The National Weather Service has reported several tornadoes in Alabama, including one that touched down near Birmingham and migrated more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) to the northeast, the. pic.twitter.com/YyTHNV3VJw. Long-track tornadoes are nothing new in Alabama. We lived in Columbiana and were about to move into our new house. Well hell, it even took the road up, said my granddad. At a certain point, the measurement of wind speed no longer matters. I also recall the courage, resilience, and resoluteness of the citizens of Brent, as well as their willingness to do all they could to offer help to their neighbors. None of them were affected. On May 27, 1973, a category 4 tornado tore through the Brent, Centreville, Montevallo, and Greensboro area, leaving 90 percent of the city of Brent destroyed. At the time, I was a photographer/reporter for the Centreville Press and thought this might be a good opportunity to head down to the Centreville radar site to document their operations during severe weather. We were traveling down Hwy. The article included a photo of then-Mayor Melford Worrell addressing a group of merchants whose businesses had been destroyed. The tornado never lifted from the ground as it followed highway 25 the entire way. #ALwx pic.twitter.com/KReKMA1wPj, Not much better in the light of day#ALwx pic.twitter.com/bFa9XvHZfI, This is Theodore, Alabama Rangeline road. I was wrapping up my junior year at Tuscaloosa High School, and on that Sunday night we received a call for . Centreville Radar itself would become a large part of the story when the tornado struck the facility, ripping away the roof and blowing the radar antenna from its tower. All-Hazards Awareness Booklet Market data provided by Factset. But, It was the 27th which proved to be the deadliest for Alabama. There was no power and some minor damage to the motel but it felt safe after what we had been through. It had top winds of 150 mph in several spots along its long path. or redistributed. You held your breath. NWS In Brent near the railroad was two huge tanks that belonged to Olen Belchers saw mill was blown several hundred feet. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. on Tuesday, May 29th, 1973. I have many vivid images of that morning that have stuck with me throughout my life. Heres a look at the updated track of Thursdays deadly tornado from the preliminary storm report from the National Weather Service in Birmingham: The tornado touched down at 12:40 p.m. Jan. 12 west of U.S. Highway 82 near Independence, causing damage to nearby farms. He worked darkroom for a while at the old Waldrup Studio in Mountain Brook. Not surprisingly, several of them happened during the superoutbreak of April 27, 2011. National Outlooks At 60 years old now, Im still trying to comprehend what I saw that morning. Im sure Dale felt the same thing. Me and my family were driving back to Tuscaloosa from Opelika on that Sunday afternoon. Her sister, Sylvia, made the trip with me. I was a victim of the 1973 tornado. What was that! My father in law heard warning on police radio. The staff at Centreville radar that Sunday afternoon were Dale Black and Bob Coe. While Selma itself was not hit by an actual tornado that night, Im sure one came very close and just did not touch down as there was a green hue to the sky and rain driven sideways just plain scary! There was one lady who had her legs cut off by flying tin. The tornado then crossed the northern section of Lake Martin, damaging additional lakefront homes. The volume of snapped trees was enough to assign an EF-3 rating for this segment of the tornados path, the weather service said. We wanted to see what the conditions were like. In west Alabama, a tornado hit near Livingston, in Sumter County, where damage included snapped trees: At 8:53 PM CDT, 5 WSW Livingston [Sumter Co, AL] FIRE DEPT/RESCUE reports TORNADO. Have not lived another night/day like this weatherwise until April 27, 2011. Bob was at the teletype sending a message regarding another storm in another part of central Alabama that was also being tracked. But all of his windows were still intact. Tornado Database TORNADO DEBRIS SIGNATURE NOTED ON RADAR. The wind had picked me up slightly and I felt as if I were floating down the hill. National Weather Service I interviewed a number of long-time residents of the town for my article. A portion of the tornado did some damage at the bottom of the hill from the church. Power lines and trees down on Alabama 382 (Montgomery Road). Storm Spotters (SKYWARN) Significant damage to homes and trees occurred along the very wide path. The Brent Tornado went on to kill 5 people in Brent and continued to Mt. Here are the longest tornado tracks on record in Alabama. We watched in amazement at everything but the kitchen sink swirled around and past those windows. I had just gotten out of hospital. The tornado lifted near Mount Cheaha. All rights reserved. Snapped trees and power lines were seen on both sides of Highway 17: 1140pm - Reports from @ChoctawEMA - Damage to South Choctaw High School (south of Gilbertown) with snapped trees and power lines across both sides of Highway 17. Brent, AL Weather Forecast, with current conditions, wind, air quality, and what to expect for the next 3 days. (The National Weather Service in Birmingham issued an update on Jan. 18, saying damage near the Independence community in Autauga County led to the path length being extended from the previous 76 miles.). Contact Us Graphical Forecasts The hardest hit area was Brent, where the tornado caused upper level F4 damage, bordering on F5. He attended the University of Alabama and was taking classes there in 1973 while working in Centreville. Tropical Cyclone Reports, Warnings and Other Products We didnt know what to do. Ive never felt conditions like that before or since. My grandmother, Mrs. Evelyn Cummings, reassured me everything was okay and said to get back in bed. referenced Ive been told as the example of the town that was destroyed in the movie Twister.A once in the century storm.Thank you,John. He was running to get help because he was at the Brent Baptist Church and he said the whole roof just fell in on the congregation. Prior to that, his first paper job was at Shelby County Reporter. There is a big two story house just as you get into centerville on 216 and the tornado had picked up the roof and set it down in the backyard. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. CoCoRaHS, Local Research and Outreach We were in our car for at least two hours before the rescue people could dig through the piles of debris to get to us. Flood Products Description My dad asked me to fill the pulpit on this Sunday evening. NOAA Weather Radio More EF-3 damage occurred along County Road 18, where the weather service said vehicles were moved or flipped, numerous trees were snapped, one site-built home was destroyed and others heavily damaged. What a story! It was a day not easily forgotten. I was stationed at old Craig AFB in Selma and was a T-37 instructor pilot. Farther up the East Coast, residents of Rochester, N.Y., were surprised to see what they thought was a massive tornado or waterspoutbut turned out to be "scud" clouds -- a low-lyingcloud formation that connects to the base of the main storm but does not rotate. Moments after the storm had passed, even though we knew it was very strong, we had no idea what had taken place a mere mile or so away. Air Quality The tornado leveled Brent almost four decades ago, but I can remember my visit to the town as though it were yesterday. The swarm of storms came. Tornado warnings were issued up-stream. (Photo courtesy of Garrett Doss). "We've Been Hit" May 27, 2012 Bill Murray, weather historian, article. 27, 2021 at 4:16 AM PDT. A night that will not be forgotten. Updated: Mar. I assume that this structure doesnt exist anymore as a result of this storm back in 1973. A steady stream of warnings went out from West Oxmoor that day based on teletypes from Centreville radar. Cars wrapped around trees. Office History, Education I remember strong storms Sunday evening while still at the lake, but not being frightened. I dont recall the buildup to the storm, but I remember my mom and dad calling my brother and me from the yard into a makeshift storm area dug underneath our front porch. Insulation was strung on the ground and on the trees for miles. Also in Jefferson County, a pine tree was split in half by high winds and crashed into a metal gate: Damage from pine tree split by high winds. It truly was a miracle. My brothers girlfriend at the time , Jane Bamburg lost their home and whole neighborhood in Brent including a small church . Info: Tornado reports do not correspond to the number of tornadoes that occurred. Special Weather Statements Severe Safety Rules The meat house next to their house was leveled. The tornado was a mile wide at that point and we had no idea we were driving right into it. I think I can remember this correctly, but we had been camping since Thursday the week before. It was a long night. The tornado continued northeast to County Road 42, causing massive tree damage along Autauga Creek. . We later learned that the tornado hopped across the road and destroyed Wesley Chapel Church, sparing our home and many others nearby. the warning. 216 buildings were destroyed, 570 buildings were damaged, 97 mobile homes were destroyed, and 45 businesses were damaged or destroyed. Storm Data It had a track of 139.10 miles, according to weather service data. As the system moved eastward --with thunderstorms and hazardousflash-floodingin other states --a tornado also touched down in Vermont on Friday, injuring at least two people. Bobs family was safe after having taken refuge in an interior closet. Winter Weather, About Us Change). We retreated to the hall. @NickLilja pic.twitter.com/fE9ZJX4nbq, Mobile home damaged in Brierfield https://t.co/LiDuYr9ifY, Damage in Chelsea along County Road 333 photo from Philip Morris pic.twitter.com/43OWBQGBDL, DEVELOPING: At least one person rescued ftom trailers damaged in Ashby in an apparent tornado @abc3340 @spann #alwx pic.twitter.com/Viog3h5K0q, @spann 59 north at Trussville pic.twitter.com/RUN3ZKidr9. Forecast Discussion You could feel the car trying to turn over but it stayed upright. The tornado hit several homes along Sandy Ridge Road, where some of the deaths occurred. That was certainly the same parent storm that produced what is likely to be more than one tornado along its trek across our area, weather service meteorologist Gerald Satterwhite said Friday via email. "In the 16-second timelapse, you can see the lightning that accompanied the storm during March 25," the agency wrote Friday on Twitterin a message accompanying the 16-second clip. The tornado destroyed approximately 90 percent of the city. We were able to get out of the rain and get ourselves together. May 27, 1983, Vanderbilt University Television News Archive, WeatherBrains Podcast 174: May 27, 1973 Tornadoes, Severe Wx Warnings. Weather Service Office Significantly Damaged, Roof of Weather Service Office Centreville. Similar damage was seen in northwest Elmore County as the tornado neared the Coosa River. These are accounts of those two killer storms on the evening of May 27, 1973. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. The weather service said the tornado touched down in Autauga County and remained on the ground until it reached Chambers County on Alabamas eastern border with Georgia. Tornado rips through north Birmingham, Alabama area. When we exited the building the air was deathly still and we could hear sirens of the emergency vehicles. However, one man was killed when the roof and walls collapsed. CNN's Chad Myers gives an update on the weather system tearing across the south eastern US, including a tornado that . I ran into my grandparents bedroom. Tornado Information for Brent, Alabama. I was scared i was 11 i kept telling myself go to sleep everthing is gonna be ok. My oldest sister woke me tje next morning telling me wake up sis your hometown blew away last night. So he continued down the road, dodging the trees and lines. Dale gave Bob and me a lot of grief about how his truck had come through unscathed. My Grandfather was Tom Green, one of the people who died in this terrible event. I will never forget going over to Brent on the Bypass. The weather service said the most severe damage was observed from County Road 43 to County Road 42, and wind speeds were estimated to have reached at least 150 mph. Multiple locations were found. This storm traveled from west of Greensobor, AL all the way to I-65 and passed by the Brent/Centreville Alabama communities. On that Saturday night, May 26, 1973, I was sleeping, like usual. Aviation Weather, Climate and Past Weather on Sunday, June 3rd, 1973. The final couple of weeks of the month of May 1973 proved to be extremely active for severe weather across a large portion of the United States. *Tornado risk is calculated from the destruction path that has occured within 30 miles of the location. The National Weather Service has spent the past few days tracing the path of Alabamas deadliest tornado since 2019. Thoughsix tornadoes developed around Alabama on the 27th, including4 F2s, it was the F3 northeast of Birmingham and the long-track supercell which dropped an F4 through the towns of Greensboro and Brent, which did the most damage. It still scares me till this day when i hear that a Tornado is near. All rights reserved. This week's severe weather in the Mid-South was visible from outer space. It went on to cause damage in Greensboro, Brent, Centreville, Montevallo, Calera, Columbiana, Wilsonville, Childersburg, Alpine, and points between. May 20 Moore Tornado passes above a private shelter Video, Moore, OK Before & After Swipe & Drag Map, New Research On The 1925 Tri-State Tornado. 6 on the list. Nine were in central Alabama, one was in north Alabama, one was in southeast Alabama and three were in southwest Alabama. I have and will remember this storm till the day I die. Drought Monitor Near end of article, May 31, 1973 press release from "Baptist Press" detailing events inside Brent Baptist Church during tornado, NWS Study: UTILIZING STANDARDIZED ANOMALIES TO ASSESS SYNOPTIC SCALE WEATHER EVENTS IN THE CENTRAL UNITED STATES, Tuscaloosa News, "Brent Tornado Recalled". Questions? It wasnt hot or cold it was just right. The tornadolifted near Mount Cheaha. Tornado Warnings Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. Early the next morning, my husband and I went to his sisters house to hear from others in his family. I have a couple pieces of wooden doll furniture I was trying to find info about. Winter Weather Warnings Aviation Weather, Climate and Past Weather North Carolina'sSouth Fork River began flooding its banks in Cramerton earlier in the day, forcing officials to close down the nearby pier, according to a report. The tornado occurred between 8:09 AM to 8:45 AM this morning and had a path length of just over 30 miles! My family and I went around the town to help our neighbors. 90% of the town of Brent was destroyed killing 5 people and injuring 56. Though six tornadoes developed around Alabama on the 27th, including 4 F2s, it was the F3 northeast of Birmingham and the long-track supercell which dropped an F4 through the towns of Greensboro and Brent, which did the most damage. I was nervous at the prospect to say the least. It was a week or two before I was shown the immense damage to Brent. I watched as everything around us was destroyed. Weather service meteorologist Mark Linhares said a long-track tornado has a path that is typically 25 miles or longer. Tornado damage in Old Kingston and Marbury,AL. Please Contact Us. (Photo courtesy of Jane Ganey).
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