Severe Weather Events of February 27, 1999
National Weather Service Meteorologists surveyed some of the
more extensive damage from severe weather that occurred on the evening of February
27th, 1999. Those events are described here. All of these weather events
occurred during the passage of a squall line with a nearly solid line of thunderstorms.
Within the squall line, numerous thunderstorms exhibited bow-like characteristic which
was the trigger for many of the warnings. Click on the images to get a larger picture.
Blount county:
A brief tornado, rated F2 on the Fujita Scale, occurred about 3.5 miles northwest
of Locust Fork around 7:15 PM. The tornado crossed county road 13 moving in a northerly
direction. Two or three large barns were demolished, a sturdy brick home lost
a portion of its roof, and a small wood frame was completely deroofed. One minor
injury occurred in the wood frame house. Several large hay bales were strewn across
county road 13 and two vehicles were nearly blown off the road. Numerous trees in the area
were uprooted or snapped off.
The tornado track was estimated to be 50 yards wide and about three tenths of a mile long.
What was believed to be strong straight line wind destroyed two mobiles and
severely damaged a third about one mile south of nectar. This event occurred around
7:20 PM.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch was in effect at the time of these events.
A Severe Thunderstorm warning was issued for blount county at 6:58 PM valid until 7:45 PM.
Etowah county
There were numerous reports of wind damage from last Saturday
evening in Etowah county. One of the hardest hit areas was at the
Stowers manufacturing company plant in Gadsden...and the residential
area to the immediate west. There was significant roof damage in
the 3 or 4 block area...and numerous trees were uprooted or snapped
off. The structure of the damage suggests this was a straight-line
wind event. This event occurred around 7:55 PM.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was in effect from 7:25 PM to 8:15 PM.
Another area surveyed was about 4 miles south of Southside...and 1
mile west of Highway 77...on the banks of Neely Henry Lake...in
extreme southern Etowah county. Several trees were uprooted in the
area...and the roof was blown off of 1 mobile home. There was minor
damage done to surrounding structures. The structure of the damage
and personal interviews suggest this was an F0 tornado...with a path
length of 0.3 mile...and a width of 50 yards. This event also
occurred around 7:55 PM.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was in effect from 7:25 PM to 8:15 PM.
Jefferson County:
Strong straight line wind downed several trees in the graysville area
including one pine tree that fell on a house on 10th avenue southwest.
Five people including two children and three adults sustained injury when the tree
came through the roof around 7:00 PM.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch was in effect and a Severe Thunderstorm Warning
was issued for Jefferson county at 6:37 PM valid until 7:25 PM.
Lauderdale county:
A tornado occurred around 5:55 PM about 4 miles northeast of Killen in northern
Lauderdale county. A mobile home was destroyed, several houses were heavily
damaged, numerous trees were downed and uprooted, and several other structures
sustained minor damage. The tornado path was 175 yards wide and about 1.7 miles
long. Based on the damage surveyed, the tornado was rated an F2 on the Fujita Scale.
Additional damage occurred in Lauderdale county about 4.5 miles south of Lexington.
Here strong straight line wind downed several trees and caused minor roof damage
to several structures. Shingles were disturbed on several houses.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch was in effect and a Severe Thunderstorm Warning
was issued at 6:03 PM valid until 6:50 PM.
St. Clair county
Significant wind damaged occurred in north St. Clair county...along
County Road 24...in the Oldham Chapel Church area. This is approximately
6 to 8 miles northeast of Ashville. The damaged area
was about 2 miles in length...where hundreds of trees were uprooted
or snapped off. The roof of a church was partially blown off near
the beginning of the track. One house had half of its roof blown
off and a garage/apartment building was blown off its foundation.
Several mobile homes also sustained damage. The damage suggests
this was a strong straight-line wind event. Radar and personal
interviews indicate this event occurred around 7:45 PM.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was in effect from 7:10 PM to 8:00 PM.
Winston County:
The first event in Winston county occurred about 4 miles northwest of
Double Springs about 6:23 PM. Strong straight line wind damaged a house by
removing about 100 square feet of roof was removed. Additional structural
damage was evidenced in the house as well. A number of trees were also
downed in the area and a mobile home was shifted slightly on it's blocks.
The second event in Winston county occurred around 6:25 PM when a weak tornado
touched down about 3.5 miles south-southwest of Double Springs just west of state
road 195. A tree fell on a garage/workshop, numerous trees were downed, a
storage shed was destroyed, and a mobile home suffered minor roof damage. The
tornado path was about 30 yards wide and about half a mile long. It was rated
an F0 on the Fujita Scale of tornado intensity.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch was in effect at the time of the events but no warning was issued.
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