On this Day in 1989: The Huntsville, Alabama Tornado

On November 15, 1989, a powerful tornado tore through Huntsville, Ala., during the evening commute, leading to 21 deaths, more than 400 injuries, and millions of dollars in property damage. The tornado was rated an F4 on the Fujita Scale, packing winds of up to 260 mph. It was on the ground for just over 18 miles and had an average width of a half mile.

Early that morning, a warm and humid air mass was in place across the Tennessee River Valley. Temperatures were in the upper 60s, with dew point temperatures in the lower 60s. Looming to the northwest was a powerful cold front. Weather forecasters expected this cold front to bring severe thunderstorms to the valley that afternoon and a Tornado Watch was issued for northern Alabama shortly after Noon CST.

During the afternoon, thunderstorms began to gel into an intense line over northwestern Alabama. Segments of the line began to rapidly accelerate ahead of the rest of the line, creating bow-shaped echoes on radar imagery. As these bow echoes formed, damaging hail and wind gust reports increased. Numerous Severe Thunderstorm Warnings were issued throughout northern Alabama as this line of thunderstorms rolled through, including one for Huntsville at 4:13 p.m. CST.

With less than one hour of daylight remaining, the storms darkened the sky. Widespread trees and the hilly terrain also limited visibility. Luckily, several spotters were able to see a wall cloud and then a visible funnel, leading to the issuance of a Tornado Warning at 4:35 p.m.

As the tornado raced northeast, numerous homes and businesses were demolished. Tragically, the tornado’s path crossed several major traffic arteries during rush hour. Vehicles were tossed like toys, and as a result, 12 of the deaths occurred in vehicles.

The southeastern U.S. is particularly vulnerable to outbreaks of severe weather in the Fall due to strong cold fronts that push towards the Gulf of Mexico. As a testament to the powerful nature of this front, temperatures dropped into the 30s and snow flurries greeted rescue workers the next morning. This tragic and memorable event illustrates the importance of paying attention to rapidly changing weather conditions during all seasons.

Sources: National Weather Service

Story Image: The November 15, 1989 Huntsville tornado piled cars atop another, tore down high-voltage power lines to the city, and drew news crews with their satellite uplink trucks. Photographed by NWS Birmingham during their storm survey (NWS/Wikimedia Commons).