CARBON HILL, ARLEY TORNADO (FAYETTE, WALKER, WINSTON)
Rating F3
Begin/End Time 6:52 PM/7:45 PM
Length/Width 44.3/1175
Deaths/Injuries 2/10
CARBON HILL, CURRY, ARLEY TORNADO (FAYETTE, WALKER, WINSTON)
THE CARBON HILL TORNADO WAS THE FIRST TORNADO OF THE DAY AND BEGAN IN FAYETTE COUNTY AT 6:52 PM ABOUT 5.6 MILES NORTH-NORTHWEST OF FAYETTE AND 2.8 MILES WEST OF US 43. THE TORNADO MOVED ON A NORTHEAST TRACK CROSSING US 43, SR 129, AND SR 13 BEFORE CROSSING INTO WALKER COUNTY JUST SOUTHWEST OF CARBON HILL.
THE TORNADO ENTERED WALKER COUNTY JUST SOUTHWEST OF CARBON HILL AT 7:10 PM AND CROSSED THE WESTERN AND NORTHERN SECTIONS OF THE TOWN DOWNING TREES AND POWER LINES AND DAMAGING MANY RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURES. THE SCHOOL AT CARBON HILL WAS ALSO HEAVILY DAMAGED. THE TORNADO CONTINUED NORTHEAST CROSSING SR 5 AND EXITING THE COUNTY AT SR 195. THE TWO DEATHS OCCURRED JUST SOUTHWEST OF SR 195.
ENTERING WINSTON COUNTY AT 7:31 PM THE TORNADO CONTINUED ON A NORTHEAST PATH TRAVELING ACROSS MOSTLY SPARSELY POPULATED AREAS OF THE NATIONAL FOREST AND SEVERAL FINGERS OF SMITH LAKE. IT CROSSED CR 41 ABOUT 1.8 MILES SOUTH OF ARLEY AND THEN CROSSED CR 12. THE TORNADO DISSIPATED VERY RAPIDLY AFTER CROSSING CR 12 ENDING AT 7:45 PM.
THIS TORNADO WAS RATED AN F3 ON THE FUJITA SCALE FOR TORNADO CLASSIFICATION WHICH RUNS FROM F0 FOR THE WEAKEST TO F5 FOR THE STRONGEST. WINDS WITH THIS TORNADO WERE ESTIMATED TO BE IN THE RANGE OF 150 TO 200 MPH. MUCH OF THE DAMAGE ALONG THE TRACK WAS LESSER INTENSITY (F1 AND F2) HOWEVER TORNADOES ARE RATED ON THE MOST SERIOUS DAMAGE AT ANY POINT ALONG THE TRACK. F3 DAMAGE OCCURRED IN BOTH FAYETTE AND WALKER COUNTIES.
TOTAL PATH LENGTH FOR THIS TORNADO WAS 44.3 MILES WITH A WIDTH OF 1175 YARDS. TWO DEATHS WERE REPORTED AND APPROXIMATELY 10 INJURIES WERE ESTIMATED TO HAVE OCCURRED WITH THIS TORNADO.
PHOTO'S AND MAP'S CLICK ON THE CURRY LINK'S BELOW
