The 'terrifyingly clear' videos of the Tuscaloosa tornado

A powerful twister rips through Tuscaloosa, Ala., killing dozens of people and uprooting hundreds of buildings

The funnel of a tornado on the outskirts of a University of Alabama parking lot: Hundreds have died in a series of devastating tornadoes.
(Image credit: YouTube)

The video: Dozens of southern towns were reeling on Thursday from one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks in U.S. history. At least 263 people have been reported dead — in Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, and Georgia — after at least 160 twisters barreled through the region. So far, 180 fatalities have been reported in Alabama alone. Particularly hard hit was the small city of Tuscaloosa, which saw a voracious, F5 category twister kill at least 36 people. Christian England, a University of Alabama employee, shot a dramatic video — punctuated by his understandably heavy breathing — from the vantage point of the school's basketball complex. And in a live local news feed, a weatherman, shocked by the funnel cloud's size, exclaims, "my God, look at that thing — it's huge." (See both videos below.)

The reaction: The power of these tornadoes is "all too terrifyingly clear," says Mark Memmott at NPR. And the sound of England's panicked breathing is "chilling." Interviewed by CBS' The Early Show, England elaborated on his tornado experience. "My boss and I went up to the third floor," he said. "It was just amazing. I mean, we just couldn't believe what we were seeing." Indeed, says Alabama meteorologist Dan Satterfield at American Geophysical Union, "never, in 32 years forecasting, have I seen as many violent tornadoes indicated on radar at one time." Watch the monster tornado:

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us