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Subscribe to RSSA twister has touched down in northwest Georgia, damaging up to 100 homes. Msnbc.com's Dara Brown reports.
Dozens of homes were damaged in a tornado near Rome, Ga., Wednesday night, knocking out power and forcing schools to close, local media reported, citing authorities.
Floyd County Emergency Management Agency director Scotty Hancock said up to 100 homes suffered damage, NBC station 11alive.com reported. The storm uprooted trees and knocked down power lines across the county.
The National Weather Service confirmed that the storm was an EF1 tornado. Hancock said a NWS team was conducting a damage survey, the station reported.
Police said a woman in her 70s was believed to have suffered a heart attack when her home was damaged, the Atlanta Constitution Journal reported. The woman's cousins told 11alive.com that as trees began falling around her home, she began having chest pains. She called 911, but the ambulance had trouble getting to her house in the storm. She was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Story: Tornado chasers prepare for high season
Thousands of northwest Georgia residents were without power early Thursday, but Georgia Power said service would be restored later in the day, 11alive.com said.
The National Weather Service forecast warns of isolated severe thunderstorms in the region overnight.
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How do we anticipate the rare weather, such as this? How can the residential building be protected or be covered by that kind of weather?
I dont think this counts as rare weather when you live in Tornado Alley.
Late winter tornadoes aren't all that rare in the Deep South. The exact location of a funnel touching the ground is definitely RARE. What are the chances that air tube will actually strike any one spot? Pretty low.
As for residential building construction, the most damage (or most quickly/easily devestated) occurs on those cheap, flimsy, non-anchored (no solid foundation) housing units called trailers or "side by sides."
Bolt them down to a concrete foundation or build a simple basement, and survival chances increase, as does some strength to the winds.
Granted, any wind force strong enough will eventually compromise the integrity of any built houses' roof, windows, walls,e tc.
This is not part of the Tornado Alley; so, try something else, like climate change!
http://www.tornadochaser.net/tornadoalley.jpg
As you can see, Tornado Alley != Georgia.
@Ruken
I really hope your being sarcastic. Do you know where Georgia is on that map? Hint... it's touching the Atlantic Ocean... that's the one one the right.
Ruken... Do you know where Georgia is located??? if you look at the site you provided... please look? Georgia is located east of Alabama and its shoreline is on the Atlantic... This map shows tornado alley... in Yellow... not white? Georgia is not in tornado alley...
This is what happens with Republicans are in charge of education.
Look up Dixie Alley
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dixie_Alley
lol John. "!=" means not equal to.
NJ isn't part of Tornado Alley, but it still gets tornadoes. In fact, on of my very good friends had one snap off the top part of the tree in front of his house, and throw it into his roof, destroying most of the attic, and a good portion of his bedroom.
Whenever you half-wits get done arguing about what is or isn't in tornado alley -- northern Georgia gets plenty of late winter tornados. Also, what f'ing difference does it make what time of year? A building can either withstand one or not.
@ John and "Makes sense": Ruken is correct. There are several "Toranado Alleys" in this country. Georgia, especially the northern 3ed portion, is in one of the most deadly alleys, sometimes called "the Dixie Alley". Fact, a town in Northeast Georgia suffered about 300 dead and about 1000 injured in early April, in the early morning of 1936. The name of the town is "Gainesville, Ga. Remains either the deadliest, or 2ed deadliest toranado in US history. Regards
Adding to what Mac said...
I live about 12 miles east of Gainesville and about 100 miles due east of Rome. We had a big-time outbreak in 1997 (I think) with many tornadoes touching down in the area, including one that left a path of destruction about a mile wide and I can't remember how many miles long. It loooked like bulldozers went through clearing out everything. I believe that was in November. In 2000 or 2001 (sometime in the spring - my memory sucks), I was on the interstate and within a mile of my exit when golf ball size hail started pounding my pickup truck. I pulled over. I thought my windows were about to shatter and my truck started rocking back and forth. All I could see was a wall of green leaves an dpine straw coming straight across from the far side of the interstate. The next day I rode down the side road that parallels the interstate and there were many trees down and snapped off in that area. In 2008, we had some serious storms in February with multiple tornadoes in the area. I'm sure there were more episodes in between, but these are the ones that stand out for me.
I am surprised this was the only tornado last night. I believe the storm that caused this one is the same storm that rolled through my area around 11:30 or so. I didn't have the TV or radio on, so I didn't hear about or see the severe thunderstorm warnings. Before I went to bed, I walked outside for a minute to check out the noise I kept hearing. The wind was howling and all the trees were pointing to the east, but no rain. All of a sudden I started seeing what I call mini-tornadoes, with the leaves in the yard swirling in these tight little funnels about 4 ft high running across my driveway. This was immediately followed by marble-sized hail pounding my truck. It sounded like someone was throwing handfuls of marbles at it with full force, from close range, and then the rain started. I thought for sure that something bad was about to happen, so I went inside and turned on the weather channel. Sure enough, we were under severe storm warnings and the storm was right over my area and moving at 50 mph. I just knew I was going to see a bunch of damage today, but apparently we were lucky here as I didn't see trees down or snapped off.
Anyway, the point to all this is that these kinds of tornado producing stormsare fairly common around here and it usually starts around this time of year when we have had a mild winter. Not to the same degree as what you hear about in the Midwest, but more than enough to ever take them for granted!
Step in what?!!?!?!?: You are correct. At certain times of the year, as you indicated, the damn things are swarming all over North Georgia like "Mad Hornets". Regards to you
Regardless of the debate of tornado alley....Rome has had two in the past three months. The first was a F3 and destroy a plant (they have just now been able to clear rubble and put up a temp wall) and it wiped out over 100 homes. The second was this one that was a F1 that destroyed a service station and damaged closed to 100 homes and blew down so many trees that it is still hard to get into the area to help people.
Looks like tornado season is starting early this year.. given the exceptionally warm winter we had, I am not surprised. I have a feeling we are gonna have one heck of a rip-roaring Spring storm season, and a dry scorcher of a summer. And lots of fire in late summer over in the Southwest.
Hardly. There are two peak seasons for tornadoes in the eastern US. It occurs in Nov/Dec along the western and central Gulf Coast, and then the collision of air fronts begins its northward migration, until the peak in North Dakota and Minnesota occurs in June. Then the 'battle ground" agains starts to move southward again.
http://www.tornadochaser.net/tornadoalley.jpg
Minnesota doesn't experience too many tornadoes compared to some of those states. FYI, I live in MN.
Ruken, check it out. Tornado alley actually stops right at White Bear MN. I was in MN when a tornado picked up a fully loaded boxcar and sent it from one side of, I believe the name of the city was, Carey MN to the other end of town! We have a saying here in Florida about our hurricanes: It only takes one!
Ruken,
Approximately 18 months ago Wadena, MN was almost wiped off the map.
Storm chasers followed into town.
..... its northWEST Georgia by the way .... Look at a map .....
I love it when some place where a lot of stupid people who base their entire lives on believing in magic genies sitting on clouds hearing prayers and granting wishes suddenly experience a disaster like this which wipes out multitudes.
It gives me hope that maybe, just maybe, a light will go on over someone's head, for once, leading to functioning brain activity--telling them that no, there is no God which loves them and their Bible-thumping a$$es, looking down upon them with favor!
They're just as easily wiped out in a heartbeat by tornadoes and shootings and other such events as are people who are intelligent and rational and know that there is no god.
People from the South are as stupid as, for example, the people in New Zealand who had named their city "Christchurch"--and just look at the disaster which hit THEM, exactly a year ago! ...(Maybe, hopefully, they'll change their name now over there, since they've realized it "doesn't work!" LOL. It doesn't exclude them from the reality of disasters anymore than anybody else.)
This was not a story about religion. Why bring it up? There is not point in it.
*god works in mysterious ways.
*small g - no talking snakes for me!
Just because you are a fool and require proof, it does not mean everyone else is deluded. Go live in China or in the former soviet russia if you dont believe in God. I know he is and nothing you can spew for you perversely deceived intellect will ever convince most of the people of this plant that God does not exists. Every soldier who has ever fought in war will tell you - "There aint no atheists in a fox hole!"
im sry but no one that i know that believes in God thinks that they will be protected over anybody else in disasters such as this and its disturbing that you would find this kind of thing amusing and would actually wish this on a community just bc they believe in something that you dont. i live in the south and experienced the tornado outbreak of april 27,2011 and after seeing the devastation it caused in my community and nearby towns i def thanked God that my husband and I not only still had our lives, but also the life of our unborn child and I was extremely thankful that we still had our home. The families who lost everything they owned still thanked God that they still had their lives and the chance to start over. Those who believe dont think that they are going to be saved from storms such as these and they find comfort in knowing that whatever happens was meant to be and that God will never put us through anything that we cant handle... I hope that you never have to know the sadness and devastation of these storms. and let me add that when you see how a tornado tears everything up and rips thru brick and concrete buidlings and leaves them leveled, then you see a little church on a hill that is completely blown away except for the back wall that has a picture of Jesus on it def reaffirms a persons faith and would leave even the biggest nonbeliever in awe as to how that could happen. Well, let me tell you how... God had his hand in it, and yes this actually happened. I hope that you will never again wish this kind of sadness on anyone or any community again. It is not something to be taken lightly. I am proud to say that I do believe in God and i know that His will will be done and I dont have to understand why things happen for them to happen, i just have to trust Him and know that it was meant to be.
Hey Critic.........FU PUNK AZZ MF
Critic - I'm not religious in the least bit but I am from the south, Georgia specifically, and I'll put my intelligence up against yours ANY day...DUMBASS!!!
My father lives in that area. He is not the least bit religious either but he is respectful and tolerant of the beliefs of others, including my step-mother who is religious. He is intelligent enough to know that the ignorance you are displaying isn't worth the pile of @!$%# that spews it! I haven't talked to him yet because he is heavily involved with disaster relief through the Red Cross and I imagine he is quite busy now, while I think positively and assume he wasn't in the path of destruction.
How about you do the rest of us a favor!?!? Step away from the keyboard and keep your ignorance to yourself!
Tornado Alley does not include Georgia. It includes the western part of Tennessee but thats as far east as it goes.
Tornado Alley is simply the center of the world's most tornado infested swath, Tornado Boulevard. The Tornado Boulevard swath also includes remotely nearby states such as Georgia, Minnesota, Indiana, etc. You have to go far away like the Pacific Northwest to find areas that never have tornados.
Dixie Alley
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dixie_Alley
I guess you never heard of the Dixie Tornado Alley - La, Ms, Al, Ar, Tn, Ga, Fl, SC and NC.
@Evenstar 13: Dixie Alley is the deadlist of the US alleys because of the density of the population within it, and the frequency of the storms. Regards
Critic of Soc.
Your comment is so well written and uses such superior intellect that it is hard to believe that your mind is a simple product of evolution. In your infinite wisdom can you explain that to someone from the south
Lets call it what it is...the Earth trying to survive us.
lol Georgia tornado alley ..then show a map to prove a point and ..oh well its just funny to me sorry ..public education..go figure
It's actually in Dixie Alley
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dixie_Alley
too early for tornado
Mother Nature doesn't read. She does what she wants when she wants.
not really the toxins and the chemicals we are spewing has something to do with what she does - drink a fifth of vodka you are going to get wasted or worse - shot billions of cubic tons of gas into the atomsphere and mother nature is going to get sick and die - your statement was true up until about a 100 years ago ,now mans advancements are too much for the planet to deal with - i think the problem is you dont read
The problem is, not everyone has access to a storm cellar. As long as you're underground in one of those, you're not going to die. Everyone else, above ground is prone to being hurt or worse, killed. Tornadoes do not relent, just like lightning, or other acts of mother nature. She is an opportunist.. any chance mother nature gets to take you out... she will. Trust me on that.
A tornado in February..that is total BS, this story is a political-fueled lie because Global warming is a political-fueled lie.
That tornado really didn't happen
If you do not believe it then perhaps you should go see for yourself. I live in the south and oh yes they do happen.
even star - look up sarcasm - sheeeesh
aaron-3309248: Well, dude, I am sure the lady who died of a heart attack will be please to know a) there was no tornado and b) she is not dead. Also, all those homes that were damaged are not really damaged at all, yes? Those people, I'm sure, are VERY RELIEVED to know that. Now I WILL agree that when I went on Accuweather to look for the weather line that usually accompanies this sort of problem it is not there. There is no weather around Rome, GA or east of it. I do know however, that lightening can occur out of clear blue sky with no storm present. I saw it here in Florida when my children were in a pool taking a swimming lesson. That was spooky enough!
I live in the southern part of the Dixie Tornado Alley and when these storms come thru, which is usually at night, it is quite scary. A friends house years ago was turned upside down with her inside and she was not wearing anything at all. She had a tough time finding clothes in the dark, so I actually go to bed dressed as I do not wish to end up in a neighbors yard wearing nothing more than my knickers.
It is tough to read some of this nonsense.
Some of the worst and most deadly tornados the past few years have hit Georgia and Alabama. Both of those states, according to the meterologists on this thread, are out of "tornado alley" and could not possibly be hit by a tornado. What foolishness.
Guys there is no "official " tornado alley. Its just a generalization. The borders were never a set thing. Also someone wrote that tornadoes don't occur in Feb. Sorry there have been plenty recorded year round in every state and even in places like Scotland. I know about this subject as it my career, but don't tell anyone.
It's all a result of the government's High Altitude Auroral Research Program (HAARP) which includes climate modification and weather manipulation. The worst is yet to come...
If there is ever an opening over at the Weather Channel or NOAA, they need only to look here for the superior talent of weather experts. LOL
Aaron .... we are having an unusually warm winter here in georgia.. i live about a hours drive from rome and though Ga is on the coast , we are FAR from it.. this is NOT tornado alley , and any time extremely warm weather mixes with extremely cold weather , you have the formula for a tornado Our days have averaged in the upper 60's recently... when 30 degree temperatures mix with that , it doesn't matter WHAT month of the year it is
I met Dixie once .....when I was in the army in 1970, Louisiana.....back in the alley...........wow...what a tornado..!
Ruken,
Approximately 18 months ago Wadena, MN was almost wiped off the map.
People keep talking about tornado season. While there are generally accepted times of the year when tornado's tend to occur, they can happen at anytime under the right circumstances. Besides with the way we treat our planet I'm not surprised "natural disasters" are getting worse. I don't expect to see a "Day After Tomorrow" event happening, but I do think things are only going to get worse... And maybe we deserve it.
Santorum and Newt Gingrich are in these parts of the south this week and they will be yaking about god and religion so using their logic of religion God is sending these tornado's for what? All I am seeing is people are saying thank god for not getting hurt but the others must be democrat devil worshipers. Just saying
Critical times hard to deal with, will be here.
This storm happened about 15 miles from my home. Weather alert came on TV and said we were under a severe thunderstorm warning til 10:30pm. Just heard a little thunder and got minimal rain at my house. Last year, one street over, 22 huge trees were downed in late April and we were without electricity for 9 days. Tornadoes have become more common in this area the last few years. I'm not looking forward to the tornado season. I have also seen evidence of a tornado in another part of GA that a tornado went down one side of a mountain and up the next one over. They don't discriminate!!!