The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
-Psalm 19:1

Do you know that God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash?
-Job 37:15



Thursday, February 26, 2009

Tornado powerful enough to rip the bark off a tree

SKY WATCH FRIDAY time! Please visit Klaus, Sandy, Ivar, Wren, Louise and Fishing Guy, the team for SKY WATCH FRIDAY (click the word to link and participate!) Thanks to Dot and Tom, who were instrumental in the success of this blogging event. You should definitely come fly with us!

Over the past week, I have been discussing the impact of the tornadoes that hit south Georgia on February 19th. Grady and Thomas counties saw a significant amount of damage, first with the long tracked tornado (16.5 mile path) that reached EF2 strength near Thomasville. That tornado lifted, and a second more powerful EF3 tornado dropped no more than 25 miles away from my home. This picture is of the tree on Salem Road in Boston, Georgia that caused the National Weather Service to elevate the rating of this tornado to an EF3, estimating winds at 140-145 mph.

You see, the winds in this tornado were so fast and powerful that they were able to rip the bark off of this tree. This same 300-400 yard tornado barely missed a home and caused significant damage to their out-buildings.

Link to Thomasville tornado damage report
Link to Boston tornado damage report
Link to slide show of damage
Link to Examiner articles
It was when my weather radio went off alerting me that something was coming that I checked the radar and saw the monstrous supercell tracking my way. That was when we took shelter in the "safe spot" in our hallway, sitting behind a mattress. This powerful and tornadic supercell tracked for over 4 hours from Alabama, into the Florida panhandle, and into Georgia, where it finally interacted with the moisture boundary and exploded into a powerfully destructive tornado. This was a frightening night for us, but not nearly as frightening as it was for those who actually were directly impacted by the tornado.

All that being said, the Storm Prediction Center has severe weather forecasted for the next 3 days, with Saturday being my big weather day, as well as most of Georgia. It starts in the central plains states today and works its way eastward in the coming days, placing me smack dab in the middle of an area of slight risk for severe weather on Saturday.Given the uncertainties in timing of Saturday's main event, the forecast is very powerfully worded.
MODELS ARE BEGINNING TO FAVOR POTENTIAL FOR AN OUTBREAK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...INCLUDING TORNADOES... SATURDAY INTO SATURDAY NIGHT OVER A LARGE PORTION OF THE SOUTHEAST...AND HAVE BEEFED UP (official weather terminology... lol) PROBABILITIES ACCORDINGLY.

EXPECT ONGOING STRONG/SEVERE ACTIVITY AT BEGINNING OF THE PERIOD. ACTIVITY WILL ALSO LIKELY INTENSIFY NEAR AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT INTO SRN GA/NRN FL AS BOUNDARY LAYER DESTABILIZES BY THE EARLY TO MID AFTERNOON. THREAT SHOULD MANIFEST ITSELF AS BOTH FAST MOVING BOW SEGMENTS AND ISOLATED TORNADIC SUPERCELLS.
A daytime outbreak in my neck of the woods, and I have CPR training and rain-checked Valentine's Day. Plus, my wonderful gtb severely sprained his ankle at work yesterday (I don't even want to get into our 5 hour ER visit...) How do you storm chase on crutches???!

The northern half of Georgia needs to keep an eye on Friday night, as the greatest threat there exists during the overnight hours...
GA FRI NIGHT/EARLY SAT: CYCLOGENESIS OCCURS OVER NRN LA. SUPPORT OVERNIGHT STRENGTHENING OF STORMS...AND POSSIBLE DEVELOPMENT OF ONE OR TWO CONVECTIVE CLUSTERS. THESE SYSTEMS SHOULD MOVE GENERALLY E...WITH EMBEDDED STORMS POSING A THREAT FOR SVR HAIL...WIND AND ISOLD TORNADOES.
I really hate night time events. Fortunately, you have a little time to run out and get that weather radio!
The Armor of God

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

~Ephesians 6:10-18

Have a lovely day!
~Dewdrop

28 comments:

  1. OMG! I can only imagine the sound of a tornado coming. And it could rip the bark off a tree without uprooting it?

    I think I'm the first one here (yay!).

    I'm posting my skywatch very soon.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That's almost too difficult an idea to get your head around - the wind ripping bark from a tree! Amazing photos!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey, Dew! Just wanted to let you know that I am officially a part of the Skywatch Friday community. I have my very first Skywatch post up on my blog and submitted to the Skywatch site.

    Great post again today, by the way. Keep it up!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very informative post. Tornadoes are such a terrifying event.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Awesome as always, dewdrop never disappoints!!!

    Have a great weekend!
    Guy
    Regina In Pictures

    ReplyDelete
  6. Mind blowing the devastation these
    Tornadoes cause.
    Thank you for your post and its content, very informative.
    Be safe.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Amazing and great shot and report.
    Just fantastic post.

    ReplyDelete
  8. poor tree, at least it is recovering... lovely warm sky here....

    Happy Friday!

    check out mine:
    SUPERNOVA and SWEETPAIN
    ANGELS IN MY LIFE

    ReplyDelete
  9. That tornado was mighty close being only a mere 25 miles away. I do hope this weekend isn't so exciting. (I wouldn't make a very goo storm chaser, would I?)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hey Dewd . . .
    thanks for checking in with me - life has been a bit nuts and I've been in a cave. Sorry for not responding, I am almost back. Your posts, as always, are thought provoking and educational. Carry on!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I've seen trees uprooted and split but something about a tree completely stripped is jolting. Not bark, not limbs or leaves. I would love to move somewhere where they don't have tornados. UGH.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Worst tornadic event in Raleigh that I can ever remember was an overnight one Thanksgiving weekend of 1988. Amazingly the death toll was "only" 4, when given the hour (around 2 AM) and the unexpected nature of the system (who expects tornadoes at Thanksgiving?) it could have been far, far worse. But the property damage was staggering. And no amount of warning can prevent that.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Had a previous team member chase with a cast on her leg..Can be done and is quite comical. ;-) Great post Dew..!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hey Dew, thanks for visiting my blog. That storm was really scary, that came through Thomasville. The tornado was only about 5 miles or so from my house, a little close to home for me. I used to live in Oklahoma, so I have seen the destruction that tornadoes spawn, but this was too close. My boys and I are very glad we were spared, we did a lot of praying that night for safety from the storm, and He kept us safe! Thank the Lord. Come visit my site again, I update as often as I can being a single mom of three growing, active boys.
    Thanks,
    Amy :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. That's really a beautiful shot. I love the angle.

    ReplyDelete
  16. This is something I really can't comprehend. A bit of gust knocks us for 6 here. Your blog is a revelation each week and a reminder we really can't mess with the natural elements.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I've seen them level entire towns in no time. The power is very scary. I never thought of getting a weather radio, but it's sounding like a good idea.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Nice shot. Tornado sure is scary.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Myself, I am not a great fanof tornados except watching their majasty on film. We had a little one we call a Willie Willie rip a shed to shreds and that was enough.
    Great shot of the stripped tree.
    Don't be fooled by a camera, my sunrise may look like tropical paradise, but in reality lights up a scene of dust and devastation. My gardens dessicated by scorching desert winds, 6 yrs. of drought and no water to water with for more than a year. It is a wonder that the oak still survives!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Wow! Never saw anything like that when I lived in Georgia! Thanks for the great photos!

    ReplyDelete
  21. I am glad we don`t have tornados in Norway.Happy Sky Watch.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I'm in North Florida, heard about this. So sorry! Great photos and information.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Really something! I enjoyed reading all about this tornado. Quite a force of nature!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Interesting shots both of them. In addition, that Georgia is as always beautiful.

    I am glad you and your family are safe. I hope the Saturday weather does not materialize.

    ReplyDelete
  25. WHOA! That's a cool photo, and very interesting, but glad I wasn't around for it!

    ReplyDelete
  26. I'm with the consensus, I'm glad I wasn't there to see the bark off that tree. Thanks for all the great info. Happy SWF!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Great post, I have seen tree's like this in our area after a tornado passing through - they are an amazing sight.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Thanks for all the visits and the supportive comments. My fascination with nature and severe weather including tornadoes, has thrust me into gaining as much knowledge as I can about these powerful storms. I love to share that knowledge. I never ever want to hear of harm to people or their livelihoods. It breaks my heart. Education and knowledge is the best guard against personal disaster, learning about your surroundings and how to protect your family is essential.

    Photo cache, I can't either. Those folks must have been terrified. A friend of mine sent me a link to the sound of a family hiding from the Parkersburg, IA EF5 tornado last year. There are some bad words, and it sounds completely terrifying. Check it out: link.

    Deborah, It is hard to conceive.

    Ken, Awesome! You will love it! Welcome aboard!

    YEGTG, We had another tornado warning... lol.

    Deirdre, So glad you're ok. Take your time getting back into the swing of things.

    Kathy, I dedicated a whole post to that concept in your honor and much to your dismay, I am sure.

    Mojo, Gosh, I HATE night storms!You would not expect a tornado at Thanksgiving, but it is part of a secondary season... Lake City, FL had a Christmas tornado a few years back.

    Amy, Thanks for posting your story.

    Wren, I hope you will! It's a very good idea.

    Arija, Amazing how deceiving a snapshot can be.

    Mckay K, It did.

    Babooshka, Guy D, imac, everyone, Thanks so much!

    I appreciate your comments!

    ReplyDelete

Dew comment, please...