Study compiles info on tornado

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, January 2, 2007

The National Weather Service will compile a study on the tornados that hit Demopolis and Hale County on Nov. 30.

The four tornados, one in Demopolis and three in Hale County, were considered unique occurrences by the service due to the lack of radar warning associated with the weather conditions. Meteorologist James P. Stefkovich with the service said tat the study will help the service be able to learn to detect such conditions in the future.

The first of the four tornados touched down at 9:19 p.m. approximately 3 miles southwest of Demopolis according to a service report. The tornado tracked north-northeast for 3.5 miles before lifting around 9:24 p.m. just east of U.S. Highway 43 at lake Demopolis. The widest path of the tornado was 150 yards wide and winds reached around 100 miles-per-hour, ranking it at an F1 on the Fujita Damage Intensity Scale.

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The second tornado touched down at 9:35 p.m. west of County Road 35, between County Roads 24 and 73, and tracked northeast. The tornado lifted at 9:51 p.m. just north of County Road 4 near its intersection wit Alabama Highway 69. The path of the tornado was 11.3 miles long, 75 yards wide at its largest and was rated a F1.

The third tornado touched down just east of the Greensboro Municipal Airport around 9:40 p.m. It traveled northeast and lifted at approximately 9:46 p.m. The damage path was 3.3 miles long, 25 yards wide at its widest point and ranked as an F0.

The fourth tornado of the night touched down at 9:53 p.m. south of the intersection of Alabama Highway 69 and County Road 32. It tracked northeast and lifted around 9:59 p.m. at the southwestern edge of Talladega National Forest near County Road 29. The damage area was 5.8 miles long, 75 yards wide at its largest point and ranked as an F1.

Stefkovich said that the information that has already been gathered will be complied in the report and that it will be analyzed to find ways to prevent missing such conditions again.