Mid-November 2006 Tornado Outbreak

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mid-November 2006 Tornado Outbreak

Date of tornado outbreak:	November 15-16, 2006
Duration1:	27 hours, 47 minutes
Maximum rated tornado2:	F3 tornado
Tornadoes caused:	28 confirmed
Damages:	Not yet available
Fatalities:	9 + 3 non-tornadic
Areas affected:	Southern United States and Mid-Atlantic States
1Time from first tornado to last tornado 2Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale

The November 2006 Tornado Outbreak was a significant tornado outbreak across the Southern United States and into the Mid-Atlantic States on November 15 and 16, 2006. It took place along a sharp cold front that tracked across the entire region from west to east. At least nine people were killed by the many tornadoes that damaged many communities. The bulk of the tornadoes took place on November 15, but the deadliest tornado took place on the morning of the 16th in southern North Carolina.

A moderate risk of severe weather was issued by the Storm Prediction Center for a large section of the Southeast for the night of the 14th into the 15th. The activity started in the overnight hours in Louisiana and Arkansas and tracked eastward, producing scattered tornadoes across the entire Gulf Coast and into the Carolinas over the next 36 hours. The most severe tornadoes took place in St. Helena Parish, Louisiana where one person was killed in a mobile home, Sumrall, Mississippi where an F3 tornado led to severe damage and numerous injuries, and in Montgomery, Alabama where an indoor roller skating park was destroyed with 30 children inside (but no serious injuries).

When the line crossed into Georgia and northern Florida, it formed into a squall line. However, breaks in the squall line allowed supercells to form in the overnight hours, and early on the 16th, the deadly tornado in southern North Carolina formed at the end of the outbreak.

Three other deaths occurred that were not related to tornadoes; one was a utility worker that was electrocuted checking downed power lines in South Carolina and two were in car crashes in North Carolina related to severe thunderstorms.^[1] In total, 28 tornadoes were confirmed.

Contents 1 Reported tornadoes 1.1 November 15 event 1.2 November 16 event 2 Southern North Carolina tornado 3 References 4 Trivia 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Reported tornadoes

Table of confirmed tornadoes - after surveys by local weather service offices

Confirmed Total	Confirmed F0	Confirmed F1	Confirmed F2	Confirmed F3	Confirmed F4	Confirmed F5
28	3	16	6	3	0	0

[edit] November 15 event

F#	Location	County	Time (UTC)	Path length	Damage
Louisiana
F2	Amite area	St. Helena, Tangipahoa	0750	5.5 miles (9 km)	1 death - Intermittent touchdown in the area. Mobile home destroyed along Highway 441. Major damage was also reported in the rural area to several houses. Two people were injured.
F1	Franklinton area	Washington	0855	unknown	Three houses sustained structural damage in the area, one of them was heavily damaged..
Mississippi
F3	Sumrall area	Lamar, Forrest	0830	13 miles (21 km)	Severe tornado touchdown in the community. Extensive structural damage to 25 houses - 16 of which were destroyed. Enormous damage to trees and power lines were also reported along a 500 yard (450 m) wide path. The most severe damage involved a wood frame house that was flattened. Six people were injured.
F2	Dexter area	Walthall, Marion	0905	16 miles (26 km)	16 buildings were damaged - many of them severely. One person was injured in a mobile home.
F3	SE of Laurel	Jones, Wayne	0931	10.5 miles (17 km)	Significant damage to 25 houses. Two mobile homes - one being used as temporary housing after Hurricane Katrina - were flattened. Extensive tree damage was also reported, along with two electric transmission towers being knocked down along a 1/2 mile (800 m) wide path. A few minor injuries were reported.
F1	E of Laurel	Jones	0940	0.75 mile (1.2 km)	Related to the main Laurel area tornado. Damage limited to trees.
F1	NW of Purvis	Lamar	0950	1 mile (1.6 km)	One outbuilding was destroyed and a shed lost its roof. Extensive tree damage.
F1	Sand Hill	Greene	1057	4.5 miles (7 km)	At least eight houses and part of a church were damaged. Extensive damage to trees and power lines.
Arkansas
F1	Brinkley	Monroe	0950	6.5 miles (10 km)	Damage was reported to about 50 houses and businesses. Four silos and an outbuilding were destroyed. Extensive tree and power line damage.
Alabama
F1	Chatom	Washington	1140	8 miles (12.8 km)	Several homes with roof damage. Horse barn damaged.
F1	Pintlala	Lowndes, Montgomery	1603	5.7 miles (9.2 km)	Significant damage reported, especially around Pintlala Elementary School. Overall damage moderate to heavy, with numerous houses, the school and a church damaged along US 31.
F2	Montgomery	Montgomery	1630	6.8 miles (11 km)	Heavy damage reported in the east end of Montgomery. The Fun Zone Skate Center was destroyed with over 30 children inside. Fortunately, they all escaped with only a few minor injuries. Other houses and businesses were also damaged, including a postal distribution center. Extensive tree and power line damage.
F1	SE of Wetumpka	Elmore	1645	1.5 miles (2.4 km)	One house was damaged and saw its roof shift. Some tree damage was reported.
F1	NE of Eclectic	Elmore	1705	5 miles (8 km)	Damage to trees and power lines south of Lake Martin. One house lost its roof.
F0	W of Reeltown	Tallapoosa	1720	100 yds (90 m)	Minor damage to a mobile home and three outbuildings, also some tree damage reported.
F2	W of Opp	Covington	1730	15 miles (24 km)	Significant damage was reported along the track. Numerous houses lost their roofs. Several farms were destroyed, with the most severe damage located at six poultry farms, where over 130,000 chickens were killed and the farms were all destroyed.
F2	Hamilton Crossroads area	Pike, Barbour	1817	17.8 miles (29 km)	Significant damage reported in the area. Several houses lost their roofs and numerous mobile homes were destroyed. The local fire department building collapsed and the water tower crashed to the ground.[2]
F1	Lafayette	Chambers	1829	0.75 mile (1.2 km)	Heavy damage to a service station and a storage shed.
F1	Mount Andrew	Barbour	1855	unknown	One house sustained roof and wall damage from this brief touchdown.
F1	Dyas	Baldwin	1509	1.5 miles (2.4 km)	A house on the east side of Dyas road sustained considerable roof damage. In addition, two sheds, one barn, one horse pen, and a screened in porch were destroyed at the residence. [3]
F0	E of Latham	Baldwin	1448	1 mile (1.6 km)
Georgia
F1	Fort Benning	Chattahoochee, Muscogee	1915	1.75 miles (2.8 km)	Significant tornado touchdown in the Army base. About 20 large warehouses were damaged, and 6 houses were destroyed along its 1/4 mile (400 m) wide path. 6 people suffered minor injuries.
North Carolina
F1	Cramerton	Columbus	0358	150 yds (135 m)	Tornado confirmed with light damage.
F0	N of Lowesville	Lincoln	0415	unknown	Short-lived tornado.
F2	E of Denver	Lincoln	0420	unknown	Substantial damage reported on the west side of Lake Norman.
F1	E of Statesville	Iredell	0442	6 miles (9.6 km)	Intermittent damage. Many trees were knocked down, some landing on mobile homes. 8 mobile homes were damaged.
Sources: SPC Storm Reports (Overnight), SPC Storm Reports (Daytime), Jackson office, Little Rock office, Birmingham office, Greenville-Spartanburg office, Mobile office, Peachtree City office, New Orleans office

[edit] November 16 event

F#	Location	County	Time (UTC)	Path length	Damage
South Carolina
F1	SE of Manning	Clarendon	0619	15 miles (24 km)	Multiple touchdowns along the path, may have been one or multiple tornadoes. Tornado remained in rural areas with damaged limited to trees.
North Carolina
F3	Riegelwood area	Columbus, Pender	1137	7 miles (11 km)	8 deaths - See section on this tornado
Sources: SPC Storm Reports (Overnight), Wilmington office

[edit] Southern North Carolina tornado

The deadliest tornado of the outbreak struck a primarily rural area in Columbus County in southern North Carolina, just west of Wilmington, on the morning of November 16. It touched down at 6:37 am EST (1137 UTC) according to the Storm Prediction Center.

The tornado first touched down in the community of Riegelwood, where the most significant damage was reported. The most devastating impact took place in a mobile home park, resulting in at least 8 deaths and at least 20 injuries, of which at least five were in critical condition after the tornado hit.^[4] At least 30 houses were destroyed and some were flattened, according to a news conference with Governor Mike Easley. At the peak of the storm, 40,000 people were without electricity; most of them were quickly restored.^[5][6] The tornado was 300 yards (270 m) wide at its widest point and was confirmed as an F3 on the Fujita scale for about one mile.^[7]

The tornado continued eastward for 7 miles (11 km) as a much weaker and narrower tornado with F1 damage. Nonetheless, as it tracked into Pender County, three more houses were damaged before it dissipated.

At 5:00 pm EST (2200 UTC), the chair of the Columbus County Commission confirmed there was an eighth fatality. A shelter was opened that afternoon for victims as well.^[8]

[edit] References

• Tornado kills at least 8 in N.C. - Yahoo! News - retrieved on 18 November 2006
• Tornado Victims Pick Up The Pieces

[edit] Trivia

The majority of the tornadoes took place on November 15, which is the same date as four other major outbreaks in the last 20 years:

• 1987 - 50 tornadoes were reported across Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana, 11 people were killed
• 1988 - 44 tornadoes were reported
• 1989 - 18 tornadoes were reported including the devastating F4 tornado in Huntsville, Alabama, 21 people were killed
• 2005 - 50 tornadoes were reported across seven states, one person was killed

[edit] See also

• List of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
• Tornadoes of 2006

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Storm Prediction Center