Terror from the Skies: April 2011 Tornado Outbreak

     Growing up in Alabama, I am no stranger to tornadoes. Every spring marked the beginning of “tornado season” where I lived, and we were lucky to go a year without a scare. I have ample memories of sitting in my family's basement, keeping a watchful eye on the news, waiting to be told just how scared we should be. So, given this knowledge, one would think there is little that could surprise me, at least as far as tornadoes go. You’d be wrong.

 

     The April 2011 tornado outbreak is regarded as the largest tornado outbreak ever recorded. Over a four day period, 360 tornadoes were officially confirmed, spread over 21 states and reaching into Canada. The worst of the destruction, however, occurred on April 27th, 2011. On this day alone, 216 tornadoes touched down, the majority of which were located in North to Central Alabama (otherwise known as: exactly where I live). I have distinct memories of cell phone videos of tornadoes across the state: showing tornadoes so large that, even when zooming out as far as was possible, you could not see both edges of the funnel. The path of destruction was over a mile wide. Marshall County, less than an hour away from my house, was struck by 15 individual tornadoes. 328 people were killed in Alabama alone.

 

    My family, and those of most around me, got lucky. Surrounded on most sides by the Appalachian mountains, we were relatively protected from the most damaging funnels. Even then, the damage was nothing to laugh at. Many people I knew lost their homes, and for many, power was lost for up to two weeks, as our main power supply was badly damaged by one of the FOUR EF5 tornadoes that touched down (note: it is typical to see only one EF5 a year!). While I was too young to be in high school at the time, those that were in the building got to know the terror of being directly struck by a tornado. Luckily, nobody was hurt, though the trauma is sure to stick with them. 

    Mention tornadoes in Alabama, and you’ll likely hear someone tell you about April 27th, 2011, both for the terror that that day caused, and for the ways in which people pulled together. While I have not seen anything quite as bad since, I certainly know the wrath of god.

Citations
Knupp, K. R., Murphy, T. A., Coleman, T. A., Wade, R. A., Mullins, S. A., Schultz, C. J., Schultz, E. V., Carey, L., Sherrer, A., McCaul, E. W., Carcione, B., Latimer, S., Kula, A., Laws, K., Marsh, P. T., & Klockow, K. (2014). Meteorological Overview of the Devastating 27 April 2011 Tornado Outbreak. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 95(7), 1041–1062. https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-11-00229.1
On This Day: 2011 Tornado Super Outbreak. (2017, April 25). National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/2011-tornado-super-outbreak