As feared (but also as expected), the first widespread, damaging hail storm of 2013 struck the South yesterday. In particular, the Jackson, MS area was hit very hard with widespread hail of 2 inches or more in diameter. The above image shows the general areas affected by hail damage yesterday. Red indicates severe, widespread damage. Orange indicates significant damage, and yellow indicates spotty hail damage.
Here are a few hail and/or hail damage photos that have come forward on social media in the last 12-18 hours:
Pearl, MS (unknown photographer - via twitter)
Softball size hail near Clinton, MS (unknown photographer-via twitter)
Jackson, MS (WLBT via Facebook)
Significant wind damage also took place from Alabama, Eastward into Georgia as well as possibly a few tornadoes:
Jacksonville, AL via the AP
Center Point, AL via the AP
Silver Creek, GA via the AP
Scenes like the above are widespread across the region, and there is much damage to clean up in the coming days for sure.
I am watching with interest for storm damage surveys to be complete near the Gay and Concord, Georgia areas. A very strong tornadic signature was indicated on radar in that area late yesterday afternoon, as shown by these images that I shared on twitter at the time:
On the lower image, I have circled what appears to be a "debris ball" which is a radar indication of debris being lifted up and carried aloft by the tornadic circulation. Debris can be anything from trees, dirt and power poles, to parts of buildings. Fortunately, this appears to have taken place in a relatively rural area and I am not hearing of deaths or injuries in this immediate area as of now.
From the "shameless plug" department, this severe weather event was forecast very accurately (and well in advance) by our team at WeatherGuidance. Many of our clients were able to move their employees and assets to shelter prior to storms hitting (which avoided or reduced damage and injury), while others took action to move equipment and other resources into the impact areas ahead of time so that they could quickly help those who were affected after the storms passed.
If you feel like your company, school or organization was taken by surprise as a result of this event, please contact us today so that we can help you next time!
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Coming March 2013: "The Tornado Chronicles" full website!
• Interactive tornado database back to 1950 (earlier years coming soon)
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