Cullman-Arab tornado
On the afternoon of April 27, 2011, a large, long-tracked, and violent high-end EF4 multi-vortex tornado moved across north-central Alabama, in the United States, striking numerous towns along its 47-mile (76 km) track, including Cullman, Fairview, Arab and Ruth. The tornado killed 6, injured over 40, and impacted hundreds of structures. It occurred as part of the largest tornado outbreak in modern history, and was the second violent tornado of the outbreak, touching down after the Philadelphia, Mississippi tornado.
What was the Cullman tornado?
The Cullman tornado was a violent, long-tracked, high-end EF4 multi-vortex tornado that impacted north-central Alabama. It occurred on the afternoon of April 27, 2011, as part of a massive tornado outbreak. The storm struck numerous towns, including Cullman, Fairview, and Ruth, during its 47-mile trek across the region. Experts later identified the storm as an EF5 candidate due to its extreme intensity. It remains a significant event in the record of the 2011 Super Outbreak.
What was the Cullman tornado wind speed?
The Cullman tornado reached maximum estimated wind speeds of 190 miles per hour. Meteorologists classified the storm as violent based on these wind speeds and the extensive structural damage. Researchers from the National Severe Storms Laboratory and the University of Oklahoma recently proposed that this storm serves as an EF5 candidate. They argued that the threshold for EF5 classification should align with the 190 mph wind speeds observed in this event. These winds flattened brick buildings and leveled homes.
What was the Cullman tornado path?
The tornado touched down on the northeast side of Lewis Smith Lake at 2:40 p.m. CDT. It tracked 47 miles to the northeast across Cullman, Morgan, and Marshall counties. The funnel passed through Fairview and Hulaco before striking Ruth. After crossing the Tennessee River, the tornado dissipated at 3:38 p.m. CDT. This path spanned several towns and rural areas in northern Alabama.
How many people died in the Cullman tornado?
The Cullman tornado caused six fatalities and left over 40 people injured. Five of the deaths occurred in the town of Ruth when the vortex destroyed a home, killing an entire family. A sixth death took place in rural Cullman County during the earlier stages of the tornado. These victims represent the human toll of the violent storm as it leveled residential structures. Emergency responders managed the medical needs of the injured in the aftermath.
What did the Cullman tornado destroy?
The tornado destroyed 94 businesses and 867 residences within the city of Cullman alone. It leveled downtown brick buildings, the Christ Lutheran Church, and local businesses like Vincent's Furniture and the Busy Bee Cafe. Infrastructure suffered immense damage, including the destruction of a communications tower and a radio transmitter. In rural areas, the storm debarked trees, crumpled electrical transmission towers, and ripped power poles out of the ground. Large farm machinery was also tossed significant distances.
What caused the Cullman tornado?
The Cullman tornado formed from a powerful supercell during a historically significant tornado outbreak. High convective available potential energy values of 2,500 to 3,000 J/kg fueled the storm. A deep, negatively tilted trough over Arkansas and Louisiana intersected with a strong southwesterly surface jet. This setup created storm-relative helicity values exceeding 500 m2s-2, indicating extreme wind shear and high potential for rotation. Abundant moisture from the Gulf of Mexico provided the necessary conditions for violent tornadic development.
What happened after the Cullman tornado?
Recovery efforts began immediately as 4,000 volunteers from the Tennessee Valley Authority arrived to restore power. The State of Alabama provided nearly $6 million to the City of Cullman for recovery, with additional funds allocated to the county. The University of Alabama also organized a plan to help fund local rebuilding efforts. Many residents remained without power for over a week, and some infrastructure, including a NOAA weather transmitter, remained down for a year. Local businesses, such as the Busy Bee Cafe, eventually rebuilt in their original locations.
Cullman-Arab Tornado Track
The mapped ground track below shows the surveyed touchdown point, damage corridor, and dissipation coordinates recorded by NWS field crews. The Cullman-Arab tornado traveled 47 miles across Cullman, Fairview, Arab, Ruth, Cullman County, Morgan County, Marshall County, Alabama. Coordinates are derived from the official SPC historical tornado database.
Was the Cullman tornado an EF5?
The Cullman tornado was officially rated as a high-end EF4, though recent academic papers have identified it as an EF5 candidate based on its 190 mph winds.
How many people were killed in Ruth during the Cullman tornado?
Five people were killed in Ruth, all of whom were members of the same family, when the tornado leveled their home.
What time did the Cullman tornado touch down?
The Cullman tornado touched down on the northeast side of Lewis Smith Lake at 2:40 p.m. CDT.
How long was the track of the Cullman tornado?
The Cullman tornado tracked for 47 miles across north-central Alabama before dissipating.