  Top: A CCTV still of the tornado crossing Lake Catoma west of Cullman.Bottom: EF4 damage to the First Methodist Church in downtown Cullman. | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | April 27, 2011, 2:40 p.m.CDT (UTC−05:00) |
| Dissipated | April 27, 2011, 3:38 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00) |
| Duration | 58 minutes |
| EF4 tornado | |
| on theEnhanced Fujita scale | |
| Path length | 46.88 miles (75.45 km) |
| Highest winds | 190 mph (310 km/h)[1] |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 6 |
| Injuries | 48 |
| Damage | ~$13.5 million (2011USD) |
| Areas affected | Cullman County,Morgan County andMarshall County |
| [2][3][4] | |
Part of the2011 Super Outbreak andTornadoes of 2011 | |
On the afternoon of April 27, 2011, a large, long-tracked, and violent high-endEF4multi-vortex tornado, known by most as theCullman–Arab tornado,[1] moved across north-centralAlabama, in the United States, striking numerous towns along its 47-mile (76 km) track, includingCullman,Fairview,Arab andRuth. The tornado killed 6, injured over 40, and impacted hundreds of structures. It occurred as part of thelargest tornado outbreak in modern history, and was the second violent tornado of the outbreak, touching down after thePhiladelphia, Mississippi tornado.
The tornado first touched down inCullman County before entering the city limits ofCullman, where EF4 damage was recorded to numerous buildings, including a large church in the downtown area. The tornado then left the Cullman area, moving through Fairview and heavily damaging multiple buildings located in the town. As the tornado tracked throughMorgan andMarshall counties, it struck several smaller villages, including Ruth, where heavy damage was documented. Shortly after crossing theTennessee River, the tornado dissipated.
The tornado devastated downtown Cullman, inflicting an estimated $13.5 million (2011USD) to the city and causing widespread power outages throughout Cullman County. The tornado had maximum estimated windspeeds of 190 miles per hour (310 km/h), classifying it as violent. Several buildings, many made of brick, in downtown Cullman were leveled by these winds, and the tornado directly preceded several other violent tornadoes that would touch down shortly after, including theHackleburg–Phil Campbell tornado 20 minutes before the Cullman tornado dissipated.
The environmental conditions leading up to the 2011 Super Outbreak were among the "most conducive to violent tornadoes ever documented".[5] On April 25, a vigorous upper-levelshortwave trough moved into the Southern Plains states.[6] Ample instability, low-level moisture, andwind shear all fueled a significanttornado outbreak fromTexas toTennessee; at least 64 tornadoes touched down on this day.[5] Anarea of low pressure consolidated over Texas on April 26 and traveled east while the aforementioned shortwave trough traversed theMississippi andOhio River valleys.[7] Another 50 tornadoes touched down on this day.[5] The multi-day outbreak culminated on April 27 with the most violent day of tornadic activity since the1974 Super Outbreak. Multiple episodes of tornadic activity ensued with two waves ofmesoscale convective systems in the morning hours followed by a widespread outbreak ofsupercells fromMississippi toNorth Carolina during the afternoon into the evening.[5]
Tornadic activity on April 27 was precipitated by a 995 mbar (hPa; 29.39 inHg) surface low situated overKentucky and a deep, negatively tilted (aligned northwest to southeast) trough overArkansas andLouisiana. A strong southwesterly surface jet intersected these systems at a 60° angle, anageostrophic flow that led tostorm-relative helicity values in excess of 500 m2s−2—indicative of extreme wind shear and a very high potential for rotatingupdrafts within supercells. Ample moisture from theGulf of Mexico was brought north across theDeep South, leading to daytime high temperatures of 77 to 81 °F (25 to 27 °C) anddewpoints of 66 to 72 °F (19 to 22 °C). Furthermore,convective available potential energy (CAPE) values reached 2,500–3,000 J/kg−1.[5]
On the morning of April 27, a strongcold front with several areas of embeddedlow pressure extended from theTexas Hill Country northeastward towards theArklatex and theOzarks, and later into the lowerOhio Valley. Warm moist air was in place due to strong southerly flow ahead of the front over Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee. An upper level disturbance sparked a broad area ofshowers andthunderstorms as it moved across the frontal boundary on the previous evening. The eastern edge of the line of showers and storms continued to move eastward, in concert with the upper disturbance, reaching the northwest Alabama border around 2:00 a.m. CDT.[8]
This produced the last and most violent round of severe weather, which began around 2:30 p.m. CDT for northern Alabama as supercells began to line up to the southwest of the area. During the early afternoon hours, the potential for destructive tornadoes was highlighted by theStorm Prediction Center's upgrade to ahigh risk for severe weather around 1:00 p.m. CDT.[8] This prompted aparticularly dangerous situation (PDS)tornado watch, which was issued for northern Alabama and portions of southernTennessee at 1:45 p.m. CDT. The bulletin that accompanied the watch read:[9]
THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF: MUCH OF ALABAMA, NORTHWEST GEORGIA, SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI, SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE, EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 145 PM UNTIL 1000 PM CDT.
...THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION...
DESTRUCTIVE TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL TO 4 INCHES IN DIAMETER. THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.
The potential for tornadoes ramped up from noon through 9:00 p.m. CDT. During this period, much of Alabama experienced numeroussupercell thunderstorms that produced violent tornadoes, including five EF4 tornadoes, one being the Cullman tornado.[8][10][11]
The tornado first touched down on the northeast side ofLewis Smith Lake at 2:40 p.m. CDT, and started moving to the northeast while slowly gaining intensity. As the tornado moved toward the Cullman area, it passed north ofGrandview, where EF1 damage was documented. After passing Grandview, the tornado became narrower, before rapidly widening to the southwest of Cullman.[12]
The tornado entered Cullman while being tracked and broadcast live via several tower cameras, including those operated by BirminghamFox affiliateWBRC (channel 6) andABC affiliateWBMA-LD/WCFT-TV/WJSU-TV (channels 58, 33, and 40 – ABC 33/40), for several minutes. The ABC 33/40 camera captured the destruction of a communications tower belonging to Cullman arealow-power television stationWCQT-LP as the tornado ripped through the city at EF3 intensity. Radio stations in downtown Cullman also reported on the tornado and some even captured it passing over until power was knocked out.[1]
Downtown Cullman was badly damaged by the tornado, with the major damage being along a two-block area through the center of the downtown business district. Numerous well-built brick buildings and storefronts in downtown Cullman were heavily damaged or completely destroyed as the tornado briefly attained EF4 intensity.[12][1]
Damage to the Christ Lutheran Church in downtown was rated low-end EF4 as most of the structure completely collapsed. The courthouse and nearby emergency management building took a direct hit from the tornado, sustaining considerable damage, and two school buildings were heavily damaged as well. Many businesses, such as Vincent's Furniture,The Cullman Times building, and the Busy Bee Cafe, were also severely damaged or destroyed. Many homes were damaged or destroyed in residential areas of the city, with extensive tree and power line damage noted as well. In all, a total of 867 residences and 94 businesses within the city of Cullman were damaged or destroyed.[13]
The tornado roughly followedUS 278 through the city, in which it created extensive damage along many major intersections, including those withI-65,US 31,SR 157, andSR 69.[1] The tornado continued northeast, becoming large and wedge-shaped as it reattained EF4 intensity.[12]
As the tornado left the city limits of Cullman, it struck County Road 506, located directly south ofPleasant View, where EF1 damage was documented. Shortly after, while retaining EF1 intensity, the tornado moved north ofSimcoe,[13] where damage north of Highway was observed.[1] The tornado rapidly intensified as it moved north ofFairview. Several trees that linedBrindley Creek were debarked at EF4 intensity, and trees were snapped at EF1 intensity. Two well-constructed homes were destroyed north of Fairview, and large portions of the homes were never recovered.[1] One home was heavily damaged at EF3 intensity, and the tornado continued to move in a northeastward direction towardsHulaco.[12]
The tornado rapidly intensified again as it approached the western edge of Hulaco, where a home was completely destroyed at EF4 intensity. Several trees in the area were debarked as the windspeed of the tornado approached 150 miles per hour (240 km/h).[12] Anelectrical transmission tower was crumpled and bent over at EF3 intensity nearby, and several more trees were debarked and damaged at EF2 intensity as the tornado neared downtown Hulaco. EF4 damage was recorded in the center of Hulaco, where a home was obliterated.[12] The tornado left a swath of EF4 damage through the eastern portions of Hulaco, and this intensity was retained for several miles. The tornado continued to move northeastward, narrowly avoiding the center ofHog Jaw, where the worst damage from the tornado was documented. Along Hog Jaw Road, a large storage shed with farm equipment was destroyed and some of the large machinery was tossed 60 feet (18 m) away from the shed.[1]
The tornado crossed intoMarshall County, and passed west ofEgypt, where a home was damaged at EF1 intensity.[12] As the tornado passed east ofRuth, it became violent, destroying a home and leaving a bare, debris-sweptslab where it once stood.[note 1] The tornado was estimated to have windspeeds of 190 miles per hour (310 km/h) in this area, its most intense point. Several large trees in the vicinity of the home were ripped out of the ground, and a Jet Pep gas station was completely destroyed. Two of the gas pumps were ripped out of the ground, and were never recovered.[1][14] Five of the fatalities from the tornado occurred in Ruth, all of whom were in the same family.[3]
A shed was destroyed with pieces of large farm machinery stored inside thrown up to 20 yards (18 m) away, a storage trailer was tossed 100 yards (91 m) and found impaled by planks of wood, and steel power poles in the area were bent over. As the tornado left Ruth, it slightly widened before narrowing and crossingUS 231 at EF3 intensity.[15][12] The tornado then began to weaken, before turning slightly to the east. It passed west ofUnion Grove,[16] and then crossed theTennessee River at EF1 intensity. Several trees were snapped on the other side of the river, and the tornado crossedUS 431 before dissipating at 3:38 p.m. CDT.[17]
On January 23, 2025, Anthony W. Lyza with theNational Severe Storms Laboratory along with Harold E. Brooks and Makenzie J. Kroca with theUniversity of Oklahoma’s School of Meteorology published a paper to theAmerican Meteorological Society, where they stated the tornado in Cullman was an "EF5 candidate". It was also explained that the EF5 starting wind speed should be 190 miles per hour (310 km/h) instead of 201 miles per hour (323 km/h).[18]
Cullman was devastated by the tornado, where several businesses and homes were completely destroyed.[13] A fire station and the Cullman Emergency Ambulance Service building were heavily damaged.[13] The Busy Bee Café, located on Fifth Street in downtown Cullman, was destroyed.[19] Exactly a year after the tornado, the cafe reopened in the same location where it was destroyed.[20][21] TheWKULradio tower and aNOAA Weather Radio transmitter were both destroyed during the tornado, and the latter was not put back online until the following year.[22] A bulletin published by theNational Weather Service office in Huntsville stated that the tower would be indefinitely down.[23]
Widespread power outages occurred in the immediate aftermath of the tornado, which were largely centered in Cullman County.[4] Almost 200 power poles in and around Cullman were leveled, and 4,000 volunteers from theTennessee Valley Authority helped to restore power, although some residents were still without power a week after the tornado.[24] The State of Alabama gave $5,989,728 (2011USD) to the City of Cullman to aid with recovery efforts, and a further $1,294,892 (2011 USD) to Cullman County.[25] A plan was also set in place by theUniversity of Alabama to help fund recovery efforts.[26]
Six people were killed by the tornado; five in Ruth and one in rural Cullman County.[27] The five deaths in Ruth occurred when the tornado directly impacted a well-constructed home at EF4 intensity, leveling the building and killing all of the residents of the home; all were in the same family. The sixth death as a result of the tornado took place in Cullman County, in the tornado's early stages.[12][1]Storm chaser Dan Whittaker, who was observing the tornado as it moved through Cullman near him, stated that "this is not like any tornado I've seen anywhere."[28]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:National Weather Service. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:National Weather Service.
34°04′33″N87°00′35″W / 34.0757°N 87.0097°W /34.0757; -87.0097
