Bryan Wood Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Reports from Henryville IN saying that damage was done by twin tornadoes I talked with some folks there about that. They said that the first was a tornado, the second cell dropped golf ball to baseball sized hail as everyone was getting out of their homes. I was on these cells and the second one seemed to be outflow dominant with very gusty winds in the 50-60 MPH range. The 2nd cell was HP in nature, so it would've been hard to see any tornado. Any houses left standing after the tornado had some serious hail damage. I purposely put myself about 3 miles south of the first cell because the couplet was so incredible that I didn't want to get anywhere close to the Tornado/RFD/Gust Front. The RFD cut was amazing and so was that gust front/pseudo-cold front. It was obvious that the tornado wasn't lifting. I called 911, but it took a awhile to get through, I imagine I was one of many calling it in. Afterwards, I found a hill to shoot pictures of the 2nd cell (which was more of a HP than a classic from my vantage point) as it moved in, but the gust front was moving fast and I had to flee south on my safety valve, US 31. I did get hit with quarter sized hail, but much smaller than the hail in Henryville. It was around this time I lost my cell signal and Radarscope could no longer update. I noticed behind the second cell there was a small line of storms with hail signatures from the radar image 15 mins prior. To get away from this hail, I had to go north on US 31 and get north of Henryville. However, when I got to US 31 and IN 160, all roads were blocked. I waited out the line, which dropped very heavy rain and pea to penny size hail. So Henryville got hit by a tornado, followed by destructive hail, followed by flash flooding in some areas. What struck me as amazing was how calm people were. The rescuers were urgently cutting trees to get to the east side of town on IN-160, but reports of "Chaos" are nothing but media hype. The rescuers/police/fire did an amazing job...their urgent but calm and professional manner was so impressive to me. Media from Louisville arrived a few minutes after I had tried to escape north of town. I decided to hang around and talk to people and take pictures. I didn't feel awkward about taking damage pictures because I was in an area that had already been cleared by rescuers and the people there were fine with it. One lady even asked me to send her my pictures so she could scrapbook them! A lot of them were asking me if I had heard about the kids in the high school. Many people were asking me to contact loved ones, but cell signal was down. We were able to text some people, but that too went down after a while. These people couldn't have been nicer. That makes what I saw even more painful. I was glad I was there to give them someone to talk to and a shoulder to cry on. I hope I never see anything like that again...it was incredibly sad. Pictures of the 1st cell and damage are here: http://bryanwx.smugm...60629&k=97DDWTX Sorry about the watermarks, but I don't want people taking my pictures and then sending them to TV stations during a future outbreak. That seems to be happening a lot lately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrFusion70 Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 He is also saying that his assessment on width is looking like 1 to 1 1/2 miles wide and possible up to 3 tornadoes now....survivors reporting being hit twice and other reports of seeing 3 in close proximity...nothing confirmed at this point! Henryville tornado of course Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrFusion70 Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 I talked with some folks there about that. They said that the first was a tornado, the second cell dropped golf ball to baseball sized hail as everyone was getting out of their homes. I was on these cells and the second one seemed to be outflow dominant with very gusty winds in the 50-60 MPH range. The 2nd cell was HP in nature, so it would've been hard to see any tornado. Any houses left standing after the tornado had some serious hail damage. I purposely put myself about 3 miles south of the first cell because the couplet was so incredible that I didn't want to get anywhere close to the Tornado/RFD/Gust Front. The RFD cut was amazing and so was that gust front/pseudo-cold front. It was obvious that the tornado wasn't lifting. I called 911, but it took a awhile to get through, I imagine I was one of many calling it in. Afterwards, I found a hill to shoot pictures of the 2nd cell (which was more of a HP than a classic from my vantage point) as it moved in, but the gust front was moving fast and I had to flee south on my safety valve, US 31. I did get hit with quarter sized hail, but much smaller than the hail in Henryville. It was around this time I lost my cell signal and Radarscope could no longer update. I noticed behind the second cell there was a small line of storms with hail signatures from the radar image 15 mins prior. To get away from this hail, I had to go north on US 31 and get north of Henryville. However, when I got to US 31 and IN 160, all roads were blocked. I waited out the line, which dropped very heavy rain and pea to penny size hail. So Henryville got hit by a tornado, followed by destructive hail, followed by flash flooding in some areas. What struck me as amazing was how calm people were. The rescuers were urgently cutting trees to get to the east side of town on IN-160, but reports of "Chaos" are nothing but media hype. The rescuers/police/fire did an amazing job...their urgent but calm and professional manner was so impressive to me. Media from Louisville arrived a few minutes after I had tried to escape north of town. I decided to hang around and talk to people and take pictures. I didn't feel awkward about taking damage pictures because I was in an area that had already been cleared by rescuers and the people there were fine with it. One lady even asked me to send her my pictures so she could scrapbook them! A lot of them were asking me if I had heard about the kids in the high school. Many people were asking me to contact loved ones, but cell signal was down. We were able to text some people, but that too went down after a while. These people couldn't have been nicer. That makes what I saw even more painful. I was glad I was there to give them someone to talk to and a shoulder to cry on. I hope I never see anything like that again...it was incredibly sad. Pictures of the 1st cell and damage are here: http://bryanwx.smugm...60629&k=97DDWTX Sorry about the watermarks, but I don't want people taking my pictures and then sending them to TV stations during a future outbreak. That seems to be happening a lot lately. Thanks for the information, will you be returning to the area, probably can't even get close but just wondering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Wood Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Thanks for the information, will you be returning to the area, probably can't even get close but just wondering. I may return in a few weeks, I'm going to wait until all the rescues are done and utility companies do their work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastalWx Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Jim Cantorie said this to talk to him about it That's fine, but let the experts do the surveying. EF5s are rare, so I wouldn't throw that number around too much. No doubt it was a very strong tornado. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juliancolton Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Tough to say EF5, even we you see houses splintered apart. The houses may not have been the sturdiest, but no doubt it wasn't only EF1. I haven't really seen any signatory concrete slabs or ground scalping that would indicate EF5, but it's early. I saw this cool picture of the tornado, which definitely has a multi-vortex look, at least toward the base. I'm not really sure whether or not that bodes well or poorly for intensity, but the funnel definitely went through several stages throughout its life, and I saw pictures of it when it was a single, well-defined elephant trunk-type tornado. I do think at some point it had EF5 winds, but I doubt surveys will turn up the kind of evidence needed for that classification. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Wood Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 I was there and nothing screamed EF-5 to me. No evidence of ground scouring, the houses that were "gone" that I saw still had small pieces attached to the foundations. It's most definitely a strong EF-3 at a minimum. Some of the homes seemed like they weren't the sturdiest in nature and were very old. I only was in the main part of town...East of town could be even worse, so who knows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavarreDon Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Now that things have settled down a bit. As others have said......Great job of svr wx coverage in this thread! I am up in N Ohio (Akron) as my Wife's father is not well. Getting to follow what was going on down south was amazing. My in laws thought I was a little silly until they looked at some posts in the thread. Needless to say the board will have a few new followers. Again A+ in reporting & educating. Thanks All! AD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavarreDon Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Any Comments on the storm heading toward Valdosta, GA? Tornado Warning TORNADO WARNING FLC039-GAC087-131-275-031615- /O.NEW.KTAE.TO.W.0025.120303T1543Z-120303T1615Z/ BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL 1043 AM EST SAT MAR 3 2012 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TALLAHASSEE HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... EXTREME NORTHEASTERN GADSDEN COUNTY IN FLORIDA... WEST CENTRAL THOMAS COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA... SOUTHEASTERN DECATUR COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST GEORGIA... SOUTHERN GRADY COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST GEORGIA... * UNTIL 1115 AM EST * AT 1039 AM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A DEVELOPING TORNADO 16 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CAIRO...OR NEAR DARSEY... MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. * OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO NICKLEVILLE...RENO...PRINCES STILL...GRADY CO A/P AND PINE PARK. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... TAKE COVER NOW! LEAVE MOBILE HOMES AND VEHICLES FOR SAFER STRUCTURES. MOVE TO A HALLWAY OR CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND OUTSIDE WALLS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fyredog28 Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Damage from the Charlotte area. http://www.wsoctv.com/gallery/news/local/slideshow-storm-damage-east-meck-co/gdzB/#1333016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QVectorman Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Pic from Huntsville Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeauDodson Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Wow those are incredible photos - amazing structure on those tornadoes. Reminds me of the April event from last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharonA Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Any Comments on the storm heading toward Valdosta, GA? Crossing I-75 ... Gah, I couldn't get traffic-cams to load to see if anything along 75 got a shot. Are there any details on that Huntsville image? Athens, AL? Time taken? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metalicwx366 Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Oh my goodness. It coming right toward me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audioguy3107 Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Oh my goodness. It coming right toward me! Watch out, its got a fairly tight couplet.....be safe....but you could take one for the team and try and get a couple of pics!!! (bad safety advice). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisPC Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Apparently, a baby was taken by the New Pekin, IN tornado. She was found 10 miles away, injured but still ALIVE. http://cleveland.cbs...-after-tornado/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amped Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Apparently, a baby was taken by the New Pekin, IN tornado. She was found 10 miles away, injured but still ALIVE. http://cleveland.cbs...-after-tornado/ I call BS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SluggerWx Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Waycross, GA looks to have taken a direct hit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoMo Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Oh my goodness. It coming right toward me! Everything ok? :-\ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brettjrob Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Waycross, GA looks to have taken a direct hit. Yeah... judging by Google Maps, if this storm was producing over the past 10 minutes, it undoubtedly struck populated areas in or near Waycross. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoosier Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 NWS Louisville is bringing in a national team to help with the survey in southern IN, which to my knowledge usually doesn't happen unless there is reason to think it may have been greater than EF3. There are a lot of really rural areas in between those small towns so who knows if we've seen the worst of the damage. Should be getting some prelim info later today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amped Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Everything ok? :-\ Not online anymore. Odds strongly favor he's fine and just without power and internet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginx snewx Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 http://www.cnn.com/video/standard.html?hpt=hp_t1#/video/weather/2012/03/03/lklv-reporter-sees-tornado.wdrb Nice vid of Henryville Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
on_wx Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Not online anymore. Odds strongly favor he's fine and just without power and internet. Waycross scanner hasn't reported any damage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunkman Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 The one moving towards Waycross now has 181 kt. gtg winds 1100 feet up since it's very close to KVAX. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metalicwx366 Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Everythings ok. It got so freaking dark outside and the lightning was amazing. I think this might have been the funnel or a could be a scud.I took this picture. Wow another tornado warning! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
it*has*an*i Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Watch out, its got a fairly tight couplet.....be safe....but you could take one for the team and try and get a couple of pics!!! (bad safety advice). It was apparently real flipped a couple of mobile homes near Moody AFB, Ga Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoMo Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Everythings ok. It got so freaking dark outside and the lightning was amazing. I think this might have been the funnel or a could be a scud.I took this picture. Wow another tornado warning! yeah the darkness is eerie. Good luck with tornado #2! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icebreaker5221 Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Everythings ok. It got so freaking dark outside and the lightning was amazing. I think this might have been the funnel or a could be a scud.I took this picture. Wow another tornado warning! Look out with this next one! It's almost certainly rain-wrapped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icebreaker5221 Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Don't let your guard down, but it looks to be getting overtaken by the squall line. Still some embedded rotation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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