Numerous tornadoes were reported across Alabama, Georgia and Florida on Sunday afternoon amid a severe weather outbreak across the southeastern United States. The most powerful of these storms left behind significant damage.
31 tornadoes have been confirmed with Sunday’s outbreak, including 1 EF-3 & 1 EF-4. With at least 23 fatalities, this is the deadliest tornado outbreak in the U.S. since May 2013, when a massive and devastating tornado killed 24 people in Moore, Oklahoma.
The death toll is more than double the total number of tornado-related fatalities across the United States in all of 2018, which was 10, and includes almost entire families and at least three children between the ages of 6 and 10, according to the AP.
The most violent tornado of the day hit just east of Montgomery, Alabama.
A preliminary report from the NWS Birmingham said that the first tornado to strike Lee County was at least an EF4 with 170 mph winds and width of at least one-half mile. This is the first EF4 tornado to touch down in the U.S. since April 29, 2017.
For those asking, the record holder for tornado distance is one that traveled 293 miles on May 26, 1917 from the Missouri border across Illinois into Indiana.
Here some more incredible drone footage of the Beauregard, Alabama EF4 tornado shows homes gone, cars flipped:
The National Weather Service (NWS) in Birmingham, Alabama, issued a tornado emergency in Lee County at 2:09 p.m. CST Sunday due to a “confirmed large and destructive tornado.”
Tornado emergencies are rare and only issued when significant, widespread damage is expected due to a strong and violent tornado with a high likelihood of numerous fatalities.
Dry weather is expected across the region throughout much of the week, allowing favorable conditions for families and officials working to clean up after the storms.
But the next opportunity for rain will arrive at the end of the week and into the weekend as a new storm system approaches from the west.
This upcoming system will bring the risk of severe thunderstorms and tornadoeswith the area at greatest risk focusing from Louisiana to Missouri.
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[via Accuweather]
