1992 was a sparse Great Plains chase year for me, with one tornadic day (11 May in southern Oklahoma, no passable photos), a couple of short-lived west Texas supercells, and that's about it. When living in another part of the country, and needing to take leave months in advance, one must accept and appreciate whatever the atmosphere gives in the time window available. In such a year, therefore, … [Read more...]
Search Results for: andrew
Mobile Home Pieces in Trees
Debris from a demolished mobile home park, not already produced in the front eyewall, was scattered by Andrew's backside southeast winds through a denuded fruit orchard along Silver Palm Drive. Meanwhile, a rumbling thunderstorm in the background raised the unease of residents remaining in nearby areas. These trees suffered at least as much from battering by airborne missiles as from the wind … [Read more...]
Collapsed Store Roof
This store roof caved in near the intersection of Krome Ave. and Silver Palm Dr., in the "Redlands" just north of Homestead. Note the sockets on the top of the wall at right, which did contain the roof connections. Cables, formerly attached to the roof, dangled from an overhead wall (unseen). The great majority of Andrew's destruction in South Florida was, like this store, wind damage well … [Read more...]
Stacked Cars from Above
The previous Hurricane Andrew damage slide looked at these cars up close from the side, while this bird's-eye perspective peers down from 13 stories aloft. Even though this seemingly freak phenomenon occurred outside Andrew's maximum winds, it's a result of Bernoulli's principle: a decrease in the fluid's pressure and/or potential energy (such as forced by an obstacle) is accompanied by an … [Read more...]
Car on Car
Andrew's building-enhanced, swirling gusts deposited a Chevrolet Corsica on top of both a concrete wall and an Olds Calais, looking NW in the parking lot of the office building then housing the National Hurricane Center. The Oldsmobile belonged to NHC meteorologist Hugh Cobb, who had flown to NMC (now NCEP) in Washington as part of a backup crew. He unexpectedly learned what happened to his car … [Read more...]
Storefront Rubble
Rubble piled in a convenience store, with the roof missing. This was on the S side of Quail Roost at the Turnpike, part of a different strip mall than the "Botanica" that suffered deep structural damage. What a mess! Parts of the roof fell into the store; while other pieces were scattered for several blocks westward and southwestward. Insulation dangled loosely here and there. All plate-glass … [Read more...]