Alabama's Deadly 2011 Tornado Outbreak: Remembered 13 Years Later

Photo byCBS 42

This past Saturday marked the 13th anniversary of one of the most tragic days in Alabama history.

On April 27, 2011, a day that will be forever remembered by the people of Alabama, a massive tornado outbreak devastated the Southeast region, leaving Alabama to bear the brunt of Mother Nature's fury. Despite the advance warning from forecasters of an impending major tornado outbreak, the state was unfortunately hit with 62 tornadoes, causing over 1200 miles of combined damage. Tragically, 253 individuals lost their lives in Alabama as a result of the severe storms on that day.

In Eastern Mississippi and Alabama, a line of storms known as a Quasi-Linear-Convective-System (QLCS) or squall line, became stronger as it moved. This system caused extensive wind damage throughout the state and generated several powerful tornadoes. Below, you can view the radar images of these tornadoes that occurred in the morning.

Aside from powerful tornadoes, a line of storms that occurred this morning caused widespread damage due to strong winds. This resulted in power outages and disrupted communication lines in the state, just before more severe storms were expected to form later in the day.

Although there was a brief period of sunshine and relief from storms in Central Alabama, North Alabama experienced a second QLCS that generated additional tornadoes during the midday hours. While Morgan, Limestone, and Madison counties were hit by tornadoes, the temperature and dewpoint were rising after the initial round of storms, creating ideal conditions for a potential tornado outbreak.

Following the morning storm activity in Alabama, the atmosphere quickly recovered and by mid-afternoon, supercell storms began forming in East Mississippi and West Alabama. The earlier storms caused significant damage and resulted in 2 fatalities in the state, but the following 8 hours proved to be the most destructive for Alabama. The supercell thunderstorms produced several intense, long-lasting tornadoes throughout the state, with many of them hitting major cities and causing catastrophic damage. In the Southeast, these storms resulted in 319 deaths, with 253 of them occurring in Alabama.

The storms on April 27, 2011 caused widespread destruction, with a total of 199 tornadoes touching down in the Southeast - setting a record for the most in a single day in the history of the United States. Out of these, 62 tornadoes occurred in Alabama, with 34 of them being classified as EF-3 or higher. Four of these tornadoes were rated as EF-5, three of which caused damage in Alabama. This date was marked as the deadliest tornado outbreak in the US since the 1925 Tri-State tornado, claiming the lives of 319 people, with a staggering 253 deaths in Alabama alone. Following this catastrophic event, meteorologists have made efforts to improve their ability to forecast severe weather in the Southeast and effectively communicate the risks to those in its path. The events of April 27, 2011 have greatly influenced the field of meteorology and have resulted in advancements in severe weather warnings and research in the Southeast region.