April 27, 2011 is a day that no one here in the Tennessee Valley will ever forget.  Over 100 people were killed in North Alabama.  Hundreds of homes were destroyed.  Thousands of lives were shattered.

Here in Huntland, Tennessee, we were lucky.  An EF-2 tornado passed less than a mile south of town, wreaking havoc in the countryside.  But no lives were lost in our county.  A few miles away in Alabama, they were not so lucky.  The tornado that struck here had been on the ground for well over 100 miles, killing dozens and reaching EF-5 damage levels along the way.

Click here to read my observations and thoughts from that terrifying day.

Click on one of the small photos to see a larger version with a description.

Click on the small map to see my survey of the tornado's swath of destruction.

Click here to download the Lightning/2000 archive file from that day.  It may be viewed using the Lightning/2000 Test-Drive.