More on the Tornadoes of March 13, 2006

On Monday March 13 there were tornadoes in North Alabama. After I left work I drove home, grabbed a bite to eat, picked up my camcorder and digital camera and hit the road. A tornado watch had been issued by the SPC at 2:00 p.m. A lone supercell had been moving eastward across north-central Mississippi and there were some reports of damage and spotter confirmation of a tornado. On my way home from work there was a report of a tornado touchdown in Lamar county at 4:06 p.m. This was spawned by the same supercell that moved across Mississippi.

I decided at this point that this cell would likely hold together a while longer. By my calculations, I could stop by the house, grab my things, and meet the storm near Jasper in Walker County around 5:15. I drove down Alabama Highway 69 into Walker County. Between 5:15 and 5:30 I turned onto Higway 5 and drove west across the northern part of Jasper. By this time the storm was just to the northwest of Jasper, right on schedule.

I was listening to ABC 33/40 meteorologist James Spann on 98.1 FM WTXT out of Tuscaloosa and when WTXT's local broadcasters interrupted James' coverage I listened to Fox 6 Meteorologist David Neal on 87.7 FM. The reports that were coming in sounded like the storm was getting better organized to the northwest of Jasper. Reports also indicated that this was an unusually good chance for there to be enough visibility to actually see the tornado. Most tornadoes in Alabama are wrapped in rain or hidden by the topography.

When I turned west on 5 and drove through the north part of Jasper, I clearly saw a rotating wall cloud, just to the northwest of town. I turned north on Highway 257. Things started getting more interesting. There was a strong inflow into the wall cloud, which contained a ragged funnel, descending at a 45 degree angle. Then I saw several intense cloud to ground lightning strikes approximately one mile to my north. This was at about 5:38. One minute later an F1 tornado touched down 1.5 miles east of Curry and stayed on the ground for about one quarter mile, according to the Birmingham NWS Office. I turned off of 257, hoping to take a shortcut back to 69 north towards Cullman. After going about six miles, trees were crossing the road and the volunteer fire department was attempting to clear the highway. As a result, I had to loop all the way back through Jasper and I didn't get another close look at the storm.

That was a very interesting encounter. I do not reccomend that anyone do something like that without appropriate NWS storm spotter training, a good dose of common sense, and a "safety-first" attitude. I knew where I was in relation to the storm at all times and knew that I was in no danger. I was not able to take any digital pictures, but I did capture some of my experience on video.

See the links below for more information on Monday's storms, including photographs.

Public Information Statement, National Weather Service Birmingham

March 13, 2006 Cullman County Tornado, NWS Huntsville

Previous Mike's Place Blog Entry With Links

"National Weather Service Surveys Storm Damage", Jasper Daily Mountain Eagle