Welcome to the Utopia Forums! Register a new account
The current time is Fri Mar 29 08:19:59 2024

Utopia Talk / Politics / Saw my first tornado
Aeros
Member
Mon Sep 17 17:51:11
That's one off the bucket list of things to see before I die. Thanks Florence! Also related.

http://wea...inia-richmond-tornadoes-damage

One Dead, One Hurt, Significant Damage Reported as Florence's Remnants Spawn Tornadoes Near Richmond

One person has been killed and another injured in a building collapse in Chesterfield County caused when the remnants of Florence whipped up several tornadoes in Virginia Monday afternoon.

"We can confirm one fatality at the building collapse. All other employees accounted for. We transported one other minor injury to hospital," said Chesterfield County Fire Lt. Jason Elmore

That would bring the toll from Florence to 21, 14 in North Carolina, six in South Carolina, and this one in Virginia.

The building, an Old Dominion Flooring warehouse on Speeks Drive at Hull Street in Clover Hill, Virginia, suffered heavy damage in one tornado. A furniture store on Hull Street was also heavily damaged. Cars were flipped outside the Planet Fitness gym on Hull Street.

Several tornadoes were reported near Richmond and damage was reported about 3 p.m. near Hampton Park and Hancock Village, the National Weather Service said.

Elmore confirmed a tornado touched down in Hampton Park, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Elmore added trees were down and homes damaged.

An Exxon gas station at Archer Road and the Midlothian Turnpike was damaged.

Schools that were about to dismiss students instead sheltered in place. WTVR reported that some school buses that had already left were told to return the students to school. Several colleges in the area also canceled evening classes and events.

More than 9,000 customers were without power at 5:15 p.m., Dominion Energy Virginia reported. Spokesman David Botkins told the Times-Dispatch there was “extensive damage” to utility poles, transformers and wires.

At least 11 tornadoes were reported in Virginia on Monday afternoon, according to NOAA's Storm Prediction Center. All tornado warnings expired at 5:45 p.m., but a tornado watch remains posted for parts of central Maryland, eastern Virginia and the District of Columbia until 10 p.m.

The NWS office in Wakefield, Virginia, said it plans to send crews out beginning Tuesday to survey the damage and determine how many tornadoes touched down and their ratings on the Enhanced Fujita scale.

The remnants of Florence are interacting with a warm, humid airmass in place over the mid-Atlantic states, weather.com meteorologist Brian Donegan said. Wind shear – the change in wind speed and/or direction with height – is high across the region, leading to the development of multiple tornadoes Monday afternoon.


Sam Adams
Member
Mon Sep 17 21:11:08
Sweet! Congrats! That richmond storm looked pretty solid.
Hot Rod
Revved Up
Mon Sep 17 21:35:13

Good for you Aeros.

I have spent 51 years living next door to Tornado Alley and I still have not seen one.

Plenty of alerts but no sighting.

Still on my bucket list.

kargen
Member
Mon Sep 17 23:54:36
I'm on the other side of tornado alley and have seen several. Got way to close to a couple of them.
Hot Rod
Revved Up
Mon Sep 17 23:59:14

Keep dodging.

patom
Member
Tue Sep 18 05:06:00
I've only seen one back in the late 70's coming out of Atlanta on I-85. It was about 5 miles south of the interstate. I was driving away as fast as that truck would go.

Aeros, BTW, we were driving across the Airline Rd. Rt. 9 last Saturday and there are a few passing lanes available on that road. Of course there was a car riding in the passing lane. My son Aspire was driving and I said to him that it was probably a Virginian. If he wanted to pass he would have to do it in the right lane. Sure enough we got close enough to see the car had Virginia plates.
Good to know you Virginians still don't know to pull to the right to let people by.
Aeros
Member
Tue Sep 18 08:24:35
Don't I know it. I got stuck behind some asshat going 40 on a 55 yesterday for 10 miles before i was finally able to get around him.
Sam Adams
Member
Tue Sep 18 09:25:42
"some asshat going 40 on a 55"

You have the moral right to set him on fire.
patom
Member
Tue Sep 18 11:22:03
Sam Adams, representative of Mass. where there is a distinctly different group of drivers. Up here in Maine they call them Massholes.

Aeros, I used to drive through Virginia every week for close to 10 years driving truck. I learned a long time ago to not even attempt to get a Virginian to pull over to the right lane. Just immediately pass them on the right. It saved a lot of time and angst.
Now the one driving 40 in a 55 was in all likelihood a transplant from Kentucky ;)
Sam Adams
Member
Tue Sep 18 11:44:40
"Sam Adams, representative of Mass. where there is a distinctly different group of drivers. "

Lol. Its called skill and efficiency.
patom
Member
Tue Sep 18 12:49:40
Oh there are words for it, skill and efficiency aren't any of them LOL
show deleted posts

Your Name:
Your Password:
Your Message:
Bookmark and Share