Draft:2023 Selma tornado

Draft:2023 Selma tornado

High-end EF2 damage to Crosspoint Christian Daycare in Selma
Meteorological history
Formed	January 12, 2023, 12:04 p.m. CST (UTC−06:00)
Dissipated	January 12, 2023, 12:31 p.m. CST (UTC−06:00)
Duration	27 minutes
EF2 tornado
on the Enhanced Fujita scale
Highest winds	130 mph (210 km/h)
Overall effects
Fatalities	0
Injuries	2
Damage	<$1.604 billion (2023 USD)

Meteorological synopsis

Main article: Tornado outbreak of January 12, 2023 § Meteorological synopsis

On January 11, the Storm Prediction Center outlined a level 1/Marginal risk across the Mid-South valid for the overnight and early morning hours. Although the environment was initially capped, conditions were expected to become more conducive for severe weather given the approach of a mid-level trough and a gradually moistening airmass. A more substantive threat for organized severe weather evolved on January 12 and the SPC outlined a level 3/Enhanced risk for 30% risk of damaging winds centered along central and eastern Alabama and northwestern portions of Georgia in their 0600 UTC outlook update. Here, numerical weather prediction models indicated the presence of 6.5 C/km mid-level lapse rates and 500-1000 J/kg convective available potential energy (CAPE) values supportive of transient supercells and bowing segments. However, it also depicted only modest low-level moisture. As such, a large 5% risk for tornadoes was introduced for most of the lower Tennessee Valley, including portions of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, southern Tennessee, and northwestern South Carolina for at least a conditional threat of brief tornadoes.

As the day advanced, a more focused corridor for enhanced tornado potential became evident across central Alabama and northwestern Georgia, where effective storm-relative helicity – a measure of the potential for updrafts in supercells – topped 300 m²/s² and CAPE values rose into the 1,000-1,500 J/kg range. The SPC upped the threat for tornadoes to 10% in their 1300 UTC outlook as a result, although the possibility for strong tornadoes, above EF2 intensity, was not included in this outlook as damaging winds were still seen as the primary hazard. However, as the morning advanced, a defined line of severe thunderstorms with embedded supercell structures and multiple discrete supercells developed across the highlighted area. Multiple tornadoes, some of which were significant, touched down and caused extensive damage. Numerous PDS tornado warnings were issued for the towns of Heiberger, Selma, and Movico in Alabama as large and destructive tornadoes were reported.

Tornado summary

Formation and damage near Beloit

The tornado first touched just northeast of Orrville near the intersection of SR 22 and County Road 999 at 12:04 p.m. CST (18:04 UTC). Moving northeastward along SR 22, the tornado damaged several mobile homes and pushed them off their foundations. A frame home sustained minor damage, some trees and power poles were downed in this area as well, and damage along this initial segment of the path was rated EF1. The tornado uprooted several trees as it crossed County Road 163, and retained EF1 intensity as it moved across SR 22 north of Beloit. A church had its steeple and part of its roof blown off, homes sustained roof damage, and trees were snapped. The tornado would first reach EF2 intensity shortly prior to crossing the Cahaba River. Trees located along County Road 219 were snapped as the tornado moved into the city limits of Selma.

After causing additional tree damage along SR 22, the tornado began to rapidly intensify as it approached the southwestern city limits of Selma, and many large hardwood and softwood trees were snapped at EF2 intensity in this area. The now strong tornado then crossed SR 219 as it entered the southwest side of Selma, causing significant damage along Old Orville Road. Multiple houses were heavily damaged and had their roofs torn off along this corridor, and a few sustained some loss of exterior walls. Severe tree damage occurred as well, as many large trees were snapped or uprooted in residential areas.

Damage in Selma

Track and intensity map of the tornado through downtown Selma.

Key

  EF0 65–85 mph
  EF1 86–110 mph
  EF2 111–135 mph

Reaching high-end EF2 strength, the tornado struck the Crosspoint Christian Daycare along Cooper Drive, inflicting severe structural damage to the building, which sustained collapse of its roof and several brick exterior walls. At the time of the tornado, 70 children were inside the daycare along with staff workers. One baby received a minor cut from the tornado, with no other injuries occurring at that location. The nearby Crosspoint Christian Church had a substantial amount of metal roofing torn off, and debris was scattered throughout the area. EF2 damage continued beyond this point as the tornado moved northeastward along West Dallas Avenue, inflicting significant structural damage to homes. An ophthalmologist's office near Office Park Circle was severely damaged and had much of its roof torn off, while many large trees were snapped or uprooted, some of which landed on houses.

Further to the northeast, high-end EF2 damage occurred at the Selma Country Club, where the clubhouse building suffered major damage to its roof and exterior walls, a few other buildings on the property also had extensive damage, several extremely large hardwood trees were blown down, and many softwood trees were snapped. Maintaining high-end EF2 intensity, the tornado then struck the northern part of downtown Selma. Damage here mainly consisted of numerous of trees being snapped or uprooted, some of which fell on homes, and many homes and other buildings that had their roofs and some exterior walls removed. A couple of older residences that were built on brick piling foundations collapsed, cars were flipped, signs were destroyed, and numerous power poles were snapped.

The historic Reformed Presbyterian Church was badly damaged, and its adjacent church school was almost completely destroyed. As the tornado crossed over Broad St (US 80/SR 22), a strip mall had much of its roof torn off, and a nearby metal warehouse building sustained major damage, with metal framing being twisted and failure of x-braces observed. Apartment buildings were also badly damaged, and debris from structures was strewn across streets, or left tangled in power lines or wrapped around trees. Past the downtown area, the tornado weakened slightly to mid-range EF2 strength as it crossed Marie Foster Street and moved through neighborhoods in the northeastern part of Selma, where many homes and apartment buildings had roofs and exterior walls torn off, and many trees and power lines were downed. Crossing SR 41, the tornado moved out of Selma and maintained EF2 intensity as it moved to the northeast, though damage in this area was limited to downed trees.

Impact at the Dallas County Jail and dissipation

As it crossed SR 14, an outbuilding was completely destroyed and a metal free-standing pole was bent to the ground, with damage in this area being rated EF2. Some re-intensification was observed as the tornado then impacted a small residential area along Parkway Drive, where a few houses had roofs torn off with some collapse of exterior walls noted. Another outbuilding in this area was completely destroyed, trees were downed, and damage was rated high-end EF2. Just past this area, the tornado weakened to EF1 strength as it impacted a FEMA trailer storage facility along Selfield Road, where multiple unanchored trailers were damaged, flipped, or destroyed. A final area of EF2 damage occurred nearby, where the Dallas County Jail suffered extensive damage to its roof and fencing.

Weakening back to EF1 intensity, the tornado then crossed SR 14 again, snapping trees and damaging some outbuildings. The tornado weakened further as it passed south of Manila, causing minor EF0 tree damage along this segment of the path. It inflicted EF0 damage to a house and dissipated as it crossed SR 140 to the southeast of Burnsville at 12:31 p.m. CST (18:31 UTC), just before reaching the Autauga County line. The tornado was on the ground for 23.22 miles (37.37 km), resulting in two injuries.