An EF-0 tornado was confirmed in Hanahan on Saturday along with a larger area of straight-line wind damage in the area.  The tornado had winds of between 70 and 85 mph, about the same as the downburst (straight-line wind damage).  Immediately some folks began to ask why a Tornado Warning wasn’t issued, a very good question, and a reasonable one too.

There was a Severe T-storm Warning in effect, and we all do our best to stress to the public to take those seriously.  We also remind folks that tornadoes can form from severe thunderstorms with little warning, if any.

Doppler radar has really helped over the past couple of decades, but it’s not perfect.  It is a tool that has allowed us to give a huge lead time on almost every tornado, but sometimes, these things just form.

So my point is this, take severe t-storm warnings very seriously, because around here, they often produce just as much, if not more, damage as weak tornadoes.