COLBERT COUNTY-According to the National Weather Service the storm that hit Colbert County was two tornadoes. One an EF-1 hitting first in Sheffield at Riverfront Park and the second tornado was an EF-0 this one touched down in the LaGrange Community in the southeast corner of Colbert County. The second tornado was of the same parent storm that spawned the Sheffield/Tuscumbia Tornado.
“A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN ALONG THE SOUTH RIVERBANK
OF THE TENNESSEE RIVER IN SHEFFIELD. THE TORNADO INITIALLY PRODUCED
SUBSTANTIAL TREE DAMAGE ALONG ALABAMA AVENUE ALONG WITH MINOR ROOF
AND STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO SEVERAL HOMES. THE TORNADO THEN MOVED
SOUTHEAST UPROOTING OR SNAPPING NUMEROUS HARDWOOD TREES IN THE
RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS OF SHEFFIELD. HERE MANY HOMES WERE
DAMAGED BY FALLING TREES OR FLYING DEBRIS. SEVERAL HOMEOWNERS
SAID THEY WITNESSED SEEING A FUNNEL CLOUD APPROACHING FROM THE
NORTH. THE MOST SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE WAS NOTED ALONG LITTLE ROCK
AVENUE WHERE POWER POLES WERE SNAPPED OR PUSHED OVER. MANY
RESIDENTS WERE WITHOUT POWER DUE TO THE STORM.
THE TORNADO NARROWED SOMEWHAT AS IT MOVED SOUTHEAST TOWARD TUSCUMBIA.
DAMAGE WAS NOTED TO TREES JUST EAST OF THE HELEN KELLER HOSPITAL
COMPLEX. POWER LINES WERE BROKEN AND TRANSMISSION LINES WERE BENT
OVER ALONG ELM STREET. A LARGE LIGHT TOWER WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED
AT DESHLER HIGH SCHOOL. THE TORNADO CONTINUED TO PRODUCE SPORADIC
DAMAGE AS IT APPROACHED HIGHWAY 43 ROLLING OVER AN UNANCHORED
BUILDING AND PRODUCING MINOR ROOF DAMAGE AT A CAR DEALERSHIP.
THE TORNADO CROSSED HIGHWAY 72 ALTERNATE WITH MAINLY TREE DAMAGE
NOTED BEFORE IT APPARENTLY LIFTED ALONG SPRING VALLEY ROAD.
NOTE…THIS TORNADO AND “LAGRANGE TORNADO” MAY WELL BE ONE
CONTINUOUS TRACK BUT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL GIVEN THE LACK
OF SURFACE ROADS TO SURVEY THE ROUGHLY 6 MILES IN BETWEEN.
RATING: EF-1
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 95 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/: 9.11 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: 150 YARDS
*SURVEYED BY: DARDEN AND COLBERT EMA”
“A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF
COLBERT COUNTY IN THE LAGRANGE COMMUNITY. THIS IS THE SAME PARENT
CIRCULATION THAT PRODUCED THE SHEFFIELD/TUSCUMBIA TORNADO. THE
TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN ALONG POPLAR CREEK LOOP WEST OF CR 48 (COUNTY
LINE ROAD). HERE NUMEROUS TREES WERE UPROOTED OR HAD LARGE SECTION OF
BRANCHES SNAPPED. THE TORNADO CONTINUED TO MOVE SOUTHEAST CROSSING
COUNTY LINE ROAD. DAMAGE TO MAINLY SOFTWOOD TREES WAS NOTED ALONG
WOLF SPRINGS ROAD AS THE TORNADO STRADDLED THE BRING CROSSING
INTO LAWRENCE COUNTY. THE TORNADO THEN CROSSED OVER STILLHOUSE
HOLLOW BEFORE PRODUCING MINOR TREE DAMAGE ALONG COUNTY ROADS
135 AND 136. IT APPEARS AS IF THE TORNADO LIFTED SHORTLY THEREAFTER.
RATING: EF-0
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 85 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/: 0.91 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: 75 YARDS”
