Jeff House
Supporter
Documented a tornado crossing Alabama I-22 near mile marker 26-27 at approximately 4:45 pm Central Time. Tornado likely, and thankfully, passed in between Yamperton and Winfield, AL. Pic is a Dixie Alley disaster but the specs are leaves and small twigs floating down, not blowing, helping to confirm this mess is a tornado.
Departed Chattanooga for Florence, AL. Stopped at Huntsville NASA Rocket Garden and U. Alabama Huntsville (UAH) SWIRLL to look at data. UAH friends shared data from a special 18Z balloon launched from SWIRLL. Plan to chase north of the Tennessee River (river crossings, flat, ag.) was dropped due to the meteorology, and elected to go to Muscle Shoals.
Mississippi tornado warnings went first, but it was a mess. Figured wait for it to get to Alabama. Then quasi-traditional sups started going in Alabama. Reform and Fayette, AL both had tornadoes from these cells. Unfortunately I was behind them and otherwise out of position. Dropped south to I-22 for an intercept from the west side. I prefer watching from the east.
Pretty easy to figure out I was not going to beat the pair of tornadic supercells across the Interstate, so I drove east from the MS/AL border at a leisurely pace. Plan was to let them go ahead of me. No hail concerns approaching from the west, in a tropical set-up, but still one must be mindful of rain wrapped Dixie trouble.
Around 4:35 at mile marker 20 or so I notice some low hanging clouds as rain reduces visibility. I slow down especially past mm 23-24. Clock passes 4:40 and no let-up in the rain slop. Low clouds rush north. I notice a suspicious ground scraping low cloud with sides. Pause out of caution and observe leaves and twigs falling from the sky. They are not blowing; they are falling like snow. I stop. Surface wind shifts from south to north as the tornado moves across the Interstate.
Believe it was not a wedge. Right side is hardly visible due to rain, but it appeared the whole tornado was leaning over, likely dissipating. Situation was fortunate for the oblivious drivers on I-22. Storm appeared to cycle when I stopped at mm 30 to catch my breath. Second pic is nice structure. Thought about going north for just a second, but the jungle off the Interstate is not chasable. Returned home via Birmingham.
Departed Chattanooga for Florence, AL. Stopped at Huntsville NASA Rocket Garden and U. Alabama Huntsville (UAH) SWIRLL to look at data. UAH friends shared data from a special 18Z balloon launched from SWIRLL. Plan to chase north of the Tennessee River (river crossings, flat, ag.) was dropped due to the meteorology, and elected to go to Muscle Shoals.
Mississippi tornado warnings went first, but it was a mess. Figured wait for it to get to Alabama. Then quasi-traditional sups started going in Alabama. Reform and Fayette, AL both had tornadoes from these cells. Unfortunately I was behind them and otherwise out of position. Dropped south to I-22 for an intercept from the west side. I prefer watching from the east.
Pretty easy to figure out I was not going to beat the pair of tornadic supercells across the Interstate, so I drove east from the MS/AL border at a leisurely pace. Plan was to let them go ahead of me. No hail concerns approaching from the west, in a tropical set-up, but still one must be mindful of rain wrapped Dixie trouble.
Around 4:35 at mile marker 20 or so I notice some low hanging clouds as rain reduces visibility. I slow down especially past mm 23-24. Clock passes 4:40 and no let-up in the rain slop. Low clouds rush north. I notice a suspicious ground scraping low cloud with sides. Pause out of caution and observe leaves and twigs falling from the sky. They are not blowing; they are falling like snow. I stop. Surface wind shifts from south to north as the tornado moves across the Interstate.
Believe it was not a wedge. Right side is hardly visible due to rain, but it appeared the whole tornado was leaning over, likely dissipating. Situation was fortunate for the oblivious drivers on I-22. Storm appeared to cycle when I stopped at mm 30 to catch my breath. Second pic is nice structure. Thought about going north for just a second, but the jungle off the Interstate is not chasable. Returned home via Birmingham.
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