tornado examiner
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Oh an there has been an ef3 confirmed from this event…
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Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Tallahassee FL
804 PM EST Wed Jan 10 2024 /704 PM CST Wed Jan 10 2024/
...TWO STRONG TORNADOES CONFIRMED IN BAY COUNTY...
Survey work will continue across Bay county in the coming days.
However, we can confirm that one tornado touched down in the Lower
Grand Lagoon area and tracked northeastward into Panama City
before lifting. This tornado will be rated EF3 due to damage in
the Lower Grand Lagoon area. A second tornado spawned from the
same parent supercell thunderstorm touched down in the Lynn Haven
area and tracked northeastward, resulting in significant damage
in the Deer Point Lake area. This tornado will be rated as an EF2
due to damage in the Deer Point Lake area. The endpoint of this
tornado has not been determined, and survey work will continue to
determine the endpoint. Additional details for both tornadoes
will be made available once the surveys are complete and data is
analyzed.
$$
What we saw collapse in that video were brick facades, possibly with no "building" behind them at all (even if there was, it's clearly visible that the facades collapsed outward, away from the rest of the structures.) It's essentially an unreinforced, free-standing brick wall. They're not only horrible in tornadoes, but also horrible in earthquakes - events like the 1980 Kalamazoo tornado and 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake perfectly showcase why these buildings are so dangerous in general.Yikes, those cars got out of the way in just the right time. Also a good example of why brick construction doesn't always equal well-built, because those buildings crumbled like a granola bar in EF2 winds. I've noticed that old brick buildings in the downtown areas of most small towns don't fare particularly well in tornadoes, especially when you compare them with European events, where brick buildings hold up much better due to more reinforcement and overall sturdier construction. For example, a tornado wrecked downtown Eufaula, AL in 1919 and left behind very, very similar damage, but was also "only" an F2.