Surveys are still ongoing for next day or two (at least), but looks like this wasn't as bad as it looked in real-time. I find myself wondering if the Tornado Emergency was justified and feel regret over whatever I did to contribute to overhyping this while it was going on. Some day we really will have another E/F4-F5 tornado in the region. And it'd be good if such terms warning of catastrophic damage could be restricted to situations like that, like what happened in November 1989 in Huntsville. Based on these damage surveys, it looks like this was nowhere close, what they've surveyed today. I wonder if all the amateur (well, some of them do make money, but the style is not what I'd call professional, whooping and hollering, taking stupid chances, making it sound like it's the worst storm ever) storm chasing contributes to this heat-of-the-moment hype. I'm not sure, but I really was disturbed to wake up and see this news. This was a stronger-than-average tornado that hit Madison/Huntsville yesterday evening, yes. I think about 20% of all tornadoes end up getting that rating. About 70% of our tornadoes are rated E/F0-F1. And the other 10% makes up the real juggernauts, E/F-3, F-4, or 5. Okay, so this tornado was a little stronger than average. And it was a pretty big tornado compared to most we see around here. But it was not a super-destructive twister that was taking everything in its path. And that's a lot of the messaging the public got yesterday as this approached Huntsville.
I am sorry for my part in that. The only consolation I have is that I wasn't alone. (And that's not much consolation.) The text of the Tornado Warning at a certain point upgraded it to a Tornado Emergency and had all the highest threat level words that the National Weather Service can issue for a tornado. It was described as a "deadly" tornado with "catastrophic" impacts. And that is not how it really played out. I hope some people will play back through this event and see what went wrong here. People actually pay attention to Tornado Warnings again now. I remember before April 2011, people would hear one and immediately question it. There were so many false alarms. If it wasn't confirmed, a lot of people wouldn't pay attention. And that has changed a little since that terrible 40-year-outbreak. I know NWS Birmingham (who didn't issue this particular warning, by the way . . . they have not covered Huntsville since at least 2003) put a lot of work into reducing their false alarm ratio. They have the best statistics of any office in the country for accuracy in issuing warnings.
But even with them, sometimes this happens, same basic thing. I remember an incident in about 2016 (could have been a different year, but about 10 years ago now) where a confirmed tornado with a debris signature was coming up through West Central Alabama. The broadcaster I was watching, I could name, but guess I won't, since they deal with more personal attacks from day to day. And I don't want to trigger anything like that. But this is definitely one of your better guys that I almost always trust. And he described this storm as being a "violent" tornado. Some people who aren't weather geeks may not know, by definition a "violent" tornado has always meant F-4 or F-5 since the Fujita/Pearson scale came out in the 1970's. It was appropriate to use that language for, say, the Tuscaloosa tornado of April 27, 2011. (Or the one that hit Hackleburg, Phil Campbell, Mount Hope, and Harvest in the same basic time frame.) And it would have been appropriate for a broadcaster covering the Beauregard tornado from a few years ago in far South Alabama. But it was not appropriate for that storm, which ended up being rated an E/F-2 tornado like this one. Someone I know that night ended up with a broken arm because of driving in a panic to a place they used as a public shelter in Tennessee (where there are very few official public shelters . . . they were not hit as hard in 2011 by a long shot). This person saw the coverage of that supercell in West Central Alabama and noticed a similar storm coming up in Southern Tennessee. The TN storm dissipated and only had a short-fused warning. And while the one in Alabama had a long track, it was not a "violent" tornado. Even if the storm from Alabama had hit this person's house, they probably would have not had a scratch from sheltering in place, in the bathroom. They had good reason to be nervous if they thought an E/F4-F5 tornado could be coming in their direction. And that wasn't even close to being true.
So I'm really conflicted about this. By the way, I don't think the Birmingham office issued a Tornado Emergency for those areas that evening. I think it was the broadcast world that made it sound even worse than whatever the text of the warning was, saying it was confirmed and whatever else.
Telling the strength of a tornado in real-time can be tough too. When you've got ominous-looking pictures, reliable reports that damage is happening on the ground, and a debris signature (even if it comes and goes), then who could blame a forecaster for issuing the highest threat level and calling it an "emergency", when a tornado is coming for a major city? I don't have access to all the same data that NWS Huntsville does, of course, but if I'd been in that warning "hot seat", I might have done the same.
Yet to make the warning accurate, it should have just said what it was soon downgraded to, a tag for "considerable" damage possible. Nothing I see here describes catastrophic damage to Madison or Huntsville.
And I remember something Tim Coleman from UAH said a long time ago. When dual-pol radar was still in the future for most of the country. He said that everyone was excited when Doppler Radar came out. The ability to detect tornadoes went up by a lot, but the false alarm ratio also went way up. A lot of storms rotate without producing tornadoes. And he was afraid something like that would happen with dual-pol. And I'm afraid he was right. It seems great that we have these debris signatures (correlation coefficient) and all these chasers rushing out to wherever there's a chance for even one or two bigger, stronger tornadoes. But look what a mess it can be. Yesterday turned out to be a mess.
There were some broadcasters yesterday who did a good job handling the mess. As a blogger, I was not one of them. I really thought this was a worst-case scenario when it was in progress. And I kept wondering why there weren't injuries. I thought it was almost miraculous. But no. This tornado only reached E/F-2 strength. That's the same as the one that hit Huntsville in January 2010, the one nearly everybody living there at the time saw, that injured no one.
So while I'm glad nobody got hurt yesterday, I don't like the way the warning/communication side of this failed, in the sense of making this seem a lot worse than it was. Kudos to the people who took a deep breath and refused to overhype this. If there is a next time for me, I hope to count myself among those.
It's not like this happens every day. But it does lose the trust of the public when they hear something described as a worst-case scenario and then it turns out to be only a little worse than the average. This does not need to start happening more often between now and the next time we do have a really devastating tornado outbreak. And it doesn't take a 2011 level outbreak to be really bad like that. There were outbreaks in the 2020-2022 with major impacts. For that matter, there was a major tornado that hit Nashville in early 2020. No "tornado emergency" was in effect for that one. That term, or the highest threat level warning of "catastrophic" damage, needs to be reserved for those rare times when it is actually true. It could save lives then. When it plays out like it did yesterday, it's more likely to lead people to take it less seriously the next time. And what if it really is true that next time . . .
These times present interesting problems.
687
NOUS44 KHUN 212206
PNSHUN
ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-221015-
Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Huntsville AL
506 PM CDT Wed May 21 2025
...NWS Damage Survey for 05/20/2025 Tornado Event - Update #2...
.Update...Added Killingsworth Cove Tornado writeup.
.Madison Tornado...
Rating: EF2
Estimated Peak Wind: 125 mph
Path Length /statute/: 13.15 miles
Path Width /maximum/: 380 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 0
Start Date: 05/20/2025
Start Time: 06:09 PM CDT
Start Location: 5 SSE Athens / Limestone County / AL
Start Lat/Lon: 34.7168 / -86.9489
End Date: 05/20/2025
End Time: 06:35 PM CDT
End Location: 2 NE Madison / Madison County / AL
End Lat/Lon: 34.724 / -86.7197
Survey Summary:
The National Weather Service Huntsville, AL has conducted a
damage assessment following a tornado that impacted areas of
Limestone and Madison Counties. The survey team determined that
the damage observed is consistent with an EF-2 tornado, with
maximum estimated wind speeds of 125 mph.
The tornado was initially observed and filmed by multiple storm chasers
west of Interstate 65 near Tanner, Alabama. As it crossed I-65 in the
vicinity of the Highway 31 intersection, numerous trees were
uprooted or snapped.The tornado tracked eastward, passing south
of Huntsville-Brownsferry Road and moving towards Greenbrier
Parkway. Along Greenbrier Parkway, multiple trees were uprooted,
and several structures sustained minor roof damage. Sporadic tree
damage continued east of Greenbrier Parkway toward Powell Road
and Burgreen Road.
Upon entering Madison County near the County Line Road area, the
tornado caused minor roof damage to several single-family homes and
downed trees onto some residences. One home located west of County Line Road
experienced significant damage to its west-facing facade.
Further tree damage, predominantly uproots, was observed between
County Line Road and Wall Triana Highway, with several instances
of trees falling on homes.The tornado reached its maximum intensity
as it approached Hughes Road, specifically near Downing Ridge and
Millsford Road. In this area, two single-family homes suffered major roof damage,
with most or all of the roofing material removed. Numerous trees
were also uprooted at this location.Continuing eastward, the
tornado crossed Hughes Road in the Dublin Circle area. Sporadic
tree damage was noted north of Eastview Drive through the
Kensington Drive vicinity. It is believed the tornado likely
dissipated before reaching Slaughter Road.
Further details and data from this event may be released as
they become available.
.South Athens Tornado...
Rating: EF1
Estimated Peak Wind: 105 mph
Path Length /statute/: 2.76 miles
Path Width /maximum/: 160 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 0
Start Date: 05/20/2025
Start Time: 06:11 PM CDT
Start Location: 3 WSW Athens / Limestone County / AL
Start Lat/Lon: 34.7749 / -87.0065
End Date: 05/20/2025
End Time: 06:13 PM CDT
End Location: Athens / Limestone County / AL
End Lat/Lon: 34.7824 / -86.9604
Survey Summary:
A National Weather Service Huntsville, AL survey team has
concluded that damage observed in the Athens area resulted from
an EF-1 tornado. The tornado produced maximum estimated wind
speeds of 105 mph.
The tornado likely initiated south of Highway
72, between York Lane and Lucas Ferry Road. Significant impacts
were observed near the intersection of Lucas Ferry Road and
Sanderfer Road, where numerous wooden power poles were snapped,
and cross members were broken. Uprooted trees and additional
snapped power poles were documented along Sanderfer Road.The
tornado tracked in an east-northeast direction, continuing
through the Jefferson Road and Highway 72 vicinity. It is
believed to have lifted shortly after crossing this area.
Barron/Irwin
.Killingsworth Cove Tornado...
Rating: EF2
Estimated Peak Wind: 134 mph
Path Length /statute/: 1.41 miles
Path Width /maximum/: 175 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 0
Start Date: 05/19/2025
Start Time: 07:07 PM CDT
Start Location: 4 N Gurley / Madison County / AL
Start Lat/Lon: 34.765 / -86.376
End Date: 05/19/2025
End Time: 07:11 PM CDT
End Location: 5 N Gurley / Madison County / AL
End Lat/Lon: 34.7715 / -86.3526
Survey Summary:
The same supercell that marched across North Central Alabama and
produced several tornadoes was responsible for EF2 tornado damage
in the Killingsworth Cove area in Eastern Madison County,
consistent with 134 mph winds along a 1.4 mile long path (pending
additional updates later this week).
The tornado touched down on Acuff Road, downing a large swath of
hardwood trees just east of Boulder Trail. A barn sustained roof
damage here as well, with some uplifting of the roof and peeling
back of a few pieces of tin. From here, the tornado snapped and
uprooted numerous hardwood trees as it moved across the field
toward structures on Killingsworth Cove Road. Here, the tornado
had its strongest winds and was at its widest point: 134mph winds
and 175 yards. A mobile home was completely destroyed at this
location, hurling the mangled frame 150-200 yards from its
original location. Thankfully, the family got the tornado warning
and left the home to take shelter in the community shelter at the
KCVFD less than a mile away. Debris from the destroyed mobile home
was strewn about 225-250 yards across the street and into the
field leading to JB Hawkins Road. Two other structures at this
location sustained damage. The home next door was just outside the
funnel and had significant roof damage, as well as projectiles
that penetrated the side of the home in two locations. A resident
was inside at the time and sheltered after receiving the warning,
and thankfully was not injured. On the other side of the path on
the corner of Killingsworth Cove Road and JB Hawkins Road, another
home sustained major structural damage. Only portions of walls
were left standing of the home, but survey teams discovered that
no anchor bolts were used to attach the home to the foundation.
All portions of the bases of walls that were investigated were toe
nailed down, owing to the damage sustained at this location.
Further to the northeast, widespread tree damage was noted on JB
Hawkins Road as the tornado dissipated briefly climbing the
elevated terrain behind the home at the end of the path here.
The tornado most likely continued into Jackson County, but survey
teams weren`t able to continue the path into the neighboring
county today. Additional changes and extensions to this track are
likely in the coming days. While the strength of the tornado
likely won`t change, the extent of the path is still being
investigated via drone footage being sent to NWS Huntsville, and
subsequent updates are expected later this week.
Special thanks to Madison County EMA, linemen from Huntsville
Utilities, and members of the Madison County Sheriffs Office for
their assistance on the storm survey today.
Amin/Saari
&&
EF Scale: The Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes into the
following categories:
EF0.....65 to 85 mph
EF1.....86 to 110 mph
EF2.....111 to 135 mph
EF3.....136 to 165 mph
EF4.....166 to 200 mph
EF5.....>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.
$$
12
838
NOUS44 KBMX 212340
PNSBMX
ALZ011>015-017>050-221145-
Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Birmingham AL
640 PM CDT Wed May 21 2025
...NWS Damage Survey for May 20th and May 21st 2025 Tornado
Event Update 2...
Update...All storm surveys have been completed. Three total
tornadoes have been confirmed.
.Overview...Severe thunderstorms tracked across Central Alabama
during the overnight hours of May 20th into the early morning
hours of May 21st. At least one brief tornado occurred in Bullock
County with pockets of straight-line wind damage occurring across
northern parts of Central Alabama.
.Saks Tornado...
Rating: EF1
Estimated Peak Wind: 95 mph
Path Length /statute/: 3.51 miles
Path Width /maximum/: 0 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 0
Start Date: 05/20/2025
Start Time: 06:35 PM CDT
Start Location: 2 SW Saks / Calhoun County / AL
Start Lat/Lon: 33.6952 / -85.8854
End Date: 05/20/2025
End Time: 06:40 PM CDT
End Location: 1 SE Blue Mountain / Calhoun County / AL
End Lat/Lon: 33.6798 / -85.8274
Survey Summary:
This tornado appears to have touched down somewhere in the
restricted area of the Pelham Range based on radar. The first
accessible damage occurred along Calhoun County Road (CR)
109 (Bynum Leatherwood Rd) just north of the Lloyds Chapel
Cemetery, where several large trees were uprooted. The tornado
continued to the ESE crossing Reaves Road and Gardendale Drive,
where swaths of trees were snapped or uprooted, with trees
falling on a manufactured home and a site built home in the area.
Several pine trees were still blocking traffic across CR
46 (Parkwood Rd) near the intersection with McCulley Ln. The
tornado continued ESE roughly along CR 46, before crossing
Alexandria Rd, where several streets were blocked with uprooted
hardwood trees. As the tornado approached US Highway 431,
significant damage continued but became more sparse and sporadic
as the tornado appeared to end and transition to a thunderstorm
wind event.
.County Road 67 Tornado...
Rating: EF1
Estimated Peak Wind: 95 mph
Path Length /statute/: 1.97 miles
Path Width /maximum/: 550 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 0
Start Date: 05/20/2025
Start Time: 07:29 PM CDT
Start Location: 3 NNW Ranburne / Cleburne County / AL
Start Lat/Lon: 33.574 / -85.3624
End Date: 05/20/2025
End Time: 07:33 PM CDT
End Location: 2 N Ranburne / Cleburne County / AL
End Lat/Lon: 33.5625 / -85.332
Survey Summary:
The tornado first touched down in a field just south of Cleburne
County Road (CR) 67 about 0.3 miles east of CR 49. The tornado
proceeded to destroy a half of an old barn, lofting and tossing
debris both upstream and downstream, as well as laterally. A
large portion of the barn roof landed on a home about 30 yards
downstream, with several missiles embedded in the roof as well as
the surrounding yard. There was notable splatter on the right
side of the house not facing the direction of the damaged barn.
Direct wind damage to the home was minor, with a fascia damage and
a partially collapsed garage door. Debris from the barn was also
found hundreds of yards away in an adjoining pasture. From
there, the tornado proceeded to the ESE snapping and uprooting
hardwood trees as it crossed CR 67, CR 611, and CR 95. From
there, the tornado weakened and caused only a few tree branches
to be damaged along CR 672 before it dissipated before reaching
CR 34.
.County Road 185 Tornado...
Rating: EF1
Estimated Peak Wind: 105 mph
Path Length /statute/: 4.98 miles
Path Width /maximum/: 900 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 0
Start Date: 05/21/2025
Start Time: 03:58 AM CDT
Start Location: 4 SSW Mitchell / Bullock County / AL
Start Lat/Lon: 32.1896 / -85.9662
End Date: 05/21/2025
End Time: 04:09 AM CDT
End Location: 4 NNW Simsville / Bullock County / AL
End Lat/Lon: 32.1844 / -85.8824
Survey Summary:
A brief tornado touched down in an open pasture east of County
road 37 where a few large branches were snapped along a tree line
and one tree was uprooted in the field. The tornado tracked to
the east where it crossed through a small hunting club and
uprooted more trees. Most of this area was inaccessible due to
trees across the roadway, but no structural damage was noted. The
tornado then intensified as it crossed county road 185 where
there was about a 800 to 900 yard wide zone of snapped and
uprooted hardwoods and softwoods. The tornado continued to track
east through various inaccessible pastures and wooded areas
before dissipating near county road 7 to the south of Fitzpatrick
where a couple branches were snapped.
&&
EF Scale: The Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes into the
following categories:
EF0.....65 to 85 mph
EF1.....86 to 110 mph
EF2.....111 to 135 mph
EF3.....136 to 165 mph
EF4.....166 to 200 mph
EF5.....>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.
$$
729
NOUS44 KOHX 211951
PNSOHX
TNZ005>011-023>034-056>066-075-077>080-093>095-220800-
Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Nashville TN
251 PM CDT Wed May 21 2025
...NWS Damage Survey for 05/20/25 Tornado Event Update #1...
.North Clarksville...
Rating: EF0
Estimated Peak Wind: 75 mph
Path Length /statute/: 9.41 miles
Path Width /maximum/: 100 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 0
Start Date: 05/20/2025
Start Time: 05:08 PM CDT
Start Location: 7 SSW Fort Campbell North / Montgomery County / KY
Start Lat/Lon: 36.5578 / -87.5171
End Date: 05/20/2025
End Time: 05:19 PM CDT
End Location: 4 SE Oak Grove / Montgomery County / KY
End Lat/Lon: 36.6247 / -87.3709
Survey Summary:
The tornado touched down along 101st Airborne Division Rd causing
minor tree damage. The tornado moved northeast causing minor tree
damage in neighborhoods north of Purple Heart Pkwy. Several trees
were uprooted and tree tops were snapped near Britton Springs Rd
and Norris Drive. The tornado continued northeast after crossing
Highway 41A continuing to snap large tree branches. The tornado
lifted north of West Creek Middle School and south of Tiny Town
Rd.
.South Clarksville...
Rating: EF0
Estimated Peak Wind: 85 mph
Path Length /statute/: 3.21 miles
Path Width /maximum/: 200 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 0
Start Date: 05/20/2025
Start Time: 05:25 PM CDT
Start Location: 6 SE Clarksville / Montgomery County / TN
Start Lat/Lon: 36.4985 / -87.2743
End Date: 05/20/2025
End Time: 05:28 PM CDT
End Location: 7 ESE Clarksville / Montgomery County / TN
End Lat/Lon: 36.5134 / -87.2197
Survey Summary:
The tornado touched down along E Old Ashland City Rd causing a
few trees to lean or fall down. The tornado moved northeast
uprooting and snapping trees and causing minor house damage along
streets north of Madison St. The tornado lifted prior to reaching
Trough Springs Rd and I-24.
.Southern Cumberland County...
Rating: EF1
Estimated Peak Wind: 105 mph
Path Length /statute/: 4.97 miles
Path Width /maximum/: 0 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 0
Start Date: 05/20/2025
Start Time: 07:29 PM CDT
Start Location: 4 NNW Melvine / Cumberland County / TN
Start Lat/Lon: 35.7875 / -85.0849
End Date: 05/20/2025
End Time: 07:37 PM CDT
End Location: 6 NNE Melvine / Cumberland County / TN
End Lat/Lon: 35.8197 / -85.0093
Survey Summary:
The tornado touched down along Vandever Rd near New Era causing
timber damage and minor structural damage to homes. As the
tornado moved east northeast, more substantial timber damage was
noted along with two homes that had roof removal or damage in the
Big Lick area. The tornado continued to produce timber and power
line damage along Rhea Rd until it lifted near the intersection
of Rhea Rd and Old State Highway 28.
&&
EF Scale: The Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes into the
following categories:
EF0.....65 to 85 mph
EF1.....86 to 110 mph
EF2.....111 to 135 mph
EF3.....136 to 165 mph
EF4.....166 to 200 mph
EF5.....>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.
$$
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