Appleton Damage Caused By Tornado

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DAMAGE SURVEY TEAM FINDS EVIDENCE OF AN
EF1 TORNADO IN ESCAMBIA COUNTY ALABAMA IN APPLETON...

...DAMAGE ASSESSMENT SURVEY IN COVINGTON COUNTY REVEALED STRAIGHT
LINE WINDS NEAR 90 MPH IN ONYCHA...

A SURVEY TEAM FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE
INVESTIGATED STORM DAMAGE IN COVINGTON AND ESCAMBIA COUNTIES OF
SOUTHERN ALABAMA THIS AFTERNOON.

IN ESCAMBIA COUNTY...THE SURVEY TEAM FOUND EVIDENCE OF A TORNADO
WHICH OCCURRED AROUND 655 AM THURSDAY MORNING IN APPLETON (ESCAMBIA
COUNTY ALABAMA). THE RESULTS SHOW EVIDENCE OF AN EF1 TORNADO ON THE
ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE WITH A TRACK LENGTH OF 2.09 MILES. THE
TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN 0.5 MILES SOUTH OF APPLETON WHERE IT DESTROYED
A SMALL BARN BEHIND A RESIDENCE...UPROOTING SEVERAL HARDWOOD TREES
AND SNAPPING SEVERAL PINE TREES. THE APPLETON TORNADO CONTINUED
MOVING NORTHEAST...STRENGTHENING AND WIDENING TO BETWEEN 800 AND
1000 YARDS WIDE. AT IT STRONGEST POINT...THE TORNADO SNAPPED
NUMEROUS LARGE PINE TREES IN A WOODED AREA...PRODUCING WINDS NEAR
104 MPH. ON THE PERIPHERY OF THE STRONGER WINDS...SEVERAL HOMES AND
OUTBUILDINGS EXPERIENCED MINOR ROOF AND SHINGLE DAMAGE. THE TORNADO
LIFTED ABOUT 2 MILES NORTHEAST OF APPLETON.

IN COVINGTON COUNTY ALABAMA...THE SURVEY TEAM INVESTIGATED THE STORM
DAMAGE IN AND AROUND ONYCHA IN EAST CENTRAL COVINGTON COUNTY. HERE
THE TEAM FOUND EVIDENCE OF STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE TO SEVERAL
HOMES AND METAL BUILDINGS. MOST OF THE WIND DAMAGE OCCURRED TO
MOBILE HOMES AND METAL BUILDINGS...WITH 2 MOBILE HOMES COMPLETELY
DESTROYED WITH SEVERAL OTHER MOBILE HOMES SUFFERING DAMAGE RANGING
FROM METAL PORCHES BEING REMOVED TO MORE SIGNIFICANT ROOF DAMAGE. 1
CINDER BLOCK 2 STORY HOME ALSO EXPERIENCED ROOF DAMAGE AS WELL. 2
METAL CHICKEN HOUSES ALSO LOST SECTIONS OF THEIR ROOFS. BASED ON THE
DAMAGE EVIDENCE...THE TEAM ESTIMATED WINDS NEAR 90 MPH. MOST OF THE
DAMAGE WAS FOUND IN AN AREA FROM 1 TO 2 MILES NORTHEAST OF ONYCHA.
EYEWITNESS REPORTS INDICATE THE DAMAGE OCCURRED AROUND 8 AM CST.