Friday's storm across North Florida

Wasn’t there a thread recently about the importance of tree cover? It’s as if there isn’t an easy answer here either.

 

In Tallahassee alone, there were three distinct areas of rotation evident on velocity radar at one time. Will be interesting to evaluate the verifications and expected EF ratings there as well as other places.

 

NWS Tallahassee will have two survey teams out on Saturday. They will be surveying three potential damage paths in Leon and Gadsden Counties.

NWS Mobile will provide mutual aid by performing a storm survey on Saturday in Walton County at Eglin Air Force Base, alongside military personnel.

NWS Tallahassee personnel will survey damage in Houston County, Alabama, on Sunday at the earliest.

These storm surveys stem from severe thunderstorms that moved across the region this morning.

 

People who permit large trees within 50 to 75 feet of their house are just begging for large-scale storm damage. We still have multiple white and red oaks in our front and backyards along with cherries and dogwoods. However, since moving into the house, every oak within 50 feel of the house has been removed, especially after watching an oak literally bi-sect what used to be our neighbors house. We have compensated by planting Dogwoods and Cherry trees. We do live on a street named Double Oaks after all. Though I would prefer it, we could take down all of the trees.

 

Healthy trees will protect against a hurricane but are susceptible to tornadoes which are far smaller but have much higher wind speeds and concentrated power

 

I was watching the swirling of my tree tops the wind gusts. Pretty amazed I didn’t have any trees snap. Some were bending substantially.

 

I saw on the news that the FSU circus facility was damaged and couldn't be used. Which caused me to wonder, do circuses even exist anymore? I don't remember one since I was a kid (and that's a long time).

 

Attending the stupid clown school is like being in the circus.

 

I wonder if the US leads the world in crazy weather? Sorry to those who have repair bills coming.

I’d make this political complaining about federal storm funding but I’d bet Fire damage has been way more expensive the last few years. Seems like every year there are storms or fire issues in the billions.

 

And big hurricanes spawn tornadoes. I had a tornado come thru the alley between my house and my neighbors. It cut about a 1 mile line thru DeLand. I think we made the national news. (lol) it ripped the power line and mast from my house but other than that I was unscathed.

 

I think the big circuses like Ringling bros and Clyde Beaty Cole are done. Clyde Beaty Cole used to winter in DeLand. Now smaller animal free circuses still exist. Cirque d soleil and the apple circus come to mind, mainly acrobats and clowns.

 

We prob just hear about it more when it happens in the US.

 

Was awakened by terrible wind at about 5am as the front blew through… reminiscent of Hurricane Michael but it only lasted about ten minutes. I made my corn plot bigger this year and went to bed worried that straight line (or other winds) like they were predicting would blow the corn down. It was all chest high… and it all was blown flat. Out there today standing and staking what we can salvage, which hopefully will be most of it. Wind also blasted my wood privacy gate enough to break off the latch. Knowing others fared much worse, I’m thankful things weren’t worse here. Oh, and the damn wind blew the last few peaches off my tree. Aggravating but, c’est la vie.

 

It was the lightning that woke me up from a dead sleep around 2 AM that night. I've never seen such bright lightning, and yes there was thunder too followed by a deluge. That was a wild and crazy bad, stormy night.

 

With respect to tornadoes, specifically, the United States leads the world, and it’s not close.

 

As the climate warms they will be stronger. Seems like there are more this year.