Tornadic storm damage in Atlanta 3/14

[Cheiron]

When I lived in the midwest... we just did nothing. There was no need. If it hit it hit =p

Sure we did the standard training in classrooms of going under the desks. At first it was open the windows, then they later learned it was better to keep them closed. Almost everybody had a plan at home for where the best place was to be.

The crazy people are those in Oklahoma. They probably start getting worried when there isn't a tornado =p

 

[Magius]

I just have one question: How do guys in the Midwest and the South deal with the constant tornadic activities? Last year, an F-1 hit Brooklyn about three miles from me (My Sister-in-Law saw it touch down behind her home!) And we were all running around like chickens without heads ("This Ain't Kansas!" screamed the NY Post the day after.) How do you guys deal with the constant touchdowns year after year without going insane? Or, moving to a less volatile area?

Peace,
Ray C.

How do you deal with Blizzards year after year? A tornado has to actually hit you to do severe damage, which is about a 1 in a billion chance. Blizzards cover entire states and regions.
How do Californian's live with earthquakes, muslides, wildfires, El Nino? How do Floridians and the Gulf Coast live with Hurricanes? Where are you going to hide from Mother nature?

 

[lady_space]

Hmmm. I live in Gwinnett and we had storms all day up until 5 pm. As I stated earlier we got pounded by a large hail storm at about 2:30. I'm so looking forward to calling my insurance company tomorrow.

Well, in Lilburn hardly a drop fell. We were surprised, watching the Weather Channel, but we kept waiting for a storm that apparently blew right by. *shrug* I think it sprinkled while we were taking showers, but if so it was over by the time I was back downstairs, and I shower pretty quick.

 

[Wishmaster]

Well, in Lilburn hardly a drop fell. We were surprised, watching the Weather Channel, but we kept waiting for a storm that apparently blew right by. *shrug* I think it sprinkled while we were taking showers, but if so it was over by the time I was back downstairs, and I shower pretty quick.

It's kinda amazing how many places never saw a drop while the rest got pounded. Our Realtor/Photographer told us today that he shot a wedding in Buckhead, and it was sunny and breezy all day long.

--Mike

 

[Pellaz]

Yep, it seemed like the storms were 'training,' where they tend to follow similar courses as previous storms...which results in some places getting pounded a few times and other places not seeing much action.

"Getting hit by a tornado" -- and a 'one in a billion chance' of it happening -- is a tricky scenario to define. How close do you have to be to call it "getting hit"? Do you count severe thunderstorms "that are capable of producing a tornado" and for which a tornado warning was issued?

I moved to Georgia in 1978 and have been in three tornados....four, if you count being fairly close to the dreaded Dunwoody twister of a few years ago. The odds may be considerably better than one in a billion.

Still, I'll take Atlanta's weather problems over most places'. We don't get mudslides, we don't get raging wildfires, we don't get earthquakes (or at least, not big ones), we don't get river floods, we don't get "real" blizzards, we very seldom get hurricanes or tropical storms and when we get them, the intensity has been diminished. Considering the size of the state, Georgia doesn't get all that many tornados, and very few really powerful F4's and F5's. The worst weather we have to deal with is severe thunderstorms and the occasional ice-storm.....and most places in the contiguous U.S. are subject to both.

 

[Magius]

Yep, it seemed like the storms were 'training,' where they tend to follow similar courses as previous storms...which results in some places getting pounded a few times and other places not seeing much action.

"Getting hit by a tornado" -- and a 'one in a billion chance' of it happening -- is a tricky scenario to define. How close do you have to be to call it "getting hit"? Do you count severe thunderstorms "that are capable of producing a tornado" and for which a tornado warning was issued?

I moved to Georgia in 1978 and have been in three tornados....four, if you count being fairly close to the dreaded Dunwoody twister of a few years ago. The odds may be considerably better than one in a billion.

Still, I'll take Atlanta's weather problems over most places'. We don't get mudslides, we don't get raging wildfires, we don't get earthquakes (or at least, not big ones), we don't get river floods, we don't get "real" blizzards, we very seldom get hurricanes or tropical storms and when we get them, the intensity has been diminished. Considering the size of the state, Georgia doesn't get all that many tornados, and very few really powerful F4's and F5's. The worst weather we have to deal with is severe thunderstorms and the occasional ice-storm.....and most places in the contiguous U.S. are subject to both.

No. I don't count sever thunderstorms as being hit by a tornado, regardless of potential tornadic formation. Potential doesn't mean much if it doesn't actually funnel. Shearing winds or even plain old thunderstorms can potentially do a lot of damage in their own right, but they're not a tornado. Every year people will swear they were in tornados because of the violent wind, while the Weather Service denies there was ever a true formation. That kind of weather is plentiful this time of year, but it's either a tornado or not.

To be "hit" by a tornado I'd say the tornado itself or it's direct debris has to be close enough to cause damage. A touchdown a quater mile or even a couple of hundred yards away away is a close call, but it's not a hit.

 

[J-Dubya 777]

I live in a mini tornado alley in Wisconsin. Seems like we get a good one every couple of years withing 50 miles of here, sometimes, they come in JANUARY! That multi funnel system early this year developed lterally over my town, and blasted a couple towns, and a subdivision 10 minutes from here.
The worst I've seen is strong winds & large hail. Lost part of a tree, my shed, and had golfball sized hail in my 11 sprins/summers here. Northern WI got hammered hard with Tornados last year, leveling a wide chunk of pine forest so bad, it looked like it was clear cut. I pay close attention to bad weather in the spring/summer around here. When the sirens wail, it's basement time! Although, we have nothing on the plains states!

 

[Wandrail]

It was beautiful and sunshiny where I was in Gwinnett pretty much all day yesterday... go figure!

But we are all now "tornado survivors" apparently. Love the hysteria the media create/give in to.

This is true...the weather was rather bad, especially seeing as what they say was a tornado, or very severe winds hit such a densely populated area, but honestly this shit happens two times a week in spring in a lot of places (including back where I'm from in Kentucky). I laughed a bit watching the news coverage on Saturday as the news casters and weathermen obviously fed into people's fears about this stuff. It is better to be safe than sorry, though. The silliest thing I kept hearing is that if you live in a trailer, get out of it and go find a ditch to lay in.

Not that you want to be in the trailer when the tornado comes around, but a ditch? Really? Its kind of a nice way of saying bend over and kiss your arse goodbye.

 

[Rick Pierpont]

Wow! I'm glad to hear that everyone was OK down there! Ihad no idea about any of this until earlier today. Saturday was beautiful here and I was on a 10 mile hike with my son and the scouts. It is very rare that we get tornadoes around here, but the northern part of York county is a bit more well-known for having tornadoes.

We get our fair share of severe thunderstorms as well as snow and ice storms (although its been a light snow year for us). We get both extremes here. 100+ degrees in summer with high humidity and single digits with sub-zero windchills aren't out of the question during winter and I've seen 3 feet of snow from a single storm (I know that's nothing compared to the far north and mid-west though). We have gotten remnants of tropical storms but most of the time no damage. Isabelle back in 2003 was probably the worst we've seen around here in years. I'd still rather live further south where it is warmer. Getting tired of the ice/snow and cold weather.

BTW, JaimeK... when did you move to NC? I thought you were still in Baltimore!

Again, I'm glad to hear that everyone here is OK. Man Hoyt, that's WAY too close for comfort! Glad that it all missed you!

 

[EclipsedBySanity]

We got pelted with quarter to golf ball sized hail right before we started loading up our equipment to go to Sweetwater for our show with Halcyon Way. It was over in 5 minutes and then we were good to go for the rest of the evening.

 

[Pellaz]

No. I don't count sever thunderstorms as being hit by a tornado, regardless of potential tornadic formation. Potential doesn't mean much if it doesn't actually funnel. Shearing winds or even plain old thunderstorms can potentially do a lot of damage in their own right, but they're not a tornado. Every year people will swear they were in tornados because of the violent wind, while the Weather Service denies there was ever a true formation. That kind of weather is plentiful this time of year, but it's either a tornado or not.

Exactly. I've seen some widespread damage from severe thunderstorms, and they can certainly kill (often with lightning, which is overlooked too often as a danger), but...if it doesn't sound like a freight train, it ain't a twister, Dorothy.......

To be "hit" by a tornado I'd say the tornado itself or it's direct debris has to be close enough to cause damage. A touchdown a quater mile or even a couple of hundred yards away away is a close call, but it's not a hit.

I'll be a bit more magnanimous.

According to the Book of Paul (Ursa Minor: Megadodo Publications, GY 7452), you are automagically ruled to have been "in" or "hit by" a tornado if:

• You can clearly see the funnel touching the ground and are within a half-mile of the funnel or within 100 yards of the closest extent of the funnel's debris field, or
• You can hear the unmistakeable freight-train rumble of the cyclone, or
• The structure you are in takes appreciable damage and the storm is ruled by the National Weather Service as a tornado.

We got pelted with quarter to golf ball sized hail right before we started loading up our equipment to go to Sweetwater for our show with Halcyon Way. It was over in 5 minutes and then we were good to go for the rest of the evening.

Golfball-sized hail is pretty serious shit. Considering that an inch of ice probably melted off during its final fall to the ground, that's an amazing number of repeated updrafts required to turn a small frozen raindrop into a heavy hailstone.

Let alone baseball-sized hailstones, some of which were reaching the ground in some Georgia locales this past weekend.
New-car deals for everyone! Might be slightly hail-damaged......

 

[Stingray11214]

How do you deal with Blizzards year after year? A tornado has to actually hit you to do severe damage, which is about a 1 in a billion chance. Blizzards cover entire states and regions.
How do Californian's live with earthquakes, muslides, wildfires, El Nino? How do Floridians and the Gulf Coast live with Hurricanes? Where are you going to hide from Mother nature?

Well, at least I do not have to worry about being homeless or worse when a blizzard hits. I let the SanMen salt and clean the streets before and after the storm hits. Unless you are in a car, there is nothing like the sight of a city that is covered by a foot or so of snow at night. Very eerie, quiet, and still in its beauty in a postcard-like sort of way.

I cannot say that for a twister. One nailed my parents town in Upstate NY 8 years ago. An F-1 yanked a full pool from my parents backyard and threw it onto the restaurant roof 1/4 mile away. Incredibly, the pool remained full when it slid onto the roof. While watching the news alone at my parents home in 1992, an F-1 danced a jig in the fields behind our home. Incredibly, I had power and phone service the whole time. Cannot say the same for the family behind my house. Now, this is nothing compared to what you guys got, but twisters are a rare event in these parts. Not afraid of a blizzard. Scared s***less when a twister hits.

Peace,
Ray C.

 

[jaimek]

BTW, JaimeK... when did you move to NC? I thought you were still in Baltimore!

I've been here for six weeks now - I posted about it on a couple of occasions. The crime was getting out of hand where I was, and I couldn't afford to move where it was safer, so I followed my family south after my lease was up.

 

[Rider of Theli]

a local photographer took these moving pics of the damage in Cabbage Town (downtown Atlanta).

 

[Rick Pierpont]

I've been here for six weeks now - I posted about it on a couple of occasions. The crime was getting out of hand where I was, and I couldn't afford to move where it was safer, so I followed my family south after my lease was up.

Wow! I had no idea! I obviously missed those posts.

As per the crime, I believe you! I can't belive that I grew up in that area and used to walk those streets going to elementary school. I spent the night at the house I grew up in a couple of years ago (before my Mom sold it and moved to Ellicott City) and I heard gunshots and all. I NEVER spent the night there again and was never so happy as when we were done with that house and it was sold. Its hard to belive how different life is where I live just 45 minutes north of that mess.

Very cool! I likely retire either in the South (most likely) or northern CA (which I love too but its sooo damn expensive).

 

[Rick Pierpont]

a local photographer took these moving pics of the damage in Cabbage Town (downtown Atlanta).

Wow! That's pretty crazy stuff!

 

[Pellaz]

Several friends-of-friends of mine had their houses in Cabbagetown damaged by the storm.

 

[Wandrail]

I've been here for six weeks now - I posted about it on a couple of occasions. The crime was getting out of hand where I was, and I couldn't afford to move where it was safer, so I followed my family south after my lease was up.

Wilmington is a pretty neat little town. Some great restaurants on the waterfront there and neat historic buildings all over.

The damage that was shown in cabbagetown is pretty bad. Alot of those buildings are old and probably were not sound enough to withstand that wind. I know of some folks living in the Milltown Lofts there that had their stuff all messed up, too. Hopefully Six Feet Under is okay, I love that place. Selfish, I know...

 

[Wishmaster]

Here's a cool photo of the tornado.

If I have my bearings right, it looks like it was taken from near the Cabbagetown area, just before it got hit.

--Mike

 

[J-Dubya 777]

Damn! Awe inspiring & downright scary all rolled into one...
(and I thought those Ivan remnants were bad!)