Many Thought They Saw A Tornado, But Strong Winds Tricked The Eye
By: Natalie Ferrari
Updated: May 30, 2012
This Memorial Day was a messy one for many as severe weather flared up across the Big Country.
And while both severe thunderstorm warnings and tornado warnings lit up the radar, many people confused what looked like a tornado, to actually be effects of "straight line winds."
"If it's dry in the lower layers like it is around here a lot, that wind could come down real fast, it hits the ground and can only do one thing and that's spread laterally, so it shoots out," says Dr. Steve Lyons, the Meteorologist in Charge at the National Weather Service in San Angelo.
And despite a few reports from concerned citizens across the Big Country, the National Weather Service here in San Angelo has told us that there have not yet been any confirmed tornado touchdown from these storms in neither Coke, nor Brown counties.
"The way to determine the difference is in the damage path, if everything's leaning over in one direction, you know that the wind came from one direction and blew it all over."
With all the power outages and property damage many people experienced after Monday night's storm, it's important to remind folks that just because a tornado isn't present, does not mean a severe storm can't produce damaging winds just as powerful.
"Sometimes we know the winds are very strong based on radar, we can measure the straight line winds from the radar, and sometimes those winds could be 100 or 110 miles per hour. So those straight line winds that can come across a city or your neighborhood could actually cause more damage than a very weak tornado, and yet you're only getting a severe thunderstorm warning out of it."
And while both severe thunderstorm warnings and tornado warnings lit up the radar, many people confused what looked like a tornado, to actually be effects of "straight line winds."
"If it's dry in the lower layers like it is around here a lot, that wind could come down real fast, it hits the ground and can only do one thing and that's spread laterally, so it shoots out," says Dr. Steve Lyons, the Meteorologist in Charge at the National Weather Service in San Angelo.
And despite a few reports from concerned citizens across the Big Country, the National Weather Service here in San Angelo has told us that there have not yet been any confirmed tornado touchdown from these storms in neither Coke, nor Brown counties.
"The way to determine the difference is in the damage path, if everything's leaning over in one direction, you know that the wind came from one direction and blew it all over."
With all the power outages and property damage many people experienced after Monday night's storm, it's important to remind folks that just because a tornado isn't present, does not mean a severe storm can't produce damaging winds just as powerful.
"Sometimes we know the winds are very strong based on radar, we can measure the straight line winds from the radar, and sometimes those winds could be 100 or 110 miles per hour. So those straight line winds that can come across a city or your neighborhood could actually cause more damage than a very weak tornado, and yet you're only getting a severe thunderstorm warning out of it."
