After visiting storm-damaged areas of Cullman County Saturday, representatives with the National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed that the storm that destroyed a residence, snapped power lines and ripped the tops off trees Friday was indeed a tornado.

Cullman County Emergency Management Agency director Phyllis Little said the NWS determined Friday’s early evening storm to be an EF2 tornado with maximum wind speeds of 130 miles per hour.

The twister destroyed a mobile home on County Road 1091, sending its three occupants — LaShane Haynes and her two children — to the hospital, where they were released early Saturday morning. The Red Cross and local churches are assisting the displaced family.

The tornado also snapped power poles along County Roads 1091, 1114, and 1107 in the vicinity of the destroyed mobile home before tracking in a relatively straight line to the east, where it also damaged property in the Blair community near County Roads 1087 and 1055.

The weather service said the tornado cut a path between five and six miles long through northwestern Cullman County.

With more isolated storm cells approaching from the northwest Saturday evening, Cullman County remained under a tornado watch through 10 p.m.