Here’s an update on your world for Tuesday afternoon, January 24…

Five twisters, so far. The National Westher Service’s storm survey teams have identified five different tornadoes from Monday morning’s outbreak. Among them is one which went for 13 miles through the northwest part of Jefferson County through Oak Grove, killing an elderly man. That tornado’s path was a half mile wide at one point. The NWS has not yet determined if this tornado was the same one which also hot Center Point and Clay, skipping over much of the Gardendle/Fultondale area. That may be determined to be a different tornado. The Oak Grove tornado was rated an EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, while the damage in Clay was rated EF-3.

Not completely unscathed. Speaking of damage, it turns out Fultondale got a little more than first thought. Some houses in neighborhoods near Fultondale Elementary School — most of them also damaged in the April 27, 2011 tornado — also were hit Monday. There was also damage to the school’s football field, such as signs and outbuildings. Some of those had just been replaced after the April storm. We’re investigating those reports further.

Ginrich moves ahead. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has surged ahead in pre-election polling for the Florida GOP presidential primary next Tuesday. The RealClearPolitics.com average of major polls shows Gingrich pulled ahead of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney by 7.7 percent. In the closely-watched Rasmussen Reports poll, Gingrich is now 9 percentage points ahead of Romney in Florida, a big swing from a poll taken 11 days prior which had Romney up by 22 points. That swing came after Gingrich’s victory last Saturday in the South Carolina primary.

Park it, mayor. With Mayor Craig Harris absent, the Kimberly City Council voted to stop allowing his use of a city-owned car, unless he has their permission. In last night’s meeting, the council waved through three ordinances on first reading, including one which requires Harris to hand over the keys. The other ordinances provide for a council member to be allowed to let police know that city property is being used improperly (previously, only the mayor could do so), and also add another council member to the list of people allowed to sign checks and enter contracts on behalf of the city, in addition to Harris, City Clerk Sandy Waid and Councilman Bobb Ellerbrock. Councilman Brian Pharris was chosen for both those new tasks.

Sports: County middle school tourney postponed. The Jefferson County Middle School Basketball Tournament, scheduled for this week at Bragg Middle School, has been postponed until next week because some schools involved have not reopened yet after Tuesday’s tornadoes. The Rockets won the regular-season standings with a 15-1 record, after knocking off Erwin 73-63 in overtime Thursday…. Public visitation for former Penn State coach Joe Paterno began this afternoon and continues through Wednesday, when Paterno’s body will be laid to rest after a private funeral. A memorial service will be held Thursday in the Nittany Liions’ basketball arena. The memorial service will be shown on the Big 10 Network and streamed on Penn State’s web site.

Weather: Rain returns. Clouds move back into the region tonight and tomorrow, followed by showers and some storms on Thursday. Te severe weather predicted earlier for Thursday is now off the board, as the necessary ingredients that came together Monday morning simply aren;t there. Highs in the low 70s, with tonight’s low in the mid 40s and Wednesday night near 60. Cooloer temps return this weekend.