How much does living in a high tornado risk area affect your daily life? (Atlanta: home, neighborhoods)

[netdragon]

Btw, isn't there something to being on a ridge vs down the hill between ridges increasing your chances of being hit?

[Psykomonkee]

Didn't even know that was a thing around here. I know we get tornados, but it has NEVER affected me.

[ElleKaye]

Originally Posted by netdragon

They always seem to skip us in the Vinings area. I know there was one way way back on Windy Hill, but they always seem to go to the North of us, through North Cobb or Cherokee and then Alpharetta, or through the Southern part of the metro. Not sure why. We're very hilly here but there's hills everywhere..

having a comforter on the ready is a good idea if hail is coming. I'm too lazy to pull it into the garage which has toys and such in the empty spot, so I throw a comforter on it when hail threatens and weight it down. Works wonders.

The one that tore up that Volvo dealership on the corner of Windy Hill and Cobb Pkwy. I was visiting an apartment on Paces Mill and Cobb Pkwy in Vinings. It turned pitch black outside at like 7 am and that's when the hail started. It did turn back though and hopped over to Powers Ferry and then Dunwoody later.

I'm still not clear how people in Applebee's on Spring Rd said they heard it coming down the street when clearly it took place in the morning. I know for sure because I was about to take a shower and ended up diving in the tub instead. I guess those are just tall tales.

All that being said, I don't have a fear of tornadoes in Atlanta. I was more concerned about them living on the coast where hurricanes spawn tornadoes so it felt like way too much weather drama going on simultaneously. The train sound is certainly unsettling; if you ever hear it, you will never forget it.

[Saintmarks]

Originally Posted by ElleKaye

The one that tore up that Volvo dealership on the corner of Windy Hill and Cobb Pkwy. I was visiting an apartment on Paces Mill and Cobb Pkwy in Vinings. It turned pitch black outside at like 7 am and that's when the hail started. It did turn back though and hopped over to Powers Ferry and then Dunwoody later.

I'm still not clear how people in Applebee's on Spring Rd said they heard it coming down the street when clearly it took place in the morning. I know for sure because I was about to take a shower and ended up diving in the tub instead. I guess those are just tall tales.

All that being said, I don't have a fear of tornadoes in Atlanta. I was more concerned about them living on the coast where hurricanes spawn tornadoes so it felt like way too much weather drama going on simultaneously. The train sound is certainly unsettling; if you ever hear it, you will never forget it.

My memory of the Windy Hill tornado (which went on to smash up Dunwoody) was it being a night time event.

[billl]

Originally Posted by Saintmarks

My memory of the Windy Hill tornado (which went on to smash up Dunwoody) was it being a night time event.

According to the tornado history project, there was an F2 tornado on April 8 1998 at 10:20 PM in the Cumberland area and 10:35 PM in Dunwoody. They show as separate tracks but are almost certainly the same storm.

There was an F3 on March 29, 1991 at 6:30 AM but its track goes from Clarkdale up to Windy Hill and Hwy 5: a good bit west of Cobb Pkwy. I can't find any other tracks around 7 AM. The closest track was an F3 on Feb 21, 1993 that started out just north of Powder Springs and ended near Windy Hill/Cobb Pkwy. But that was at 7:30 PM.

If you're interested:

Tornado History Project: Maps and Statistics

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by Nomad78

I have a job offer in Cartersville and my wife is very concerned that is an area that has very high risk for tornadoes. We would be moving from Maryland where tornadoes are rare... So how much does it affect your daily life? Let's say... How many times a year do you have to run to your basement because of a tornado watch, warning or alert? Would it help living in Marietta which has a moderate risk as opposed to Cartersville (very high). It's a nice offer but this issue with the tornadoes is close to being a deal breaker, any advise from the locals would be greatly apprecieated!!

That's a statistical anomaly. In contrast with urban legends, tornadoes don't "prefer" to hit one area over another one that's nearby. They're physical entities occasionally spawned by severe thunderstorms, nothing more.

In general, the Atlanta metro area is a medium-risk tornado area--not as much as Oklahoma or Mississippi, which has a much higher tornado risk than many people realize--but it's certainly there for us.

[kasuga888]

None - If its your time to go, its your time.... you should be more concern about Hail storms. My car got damaged twice from it Another problem is that there are alot of skinny trees in some residental areas which results in damage to property too.

[ElleKaye]

Originally Posted by Saintmarks

My memory of the Windy Hill tornado (which went on to smash up Dunwoody) was it being a night time event.

I don't quite get that so maybe it was a bit longer than I thought. I am without question certain that the darkness, wind, and hail storm on the corner of Paces Mill and Cobb Pkwy in Vinings came in the morning. Perhaps the other part came the night before and it just kept going. It was not an actual tornado at that junction, but it may as well have been. The balcony door was open prior to me getting in the shower and it suddenly felt bizarre; maybe it was low barometric pressure or something. There was a tree on the side of the bldg that I thought was going to break through. The noise only lasted for roughly a minute but was terrifying. My car had what looked like fist prints banged in all over it and the water from the Chattahoochee or just straight up rain fall was up so high that it was at the bottom of my car but not quite in it.

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by ElleKaye

I don't quite get that so maybe it was a bit longer than I thought. I am without question certain that the darkness, wind, and hail storm on the corner of Paces Mill and Cobb Pkwy in Vinings came in the morning. Perhaps the other part came the night before and it just kept going. It was not an actual tornado at that junction, but it may as well have been. The balcony door was open prior to me getting in the shower and it suddenly felt bizarre; maybe it was low barometric pressure or something. There was a tree on the side of the bldg that I thought was going to break through. The noise only lasted for roughly a minute but was terrifying. My car had what looked like fist prints banged in all over it and the water from the Chattahoochee or just straight up rain fall was up so high that it was at the bottom of my car but not quite in it.

Those could have been be straight-line winds. Typically it is the damage path that distinguishes a tornado from straight-line winds.

[Thulsa]

Maybe it's just me, but I would prefer dodging tornadoes every few years to dodging trucks on the Marietta - Cartersville commute every day.

I don't live in Cartersville, but I enjoy visiting there (Tellus, Booth, Etowah Mounds, Ross Diner). If I were to move outside Atlanta's perimeter highway (I-285), Cartersville would be high on the list.