Power Outage in Tuscaloosa, AL

Several trees uprooted and power lines downed along Walter Shirley Road.

Several trees uprooted and power lines downed on Hargrove Road in the city of Tuscaloosa.

Trees uprooted and on houses in the Northwood Lake Subdivision. Power lines downed near Union Chapel Road.

Wind measured at the Tuscaloosa County Courthouse. A street light pole was blown down across the Interstate 20/59 Exit 71A ramp onto Alabama Highway 69 South. Trees and powerlines were also reported down in the area.

Trees were reported down along Stone Hill Lane. Additionally, powerlines were reported down along Windermere Drive.

Two small trees were blown down, one of which fell onto a power line.

Trees and power lines were blown down in several areas of the Coaling community, from Lower Coaling Road eastward to Dudley Road. Several roofs were damaged at the Stone Gate Trailer Park.

Thunderstorm winds blew down numerous trees and power lines along a several mile long swath across the city of Tuscaloosa, from Lurleen Wallace Blvd., eastward across the University of Alabama Campus, to the Green Grove Drive area northeast of downtown. A 74 mph wind gust was reported by unofficial wind equipment on top of the Tuscaloosa County courthouse. Several homes sustained damage due to the fallen trees.

Thunderstorm winds blew down numerous trees and power lines along a several mile long swath across the city of Tuscaloosa, from Lurleen Wallace Blvd., eastward across the University of Alabama Campus, to the Green Grove Drive area northeast of downtown. A 74 mph wind gust was reported by unofficial wind equipment on top of the Tuscaloosa County courthouse. Several homes sustained damage due to the fallen trees.

Several trees and power lines were blown down near AL-216 and Kingsmill Road, near Brookwood.

The second segment of this tornado crossed into Tuscaloosa County, approximately one half mile west of Lock 9 Road. The tornado touched down in Greene County, 3 miles southeast of Ralph. The tornado strengthened to an EF-3 rating, with maximum winds of 140 mph. Hundreds of trees were snapped or uprooted and a power transmission tower was severely damaged. As the tornado moved northeast into Taylorville, several homes and businesses received structural damage. The tornado lifted near Mayfair Drive, south of Veterans Memorial Parkway. The damage path in Tuscaloosa County had a maximum width of 500 yards.

Several trees and power lines toppled in the city and to the south along hwy 82.

A few trees down onto power lines near Taylorville.

Multiple trees and power lines were blown down 4 to 5 miles northwest of Holt along Crescent Ridge Road, Prospect Drive, Colonial Drive, and Old Cottondale Road. A billboard was blown over onto a car on East University Blvd.

Several power lines were blown down in the city of Tuscaloosa.

Power lines were blown down on Wire Road, near Vance.

Power lines were blown down across Hargrove Road, 63rd Avenue East, and Huntland Drive, between Tuscaloosa and Duncanville.

A tree was blown onto a power pole near the Lake View community.

Trees and power lines were blown down at several locations around the city of Tuscaloosa.

A few power lines were blown down on 12th Avenue in the city of Tuscaloosa.

Several trees and numerous power lines were blown down across the county. Winds gusted to 39 mph at the Tuscaloosa airport, 43 mph in Taylorville, and 42 mph in Northport.

Trees and power lines were blown down on Rock House Road, Lisa Drive, in the Lakeview Community.

Numerous trees and power lines were blown down across the western portion of the city of Tuscaloosa. At least two trees fell onto and damaged homes.

Extensive and widespread tree and power line damage occurred across the county as Katrina affected the area. Numerous structures were damaged. A few fires were caused by downed power lines and trees. Many roadways were impassable due to fallen trees. Two men were injured when a tree fell in front of their vehicle and then slid under it.

Numerous trees and power lines were blown down across central Tuscaloosa County. Most of the downed trees were in and around Tuscaloosa. At least 5000 customers were without power.

Hundreds of trees and power lines were blown down throughout the county during Dennis. Several homes and vehicles were damaged by the fallen trees. Many power customers were in the dark for hours. A few roadways were temporarily impassable.

Several trees and power lines were blown down across the county. This was in addition to the concentrated damage path of the tornado near Northport. Many of the fallen trees temporarily blocked roadways. Several homes suffered minor damage due to the fallen trees.

A squall line moved across Tuscaloosa County during the mid morning hours and produced wind damage countywide. Several homes suffered minor shingle damage, Jenkins Auto Repair sustained significant structural damage, and one apartment complex reported damage. Several trees and power lines were blown down in the city of Tuscaloosa. Several reports of funnel clouds were received as the line of storms moved through. Numerous additional trees were blown down across the entire county and many of the fallen trees temporarily blocked roadways. One tree fell on a vehicle stopped at an intersection but the driver was not injured.

Hundreds of trees and power lines were blown down countywide. At least 28,000 customers were without power at the height of the storm. Power was not fully restored for at least 4 days. Twenty to twenty five homes suffered varying degrees of wind damage. Thousands of homes sustained minor damage. Maximum wind gusts were estimated around 65 miles an hour.

Numerous trees and power lines were blown down countywide. Alabama Power estimated at least 5000 customers were temporarily without power after the storms. At least two homes were damaged by falling trees.

A home was struck by lightning on the corner of 26th Street and 12th Avenue. The home suffered extensive damage. The thunderstorms also knocked several limbs out of trees and caused minor power outages.

Several thunderstorms moved across west-central Alabama. These thunderstorms produced frequent lightning strikes. One home was struck by lightning in Northport and a subsequent fire ensued. No injuries were reported. During the height of the storm activity, nineteen thousand customers were temporarily without power.

Several trees and power lines were blown down across the city of Tuscaloosa and also near Lake Tuscaloosa. One person suffered minor injuries when hit by a falling tree.

Tuscaloosa County reported numerous trees and power lines blown down countywide. Many of the fallen trees caused roads to be closed temporarily. Numerous homes were damaged. Wind gusts of 80 mph were measured in Northport and the Tuscaloosa Airport had 60 mph winds. Numerous funnel cloud reports were received throughout the county. One man was injured when a tree fell on his automobile on Highway 43. One 18-wheel truck was overturned on a bridge over the Black Warrior River. Several businesses reported broken windows. One firefighter was injured in Northport when a tree fell on him. This event occurred as the firefighter was cleaning up debris. Quarter size hail was also reported with these storms.

The tornado began in southwestern Tuscaloosa County on the west side of the Black Warrior River. Traveling in a northeasterly direction the tornado moved from a rural, unpopulated area of the Black Warrior River into an area of homes south of Shelton State Community College. The tornado crossed SR 69 destroying a nearly complete shopping center which included a Winn Dixie store. East of SR 69 the tornado destroyed a number of houses and residential structures. As the tornado reached US 82 it destroyed a number of mobile homes where several deaths were reported. From US 82 the tornado continued northeasterly downing numerous trees and power lines and damaging residential structures. The tornado crossed I-20/59 just west of exit 77 where many trees were uprooted or snapped off. Minor damage occurred to the JVC manufacturing facility. At exit 77 a number of commercial structures including hotels, fast food restaurants, and truck stops sustained damage including a number of vehicles that were overturned. The tornado continued northeasterly for a couple of miles before dissipating rapidly. Ironically, the tornado dissipated as it moved into an open, unpopulated area. The tornado was spawned by a supercell thunderstorm that originated in Mississippi. This thunderstorm was responsible for additional tornado damage in St. Clair and Etowah counties.Tuscaloosa EMA reported 11 fatalities with this tornado along with 144 injuries. Nine of the fatalities occurred in mobile homes, one in a vehicle, and one in a commercial building converted to residential use. Six of those killed were females and five were males. Ages ranged from 16 months to 83 years old. There were 251 single family dwellings affected (43 destroyed, 76 with major damage, 138 with minor damage), 179 mobile homes affected (79 destroyed, 23 with major damage, 77 with minor damage), and 13 businesses affected (1 destroyed, 7 with major damage, 5 with minor damage).The tornado was on the ground for a total of 18 miles, all within Tuscaloosa County. The tornado path was estimated to be 750 yards wide at it's maximum intensity. This tornado was rated an F4 on the Fujita Scale for tornado intensity. Tornado intensity varied along the path with considerable F2 and F3 damage in the area from just west of SR 69 to US 82 in the Hinton Place and Hillcrest Meadows areas as well as the Bear Creek area. It was also in these areas where pockets of F4 destruction occurred. The tornado first touched down at 12:54 PM and dissipated at 1:12 PM with a forward speed of approximately 60 MPH. Beginning: 33 03.225/87 39.239 Ending: 33 12.065/87 24.292

Several power lines were blown down on SR 216 east of Tuscaloosa and on Skyline Blvd.

Isolated severe thunderstorms merged with a line of severe thunderstorms over Tuscaloosa County. These storms caused widespread damage across the county. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down throughout the county. Several vehicles were destroyed in Tuscaloosa when a couple of large signs fell on them. Additional vehicles were destroyed when trees fell on them. Dozens of homes and businesses received minor to major damage ranging from shingle damage to roof removal. Dime to golf ball size hail was also reported during this event. Alabama Power Company reported that at least 16,000 customers were without power for several hours. No injury reports were received.

A large bow echo, accompanied by downburst wind of 70 to 100 miles per hour moved along Interstate 20/59 through the city of Tuscaloosa and ended near the city of Cottondale. The storm damage path was about 10 miles long and 4 miles wide. The most concentrated damage ran parallel to both Interstate 20 and US 11 in the city of Tuscaloosa. A 52 year old woman was killed when an advertising sign board was blown down onto her as she was approaching a hotel lobby. Numerous sign boards and trees were either blown down or snapped off. Numerous homes received varying degrees of damage, and area businesses also sustained major damage. One motor home was overturned on Interstate 20/59. Several automobiles were damaged or destroyed by falling trees. The Mimosa Park Country Club reported damage to several structures. Dime to golfball size hail was also reported with these storms. Thousands of customers were left without power for many hours.

High voltage power lines were blown down on CR 88 northeast of Tuscaloosa.

Trees and power lines were knocked down on US 11 in Tuscaloosa. Several automobiles were pushed to the side of the road by the wind. Numerous trees and power lines were also blown down in many locations throughout the county. There were isolated reports of minor building damage including portions of roofs being torn off. Thousands of customers were left without power for several hours. The most heavily damaged area was from Romulus to Brookwood.

A few trees were knocked down in the city of Tuscaloosa, and several power outages were reported.

A powerful upper level storm system along with a rapidly deepening surface low over Kentucky produced a QLCS over Mississippi that entered west Alabama during the morning hours on March 3rd. A warm layer aloft hindered the strength of updrafts along the convective line, but a strong pressure gradient resulted in numerous uprooted trees due to non-thunderstorm wind gusts.

A weakening cold front pushed into west Central Alabama during the late afternoon on Thursday, January 10. Even though showers and isolated thunderstorms organized into a quasi linear convective system (QLCS), mid and upper level dynamics were weakening and severe weather was not expected. A wake low developed along the back edge of the rain area across west Central Alabama, resulting 40-55 mph winds and significant wind damage in this area. Trees and power lines were downed, with minor structural damage, across numerous locations in Sumter, Greene, Tuscaloosa, Pickens, Lamar, Hale and Jefferson counties.

A powerful late fall storm system, and associated cold frontal passage through Alabama, brought widespread thunderstorms to the state. Some of the storms in Central Alabama produced damaging winds and tornadoes.

The parent thunderstorm that produced the tornado on the west side of Lake Lurleen re-organized and developed another tornado on the east side of the lake. The tornado touched down just west of Lake Lurleen Road near the southern end of the lake at approximately 419 PM CDT. The tornado produced light tree damage near the east side of the lake. The tornado continued northeast where it strengthened as it neared State Highway 171. Numerous trees and power lines were knocked down in this area and the highway was temporarily closed. The tornado lifted shortly after it crossed the highway around 426 PM CDT. A few structures along the path suffered minor damage. The tornado damage path was 5.8 miles long and 100 yards wide at its widest point. This tornado was produced by the remnants of Hurricane Rita. Begin: 33 17.05/87 40.76 End: 33 21.74/87 38.86

Penny size hail was observed in the City of Northport. Several trees were reported down along SR 171 and along SR 69. Thousands of customers were temporarily without power following the storm.

Large hail up to the size of golf balls was reported in and around the city of Tuscaloosa. In addition, several trees and power lines were blown down in the city of Tuscaloosa.

Penny to quarter size hail was reported all over the cities of Tuscaloosa and Northport. Numerous trees and power lines were also blown down across the area. One tree fell on an automobile causing significant damage. No injuries were reported.