Deadly Alabama Tornado Strikes. Also, Much Less Important, But A LIttle Snow Up North

House destroyed by last night's tornado in Fultondale,
Alabama. Photo via television station WVTM

 The nation's first significant and deadly tornado of the year struck Fultondale, Alabama overnight, killing at least one person, injuring others and leaving a trail of damage.  

According to AL.com, the tornado struck around 10:30 p.m. last night near Interstate 65, wrecking several homes and businesses, including an occupied Hampton Inn.

The reported death came at a home in which the occupants had taken proper tornado precautions.  

The family received a tornado warning and retreated to the basement. But a tree fell on the house, and collapsed the entire thing, slamming debris onto the people in the basement. 

A teenager died, and several family members were critically injured, says Al.com.

Rescuers were going house to house overnight, looking for trapped people. At least 20 people were taken to hospitals for treatment of injuries. 

Images on social media showed trucks tossed around at a freight company, the collapsed Hampton Inn, and several roofless and collapsed houses. 

Fultondale was also devastated by a tornado a decade ago. During the April 27, 2011 super tornado outbreak, a massive tornado that caused immense damage in Tuscaloosa and near Birmingham also struck Fultondale, wiping out homes and apartment buildings. 

This hotel was wrecked by a tornado in Fultindale,
Alabama last night. Photo via WVTM

Last night's tornado seems to have been caused by a long-tracked supercell thunderstorm that crossed most of Mississippi before entering Alabama and hitting Fultondale. 

There might have been other, smaller tornadoes overnight, and investigators will look into that today.  

Tornadoes are actually relatively common in the Deep South during this time of year, as winter storms passing by to the north pull wet, unstable air from the Gulf of Mexico into places like Alabama.

PARENT STORM AND US

The storm that spawned the Alabama twister also dumped heavy snow on Nebraska and Iowa, tying up traffic and closing schools.  More than a foot of snow fell along the Missouri River on the Nebraska and Iowa border 

The storm also triggered flash flooding in parts of Kentucky.

This parent storm is now weakening as it heads east, but is or will drop a stripe of snow from Iowa to New England. Freezing rain is also causing a lot of problems in Pennsylvania this morning.

This little storm has dropped an unremarkable 0.3 inches of snow on Washington DC, its first measurable snow fall of the season.

Here in Vermont, this weakening storm should still crank out two to five inches of snow in southern parts of the state, with spot accumulations of up to six inches in the mountains. A winter weather advisory for snow is in effect basically along and south of Route 4.

Northern parts of Vermont should just get  and a dusting to three inches late today through tomorrow morning. Nothing huge, but it will freshen the snow cover out there a bit 

We're still expecting an Arctic blast here Friday and Saturday, but it won't last long. In fact, as we head into early February, it looks like temperatures might bounce back above normal again.