Tornadoes, nine of them, were confirmed near the Gulf Coast during the fourth week of April, 2018 as a group of storms battered the southeast, affecting residents of southeastern Louisiana to Southern Alabama as well as the Florida panhandle.
At least five people sustained injuries in Alabama, according to Baldwin County Sheriff Hoss Mack. One of those injured was listed in serious condition.
The first in the round of tornadoes that hit the state overturned five recreational vehicles at the Anchors Aweigh RV Resort in the town of Foley, about 30 miles southeast of Mobile. Ten minutes later, an EF-0 tornado touched down near Elberta, uprooting trees and causing minor damage to residences.
In Escambia County, five homes were reported to be damaged by an EF-0 tornado. Another confirmed EF-0 tornado also uprooted trees and damaged several homes at Fort Rucker, Alabama, leaving the Army with no choice but to temporarily close the southeastern Alabama base to everyone except those who live and work on base. No injuries or casualties were reported in both instances.
In Crenshaw County, south of Montgomery, twin EF-1 tornadoes destroyed a home and damaged several others while downing trees and blocking rural roads. A brief EF-0 twister which uprooted and snapped trees was also spotted in Birmingham.
CRENSHAW COUNTY: Damage pics from an apparent tornado in the Magnolia Shores/Highland Home area #alwx #12firstalert pic.twitter.com/OkxVK5QoFv
— Josh Johnson (@JoshWeather) April 22, 2018
In Galliano, Louisiana, roughly 72 miles from New Orleans, an EF-1 tornado ripped the roofs off several homes and battered vehicles. No injuries were reported from the local catastrophe. The storm also knocked down power lines, leaving more than 800 people in Lafourche Parish without electricity for a time, according to electric utility company Entergy.
In Florida, a waterspout tore through Okaloosa and Fort Walton Beach, about 140 miles west of Tallahassee, and damaged at least one home, downing trees and power lines and tossing vehicles. According to an estimate by the National Weather Service, the tornado was an EF-1, with peak wind speed up to 105 miles per hour along a land path of 50 yards. Despite the damage, there were no reported casualties or injuries.
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