2011 Hackleburg–Phil Campbell tornado
2011 natural disaster in the United States / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The 2011 Hackleburg–Phil Campbell tornado was an extremely deadly, violent, and long-tracked EF5 tornado that devastated several towns in rural northern Alabama before tearing through the northern suburbs of Huntsville and causing damage in rural portions of southern Tennessee on the afternoon and early evening of April 27, 2011. It was the deadliest tornado of the 2011 Super Outbreak, the largest tornado outbreak in United States history. One of four EF5 tornadoes on April 27 (along with Philadelphia, Smithville, and Rainsville), the tornado reached a maximum width of 1.25 miles (2.01 km) and was estimated to have had peak winds of 210 mph (340 km/h).[2]
Top: The tornado at peak intensity near Mount Hope, Alabama Bottom: Radar image of the tornado approaching the town of Tanner and I-65, with a debris ball evident | |
Meteorological history | |
---|---|
Formed | April 27, 2011, 3:05 p.m. CDT[1] (UTC−05:00) |
Dissipated | April 27, 2011, 5:40 p.m. CDT (UTC–05:00) |
Duration | 2 hours, 35 minutes |
EF5 tornado | |
on the Enhanced Fujita scale | |
Highest winds | 210 mph (340 km/h) |
Overall effects | |
Fatalities | 72 (Deadliest tornado in Alabama history) |
Injuries | 145+ |
Damage | $1.29 billion (2011 USD) (7th costliest tornado in US history) |
Areas affected | Hackleburg, Phil Campbell, Tanner, Harvest in Alabama and Huntland, Tennessee (part of a larger outbreak) |
Part of the 2011 Super Outbreak and Tornadoes of 2011 |
The tornado first touched down at 3:05 p.m. CDT (2005 UTC) southwest of Hamilton, Alabama, before quickly becoming violent and reaching EF5 intensity as it approached and struck Hackleburg, destroying a large portion of the town. The tornado maintained EF5 intensity as it struck Phil Campbell, again sweeping numerous homes off foundations, and then peaking in intensity and width shortly afterwards as it entered more rural areas. It weakened somewhat thereafter but re-strengthened as it hit Tanner (previously hit by two F5s in the 1974 Super Outbreak). It fluctuated afterwards before significantly weakening as it crossed into Tennessee, before re-strengthening again briefly for the last time, causing EF3 damage in rural areas before dissipating in the mountainous areas further east near Huntland at 5:40 p.m. CDT (2240 UTC).[3] In total, the tornado was on the ground for well over two hours, making it the second-longest lived tornado of the outbreak. Hundreds of homes were either destroyed or reduced to foundations as a result of the tornado.
In total, this tornado killed 72 people, all in Alabama. This made it the deadliest single tornado ever to strike the state of Alabama as well as (at the time) the deadliest in the United States since a 1955 tornado in Udall, Kansas killed 80 people – the 2011 Joplin tornado a month later killed 158.[4][5] In addition to being the deadliest, this tornado also had the longest track of any tornado in the outbreak, with its path extending 132 miles (212 km) across Northern Alabama and into Tennessee.[6] Damage wrought by the tornado amounted to $1.29 billion (2011 USD), making it the seventh-costliest tornado in U.S. history.