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| Jefferson County Tornado, Jan. 23, 2012 |
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - Meteorologists with the National Weather Service say it will be late today, or tomorrow before they know the specifics of a deadly storm that cut a swath through Jefferson County early today.
It appears, however, it was a single tornado that traveled from Tuscaloosa, through Jefferson County and into St. Clair County during a two-hour stretch beginning about 2:30 a.m., said meteorologist Mark Rose.
"It's a very long time for one tornado to be on the ground," Rose said. "It's possible it could have lifted up, and touched back down, but we won't know for sure until the survey crews report back.
A second storm system moved into Chilton County about 5 a.m., causing widespread damage there as well. Authorities believe that, too, was a tornado but said they likely won't have that confirmed until Tuesday.
The NWS received its first reports of a tornado in Tuscaloosa at 2:30 a.m. The storm then moved into Jefferson County about 3:20 a.m., and continued on into St. Clair County at 4:30 a.m., Rose said.
