Wild Weather

[Soldier4Christ]

Winter is One of Snowiest in Years

Mid-Michigan's seemingly had a lot of snowfall this year, but how does the amount of snow so far compare to past years? If you think this year's been a snowy one, you would be correct, and it's only early February. We've got about 49.3 inches of snow now. Compare that to the average snowfall throughout the whole season, that's October through April, roughly about 55 inches is normal in the Lansing area. We'll make that at least this year, and probably then some.

In terms of the past five years, we started the decade off on a pretty snowy note- 2002, 2003 had 58.7 inches of snow, also pretty snowy in '03, '04, but the big winner over the past five years was 2004, 2005. Remember that one saw 73.7 inches of snow, but the past two years, we've really dropped off. As a matter of fact, last year there was under 3 feet of snow, well below normal. What's the record for Lansing? Well, it's a big one and it's an old one- 1880, 1881, almost 100 inches of snow in Lansing.

[Soldier4Christ]

Snowiest January in 40 years

If the 69.3 inches of snow piled up in Mount Shasta City this past January was not enough for winter enthusiasts, local National Weather Service observer Frank Christina says to expect more of the same for both February and March.

“According to the Weather Service, February looks like a carbon copy of January,” Christina said. “And we will go into March looking the same way.”

The official measurement of 69.3 inches was the most accumulation of snow since the 76 inches that fell in Mount Shasta in 1968, according to Christina.

It may sound like a lot of snow, but imagine what is was like in 1916 when the all-time record for January snow was set at 150 inches.

This past January, the daytime high temperatures were below 32 degrees freezing for eight days with a low of eight degrees on Jan. 22.

In a normal winter, the daytime high temperature rests below freezing for just seven days, according to Christina.

Counting this past December, Mount Shasta City's daytime high temperature was south of freezing for 14 days, doubling the normal winter season.

For 24 days in January 2008, the high temperatures were in the 30s or less.

“That is quite a feat,” Christina said. “I'm sure that will affect many residents' heating bills.”

Another effect the recent weather can have on local residences is the heavy weight of the snow on roofs.

If Mount Shasta were to receive rain, it would mix with the recent snow and put many roofs at risk of collapsing, Christina warns. “I've been here for 34 years,” he said. “And this is the snowiest I've ever seen it.”

Not counting drifts or pile-ups, Mount Shasta had 35 inches on the ground as of Jan. 31. The Mt. Shasta Ski Park, another 3,000 feet or so up the mountain, was reporting an accumulation of 259 inches of snow at its highest elevation as of Tuesday morning. That's 21 1/2 feet.

[Soldier4Christ]

Weather filling up lakes, creating snow pack

Big snowfalls up north mean the states water levels are going up!

The crazy thing is only a few months back hydrologists were worried about some of the reservoirs going dry, now more than half way through the snow season those same lakes and rivers are all nearly at capacity. 

 For Steve Beasley going fishing is a family affair

“On average once or twice a month but more if I can,” he said.

However the drought has diminished most Arizona reservoirs, making it difficult to be an angler

“I know Roosevelt Lake is very low,” he said.

But not anymore, thanks to a wicked winter Roosevelt Lake is 80 percent full with Bartlett Lake at capacity.

Crews from the Salt River Project have just returned from measuring snow and the snow pack looks promising

According to Arizona game and fish this season is expected to be the best fishing in 25 years.

The even better news is March is normally considered the snowiest month up north so the snow packs should get better. 

[Soldier4Christ]

Heavenly hits snowfall record

Heavenly ski resort above Lake Tahoe on the California/Nevada state border is reporting its snowiest ever month in January when an incredible 160 inches (four metres) of snow fell on the slopes. The resort's snowfall records go back more than 30 years to the 1975-76 season. Heavenly's snowpack is currently 23 percent higher than average.

[Soldier4Christ]

Schools running out of snow days
With snowiest months to come, students not thrilled with more classes in June

Erskine Academy in South China, concerned that Friday's snowstorm would cause hazardous road conditions, opted not to hold classes for the sixth time this winter.

That means Erskine will have to make up one day -- five "snow days" are built into the school calendar. Other schools in central Maine are faced with the same issue, and winter is far from over.

Assistant Headmaster Michael McQuarrie said administrators at Erskine Academy weigh several options when determining how to make up a postponed day of classes. That decision, he said, generates great curiosity among the backpack crowd.

"The kids have been speculating on what we will do," he said, "just as much as we have."

McQuarrie said extending the school year, currently scheduled to end June 13 for Erskine students, is one possibility.

But McQuarrie said switching a teacher in-service day to a student seat day or attending class on a Saturday are other options. The latter choice, he said, is not a favorite with students.

In a sampling of five local school systems, Erskine leads by two days. The other four school units each have called off school four times.

McQuarrie said Erskine's higher total is not surprising given that the school draws students from eight rural communities.

"We cover quite a geography," he said, "and most of (the towns) have small, rural roads. And we have a high percentage of commuter students."

Snow days are accumulating for other school systems, too.

Hugh Riordan, interim superintendent for School Union 52, which includes the towns of Winslow, China and Vassalboro, said the union already has used its allotment of four snow days.

Typically, Riordan said, a fourth snow days doesn't occur until late March.

"The snow really came early this year," he said. "Traditionally, February and March tend to be the snowy months for us, so we will see what happens."

Union 52 students are to finish the school year June 18.

In Farmington-based School Administrative District 9, the school calendar does not account for snow days. Any class day called off because of bad weather is added to the end of the school year, which is scheduled to be June 5.

This means classes will extend to June 11 at this point.

SAD 47, which includes the towns of Oakland, Belgrade, Sidney and Rome, is in the same situation as Union 52: It has used the four snow days built into the school calendar.

Monique Gilbert, administrative assistant to the superintendent, said June 16 is the last day slated for students.

SAD 47, however, has one more student seat day than the state requires -- 175 is the requirement.

Gilbert said SAD 47 could thus elect to finish classes June 16 even if another day of school is called off this winter.

Such a decision, though, would have to be recommended by the superintendent and approved by the school board, she said.

[Soldier4Christ]

Afghan Winter Claims Lives, Limbs

Several men lay side by side in hospital beds, the stubs of their amputated arms and legs wrapped in fresh bandages. They are not victims of war or land mines, but of frostbite.

It's the coldest this impoverished, war-ravaged nation has been in at least a decade — that's as far back as Afghanistan's weather records go — and so far, the harsh weather has been blamed for more than 650 deaths.

The hospital in Herat has taken in more than 90 patients suffering from problems related to the winter weather, many of them shepherds. Several of the amputee patients were tending their sheep and goats when a blizzard shrouded the western province in blinding snow and left them stranded.

"I was surrounded by snow for two days, and I couldn't find my way back," said Ahmad Sadiq, 18, whose uncle died in the storm. One of his feet was amputated, and the doctors decided that the other will have to go, too.

"I don't want to live like this. I can't walk anymore. It's better to die than to live like this," he said.

A spate of warmer weather in recent days hasn't slowed patient traffic at the hospital.

"The weather is much better now, but we are still very worried. More people are coming from remote areas because the road is now open," said Barakatullah Mohammadi, head of emergency room at Herat hospital.

Afghanistan is largely mountainous, and many people live in remote villages reachable only by foot. It's one of the poorest countries in the world, and most people live in mud and thatch homes heated by burning wood, coal or dung.

Temperatures this winter have plummeted to a low of minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit. The more mountainous regions have seen up to 70 inches of snow, said Abdul Qadir Qadir, head of the meteorology department.

Aid organizations and foreign troops have passed out several tons of clothing, blankets, food and fuel in provinces throughout the country and in remote, mountainous villages.

Among those hardest hit in Kabul are 70 displaced families recently relocated from the southern Helmand province, which was the front line of battles last year between international troops and insurgents.

Their camp lies on the outskirts of Kabul, where children walk barefoot in the freezing cold mud and snow. Many of the "houses" are like that of 30-year-old Fatima and her family — a rectangular hole a few feet deep covered by a tarp.

"My children are all sick and are coughing throughout the night," said Fatima, who goes by only one name.

Along with the human lives the winter has claimed, more than 100,000 sheep and goats have died in the largely agricultural country, according to Abdul Matin Edrak, head of the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Commission.

"All of my animals died. Both my legs were amputated," Ghulam Rasul, 35, said from his hospital bed, recovering from the operation. "I was in the snow for two nights, then someone came and rescued me and took me home."

[Soldier4Christ]

More snow looms for China amid transport crunch

More snowy weather was forecast for parts of China on Monday, threatening to snarl transport at the height of holiday travel and hampering the country's efforts to return to normality after its worst winter in decades.

China is expected to see railway traffic peak on Tuesday, the last day of Spring Festival, as the Lunar New Year holiday is known, when millions head back to work from their villages.

"Post-Spring Festival railway traffic peak saw more than 5 million passengers in one day last year and we expect more in 2008," Xinhua news agency quoted the Railways Ministry as saying.

The travel crunch comes as China's transport systems are only just creaking back to life after freak cold and ice storms hit swathes of the country, causing billions of dollars in damage and killing at least 80 people.

"The overall transport situation is still relatively grim, especially problems of capacity and demand emerging in railway transport," the State Council's command centre for dealing with the disaster said in a statement.

"All regions and all government departments concerned must pay high attention to the work of post-holiday transport," said the statement, posted on the government's Web site (www.gov.cn).

Sleet and snow was forecast for the already hard-hit southwestern province of Guizhou, the country's meteorological centre said, calling for authorities to make preparations to deal with traffic and public safety.

Heavy snow could also hit the far-western provinces of Qinghai, Gansu and Sichuan, as well as Tibet, in the next few days.

In most of the country, transport, power generation and food supplies were back to normal by the weekend after weeks of the unusually harsh winter weather.

[nChrist]

           ROFL!

Brothers and Sisters,

We need to handle all of this information and more in an intellectual way. If we don't, the Hollywood crowd will label us as dimwitted.

SO, global warming is responsible for all of this snow, ice, and COOOOOLD! There can't be any other explanation because Al Gore said so.

Further, I heard a news clip the other day about Polar Bears. I had been led to believe by Al GoreITES that global warming was removing their habitat and they were dying. UM? - the TRUTH is that Polar Bears are doing just fine and their numbers are increasing. As it turns out, the Al GoreITES played up an isolated location in the summer and used that to describe the overall conditions. In reality, we probably need to start knitting sweaters for the Polar Bears if we want to be kind. Those Polar Bears are COOOOOLD!

We just have to know that global warming MUST be a reality now because there are billions of dollars at stake for the fat cats. It appears that it's too late to DEBUG the so-called INTELLECTUALS because it might embarrass them.         

[Soldier4Christ]

Record Cold for Northern Minn.: 40 Below


It lived up to its name: The temperature in International Falls fell to 40 below zero Monday, just a few days after the northern Minnesota town won a federal trademark making it officially the "Icebox of the Nation."

It was so cold that resident Nick McDougall couldn't even get his car trunk lid to close after he got out his charger to kick-start his dead battery. By late morning, the temperature had risen all the way to 18 - below zero.

"This is about as cold as it gets, this is bad. There's no wind - it's just cold," said McDougall, 48, a worker at The Fisherman, a convenience store and gas station in the town on the Canadian border. "People just don't go out, unless you have to go to work."

Residents of the area use electric engine block heaters to keep their cars from freezing.

"You plug in your car, for sure, and you put the car in the garage if you can," McDougall said. His garage is full of other things, so he had to park outside - a "big mistake."

The previous record low for Feb. 11 in International Falls was 37 below, set in 1967, said meteorologist Mike Stewart at the weather service in Duluth. The cold was expected, he said: "When the winds finally died off and the skies cleared off, it just dropped."

The temperature also fell to 40 below in Embarrass, 80 miles southeast of International Falls. That's just one degree above the all-time record in Minneapolis, 250 miles to the south, that was set in January 1888, the weather service said.

It was also a cold day for the appropriately named town of Winter. The town in northwest Wisconsin chilled to a low of 25 below.

"I try to stay out of it as much as possible right now," said Winter area resident Bill Warner, 37. "I don't have to go out and do anything today so I am all right. You don't want to be out there too long."

Chilly air also spread into the Northeast on Monday and many schools in New York state between Buffalo and Syracuse closed or opened late. Single-digit temperatures plus high wind drove the wind chill factor to nearly 20 below across much of upstate New York.

Philadelphia had a "Code Blue" alert in effect, sending outreach crews to coax homeless people into shelters. Monday's low of 10 above zero.

Farther south, freezing rain hit southwest Missouri early Monday, making roads hazardous and losing schools. A coating of ice up to an inch thick was expected across much of southern and central Missouri, the weather service said.

"It's treacherous. If you can stay home this morning, do it," Missouri Highway Patrol Sgt. Dan Bracker said in Springfield.

Thousands of West Virginia homes and businesses had no electricity Monday after the state was hit by weekend wind gusts of up to 55 mph. At least nine counties closed schools because of power outages and the cold - the mountain city of Elkins had a low of 6 above.

Classes also were canceled Monday for a number of schools in Michigan, which remained in a deep freeze after a weekend of single-digit temperatures and gusty wind. One death was blamed on the weather.

[nChrist]

Brother, I was just thinking about GOD'S Finely Tuned CREATION. The balances in nature were placed there by GOD, and there is no other possible explanation. The balances are intricate, and they represent the impossibility of random anything. As the first example, think about the Sun and how tiny changes in the Sun result in horrendous changes on earth. There is a direct relationship between the earth and the sun, moon, etc. How much do we really know about these intricate relationships? - NOT VERY MUCH! - WHY? - GOD CREATED THE UNIVERSE AND ESTABLISHED THESE INTRICATE BALANCES!

UM? - Let's not forget that man has gotten wise and looked into other galaxies. What is known by man is dwarfed by what is unknown, and the unknown increases by the day. Man gets vain in learning a tiny piece of information but is humbled again with what lays beyond. As an example, how big are the heavens? We make larger and larger telescopes to view the heavens and find out continually there is much we've never seen. This is part of the Majesty of GOD'S Creation, and we really know very LITTLE about it. What we know compared against what we don't know is like a single grain of sand on a beach.

Here's the bottom line:  GOD IS IN CHARGE! GOD has described our times and seasons, and they will be changed by GOD at HIS Appointed time. GOD has already Promised times of GREAT and GLOBAL warming that mankind won't be able to escape. It won't be just a few degrees and many lost men will curse GOD. It will be a scorching temperature that will be much more than just unpleasant. It won't be according to Al Gore, rather according to GOD, and it will be at GOD'S Appointed Time. It will be directly related to man's evil, sin, rejection of CHRIST, and disobedience of GOD - NOT GREENHOUSE EFFECTS, ETC.!

If there is a thermostat, GOD has it and GOD controls it!

Love In Christ,
Tom

 

[Soldier4Christ]

Amen! God is indeed in control and the only that can be.

[Soldier4Christ]

Storm Hits California And Strands Hundreds Of Motorists

Almost 500 motorists remained stranded on a mountain freeway when a storm, which came out of nowhere, hit San Diego County pouring rain and snow triggering flows of mud which invaded another highway. No injuries or other damages were recorded. 

The weather was expected to be clear by Friday.

A stretch of the Interstate 8 long of 27 miles which goes through the mountains in the eastern county was reopened early Friday after being closed for 12 hours. 

The cars were escorted by the California Highway Patrol, while big trucks were still not allowed to pass. After 4 p.m. Thursday the freeway was shut down due to the snow and ice which made the traffic impossible.

California Highway Patrol Officer Jim Bettencourt said: "It was just a big dump of snow, real fast," the Associated Press reports.

The cars skidded off the road and hundreds of motorists stopped in their tracks.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said that the rescue teams went from car to car and almost 30 people were deployed to temporary shelters made at a fire station and a casino.

According to Bettencourt, early Friday authorities believed that all the motorists were found, but the rescuers were still looking for cars that could have moved to the side of the road.

Due to the abandoned cars, the snow plows were stranded.

Bettencourt said: "Now we have a virtual parking lot of empty vehicles. You've got big rigs that are jackknifed. So it's going to be a pretty daunting task."

Other highways were also hit by the storm. According to authorities, 179 crashes were recorded Thursday between midnight and 9 p.m.

A stretch of the road between Poway and Ramona of 8 miles was shut down by authorities because of mudslides. Due to the heavy rain almost 2 feet of mud and rocks ended on the roadway.

The storm was triggered by a low-pressure system which came from the Gulf of Alaska and moved into Southern California.

[Shammu]

Storms batter southern Britain

The Associated Press
Monday, March 10, 2008

LONDON: Coast guard tugboats headed to the aid of a tanker adrift in the English Channel on Monday as rain and strong winds pummeled southern coasts of Britain in the winter's worst storm.

Commuters struggled through the morning rush hour as gusts of up to 82 mph (130 kph) felled trees and power lines and huge waves disrupted ferries and shipping to English ports.

The Environment Agency issued seven severe flood warnings and urged people to stay away from coastal areas, where high tides and huge waves threatened to breach flood defenses.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said the Swedish tanker Astral, carrying 13 crew members and gas oil, was dragging anchor off the Isle of Wight. Crews on the two coast guard tugs were towing the vessel to its destination, an Esso oil refinery in Fawley on England's south coast. Gales roaring in from the Atlantic toppled trees, damaged roofs and downed power lines across southwest England and Wales early Monday. More than 11,000 people were left without electricity, power companies said.

Northern England and Scotland were hit by blowing snow. Further south, commuters battled through driving rain. Train services were delayed by damaged power lines in many areas, and uprooted trees across roads added to the delays for travelers.

Heathrow Airport said 34 short-haul flights were canceled Monday morning because of the storm. Ten inbound flights to Gatwick airport south of London were diverted to other airports.

Ferry traffic between Portsmouth and Bilbao in northern Spain was canceled, and the port of Dover, one of the country's busiest, was closed to shipping because of the wind.

Across the Channel, a Dutch cargo ship ran aground in the Vendee region on France's west coast. Maritime officials said it was approaching the port when high winds pushed it off course.

In Belgium, winds up 60 mph (100 kph) caused delays at Brussels airport and led authorities to close roads. Authorities issued a storm warning for the North Sea coast, where even stronger winds were expected.

Meteorologists said the gales are likely to subside before gaining strength again later Monday.

Paul Leinster of the Environment Agency said a "potent cocktail" of strong winds, large waves and high tides is expected to last until Wednesday.

"The gale-force winds will combine with spring high tides to significantly elevate the water levels along the coast by up to 1.5 meters (5 feet) over normal levels, which is likely to cause some flooding," he said.

The storm is the worst to hit southern England this year. Last month, northern Britain was battered by blizzards and 70 mph (110 kph) winds.

Last year, low-lying areas across England were hit by severe flooding as rivers overflowed causing millions of pounds (dollars, euros) in damage.

Storms batter southern Britain

[Shammu]

Record snow buries parts of Ohio, Indiana


By MATT LEINGANG, Associated Press Writer Sun Mar 9, 7:45 PM ET

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Highway and utility crews worked overtime Sunday to recover from the huge storm that buried Ohio and other parts of the Midwest in snow and tore down power lines elsewhere.

More than 20 inches of snow fell from Friday through Saturday at Columbus, eclipsing the city's previous record of 15.3 inches set in February 1910, the National Weather Service said. Elsewhere 14 inches fell at Milan, Ind. Up to a foot fell in parts of Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas on Friday.

Many churches in the Columbus area canceled Sunday services because roads were so slippery.

Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, which shut down Saturday, reopened Sunday but flight delays and cancelations were expected as airlines tried to get their schedules back on track, spokesman Todd Payne said.

Delays also were expected at Port Columbus International Airport, where 90 percent of flights were canceled Saturday.

Ohio had one traffic death linked to the weather, and four men died while shoveling snow. Two traffic deaths were blamed on the storm in western New York state and one in Tennessee. Two people were killed Friday as tornadoes spun out of the eastern edge of the weather system in Florida.

The storm also made roads slippery and snow-covered in western New York and caused flooding that closed roads in other parts of the state. On Sunday, high wind and falling temperatures created brisk wind chills in much of the state.

Northern Maine also got heavy snow as the storm sped into Canada's Maritime Provinces, with 17.5 inches at St. Agatha, and 3 inches of rain fell at Robbinston in the state's eastern corner. A flood watch was in effect Sunday for wide areas of Maine but officials said there was no widespread flooding.

"We did dodge a bullet. We're just waiting for next shoe to drop," weather service hydrologist Tom Hawley said Sunday in Gray, Maine, just north of Portland, noting the potential for more rain this coming weekend.

At least 8,400 Vermont homes and businesses still had no power Sunday, down from a peak of some 20,000 during the storm Saturday, Central Vermont Public Service Corp. officials said. Repair crews were hampered by ice-covered roads and fallen trees.

Utility companies in southeastern Pennsylvania said Sunday they had restored power to most of the 80,000 customers who were blacked out Saturday by power lines snapped by wind and falling tree limbs.

More than 100,000 New Jersey homes and businesses lost power at the height of thunderstorms that boiled up along the eastern part of the weather system, and some commuter train routes into New York City were blocked by fallen trees, authorities said. Wind gusted to 65 mph in New Jersey, the weather service said.

In Maryland, the storm system's wind blew a ship away from its pier Saturday in Baltimore. Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Ayla Stevens said no one was injured when the car-carrier's mooring lines broke and the ship was pushed out into the city's harbor.

Record snow buries parts of Ohio, Indiana

[Soldier4Christ]

Tornado upends downtown Atlanta, first eve to hit center of town.
'We're bracing for another round of whatever mother nature throws at us'

Crews hauled broken glass and furniture out of downtown streets today and homeowners surveyed damage caused by a possible tornado that caught residents and basketball fans by surprise.

More thunderstorms headed across northern Alabama toward the city Saturday. "We're bracing for another round of whatever mother nature throws at us," said Lisa Janak of the state emergency management agency.

At least 27 people were hurt last night, though no injuries were believed to be life-threatening.

All downtown events scheduled for Saturday were canceled, including the St. Patrick's Day parade.

"It's a mess," Janak said.

Mayor Shirley Franklin said the storm was "what we now know was a tornado." National Weather Service officials continued to say only that a "possible tornado" hit around 9:40 p.m. as a thunderstorm roared through with wind up to 60 mph.

That was just 10 minutes after the weather service issued a tornado warning.

Weather service investigators planned to examine the wreckage Saturday to determine whether a tornado caused it.

"It does look like it from what we're seeing," said Trisha Palmer, a weather service meteorologist in nearby Peachtree City. "The radar sign is very indicative of a tornado but we've got to get on the ground to make sure it wasn't strong winds."

Palmer said there had been only a "light risk" in the area Friday for thunderstorms capable of producing strong tornadoes and very large hail. In contrast, the risk was rated as moderate Saturday north Georgia and upstate South Carolina.

The storm smashed hundreds of skyscraper windows, blew furniture and luggage out of hotel rooms, crumbled part of an apartment building and rattled a packed sports arena.

Streets around the Georgia Dome, Phillips Arena, the CNN Center and Centennial Olympic Park were littered with broken glass, downed power lines, crumbled bricks, insulation and the occasional office chair. Billboards collapsed onto parked cars.

CNN said its headquarters building suffered ceiling damage that allowed water to pour into the atrium, and windows were shattered in the CNN.com newsroom and the company's library. A water line inside the building broke, turning a staircase into a waterfall.

"It was crazy. There was a lot of windows breaking and stuff falling," said Terrence Evans, a valet who was about to park a car at the Omni Hotel when the storm twister hit.

Although a tornado warning was issued, there was no announcement of the approaching storm for the 18,000 fans inside the Georgia Dome for the Southeastern Conference basketball tournament. The first sign was rumbling and the rippling of the fabric roof. Catwalks swayed and insulation rained down on players during overtime of the Mississippi State-Alabama game, sending fans fleeing toward the exits and the teams to their locker rooms.

"I thought it was a tornado or a terrorist attack," said Mississippi State guard Ben Hansbrough, whose team won 69-67 after an hourlong delay under a roof with at least two visible tears. A later game between Georgia and Kentucky was postponed. SEC officials said the tournament's remaining games would be played at Georgia Tech.

"Ironically, the guy behind me got a phone call saying there was a tornado warning," fan Lisa Lynn said. "And in two seconds, we heard the noise and things started to shake. It was creepy."

Power was knocked out to about 19,000 customers.

A loft apartment building had severe damage to one corner and appeared to have major roof damage. Property manager Darlys Walker said there was one minor injury.

Taylor Morris, 29, who lives near the lofts, said he and his girlfriend took shelter in the bathroom.

"The whole house was shaking," he said. "We didn't know what was going on."

Fire Capt. Bill May said a vacant building also collapsed, with no apparent injuries.

Grady Memorial Hospital, the city's large public hospital where many of the injured were taken, had broken windows but was operating as usual.

In East Atlanta, downed trees, debris and power lines were strewn in the streets.

Melody and Brad Sorrells were home in their living room with their two children when the storm hit, and the huge pine in their front yard crash into their house.

"I saw it falling and we ran into the back bedrooms in the closet," Melody Sorrels said. "I feel sick."

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association said the last tornado to hit a major city's downtown was on Aug. 12, 2004, in Jacksonville, Fla. Downtown tornadoes have also struck Fort Worth, Texas; Salt Lake City; Little Rock, Ark.; and Nashville, Tenn., in the past decade.

If confirmed, the tornado would be the first on record in downtown Atlanta, said Smith, the meteorologist. The last tornado to strike inside the city was in 1975, and it hit the governor's mansion north of downtown, he said.