Fresh Loaf

On March 14, 2008, a tornado hammered Vine City, tore through downtown, and stormed over DeKalb Avenue, Cabbagetown and East Atlanta. All told, the twister caused at least $500 million in damage, killed one person, and forced businesses and homeowners to sift through the wreckage and rebuild their lives.

Christian Boone and Mark Davis of the AJC have an excellent piece today that sums up the storm and how  residents have responded. Following up on what I posted earlier, Wired Science’s Brandon Kiem has a more thorough article about new research that says a double whammy of urban sprawl and climate change might have fueled the storm. Kiem also posted this video simulation:

To view some of CL’s 2008 tornado coverage, click here. After the jump, some videos of the tornado — including the memorable footage of a carriage horse breaking free and galloping around downtown Atlanta during the storm.

(more…)

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Vine City's JFK Park after last year's tornado

One year after a tornado tore through Atlanta, researchers at the University of Georgia and Purdue University say the city’s asphalt splendor may have helped create the destructive storm:

Cities like Atlanta are full of concrete asphalt and other man-made materials which make the cities hotter than surrounding areas – the so-called urban heat island effect. That urban environment probably intensified the storm into a damaging tornado, the researchers believe.

The jagged contours of the urban landscape as well as the heat pouring off the city helped intensify the pattern of rising, converging air currents that culminated in the violent tornado, Shepherd said.

“The storm system acted like a hammer, and the urban area like a chisel,” Niyogi said.

(Vine City photo by Thomas Wheatley, homepage photo of tornado damage from Andisheh Nouraee’s Flickr)

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Not good, eh? ENNNH?!?

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch until 3 p.m. for 78 counties in Georgia, including metro Atlanta. The region is also included under a flash flood watch until 4 p.m.

Downtown Atlanta after the tornado last March

The AJC reports forecasters predict 2-3 inches of rain from the storm.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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OBAMA: Officially becomes the Democratic nominee for president, the first black person ever nominated by a major party. He’ll give his acceptance speech tonight.

MCCAIN: Has picked his running mate, whom he’ll inform of his decision today and introduce Friday in Ohio.

UNDERDRIVE: As gas prices and environmental worries have driven down driving, highways and other transportation projects, including commuter rail, have lost a major source of funding — gas taxes.

CLAYTON IS THE HARDEST PART: SACS will announce its accreditation decison at a 1 p.m. press conference today. [UPDATE: Accreditation lost.] Meanwhile, a state judge has recommended that Gov. Perdue remove four Clayton school board members from office for violating Georgia’s open-meetings laws and ethics code. 

FREE REFILL: Fay has now added two feet back to Lake Lanier, as rainwater continues to move downhill through the basin. It’s still 15 feet below full pool, but that one storm has made up for the month of August so far, which has been especially dry.

FUNNEL VISION: The National Weather Service says up to four tornadoes may have touched down in Hall County as Fay passed through.

OUR DEERLY DEPARTED: Rome’s world-famous six-legged deer died last week after surgery to remove his two unnecessary legs.

PAUL JOHNSON: The New York Times profiles Georgia Tech’s new skipper and his stubbornly distinctive coaching style, which he’ll debut in Atlanta tonight as Tech hosts Jacksonville State to open the season.

BRAVES: Call up minor-league outfielder Josh Anderson after trading CF Mark Kotsay to Boston Wednesday for minor-league outfielder Luis Sumoza. Atlanta also signed journeyman relief pitcher Elmer Dessens.

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(8:48 a.m.) Storm has weakened and the service is allowing the warning to expire. Have a great one, folks!

(8:30 a.m.) The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for Cobb, DeKalb and Fulton Counties until 8:45 a.m.

(8:17 a.m) Weather.com is reporting a tornado warning in the Decatur area and a nearby emergency siren has been activated. Here are instructions on how to safely take cover.

(Above screenshot from Weather.com. For current weather conditions, click here.)

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CRITICS AT BAY: Florida Sen. Bill Nelson tours the Apalachicola Bay to survey the effects of retaining more water in Lake Lanier, and says he’ll push for a National Academy of Sciences study of how low flows affect the river ecosystem.

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE FUNNEL: 2008 could be a record year for U.S. tornadoes, and while meteorologists aren’t sure why this year has been so tornadically prolific — including the twister that caused $40 million in damage in north metro Atlanta last week — the good news is that tornado season usually starts sputtering out in June.

BORDERS SKIRMISH: City Council President Lisa Borders writes a letter to her councilmates asking them to be nicer to the mayor.

HAWKS GM SEARCH: As is becoming typical of front-office searches in Atlanta pro sports, Cleveland’s Chris Grant withdraws himself from consideration after being offered the general manager job.

UGA EXPANDING IN GWINNETT: With the Brain Train struggling to gain traction, UGA just starts filling the gaps between Athens and Atlanta with itself.

ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL: Piedmont Park may soon install wells for water independence, pending a decision by the state Environmental Protection Division.

CAUGHT LEAD-HANDED: Two studies link children’s lead exposure 25 years ago and increased impulsive and criminal behavior in adulthood.

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VIRAL MARKETING: A congressional investigation concludes the Bush administration used a flawed study when it said it would be fine to relocate research on the highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease from an isolated island lab to mainland sites near livestock, such as Athens. Also, National Grange argues moving the lab near livestock would make it an inviting target for terrorists.

JOHN THOMPSON: New Clayton superintendent says he’ll meet the SACS mandates a month and a half early, but many parents are ready to move to more accredited pastures.

ATLANTA DREAM: Home opener is tonight.

STORMS: 2008 is on track to be a record year for insured storm losses, according to Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine.

VIVP: Rumors are Bill’s reset his sights on 2016 for Hillary via the VP, but no one admits to anything.

MARS LANDING: Scientists will spend their Memorial Day weekend fretting in the Jet Propulsion Lab over the Phoenix Mars probe, which faces the Mars-probe legacy of a 55 percent failure rate.

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CHINA EARTHQUAKE RELIEF: Fourteen Atlanta Chinese organizations have banded together and will hold various on-site donation drives this weekend and next. Another 5.5-magnitude aftershock hit the China quake zone today, causing landslides.

MOTHER’S DAY TORNADOES: Damage in Georgia has already reached $100 million, may exceed $125 million. The tornadoes also caused environmental damage, such as an industrial park in McIntosh County that was leveled, leaking fuel, oil and acid into the soil.

SOUTH RISING: Record black voter turnout for Obama could loosen the GOP’s decades-long stranglehold on the South.

TRIGGER MORTIS: Now that guns are the new iPod in Georgia, police are gearing up for a trigger-happier public, especially now that we don’t have to hide our guns in our glove compartments while driving anymore.

BODIFORD: Can stay on the Brian Nichols case, despite comments he made to the Marietta Daily Journal shortly after the deadly shootings.

ATLANTA TRAVEL PROFILE: Aw shucks, St. Pete Times.

LIZARD MAN: After a mystery animal chews up the bumper of someone’s car in Sumter, S.C., residents assume what anyone would — Lizard Man. They’re also willing to consider Bigfoot as a suspect, though, as a “renowned Bigfoot hunter” tells the local paper that there are more than 3,500 “Bigfoot creatures” nationwide.

SUSPICIOUS PACKAGE: Closes Indian Creek MARTA station.

BRAIN TRUST: Scientists are studying the only three known hyperthymestics, or people with superhuman memories, to learn more about how memory works, hoping to help those with failing memories.

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