16 weekend tornadoes confirmed across Alabama

Severe weather warnings swept across the state the weekend after Christmas with strong wind and rain coming down into the early hours of Sunday morning.

The National Weather Service has updated its initial surveys and it has confirmed 16 total tornadoes touched down in Alabama impacting the following counties:

• Lamar
• Limestone
• Lowndes
• Macon
• Mobile
• Montgomery
• Shelby
• St. Clair

Fortunately, no major injuries have been reported from the storms but there is plenty of damage across the state. Keep reading to see more on each storm + how you can assist in the recovery efforts.

Downtown Athens

One of the more populated areas to get hit was Athens in Limestone County. Several areas around downtown were impacted with some having extensive damage.

According to the National Weather Service in Huntsville, an EF1 tornado hit Athens at 11:15PM and stayed on the ground for five minutes. The storm had:

• Peak winds around 100 mph
• Path length of 3.87 miles
• Path width of 160 yards

“Thankfully, there were no injuries or fatalities. If it had hit during business hours, we would probably have had injuries and possibly even fatalities. HVAC units, metal roofs and other debris were scattered throughout the downtown area and a path along the railroad tracks to Elm Street.”

~ Ronnie Marks, Athens mayor

City and county crews have been on the streets to clean up debris and repair utility damage. Mayor Ronnie Marks made an emergency proclamation Monday morning.

The storms caused around 2000 homes to lose power. Some of the damage included:

• Around 12 businesses in The Square
• Veterans Park + Alabama Veterans Museum
• Old Gas Department buildings
• Fire Station No. 3

Most of the damage is roof damage and broken glass from flying debris. Several HVAC units were turned over on roofs or blown off of roofs. Buildings with roof damage also got rain and have water damage.

15 other tornadoes confirmed

The National Weather Service offices in Birmingham and Mobile were also out surveying storm damage, confirming 15 other tornadoes around the state.

Two tornadoes were confirmed in Mobile County. The first touched down near Grand Bay, staying on the ground for more than five miles and reaching peak winds around 90 mph.

The second tornado happened almost 10 hours later, along Mobile Bay near Dauphin Island Parkway.

Check out the complete list of the confirmed tornadoes from the National Weather Service + how long each was on the ground.

• Athens (Limestone County) EF-1 (5 minutes)
• Dees (Mobile County) EF-1 (14 minutes)
• Lamar County EF-1 (survey not complete)
• Roberts Mill Pond Road (St. Clair County) EF-1 (3 minutes)
• Hope Hull (Montgomery County) EF-1 (5 minutes)
• Mt Zion Road (Montgomery County) EF-1 (12 minutes)
• El Gezira Road (Harpersville/Shelby County) EF-0 (3 minutes)
• Knight Place Road (Lowndes County) EF-0 (3 minutes)
• Coosa Island Road (St. Clair County) EF-0 (3 minutes)
• Hargrove Lane (Lowndes County) EF-0 (1 minute)
• Cecil (Montgomery County) EF-0 (2 minutes)
• Jackson Road (Macon County) EF-0 (3 minutes)
• Shorter (Macon County) EF-0 (9 minutes)
• Co Road 8 (Macon County) EF-0 (2 minutes)
• Co Road 56 (Macon County) EF-0 (1 minute)
• Faustinas (Mobile County) EF-0 (1 minute)

How you can help

Reports and surveys of the damage are still being done and once they are finalized, it will be determined how much state and federal emergency funds will be used.

To find what areas will be most in need, follow American Red Cross of Alabama for the latest details and how to donate.

In the meantime, crews are asking people to stay away from the areas impacted unless you have to. Keep an eye on your local area’s social media pages for any updates on power outages and road closures.

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