Outdoor Events - Another Close Call

[Mike Johnston]

I must share a little story of what happened here this evening in Mount Pleasant, SC, a suburb of Charleston.

An elementary league girls softball team, that I coach, had a game that started at 6:00pm. Before I left for that game at 5:15pm, I took a last look at radar and noticed the long-lived supercell that had formed in central Georgia was alive and well, about 110 miles to our SSW, tornado-warned, and with a maxed-out VIL core. The cell was quite isolated, and the latest SPC mesonalysis had 3,500 SB CAPE readings over our area, along with significant 0-1km helicity. I knew if the thing held together it would be right over us in about 1 hr. 15 min.

Now, right in the middle of our game, it was obvious the cell was fast approaching. Besides our game, there were 5 other games going on in the same park and I would estimate there were at least 300 people out there. Thunder boomed the whole time, but finally lightening was visible and the league director came out to suspend the games. He wanted all the players and their parents to go out and "wait in their cars" because he thought the cell should pass to our north and we could resume play. I was one of the last to leave the field because I had to gather all of our equipment, but I passed by the car of one of our players' parents who had their radio on and told me of a tornado report ~ 3 miles to our west. I quickly ran out to find some clear ground to view the incoming clouds and I could see an obvious wall cloud virtually out in "left field." I ran over to the league director and told him "you either need to release the people to get home or direct them into the hallways of the recreation center NOW." After giving him a 15-second lecture that convinced him I knew something about storms, but it seemed like an eternity, he finally decided to call the games and release the crowded parking lot. Well, the long and short is that I ran like a mad man through the parking lot and told everyone to take the exit and head south immediately to get away from the storm. Most got out, and 5 minutes later we were absolutely pounded with golf ball sized hail. Of the few cars remaining, 4 had windows shattered.

Now, I doubt this storm would have caused a fatality, but it sure had the punch to injure someone, even sitting in their car. What would the league director have done absent me, a storm chaser, just happening to be there and also having the stature of a coach - by chance? I have no idea. However, it is yet another episode of a close call with large attendance outdoor events. I'm glad everyone got out safely, but sometimes its a thin margin.

 

[Joey Ketcham]

Good thing you were there to inform the coach, but I'm curious... if the area is under a tornado warning with a wall cloud practically on top of you, where were the tornado sirens? Do you not have tornado sirens there? We have them all over the place here in Kansas, but then again we are in Tornado Alley.

 

[Mike Johnston]

Good thing you were there to inform the coach, but I'm curious... if the area is under a tornado warning with a wall cloud practically on top of you, where were the tornado sirens? Do you not have tornado sirens there? We have them all over the place here in Kansas, but then again we are in Tornado Alley.

No, Joey, we do not have any tornado sirens here.

I grew up in Kansas, so I understand the difference in public awareness and preparedness. It's not often here on the coast of South Carolina that we get a classic supercell headed squarely for us. The few times it happens, my first clue is the cloud tops....anything pushing above 50K ft here is very rare, but this particular cell had it up for over an hour, with obvisout velocity couplets on and off, and...like I said the VIL core was as intense as it could be. When the hail went through, the softball fields were covered like snow, and I have received over 20 phone calls tonight from fans, friends and parents telling me they had never seen anything like this here...many of them lifelong natives of the state.

 

[Mike Peregrine]

My brother in Greensboro had a core from a potent little supe go over his house today ... also very classic looking shape on radar. They had golf ball size hail that pretty much covered the lawn. The Carolinas and Virginia have been getting some pretty noteworthy stuff this year!

Glad no one was hurt -

 

[Gerard Jebaily]

Something like this happened to me very recently actually. Im a native and resident of Florence, SC. I was up in NC visiting some family on May 10, the sunday before last. I saw a long track supercell headed for the northern Charlotte area and knew it would be on top of us in Concord, NC in a few hrs time if it held together.

I was at a park area where about 100 or so kids and 25-30 parents were enjoying the day playing volleyball. As expected the cell moved directly towards us, I found the park "ranger" and informed him of the approaching tornado warned storm, the history the storm already had producing tornadoes as well as my knowledge of meteorology. I told him that in about 20 mins time, the most dangerous part of the storm would likely be right on top of us, or we would be getting hail in the golfball-baseball category. I suggested that we split up and start telling the public. His response to me was about on the lines of a "whatever, lets not worry about it till later".

19.5 mins later, my instincts were affirmed, A tornado warning was issued for us, I was hearing on the weather radio that baseball size hail had been reported just to our west and I watched a large rapidly rotating wall cloud move directly towards us. I finnaly said "F$@& This" and ran down to every volleyball court and shouted for everyone to leave and take cover in the main building as quick as possible(which was about 100 yards up a steep hill). I expressed to them that any minute a tornado could form or large hail could start to fall. After the croud just kinda looked at me like i was speaking a foreign language they looked at eachother, and started to casually dust off and gather their belongings, and stroll to their cars.

By the time they were halfway done packing up, the main part of the wall cloud was directly overhead. Meanwhile I was just running around telling every person I could to take cover. A few people took me seriously and did what they should have done and took cover quickly. It just amazes me how few people will take the weather seriously around here even when information is directly given to them about the immanent danger they are in.

I look back and I cant think of much more i could have done but I sure am glad the storm didnt produce a tornado at that time. Im still just blown over that the park ranger and the people there didnt take the situation more seriously. If things turned for the worst, it would have been one of those multiple fatality storms. I do have pictures of the wall cloud that I will upload to this thread when I get home.

One final note, a half mile to the north 1.75 inch hail completely covered the ground, I have pictures of that as well.