large campers to flip or be displaced. Near this location, an injury was reported at a recycling facility. The tornado approached Ingalls Harbor. Damage to the law enforcement marina was noted near the shoreline while |several large trees were uprooted along Highway 20 in this area.

A tree was knocked down on power lines at the intersection of Wilhite Road and Coyote Hollow Private Drive.

Powerlines and trees were knocked down near the 500 block of Wilson Mountain Road at Lindsey Drive.

A tree was knocked down across the road taking down power lines on Jones Avenue in Priceville.

A powerful small-scale downburst occurred in southeast Decatur, including the Point Mallard neighborhood. Based on newspaper reports and photos, winds were estimated up to 75 mph. The winds produced significant tree damage, including numerous fallen trees, some on area homes. Several power poles were snapped and power lines were down, knocking out power to hundreds of residents in the area.||Further south and across Highway 67/Beltline Road, the downburst knocked down numerous trees within the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). At the visitors Center complex, a tree was knocked onto the building causing roof and water damage. Several trees blocked roads and hiking trails which had to be closed for cleanup. Time estimated by radar.

A powerful small-scale downburst occurred in southeast Decatur, including the Point Mallard neighborhood. Based on newspaper reports and photos, winds were estimated up to 75 mph. The winds produced significant tree damage, including numerous fallen trees, some on area homes. Several power poles were snapped and power lines were down, knocking out power to hundreds of residents in the area.||Further south and across Highway 67/Beltline Road, the downburst knocked down numerous trees within the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). At the visitors Center complex, a tree was knocked onto the building causing roof and water damage. Several trees blocked roads and hiking trails which had to be closed for cleanup. Time estimated by radar.

A couple of power poles were snapped near the intersection of State Highway 67 and Mountainview Drive in Priceville. Time estimated by radar.

Power poles were knocked down between Sherwood Drive and 13th Street. Time estimated by radar.

A thunderstorm produced isolated wind damage between Grove Street and Madison Street Northwest. Two portions of a very large tree were blown down, knocking down adjacent power lines. This same thunderstorm produced a waterspout on nearby Lake Wheeler. Time estimated by radar.

Trees and power poles were knocked down at Miller Street SW and Cockrell Avenue SW in Decatur.

During an early morning fishing tournament, three vessels capsized and one vessel ran into the rocks on shore trying to get back to the marina. There were no victims that were transported to the hospital and anglers were rescued from shorelines. The rescue squad reported when they were out on the water rescuing one of the individuals from the shoreline that the swells got up to 6-7 feet on their boat and the water was white capping. One of the boats that tried to make it back to Ingalls Harbor ran into the rocks on shore and had approximately $8,000 worth of damage to the boat. A second boat and it's passengers were towed back into harbor. The estimated damages approximately $50,000.||A third boat was next to the red & white tower close to the Browns Ferry Nuclear power plant. This boat boat began to capsize and take in water at the shore line of the power plant. The estimated damages approximately $65,000, this boat sunk significantly.

There are multiple reports of trees and power lines down throughout the city limits of Decatur. Numerous power outages reported by broadcast media.

Power lines were knocked down on Rocky Ford Road at Elbert Self Road. Time estimated from radar.

A power line was knocked down in the roadway at Bethel Church and Gum Pond Roads.

A tree and power line was knocked down and blocking the road at 337 Quailwood Lane.

Trees were knocked down on power lines at Autumn Wood Trail at Price Mountain Drive. Time estimated from radar.

A tree and power line was knocked down near Dunlap Road at Highway 55 East. Time estimated from radar.

A large tree was knocked down and power outages were reported at this location.

Multiple trees were knocked down and power outages were reported in this area.

Trees and power lines were knocked down on Daniels Chapel Road. Time estimated by radar.

A very large and tall tree was uprooted and knocked down onto a home on Cain Street N.E. Trees were also knocked down on Line Street and Vine Street. Also, about 700 utility customers were without power due to the storm.

Trees were knocked down onto power lines. Two utility poles needed replacement.

Numerous trees and power lines were knocked down causing some structural and residential damage. The damage occurred throughout central, southwest, south central and southeast Decatur.

From 5th Street through 22nd Streets NW in Decatur. Numerous trees and power lines were knocked down. Structural and roof damage was reported. Windows were blown out at least one location.

Numerous trees and power lines were knocked down on 8th Street NW.

Power lines were knocked down and blocking a road intersection.

A tree and power line was knocked down.

A tree and power lines were knocked down onto the road at 2531 CR 55.

A barn and shed were destroyed and power lines were knocked down on Blackwood Drive. Time estimated by radar.

The tornado first touched down along Danville Road just east of the Lawrence County line. In this area, trees were snapped and uprooted. Minor damage was noted to a shed here. The tornado then moved northeast and strengthened as it crossed the intersection of Maddox Road and Johnson Chapel Road. Here hardwood trees were snapped near the base and a home suffered significant roof and structural damage.||Along northwest Maddox Road several homes sustained significant structural damage. One home had the roof and a large section of the wall blown out. The residents of the home rode the storm out safely in the interior most hallway. Several power poles were snapped at the base. Damage here was consistent with very high end EF-2 damage.||The tornado once again crossed Danville Road causing structural damage to several buildings including a multi-story home. Significant roof uplift was noted in this location. A large industrial garage in this area was also destroyed. A convenience store nearby suffered damage, and the owner's family received warning alerts and took shelter in an interior hallway to ride out the storm.||The tornado then approached Neel School Road causing significant damage in and around the Neel Volunteer Fire Department. The roof was nearly completely taken off the fire department and large metal trusses were bent at this facility. A nearby large building was obliterated and other well built structure had its roof and supports taken off.||As the tornado moved northeast, it cross Singleton Road impacting more structures. Several homes sustained structural damage, mainly roof damage. One very large building was completely destroyed with another sustaining near collapse. The tornado then reached its maximum intensity as it crossed Boys Ranch Road on the eastern edge of Bogar Loop.||Here a home suffered complete roof loss and partial wall collapse. An anchored mobile home was obliterated with the contents thrown over 100 yards. A motor cycle repair shop that included an anchor bolted large shop building was nearly wiped clean with motorcycles thrown or rolled large distances. An SUV parked here was thrown and then rolled about 75 yards. Damage here was consistent with lower end EF-3 damage at 140 mph.||The tornado then crossed mostly rugged, hilly and rural terrain downing trees as it began to slowly wind down in intensity. The tornado then once again crossed Danville Road north of McCleskey producing widespread tree damage. Here very large hardwood trees were snapped near the based and uprooted. A home here sustained damage to the roof and also damage due to falling trees. A large shed/outbuilding here was destroyed. As the tornado crossed Herring Road it produced damage to a roof on a conventional home and also significant roof and structural damage to|a mobile home. On the northeast side of Herring Road minor tree damage was noted as the tornado finally lifted.

A tree was downed onto a power line by strong thunderstorm winds.

Numerous trees and power lines were downed in and around Decatur.

A large tree and a few power lines were downed by thunderstorm winds.

Several large light and power poles were bent along Interstate 65, near mile marker 326.

Power lines were downed due to thunderstorm winds.

Power lines were knocked down on Chapel Hill Road. Time estimated by radar.

Several trees and power lines were downed by thunderstorm winds.

A tree was downed onto a powerline by thunderstorm winds on Chapel Hill Road, near Decatur, Alabama.

A tree was knocked onto a mobile home on Liberty Road in the Punkin Center area. Additional trees were blown down onto powerlines in this area. The time was estimated by radar.

Light freezing rain was occurring with a light coating of ice estimated at around three hundredths of an inch, was on trees and power lines in the Union area, about 10 miles east of Somerville, Alabama, on Brindlee Mountain.

Significant severe thunderstorm winds snapped several wooden power poles near the base along highway 20. One concrete pole was knocked down to the ground and at least one small plane was flipped over at Pryor field. Many residents were without power for over a day due to the numerous trees and power lines that were downed in the area. Based on this evidence from a storm survey, it is estimated that peak winds approached 110 mph.

Trees were knocked down onto power lines causing power outages.

Trees and power lines were reported down on the 1700 block of Beltline road. A roof was also taken off of an Asian Grill restaurant by the winds.

Damaging straight-line winds knocked down 11 power poles/lines along Highway 67 between Couey Road and Eva Rd/CR 35.

Damaging straight-line winds knocked down 11 power poles/lines along Highway 67 between Couey Road and Eva Rd/CR 35.

Damaging straight-line winds knocked numerous trees and power lines down across downtown Decatur.

Lightning struck a power pole at 305 Courtney Dr SW in Decatur. Time and location was confirmed via the NCDC Severe Weather Data Inventory lightning information.

Several pine and oak trees and power poles were blown down. Also awning was blown off of a mobile home on Garner road.

Decatur police department reported multiple power lines and trees down, causing some traffic signals to go out. A street sign was also blown over on US 31 north.

Numerous trees and power lines were blown down across Morgan county. The hardest hit areas were Danville, Somerville, Hartselle, Morgan City, and Cullman. In the city of Hartselle, a tin roof was blown off a building under construction.

Numerous trees and power lines were blown down across Morgan county. The hardest hit areas were Danville, Somerville, Hartselle, Morgan City, and Cullman. In the city of Hartselle, a tin roof was blown off a building under construction.

The rear flank downdraft from a large steady state supercell produced straight lined wind gusts between 65 and 75 mph across much of southern and central Morgan county. The damage path from the storm began just over the border in Lawrence county along CR 431 north of Caddo, where several trees were blown down. The damaging winds then spread southeast into southern portions of Decatur and Priceville. Numerous trees were reported down along this portion of the path and some damage to structures occurred. A gust to 75 mph was reported east of Hartselle on Highway 67 S. Damage to structures included: an automobile dealership sign blown down in the southern portions of Decatur and minor damage to homes. Damage was more sporadic near the Stringer community, which is a very rural area. As the storm pushed southeast of Florette, it's rear flank downdraft produced it's most devastating straight lined winds in the Eva, Center Dale, and Gum Pond communities (damage roughly covered 16 square miles). In these locations, numerous trees were snapped or uprooted, including many hardwood trees. Power poles were also snapped and some homes received minor to moderate damage. Peak wind gusts were estimated to reach 95 mph in this portion of the storm track. A few more trees were blown down near the Marshall and Cullman county border from this storm.

The rear flank downdraft from a large steady state supercell produced straight lined wind gusts between 65 and 75 mph across much of southern and central Morgan county. The damage path from the storm began just over the border in Lawrence county along CR 431 north of Caddo, where several trees were blown down. The damaging winds then spread southeast into southern portions of Decatur and Priceville. Numerous trees were reported down along this portion of the path and some damage to structures occurred. A gust to 75 mph was reported east of Hartselle on Highway 67 S. Damage to structures included: an automobile dealership sign blown down in the southern portions of Decatur and minor damage to homes. Damage was more sporadic near the Stringer community, which is a very rural area. As the storm pushed southeast of Florette, it's rear flank downdraft produced it's most devastating straight lined winds in the Eva, Center Dale, and Gum Pond communities (damage roughly covered 16 square miles). In these locations, numerous trees were snapped or uprooted, including many hardwood trees. Power poles were also snapped and some homes received minor to moderate damage. Peak wind gusts were estimated to reach 95 mph in this portion of the storm track. A few more trees were blown down near the Marshall and Cullman county border from this storm.

The Decatur Police Department reported that thunderstorm winds blew down power lines in the city of Decatur.

The Decatur Police Department reported that thunderstorm winds blew down power lines in the city of Decatur.

Strong winds between 50 mph and 55 mph downed trees and powerlines countywide. One large tree fell onto a vehicle and another one on a home in the Decatur area. The Hartselle area was also hard hit with significant wind damage on Main and Hickory Street. Winds also knocked downed a light tower at West Morgan High School's football stadium. Other schools, including Falkville Elementary School, Lacey's Spring School, and West Morgan Elementary School, reported shingle damage from the winds.

A gravity wave brought strong winds down to the surface behind a line of showers and thunderstorms. This produced strong winds that blew down trees. These trees knocked down a primary power line on Alabama Highway 67 near the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. This left 516 residents without power for more than one hour and 11 without power for more than four and a half hours. Also, winds in Decatur blew a trampoline through glass doors.

Strong winds knocked down trees in numerous locations throughout the county, including Decatur, Hartselle and Hulaco. As a result, power was knocked for a period of time.

A sustained period of high winds knocked down trees and power lines across the county. Power was knocked out for about 41 minutes in portions of Decatur affecting nearly 4800 customers, including the Decatur Mall. A roof was blown off of a mobile home in Eva. A tree was also knocked down onto a mobile home on Fieldcrest Drive in Somerville. A large tree was knocked down onto County Road 55 and Evergreen Road while a smaller tree was knocked down at Gandy's Cove. Another tree was knocked down onto Mill Creek Road.

A few trees and power lines were downed by thunderstorm winds.

Thunderstorm winds knocked out power along Highway 55.

High winds of at least 45 mph with gusts over 50 mph blew down numerous trees and power lines across the county leaving power outages. A large antenna was blown down off the Decatur City Hall building.

Powerlines were blown down at the intersection of Highway 31 and Kayo Road in the Decatur area.

Trees and some powerlines were downed by a large downburst, which produced a 3/4 mile damage swath.

Thunderstorm winds blew down power lines between Priceville and Valhermoso Springs near County Road 40.

Thunderstorm winds downed numerous trees and power lines througouth the city of Decatur. Power outages resulted, one which affected around 14,000 residential customers.

Lightning struck a switch pole on 12th Avenue Northwest in Decatur producing a power outage to 5100 residents.

Trees were blown down on Double S Mountain Road, Gum Springs Road, and Sample Road. Powerlines were blown down in Eva.

Several trees were blown down across northern Morgan County. A power line was blown down in Old Decatur causing an hourlong power outage.

A few trees and power lines were blown down.

several utility power poles down.

Trees and power lines were blown down on Cave Springs Road near the city of Priceville.

Numerous trees and power lines were knocked down countywide. A few of the downed trees landed on vehicles.

Trees and power lines were knocked down across the city of Decatur.

Several power lines were blown down in southwest Morgan County near Massey.

Trees and power lines were knocked down in many locations throughout the county. Some of the fallen trees landed on homes in Decatur causing major damage. Thousands of customers were left without power for several hours in Morgan County

An isolated thunderstorm developed over Decatur and also over the adjacent waters of Lake Wheeler (Tennessee River system) between 1740-1800 LST. A well photographed and reported waterspout developed around 1753 LST and lasted several minutes. The waterspout appeared as a narrow elephant trunk tube in numerous photos and videos sent into social media or directly to the National Weather Service in Huntsville. From the videos and photos received, the waterspout became a landspout tornado at times on the eastern shore of Lake Wheeler, just a few hundred yards south of the U.S. Highway 31 causeway. Due to reporting requirements, this will be logged as a tornado with an Unknown EF rating since no damage was reported. On the opposite side of Lake Wheeler, near the Bank Street district of Decatur, a small downburst knocked down portions of a large tree onto power lines. Photos of the storm from a distance also indicated a rain foot typically noted by storm spotters which correlated very near the location of the damage.

A strong cold front dropped temperatures 20-25 degrees from the lower 70s into the upper 40s to lower 50s from around 4:00 AM to 6:00 AM CST. A line of showers and thunderstorms accompanied the front, which were followed by a dramatic wind shift from south to west-northwest. Sustained wind speeds of 20-25 mph with frequent gusts of 35-40 mph were reported. Due to saturated soils from recent rainfall, even wind gusts of 35-40 mph were sufficient to topple several trees and limbs in north Alabama. Reports of trees and in some cases, power lines, were reported in Colbert and Morgan Counties.

A thunderstorm knocked down trees and power lines in Morgan County, including near the Eva community.

A powerful cold front and upper level disturbance produced bands of snow showers during the evening of the 8th through the evening of the 10th. Snowfall amounts of an inch or less were received in north central and northeast Alabama, with a dusting to a half inch in northwest Alabama. A few isolated spots on Brindley Mountain in Morgan and Marshall Counties downstream of a lake effect band off Wheeler Lake received 1-2 inches.

A cluster of thunderstorms produced intense rainfall and isolated wind damage in the city of Decatur during the late afternoon hours. An amateur radio automated weather station measured 3.62 inches from these storms in less than 2 hours in southeast Decatur. In fact, most of the rain fell in 30 minutes. One ten-minute period recorded just below an inch of rain (a rate of nearly 6 inches per hour). Flash flooding resulted in downtown Decatur and nearby residences. A brief period of thunderstorm winds knocked power lines down at one location, and tipped over an overhead canopy at a gas station.

A very unstable environment along with an approaching weak surface trough dropping through Tennessee ignited several supercell thunderstorms during the mid afternoon through mid evening hours. A couple of the supercell storms tracked from southern and southwester middle Tennessee through northwest and north central Alabama, producing long swaths of large hail, in some cases very large hail up to tennis and softball sized. One of the storms produced a narrow swath of damaging winds across eastern Lawrence County, including the Speake community. The winds destroyed a barn and garage, and knocked several trees and power lines down in this area.

A long lived quasi-linear convective system (QLCS) developed in northern and central Mississippi and tracked eastward through northern Alabama during the early morning hours of the 20th. A bow echo with a strong meso-vortex produced a long swath of wind damage from southern Franklin across Lawrence, Morgan, Cullman and Marshall counties. Numerous trees were uprooted or snapped, indicating wind speeds of at least 70 mph or higher. Trees were toppled onto two homes in Morgan and Cullman counties resulting in two injuries. As the bow echo continued eastward, numerous reports of trees and damage to small structures were reported. Following the storms, a meteorological phenomenon known as a wake low developed which produced a short period of damaging non-thunderstorm winds in Marshall County. A wind gust of 60 mph was registered with this system at the Albertville, Alabama AWOS station (K8A0). Several power outages were reported through the event.||A mesoscale convective system rolled through northern and central Alabama during the late evening hours of the 20th, and exited shortly after midnight on the 21st. Prolific lightning was generated with mainly elevated thunderstorms within the anvil region of this system across northern Alabama. A line of strong to severe thunderstorms extended south from the upper level circulation center which tracked east from northwest and west central Alabama. The storms produced sporadic thunderstorm wind damage, knocking down several trees in Franklin County. Most of the damage further east were tree limbs that did cause isolated small power outages. Although most areas received one half to one inch of rainfall, there were local amounts of one to just over two inches. This resulted in mostly nuisance minor street flooding, although one road was closed in Franklin County due to more substantial runoff.

A cluster of severe thunderstorms intensified near the Memphis, Tennessee metropolitan area just after 7:00 AM CDT on the 14th. A bow echo developed with this cluster of storms and accelerated east-southeast across northern Mississippi and into northwest Alabama between 10:00 AM and 11:30 AM CDT. A brief EF-1 tornado occurred northwest of Moulton in Lawrence county. Numerous trees and some power lines were knocked down with straight-line winds. One report of brief flash flooding occurred in the town of Barton.

A wave of strong and gusty winds pushed across north central Alabama around sunrise. The winds knocked down multiple trees in Morgan County, knocking out power in some areas.