WHNT Coverage of Fort Payne EF2 Tornado - 2/21/14

Meteorologists Brandon Chambers and Jason Simpson made a good call in their coverage of this hard to detect, brief, small EF2 tornado that was on the ground for only three minutes between 12:28 and 12:31 a.m., 2/20/14.
NWS Huntsville Survey:
.FORT PAYNE TORNADO...
RATING: EF-2
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 125 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/: 0.8 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: 50 YARDS
FATALITIES: 0
INJURIES: 1
START DATE: FEB 21 2014
START TIME: 12:28 AM CST
START LOCATION: 4 NNE OF FORT PAYNE /GAULT AVE./
START LAT/LON: 34.4941 / -85.6754
END DATE: FEB 21 2014
END TIME: 12:31 AM CST
END LOCATION: 5 NE OF FORT PAYNE /MARTIN AVE./
END LAT/LON: 34.4994 / -85.6624
SURVEY SUMMARY:
A BRIEF BUT STRONG TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AT THE JET POLYMER PLANT OFF
GAULT AVENUE ABOUT 4 MILES NORTH-NORTHEAST OF THE TOWN OF FORT PAYNE
IN CENTRAL DEKALB COUNTY. THE TORNADO FLIPPED 3 LARGE TRACTOR
TRAILERS...ONE OF WHICH WAS VAULTED INTO THE AIR...LANDING ON TOP OF
THE PLANT`S ROOF. ADJACENT THE PLANT...ACROSS A PARKING LOT...A
MEDIUM-SIZED METAL BUILDING STRUCTURE HAD MUCH OF ITS METAL SIDING
REMOVED AND ROOF UPLIFTED. ALSO...THE COLUMN ANCHORAGE WAS SEVERELY
BENT AND FAILED. THE TORNADO CONTINUED ITS TRACK NORTHEAST...SNAPPING
AND UPROOTING MEDIUM TO LARGE-SIZED TREES.
BEYOND THIS POINT...THE TORNADO APPEARED TO SKIP ALONG ITS TRACK
(LITTLE TO NO DAMAGE SEEN) BEFORE DOING SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURAL DAMAGE
TO SEVERAL HOMES ALONG GREEN VALLEY CIRCLE. TWO SINGLE-FAMILY WELL
CONSTRUCTED RESIDENCES SUSTAINED A COMPLETE LOSS OF ROOF AND
COLLAPSE OF AT LEAST TWO EXTERIOR (BRICK) WALLS...MOST NOTABLE AROUND
THE GARAGE. NUMEROUS TREES SURROUNDING THE PROPERTIES WERE SNAPPED OR
UPROOTED. IN ADDITION...ONE SMALL AND ONE MEDIUM-SIZED SHED WERE
COMPLETELY DESTROYED. THIS AREA APPEARED TO BE WHERE THE TORNADO WAS
AT ITS STRONGEST /PEAK WINDS: 125 MPH = EF-2 RATING/. OTHER NEARBY
HOMES IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD ALONG GREEN VALLEY CIRCLE SUSTAINED MAINLY
LOSS OF ROOF SHINGLES...SIDING PANELS AND BROKEN WINDOWS.
JUST UP THE HILL FROM THIS LOCATION...A SMALL APARTMENT COMPLEX WAS
HIT. PARTIAL UPLIFT OF THE ROOF...LOSS OF SIDING AND BROKEN WINDOWS
WERE SEEN AT A TWO-STORY BUILDING IN THE COMPLEX. OTHER SMALLER
BUILDINGS HAD JUST MINOR ROOF DAMAGE /LOSS OF SHINGLES/ WITH SMALL
TREES AND BRANCHES SNAPPED. CONTINUING NORTHEAST ALONG ITS SHORT
TRACK...THE TORNADO APPEARED TO QUICKLY WEAKEN AND EVENTUALLY LIFT
NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF 55TH STREET AND MARTIN AVENUE...BUT NOT
BEFORE CAUSING PARTIAL ROOF LOSS TO A HOME. AT THIS LOCATION...
PLASTIC FENCING AROUND A POOL WAS KNOCKED OUT AND SEVERAL TREES WERE
SNAPPED ABOUT HALFWAY DOWN. QUITE A BIT OF DEBRIS WAS ALSO NOTICED
LITTERING THE AREA...SEEMINGLY DEPOSITED BY THE TORNADO AS IT
DIMINISHED.
SURVEYED BY: NADLER/CARCIONE

[@sethchambers8368]

this went right over my house

[@steveburtonomaha]

Dog Town. Interesting name for a city.