Severe Weather & Flooding - July 7, 2014

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PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
1249 PM EDT WED JUL 9 2014

...MICROBURST /STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE/ CONFIRMED NEAR
WARSAW IN GALLATIN COUNTY KENTUCKY...

LOCATION...WARSAW IN GALLATIN COUNTY KENTUCKY
DATE...JULY 7 2014
ESTIMATED TIME...745 PM - 747 PM EDT
ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...80 MPH
MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH...1/4 MILE
PATH LENGTH...1.5 MILES
BEGINNING LAT/LON...39.7800N / 84.9127W
ENDING LAT/LON...38.7831N / 84.8843W
* FATALITIES...0
* INJURIES...1

* THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO
CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT(S) AND PUBLICATION IN NWS
STORM DATA.

...SUMMARY...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON OH HAS CONFIRMED A
MICROBURST /STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE/ NEAR WARSAW IN GALLATIN
COUNTY KENTUCKY ON JULY 7 2014.

DAMAGE WAS FIRST OBSERVED BY THE NWS ASSESSMENT TEAM AT A
LARGE OPEN STRUCTURE ALONG US ROUTE 42 APPROXIMATELY 0.4 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF THE INTERSECTION WITH 4TH STREET IN WARSAW. THE
STRUCTURE MEASURED APPROXIMATELY 100X50 FEET AND 40 FEET TALL
WITH OPEN PASSAGES ON THE NORTH AND SOUTH SIDES. MUCH OF THE
SIDING AND WOODEN SUPPORT STRUCTURE WAS REMOVED ON THE WEST
SIDE...THOUGH THE OPENNESS OF THE STRUCTURE LIKELY RENDERED
IT SUSCEPTIBLE TO THIS TYPE OF DAMAGE FROM STRONG WINDS.

DAMAGE WAS NEXT OBSERVED TO ANOTHER STRUCTURE ALONG US ROUTE
42 APPROXIMATELY 0.2 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE INTERSECTION WITH
4TH STREET IN WARSAW. THE STRUCTURE HAD A FLAT ROOF FROM
WHICH A FLEXIBLE MEMBRANE AND SEVERAL PERIMETER TILES WERE
REMOVED BY THE WIND. THESE ROOF COMPONENTS WERE DEPOSITED ON
THE GROUND BESIDE THE WALLS OF THE STRUCTURE.

THE TEAM THEN MOVED INTO RESIDENTIAL AREAS IN THE SOUTHWEST
PORTION OF WARSAW AND NOTED BROKEN TREE LIMBS AT SEVERAL
LOCATIONS. THESE LIMBS WERE MOSTLY 1-3 INCHES IN DIAMETER.

MORE SIGNIFICANT TREE DAMAGE WAS FOUND ALONG PARK AVENUE IN
WARSAW WHERE ONE APPARENTLY HEALTHY OAK TREE WITH A TRUNK
DIAMETER OF APPROXIMATELY 15 INCHES WAS SNAPPED OFF
10 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. ANOTHER NEARBY TREE WITH A TRUNK
DIAMETER OF APPROXIMATELY 10 INCHES WAS UPROOTED. SIMILAR
TREE DAMAGE WAS FOUND NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF STAFFORD
CIRCLE AND 1ST STREET IN WARSAW. A STAND OF AT LEAST 4
TREES ALONG BEECHWOOD CIRCLE HAD NUMEROUS LIMBS 8-12 INCHES
IN DIAMETER BROKEN. ONE OF THESE LIMBS CUT THROUGH MOST OF
THE VERTICAL LENGTH OF A MOBILE HOME WALL WHEN IT FELL. A
LOCAL NEWS STATION REPORTED THAT A RESIDENT IN THIS MOBILE
HOME SUSTAINED A MINOR HEAD LACERATION WHEN THIS DAMAGE
OCCURRED. ANOTHER TREE NEAR PARK ROAD WITH A TRUNK DIAMETER
OF APPROXIMATELY 15 INCHES WAS SNAPPED ABOUT 4 FEET ABOVE
THE GROUND.

THE EASTERN EXTENT OF THE MICROBURST WAS ALSO MARKED BY
DAMAGE AT GALLATIN HIGH SCHOOL. A ROOF AIR CONDITIONER
UNIT WAS LIFTED FROM THE ROOF...THEN DROPPED BACK DOWN.
CRACKS IN THE SURROUNDING ROOF STRUCTURE RESULTED WHEN
THE UNIT WAS DROPPED. THE NEARBY ATHLETIC FIELDS ALONG
DORMAN DRIVE SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO THE BLEACHERS AND
FENCES. AT LEAST TWO SETS OF BLEACHERS WERE MOVED OR
DESTROYED...AND MUCH OF THE BASEBALL OUTFIELD FENCE
IMMEDIATELY BESIDE DORMAN DRIVE WAS PARTIALLY FLATTENED
WITH SOME METAL SUPPORTING POLES BENT TO A 90 DEGREE
ANGLE AT THE GROUND. THE FENCE WAS COVERED WITH A
SEMI-PERMEABLE MATERIAL THAT ALLOWED SOME AIR TO PASS
THROUGH...THOUGH THIS COVERING LIKELY INCREASED THE
DAMAGE GIVEN SUCH STRONG WINDS.

RESIDENTS INTERVIEWED AT SEVERAL POINTS DURING THE
SURVEY MENTIONED THE EXTREMELY HEAVY RAIN THAT
ACCOMPANIED THE DAMAGING WINDS. THIS LENDS FURTHER
EVIDENCE TO THE OPINION THAT THIS DAMAGE RESULTED
FROM THE WINDS OF A MICROBURST. DEBRIS WAS ALSO
FOUND TO BE GENERALLY DEPOSITED TOWARDS THE SOUTH
AND EAST...WHICH IS CONSISTENT WITH THE DIRECTION
OF STORM MOTION ASCERTAINED FROM RADAR AT THAT
TIME.

THANKS ARE EXTENDED TO THE GALLATIN COUNTY EMA AND
THE STATE OF KENTUCKY EMA FOR THEIR ASSISTANCE TO
THIS SURVEY.

FOR REFERENCE...
A MICROBURST IS A CONVECTIVE DOWNDRAFT WITH AN AFFECTED OUTFLOW AREA
OF LESS THAN 2 1/2 MILES WIDE AND PEAK WINDS LASTING LESS THAN
5 MINUTES. MICROBURSTS MAY INDUCE DANGEROUS HORIZONTAL/VERTICAL
WIND SHEARS...WHICH CAN ADVERSELY AFFECT AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE AND
CAUSE PROPERTY DAMAGE. STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS ARE GENERALLY ANY WIND
THAT IS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH ROTATION...USED MAINLY TO DIFFERENTIATE
THEM FROM TORNADIC WINDS.

$$

SHOBE2/HATZOS