NWS confirm an EF0 tornado hit Redstone Arsenal

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — On Tuesday, The Weather Authority tracked multiple areas of rotation that moved through the Tennessee Valley. These rotations were associated with showers and isolated storms.

The National Weather Service confirmed an EF0 tornado hit Redstone Arsenal with max winds of 83 mph. It touched down at 6:51 p.m. and left the area at 6:53 p.m. The brief tornado touched down on Redstone Arsenal just off Ranger Road, bending back fencing before entering the property.

Below are photos of the damage, provided by the U.S. Army Garrison, Redstone Arsenal.

“The tornado bent fencing while entering the property, then proceeded to shift dozens of 500lb storage tanks, tossing about 3 of them. Another metal trough tank was also tipped over and tossed. Then, after plowing through a chain-link fence, the tornado struck a light metal frame storage building.

The bolts connecting the support columns to the foundation slab were sheared on three of the columns. The entire western flank of the building was collapsed in by the tornado, with metal framework bent as well. Some of the contents of the building were tossed out and strewn downwind several hundred yards found by on-site employees.

As quickly as the tornado developed, it dissipated short of Saturn Drive, with no further identifiable damage found downwind.”
NWS

The strongest areas of rotation prompted the National Weather Service to issue tornado warnings for Madison and Morgan counties. One of those was a confirmed tornado warning because there was confirmation that debris was being picked up by the radar.

The U.S. Army Garrison at Redstone Arsenal sent out a release saying, “Initial assessments indicate severe damage to the exterior of the building. Fortunately, the facility was unoccupied at the time of the storm, and no injuries have been reported.”