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Severe WX Severe Weather Threat April 7-10, 2021

Sister in law visiting Orange Beach was awakened about 3 am by baseball size hail and high wind. Her car had bad hail damage, with back window completely Atmospheric Anti-Climax out.
 
Here are some preliminary counts from Palmetto:
  • 1 fatality
  • 7 injuries
  • 8 homes destroyed
Damage:


The "armchair surveyor eyeball test" on this one suggests EF2-3. The homes that are completely leveled appear to have been block foundation, not well anchored (if at all) and some cars are overturned/moved but not mangled into unrecognizable balls or stripped to the frame in high-end violent tornado fashion.

However, the slabbed house at 3:50 gives me a little pause. It appears to have been more substantial than the others, and the ground level scenes beyond that show a muddy field (possible scouring) strewn with debris that, while not exactly granulated, is broken into some impressively small pieces. That might at least push it solidly into the EF3 category.
 
Looks like there were at least two separate strong tornadoes in the Florida Panhandle today. One in Panama City Beach, and the other in Wewahitchka.
 
The "armchair surveyor eyeball test" on this one suggests EF2-3. The homes that are completely leveled appear to have been block foundation, not well anchored (if at all) and some cars are overturned/moved but not mangled into unrecognizable balls or stripped to the frame in high-end violent tornado fashion.

However, the slabbed house at 3:50 gives me a little pause. It appears to have been more substantial than the others, and the ground level scenes beyond that show a muddy field (possible scouring) strewn with debris that, while not exactly granulated, is broken into some impressively small pieces. That might at least push it solidly into the EF3 category.
Some person on YouTube suggest this tornado was rated EF4 or an EF5, which is highly unlikely, but I’m with you I’d say this looks to be a mid range EF3 unless they see something I don’t to rate this higher
 
The "armchair surveyor eyeball test" on this one suggests EF2-3. The homes that are completely leveled appear to have been block foundation, not well anchored (if at all) and some cars are overturned/moved but not mangled into unrecognizable balls or stripped to the frame in high-end violent tornado fashion.

However, the slabbed house at 3:50 gives me a little pause. It appears to have been more substantial than the others, and the ground level scenes beyond that show a muddy field (possible scouring) strewn with debris that, while not exactly granulated, is broken into some impressively small pieces. That might at least push it solidly into the EF3 category.
Sounds like NWS Lake Charles has rated it EF3.

Overall, this one was a little more violent than I expected. Some of those cars look like they were thrown considerable distances, and the debris pattern is fairly impressive. Also, the tree damage at 3:55 is impressive, with some clear denuding and debarking.
 
A couple of frame grabs from the dash mounted GoPro last night around 20:35 local. Storm was just NE of Walnut, Ms. I only saw it for one second during the lightning flash so did not observe rotation. There was a weak velocity couplet on this storm showing on the Columbus, Ms radar. Not seeing any reports of damage from NWS Memphis.
 

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How fast do the winds have to be going to do that to a car that quickly!?!?
 
Has anybody heard about a rating for the Wewahitchka, FL apparent tornado in Gulf County? It pretty much destroyed the second floor of a house, but I can't find a single public information statement or any survey info. Maybe it wasn't a tornado at all?
 
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