Severe weather outbreak? February 18 - Southeast

[Dave]

All tornado warnings have either expired or been cancelled. Muliple severe thunderstorm warnings are still in place however.

That's it for me...done.

[Texas Snowman]

Wow, I don't think I've ever seen so many Tornado Warnings issued...without a single report of an actual touchdown or a funnel cloud being spotted by ground observers.

Sure hope that trend continues tonight - no actual tornadoes.

[Brent]

Looks to be mostly evolving into squall lines. Getting it finally here, but nothing bad. Lots of lightning but nothing severe.

[Squarethecircle]

I cannot believe that not a single one of those brilliant looking cells dropped a tornado. I'm sure that quite a few will be found in terms of damage tomorrow.

[CrazyC83]

Yeah I think we will get a bunch of late reports of tornadoes. In the Southeast, the trees, hills and HP supercells tend to really hide tornadoes.

[AirNik]

Getting a good thunderstorm right now, nothing severe though. Probably all I am getting from this little event.

[JonathanBelles]

Code: Select all

545       6 S CAIRO    GRADY    GA   3079    8421   CONFIRMED TORNADO WITH MANY TREES DOWN 6 MILES TO THE SOUTH OF CAIRO. SEMI-TRAILER TRUCK OVERTURNED. (TAE)
0545      6 S CAIRO    GENEVA    AL   3119   8571   CONFIRMED TORNADO WITH MANY TREES DOWN 6 MILES TO THE SOUTH OF CAIRO. (TAE)
0605      1 S THOMASVILLE    THOMAS    GA   3082   8398   WDIESPREAD TREES AND POWER LINES FELLED BY CONFIRMED TORNADO AT THE INTERSTION OF 319 AND PINE TREE ROAD. (TAE)

[Texas Snowman]

While the news report didn't say that it was due to a tornado, I did see that there was apparently one storm related fatality in Georgia and a few injuries.

[CrazyC83]

It was a possible tornado. The activity picked up overnight, which was surprising.

[Brent]

WOW, storm chaser gets caught in the hail core of a supercell that later passed over Selma and Montgomery, best part is around 4 1/2 minutes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tBOZ1y5 ... amawx.com/

[Brent]

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
418 PM EST THU FEB 19 2009

...PRELIMINARY TORNADO REPORTS FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA...

TAYLOR COUNTY...THE TORNADO BEGAN NEAR TOMMY PRUVIS ROAD AND SB
EUBANKS DRIVE AT 545 PM. THE INTERMITTENT TOUCHDOWNS WAS 3 TO 4
MILES LONG AND 50 TO 100 FEET WIDE. SEVERAL TREES BLOWN DOWN...A
MOBILE HOME DAMAGED AND ONE BLOWN OFF ITS FOUNDATION. IT WAS RATED
AS AN EF0 WITH WIND AROUND 70 MPH.

JASPER COUNTY...THE TORNADO TOUCHDOWN WAS AT 800 PM...
APPROXIMATELY 7 MILES IN LENGTH...STARTING 9 MILES WNW OF
SHADY DALE TO 2 WNW OF SHADY DALE...LIFTING ABOUT 810 PM. IT WAS
RATED A WEAK EF1 WITH WIND ESTIMATED AT 100MPH. MINOR DAMAGE WAS
REPORTED TO FIVE HOMES AND MAJOR DAMAGE TO A SMALL COTTAGE.

COWETA COUNTY...THE TORNADO TOUCHDOWN AT 923 BRADBERRY
ROAD...APPROXIMATELY THREE MILES WEST OF HIGHWAY 27. THE STORM
CONTINUED TO THE EAST-NORTHEAST ABOUT SEVEN MILES ACROSS SOUTHERN
COWETA COUNTY...AND 1 MILE WIDE AT THE WIDEST POINT. THE TIME OF
THE TOUCHDOWN WAS 830 PM... AND RATED AS AN EF2. AT LEAST A DOZEN
HOMES DAMAGED ..SOME SUBSTANTIAL.

PUTNAM COUNTY...THE STARTING POINT WAS 7 WSW OF EATONTON AROUND
715 PM AND EXTENDED ABOUT 7 MILES IN LENGTH AND ONE QUARTER MILE
WIDE. THE EF2 TORNADO UPROOTED NUMEROUS TREES...DOWNED POWER LINES
CLOSED U.S. HIGHWAY 129...AND AT LEAST ONE PERSON INJURED FROM
DEBRIS AS THE STORM WENT FROM WILLARD TO EASTONTON AND BRIEFLY
TRAPPING OTHERS IN THE HOME OR CAR. A RESTAURANT COMPLETELY
DESTROYED...AND SEVERAL HOMES SUSTAINED MODERATE TO MAJOR DAMAGE.

WILKES COUNTY...THE STORM REACHED THE WESTERN PART OF THE
COMMUNITY OF TYRONE...NEAR HIGHWAY 44 AT 710 PM AND EXTENDED FOR
16 MILES IN LENGTH AND ONE HALF MILE WIDE. THE STORM WAS RATED AN
EF4 WITH DEBRIS FROM THE DEMOLISHED HOME BEING CARRIED AT LEAST
ONE HALF MILE. THERE WERE FIVE OTHER BUILDINGS RECEIVING MINOR TO
MODERATE DAMAGE...AND A CHICKEN HOUSE WAS DESTROYED AS WELL.

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
300 PM CST THU FEB 19 2009

...SEVERE WEATHER EVENT ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA...

...SURVEY TEAMS HAVE EXHAUSTED THEIR EFFORTS FOR THE DAY. RESULTS
WILL BE EVALUATED AND A REVIEW WILL BE CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE IF
ADDITIONAL SURVEYS ARE NEEDED TOMORROW.

ON WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 18, 2009 NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS IMPACTED
CENTRAL ALABAMA WITH SOME SUPERCELLS TRAVERSING THE ENTIRE WIDTH OF
THE STATE.

IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED THAT AN EF1 TORNADO IMPACTED A RURAL AREA OF
RANDOLPH COUNTY NEAR THE GEORGIA STATE LINE. NON TORNADIC STRAIGHT
LINE WINDS PRODUCED DAMAGE IN DALLAS COUNTY ON THE EAST SIDE OF
SELMA. IN PERRY...SUMTER...GREENE AND HALE COUNTIES...SPORADIC
DAMAGE WAS FOUND INCLUDING A SEVERELY DAMAGED BARN IN PERRY AND A
TIN ROOF PEELED OFF BELMONT CHURCH IN SUMTER COUNTY BUT SURVEY CREWS
DETERMINED THAT THIS DAMAGE WAS NOT THE RESULT OF A TORNADO.
LIKEWISE...DAMAGE IN CALHOUN AND CLEBURNE WAS ATTRIBUTED TO
NON-TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM WIND.

...RANDOLPH COUNTY TORNADO...

EVENT DATE: FEBRUARY 18, 2009
EVENT TYPE: EF-1 TORNADO
ESTIMATED PEAK WINDS (MPH): 90 MPH
INJURIES/FATALITIES: NONE
EVENT START LOCATION & TIME: N 33.23424 6:50 PM
W 85.27192
EVENT END LOCATION & TIME: N 33.23494 6:51 PM
W 85.25682
OR 1/4 MILE WEST OF COUNTY ROAD 296 IN RURAL EASTERN RANDOLPH COUNTY.

DAMAGE PATH LENGTH (IN MILES): 1 MILE
DAMAGE WIDTH (IN YARDS): 500
WARNINGS: A TORNADO WARNING WAS IN EFFECT FROM 6:41 PM UNTIL 700 PM
WATCHES: TORNADO WATCH #24 WAS IN EFFECT FROM 12:43 PM UNTIL 8 PM

SEVERAL HUNDRED TREES WERE SNAPPED OFF AND TWISTED IN REMOTE AREAS
NORTH OF ROCK MILLS NEAR THE GEORGIA STATE LINE. MOSTLY SOFTWOOD
TREES WERE AFFECTED. TORNADIC WIND WERE ESTIMATED AT 90 MPH. THE PATH
LENGTH WAS APPROXIMATELY 1 MILE LONG AND WAS 500 YARDS WIDE AT ITS
WIDEST POINT. THE MOST CONCENTRATED DAMAGE WAS ALONG COUNTY ROAD 296.
THE TORNADO WAS ON THE GROUND FOR AROUND 1 MINUTE.

...DALLAS COUNTY THUNDERSTORM WIND DAMAGE...

EVENT DATE: FEBRUARY 18, 2009
EVENT TYPE: THUNDERSTORM WIND DAMAGE
ESTIMATED PEAK WINDS (MPH): 60-70 MPH
INJURIES/FATALITIES: NONE
EVENT LOCATION & TIME: 3 MILES EAST OF SELMA ALONG HIGHLAND AVE. AND
HWY 140 AT 5:19 PM.
WARNINGS: A TORNADO WARNING WAS IN EFFECT FROM 4:52 PM UNTIL
5:30 PM
WATCHES: TORNADO WATCH #24 WAS IN EFFECT FROM 12:43 PM UNTIL 8
PM

A CHURCH WAS DESTROYED AND A FEW MOBILE HOMES WERE DAMAGED ON AL HWY
140. TREES AND POWER LINES WERE BLOWN DOWN ALONG HIGHLAND AVE.

$$

12/SIRMON

[CrazyC83]

Now that I did not expect. But all it takes is one flattened house to get such a high rating...

[Squarethecircle]

Looks like Georgia got some bad ones during that outbreak.

[CrazyC83]

The killer tornado was an EF3.

[CrazyC83]

An oops moment by NWS Peachtree City, as their initial estimate for the Tyrone tornado had winds of 208 mph (which would make it an EF5), but corrected to 166 mph (the bottom boundary of that rating and I'm guessing they hesitated before deciding on EF4 - I'd call on a QRT if I were them, since a cinder block house being flattened does not sound like EF4 damage to me).

Personally, I would downgrade that tornado to EF3, but we'll see what happens.

http://www.weather.gov/view/validProds. ... &node=KFFC

[CrazyC83]

Update: the EF4 was downgraded to EF3. IMO that was the right decision, simply because of the words "cinder block" suggest a weaker structure.

TORNADO NO: 4 - WILKES COUNTY:
0710 PM EST/EF3/LENGTH:16 MILES/WIDTH:0.5 MILE/MAX WINDS:160 MPH
BEGAN IN THE TYRONE COMMUNITY IN FAR SOUTHWEST WILKES COUNTY
AND TRACKED ACROSS THE FAR SOUTHERN PART OF THE COUNTY AND CONTINUED
INTO LINCOLN COUNTY. A CINDER BLOCK HOME WAS COMPLETELY DEMOLISHED
AND THE CINDER BLOCK DEBRIS WAS BLOWN 1/2 MILE DOWNSTREAM. FIFTEEN
OTHER HOMES SUSTAINED MODERATE TO MAJOR DAMAGE. NINETEEN
OUTBUILDINGS DESTROYED. A COMMERCIAL CHICKEN HOUSE WAS DESTROYED...A
STEEPLE WAS BLOWN OFF A CHURCH...AND A 2-TON TRUCK WAS MOVED 60 FEET.