2011 Lake Martin Tornado Satellite Timelapse

Google released a new maps tool called Timelapse. This tool allows one to cover over 3 decades of change anywhere on earth. Naturally, I focused on areas I know. Lake Martin suffered from a strong tornado that touched down on April 27, 2011. The path was over 50 miles long and the tornado reached a max strength of EF-4 with estimated wind speed in excess of 170mph.

The tornado was so strong its path of destruction is clearly visible in the the timelapse I have included below. Seeing the path show up in satellite imagery brought a new understanding of just how powerful tornadoes can be, and also how long they take to recover from.

In the embedded data below, notice the pathway that immediately appears at the 2011 mark.