3/14/08 NOW: GA

[HAltschule]

Doppler indicated tornado at 9:35pm. Tornado warning issued for Atlanta, GA. Storm to pass through downtown shortly.

 

[Ron_Jarrell]

Reports that Georgia Dome was shaking. Basketball game stopped.

 

[David Stearle]

It appears there is damage at the Georgia Dome where they have are playing the SEC Basketball Tourney. Looks to be some damage. It was in the middle of the game.

Unbelievable

 

[Bart_Comstock]

The Georgia Dome was just hit by something during the OT of the Bama vs. MSU game and it has torn the roof and damaged the cat walks and over head speakers as well as disrupting the transmissions. Little pieces of roofing and other derbies can be see fluttering down onto the court and the announcers are saying "I am hearing a freight train... I think it is a tornado." The roof was also reported to be rumbling and the game has been halted. There is also some of the interior fabric wall and exterior panels the have been removed from the structure. No reported injuries thus far.

 

[Heidi Farrar]

GR3 is showing a TVS icon with 81 kts right now -- wait, now it's 109! -- and a pretty convincing couplet. (I'd like to upload a screen shot to photobucket, but for some reason that is not working for me right now -- sorry!)

Here's the wording from the NWS:

http://forecast.weather.gov/showsig...al_place1=Atlanta+GA&product1=Tornado+Warning
-----------

GAC121-150200-
/O.CON.KFFC.TO.W.0019.000000T0000Z-080315T0200Z/
FULTON GA-
939 PM EDT FRI MAR 14 2008

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM EDT FOR CENTRAL
FULTON COUNTY...

AT 936 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE AN AREA OF STRONG ROTATION. THIS ROTATION WAS LOCATED NEAR
DOWNTOWN ATLANTA...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH. A TORNADO HAS NOT
BEEN REPORTED BUT COULD DEVELOP AT ANY TIME

-------

EDIT: I just read what Bart wrote -- my nephew is a team manager for the University of Tennessee -- that's really scary! If I hear anything from family members I will report back!

 

[HAltschule]

TWC is confirming wind damage at the Georgia Dome. They are also saying debris has been falling and swinging from the ceiling of the dome during the game.

 

[HAltschule]

FOX Atlanta reporting evacuations due to part of the roof being ripped off of a building. Unsure if it is the Georgia Dome or not.

 

[Ron_Jarrell]

Live feed and replays of GA Dome damage:
http://www.11alive.com/video/default_live.aspx?storyid=112915

 

[Bart_Comstock]

The GA dome is not being evacuated currently, and it currently looks like the game will resume.

 

[HAltschule]

It seems like the NWS in Atlanta, GA is blowing their warning lead right now. There is clearly a well defined low and mid-level circulation with associated TVS and slight hook with the supercell that just rocked downtown ATL with a possible tornado. They have a SVR Warning out and say no tornado is expected b/c there is no circulation indicated. I have seen rotation the entire time. I don't know what they're thinking....

 

[Bart_Comstock]

Here is when the cell passed over down town Atlanta. Sorry it isn't smoothed, I am not at my personal pc. If some one could save the SRV and BV and VIL and Base Reflectivity for me at this time that would be great.

 

[Ron_Jarrell]

Reports of windows blown out at Omni Hotel.

Injuries reported there.

 

[HAltschule]

In response to my post about blown TOR warning lead time...they now issued a new Tornado Warning for the cell in question. Glad they woke up!!

 

[Ron_Jarrell]

Here's shot just before it hit ATL

 

[Andrew Kajfasz]

I've also heard reports that the CNN building took a hit along with the Georgia Dome and that there is structural damage (to varying degrees) to both.