Mid-November 2006 tornado outbreak

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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: $10.5 million (NCDC figures)
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.[1] 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 November 16 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 November 14 into November 15.[2] 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.[3] In total, 28 tornadoes were confirmed.

Contents

[edit] Reported tornadoes

Confirmed
Total		 Confirmed
F0		 Confirmed
F1		 Confirmed
F2		 Confirmed
F3		 Confirmed
F4		 Confirmed
F5
29 3 17 6 3 0 0

[edit] November 15 event

F# Location County/Parish 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.[4]
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.[5]
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 Gaston 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)		 1 DEATH Intermittent damage. Many trees were knocked down, some landing on mobile homes. 8 mobile homes were damaged. One man was critically injured when a refrigerator landed on him. He died in December from his injuries
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

Image showing damage from the tornado to a building in Rigelwood.
Image showing damage from the tornado to a building in Rigelwood.

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.[6] 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.[7][8] 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.[9]

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.[10] This tornado was the second-deadliest tornado in North Carolina in the past 50 years.[11]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ SYNOPTIC SCALE ANALYSES LOOP 061115/1200Z - 061116/0900Z (Java loop). Storm Prediction Center (November 15, 2006). Retrieved on 2008-05-02.
  2. ^ Nov 15, 2006 0600 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook. Storm Prediction Center (November 15, 2006). Retrieved on 2008-05-02.
  3. ^ Tornado Victims Pick Up The Pieces, Death Toll Reaches 8; Governor Says 4 Others Remain In 'Very, Very Critical Condition' - CBS News
  4. ^ All Products by Site - NOAA's National Weather Service
  5. ^ National Weather Service Forecast Office - Mobile/Pensacola - 11/15/2006 Tornado Outbreak
  6. ^ abc11.com: Several Dead after Storms Hit N.C. 11/16/06
  7. ^ CNN news conference
  8. ^ http://www.cnn.com/2006/WEATHER/11/16/severe.weather/index.html CNN story
  9. ^ All Products by Site - NOAA's National Weather Service
  10. ^ News 14 | 24 Hour Local News | HEADLINES
  11. ^ NCDC Storm event page

[edit] External links

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Tornado events in Alabama