On Monday night, a spate of tornadoes flared up across the northern and north-central parts of Alabama. There were no serious injuries or fatalities, but these tornadoes caused a massive amount of damage to numerous homes, businesses, and one university. So far the National Weather Service (NWS) has confirmed nine tornadoes. NWS teams had more area to survey today so that number could rise.
We have two tornado "seasons" a year - times when the conditions are most suited for tornadic activity. These seasons are November-December and March-May. When I say that tornadoes are almost as common as cotton fields are in the South, I'm mean that very seriously. The NWS counted 55 tornadoes across the state in 2017. Some of you may remember that 2011 was a particularly active year for tornadoes in the South. In Alabama alone, there were 145 tornadoes statewide. The vast majority of those tornadoes occurred on April 27, 2011. There were 62 tornadoes across the state that day, resulting in more than 200 deaths. We do average less tornadoes a year than some of the states in the Midwest but our numbers are still impactful. Those tornadoes still claim business and homes - and lives.
Monday night a large chunk of the state was under what is known as a PDS (particularly dangerous situation. This means that forecasters predict severe weather will be particularly dangerous and possibly life-threatening. You can see how far reaching the PDS was. 
As it turns out, we had nothing to worry about and only had one brief thunderstorm. Other parts of the state weren't as fortunate.
The strongest tornado recorded so far (and likely the only tornado of that size and strength) was an EF3 that took a particularly destructive path through Jacksonville, Alabama. It destroyed plenty of houses, trees, and one church in its path. It also ran straight through the local university - destroying both on and off campus apartments, a number of academic buildings, and the coliseum. None of the buildings on campus were completely destroyed, but they received enough damage that extensive repair will be needed.
For two years, I lived in Jacksonville while I worked on my Masters degree. I have walked around that campus and been in many of those buildings. On Monday night, I watched the radar helplessly as the tornado rampaged across campus. It was an odd thing to hear the meteorologists call out streets and landmarks that were once familiar to me. We discussed what places might be in the path of the tornado and breathed prayers of thankfulness when we remembered that spring break for the university is this week
You only have to see the pictures of the aftermath to know that they were spared a much worse fate. Had more students been on and around campus, I think the potential for fatalities would have been much higher. Still, seeing the devastation is heartbreaking. Even though I was only a student for a short while and was largely focused on studying and not the experience, I really enjoyed my time there. The university as a whole holds a special place in my heart.
For now, there will be a lot of growing pains as they assess the damage and begin to rebuild. They will rebuild though, and when they do, I think they will come out stronger than before.
