The February 6, 2008 tornado
EF4Lawrence and Morgan counties, Alabama
An EF4 tornado on a 16.7-mile path that killed 4 and injured 23. It was one of 24 tornadoes recorded in the U.S. that day, 3 of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Watch how it happenedEF4 tornado · February 6, 2008
How it happened
Follow the tornado’s path, minute by minute.
The tornado
- Rating
- EF4
- Enhanced Fujita scale
- Path length
- 16.7 mi
- Width up to 880 yards
- Killed
- 4
- Along the whole path
- Injured
- 23
- Along the whole path
- Date and time
- Wednesday, February 6, 2008
- 3:02 AM CST
The National Weather Service account
Written by the local Weather Service office after its damage survey.
Representatives from the National Weather Service and the Lawrence County Emergency Management Agency conducted a storm survey of damage that occurred in Lawrence County, Alabama early in the morning of February 6, 2008.||The damage was determined to originate from a strong tornado, which at its peak had winds of approximately 170 MPH, giving it a rating of EF-4 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. Based on reports and an aerial survey conducted by the Lawrence County EMA, the tornado is believed to have originally touched down near the Pinhook community in south-central Lawrence County (just north of the Bankhead National Forest) around 3:02 AM CST. The tornado remained on the ground for approximately 16.7 miles; the first 14 miles of the track occurred in Lawrence County, tracking through the Aldridge Grove, Fairfield, Five Points, Midway, and Caddo communities. The tornado exited Lawrence County about 3 miles south southeast of Caddo around 3:20 AM CST. ||The most significant damage occurred in two main areas. The first occurred just south of the Pinhook community, near the intersection of County Road 92 and 188. The second occurred north of Aldridge Grove near the intersection of County Road 94 and 183, where three fatalities occurred. Numerous homes received significant structural damage, including a 2300 square foot/2-story brick house that was nearly leveled off its foundation. Large trees, with diameters up to 4 feet, were completely snapped, with many uprooted. Fence posts embedded in concrete were ripped out of the ground and vaulted 50 to 100 feet in several different directions. A truck was thrown over a distance of more than 100 yards into an open field.
The storm system that day
The WFO Huntsville County Warning Area experienced the worst tornado outbreak in 19 years on February 6, 2008. While the number of observed tornadoes was low (4), the area experienced two EF-4 tornadoes, the first time the area has witnessed more than one devastating tornado on the same day since 1974. ||This event was part of a large tornado outbreak which spanned both February 5th (Super Tuesday) and 6th (Wednesday). A series of tornadic supercell thunderstorms swept across the Mid-South and Southeast states ahead of a potent cold front.
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
Counties on its path
Other notable tornadoes that day
- EF4, Jackson County1 killed
Storm Prediction Center severe weather database. Path drawn as a straight line from the recorded start to end point.