The weather is going to be sunny and nice this Tuesday, May 17th, but in 2003 and 2013 that was not the case. In today’s Weather History we are going to take a look back at two severe weather events that led to the development of tornadoes for some. It is important to note, that the tornadoes that formed in 2003 are ranked on the Fujita scale and the 2013 tornadoes are based on the enhanced Fujita scale.

In 2003, a line of storms tracked through the region during the early and mid-morning hours, producing damage across the area. This line of storms produced two F1 tornadoes, one in Lauderdale County and the second in Limestone County. The first tornado touched down east of Rogersville around 9:45 am and produced a two-mile-long damage path. Damage associated with this tornado ranged from trees being uprooted to homes sustaining damage. The second tornado that touched down south of the Cairo community produced a seven-mile-long damage path. Over 80 homes sustained damage and nearly 200 trees were snapped or uprooted. Thankfully there were no reported injuries or fatalities.

2013 Tornadoes

The second weather event occurred in 2013 during the peak daytime heating hours. Strong and isolated severe storms that day were associated with a mesoscale convective complex or MCC. This MCC pushed through Mississippi during the late morning hours, entering northwest Alabama by midday. As the storms tracked eastward, during the afternoon, they intensified. A total of two EF0 tornadoes touched down, both in Limestone County. The first touching down south of Athens producing a two-mile-long damage path the second was briefly on the ground producing less than a half-mile of damage. Some homes sustained minor damage and trees were uprooted.