This was the predecessor to the infamous Smithville tornado. The areas damaged by this twister received very little attention, and no complete survey was made of the track by the National Weather Service (NWS). We dug deep into both the stories and the damage. What we found was astounding.
This intense tornado tore apart neighborhoods across a 32-mile track in Georgia. Multiple two-story homes were wiped from their foundations, and 26 people were injured.
The northeastern corner of Alabama was one of the hardest-hit areas in the 2011 Super Outbreak, with four killer tornadoes striking within just 20 miles of each other. One of these was an extremely powerful EF5 that blasted through portions of Rainsville, Sylvania, Henagar, and Ider. It took 25 lives and injured roughly 200 more. The damage this tornado produced was incredible and the loss horrific. However, the stories of humanity that came out of this tragedy were even more amazing.
A violent tornado devastated the Pitts Gap and New Harmony communities late on April 27, 2011. The furthest north-tracking EF4+ tornado in the Super Outbreak changed the lives of some rural residents forever.
This was the first of many strong twisters in Mississippi on April 27th. It was unusually powerful for a Quasi Linear Convective System (QLCS) and caused significant damage in and around the tiny community of Blaine.
A tornado skipped through north-central Halifax County, VA, crossing into extreme western Charlotte County. It remained in rural areas but caused major damage along Liberty Road near Nathalie. One person was killed, and seven others were injured as the tornado decimated three trailers.
An extraordinarily violent EF5 tornado sliced through Franklin County on April 27, 2011. 26 died, and 150 were injured across the communities of Phil Campbell and East Franklin. Here are the stories of the residents who dealt with a monumental disaster.
The Lake Martin tornado was the southeasternmost violent of the Super Outbreak and the last significant tornado to strike Alabama on April 27. In addition, it spent almost four total miles directly on Lake Martin – the largest cumulative distance over water of any violent tornado in the 2011 Super Outbreak. Tragically, this tornado was also a killer and left a striking scar across a beautiful part of east-central Alabama.
In most aspects, this was a fairly typical Dixie Alley twister. However, it produced extremely unusual damage to a precast concrete highway bridge. So, we decided to delve into this event to highlight that feat.
During the afternoon of April 27, 2011, an intense tornado moved close to 8 miles in 8 minutes across parts of Fayette County, AL. EF3 damage was found at a home along County Road 49 north of Hubbertville.
