Squall line of November 8, 1996

The cold front that triggered the squall line had a tremendous temperature/dew point drop behind it, one of the reasons for the late season extreme weather. 30 degree temperature drops were common, with some areas having a 40 degree temperature drop! A normal cold front may have only a few degree temperature drop. Even a strong cold front may have a 10-20 degree drop. This front dropped areas like North Carolina from the 70's to the 40's quickly (and we wonder why we get a cold!). As winds became northwesterly over the Great Lakes and the cold air moved over the warm lake waters, lake effect snow started the next day, and lasting for several, in northeast OH, northwest PA, and western NY... the normaly snowbelt areas for lake effect storms. As is usually the case, totals ranged from a few inches to 55" in Edinboro PA, and 69" in Chardon, OH!! The staggering amount of lake effect snow caused millions of dollars in damage, as hundreds of residential and commercial buildings had their roofs collapse under the weight of the wet snow. Several businesses had warehouses collapse. The National Guard was called in to help remove the snow.

The severe weather hit on the 7th in states like Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, parts of Louisiana, parts of Arkansas, parts of Mississippi, Alabama, extreme western Georgia, and Ohio. The squall line then moved through the rest of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, portions of West Virginia, portions of New York, and of course... good old Pennsylvania.

First, I will give a summary of the damage that occurred on the 7th.

In Indiana, no tornadoes or flash flooding occurred, and some damage was done by thunderstorm winds. Damage included lots of downed trees and powerlines, a drive-in theater screen blown over and severely damaged, a moving tractor trailer blown over, power poles snapped, and at least one destroyed barn. Winds were recorded as high as 69 mph at one remote location, but downburst winds were generally in the 55-65 mph range where damage ocurred.

In Kentucky, three tornadoes touched down, all F0, with two causing damage. One was in Logan county, damaging five airplanes at an airport beyond repair. A few trees were also downed in the very weak tornado's path length of 10 miles. However, it was not on the ground all the time, as it lifted up and down several times. Winds were in the 45-65 mph range. Another F0 tornado hit in Hart county, injuring 5 people. A tobacco warehouse lost its roof, while a furniture warehouse received major damage, and two lumber companies had significant roof damage. 15 residences had minor (windows, roofing, siding) damage, while numerous carports, sheds, and a barn were demolished. Others were damaged. A scoreboard at a high school was blown down, and trees were brought down along the 9 mile tornado path. Winds were up to 72 mph. The third F0 tornado touched down very briefly in Simpson county, with no damage occurring. In addition to the tornadoes, damaging thunderstorm winds downed many trees and powerlines, damaged carports, and destroyed four barns, with two injuries. A tractor, truck, and car were also damaged by flying debris. A few other barns were damaged along the line of thunderstomrs, including two with roofs off. Two houses had roofs damaged, and two others had structural damage. Peak thunderstorm wind gusts were around 69 or 70 mph when the barns were destroyed and injuries occurred, but from 58-65 with the other damage. Flash flooding occurred in several areas too... with numerous roads closed. At a couple intersections, the water was over the hood of some cars, and they needed to be towed out of the water. Numerous vehicles were washed off the highways by moving water, luckily abandoned beforehand. Portions of major roads/highways were covered by flood waters for a time, and street flooding was widespread in some areas. A few houses and businesses were flooded, but sandbagging prevented more businesses from flood damage.

In Tennessee, two tornadoes touched down. The first moved through Franklin county, lifting up into the clouds and touching back down a few times, and had F1 intensity for most of the time, but briefly reached F2 status. Many trees and powerlines were downed along the path. One home was destroyed, along with six mobile homes. More than a dozen other homes and mobile homes were damaged, and a church had its roof torn off. Numerous farm buildings and storage sheds were destroyed and heavily damaged. Most people took the proper precautions and avoided injury, but one person suffered a broken nose, and many cuts and bruises when a mobile home was lifted and thrown 40 feet into a tree. The other tornado, an F0/F1, hit in southeast Madison county and northern Chester county. Two houses were destroyed, others damaged, three mobile homes overturned, and some trees and lines down. Besides tornadoes, severe thunderstorm winds did just as much damage. Two houses and one mobile home were destroyed, one mobile home was blown away, a trailer was destroyed, numerous houses.. mobile homes.. and barns suffered damage, a metal barn was demolished, a tractor trailer was blown over, a shed was destroyed, a school had several large vents blown off the roof and two other buildings had part of the roof removed, a billboard was blown down, a satellite dish was blown away, and a heating and cooling unit was lifted off its concrete pad and thrown. Trees and powerlines were down all over the place.

In Arkansas, no tornadoes were recorded and all wind damage was done by thunderstorm winds/downbursts. A few chicken houses had damage, plus numerous homes were damaged, some having shingles ripped off roofs and other roof damage, while others had damage to porches. One house was pushed off its foundation. Structural damage was caused by falling trees to a couple buildings. A few businesses also had damage in downtown areas, with a school having $15,000 in damage. A prison construction site was damaged, and the University of central Arkansas had several buildings on campus receive roof damage, mostly minor, but one dormitory suffered major roof damage. Numerous billboards and road signs were blown down, and power poles were snapped. A tractor trailer and a cotton trailer was overturned. As usual, many trees and lines were down. Flash flooding hit some areas, with roads impassable.

In Louisiana, two tornadoes touched down. The first was an F1, which caused major damage to three homes, with roof damage to two others. A rafter from one of the roofs was driven a few feet into the ground! The tornado also snapped a couple hundred trees, and downed highway signs. The second tornado was an F0, and touched down several times along its path of less than 2 miles. A business was damaged when a plate glass window was shattered, a portion of the roof was blown off, and a section of a cinderblock wall collapsed. A carport was destroyed, a preschool's fence was damaged, a large sign was damaged, and a concession stand was blwon over. An automobile dealership had a wall and roof damaged, and two car windows shattered. Thunderstorm winds blew down a fence, blew over an 80 foot smokestack, overturned a mobile home, and caused roof and structural damage to a few buildings, including a country club. Many trees and powerlines were downed, with at least one car demolished by a falling oak tree.

In Mississippi, an F0 tornado touched down very briefly, but caused no damage. An F1 tornado touched down damaging mobile homes. Two people were injured when their mobile home was overturned. However, as is many times the case, thunderstorm winds did most of the damage. Two buildings had their roofs ripped off, with many buildings having shingles taken off. More than ten houses and mobile homes were damaged or destroyed, with one injury. Several barns were damaged, and a silo was badly damaged. A restaurant lost part of its roof and a church lost part of its steeple. Winds just below damaging force blew into a school cafeteria. The impact knocked down ceiling tiles and injured a worker. A 10'x50' section of roof was torn off a downtown shopping center. Several cotton trailers were blown over, and a man was injured when an 18-wheeler was blown over. A few utility poles were blown over. Lots of trees and powerlines were downed, some on cars and mobile homes, causing thousands of dollars in damage. Large hail of dime size was reported in two places in the state.

In Alabama, two F1 tornadoes were confirmed. One caused 2/3 of a million dollars in damage. At least 11 homes were damaged, and several mobile homes were damaged... including two that were destroyed. At least one business suffered heavy damage, with others having minor or moderate damage. Lots of trees were downed, in addition. Two injuries occurred during this small and weak tornado. The second F1 tornado had mostly trees in its path, but a mobile home was destroyed... throwing & injuring two people into a nearby cornfield. Thunderstorm winds also did damge, including destroying two mobile homes, damaging another, and pushing a frame home 20 feet off its foundation. Chicken houses were also damaged, and many trees and lines were brought down. Dime size hail was reported in a few locations, and caused crop damage.

In Ohio, no tornadoes occurred, with all damage due to thunderstorm winds. A couple areas in southwest OH showed evidence very indicative of a microburst. Winds may have reached 85 mph in spots. About $20,000 damage occurred to crops when a microburst slammed into a corn field... flattening it. Other damage from the notable microburst(s) included several barns and sheds destroyed, a school house completely leveled, two tractor trailers overturned, a camper blown off the owner's property, farm machinery blown over, nine utility poles snapped, trees down, and an unusually large number of houses with roofs ripped off. Damage totaled over a million and a half to property. Elsewhere in OH, thunderstorm winds damaged/destroyed/overturned mobile homes, campers, and tractor trailers, damaged roofs of businesses and houses, blew a chimney off a house roof, blew roofs off of several houses, shattered numerous windows, damaged/overturned large farm equipment, blew over a few sheds and trailers, snapped many utility poles, & downed billboards. Countless trees and powerlines were blown over, with several cars crushed by falling trees.

Now here is a summary of the damage that occurred on the 8th.

In Georgia, three tornadoes occurred. The first was an F0 that was very brief causing no damage. Another F0/F1 tornado moved through a portion of three counties, Lumpkin... Hall... & White, very late on the 7th (11:50 pm), into very early on the 8th (12:10 am). 12 injuries resulted. Numerous outbuildings were destroyed, 24 homes were damaged, three homes were destroyed, and four mobile homes were destroyed. Nine businesses had minor damage, which included shattered windows and roof damage. Two large chicken houses were destroyed, and a christian youth camp suffered mass destruction. 6 buildings were destroyed. Extensive tree damage occurred in the tornado path, with hundreds of trees either uprooted or snapped. The third tornado touched down in Dodge county, and moved into Laurens county. A combination of thunderstorm winds and tornadic winds hit. The thunderstorm winds hit first, with very large, and mature, oak and sycamore trees pushed over, a tin roof blown off of a home, a steeple blown off a church, and an entire roof lifted off of a well built house. After the tstm damage, an F1/F2 tornado was produced. A double-wide mobile home was leveled, with 7 people in it thrown as far as 600 feet away! A 7 year-old girl was killed, with 6 other family members suffering from injuries... some serious. Another mobile home was destroyed a couple miles away from the fatality, and a second one was badly damaged. The rest of the damage in GA was due to thunderstorm winds only. A barn was blown off its foundation and overturned, killing three cows, two chicken houses were destroyed with two damaged, a roof was blown off a house, and large trees and lines were blown over.

In South Carolina and West Virginia, onky a few damage reports were able to be given, so most of the damage will not be listed here. In Lancaster county South Carolina, thunderstorm winds severely damaged two porches, and shingles were removed from a few houses. Many trees were down. In West Virginia, thunderstorm winds down trees and lines, and flash floding damaged at least one bridge. (more reports will be added as and if they become available).

In North Carolina, several homes had minor damage, which included windows broken and roofs damaged. A lage plate glass window was blown out of a store front in downtown Raleigh, along with trees uprooted and snapped. A steeple was knocked off a church north of Raleigh. All this damage was done by thunderstorm winds, while an F0 tornado occurred in Bladen county, but lifted very quickly, chopping off the tops of trees. Flash flooding occurred in several areas, with roads closed. Some hail fell in spots too. (all reports of wind damage are not available, but will be added if they become available)

In Virginia, all damage was due to thunderstorm winds... however like in NC, SC, & WV, all reports are not available. A roof was blown off a metal equipment building at a lumber company, structural damage occurred to at least one home, and many trees and lines were downed... blocking some roads. An area of considerable downburst damage occurred in Henry, Pittsylvania, and Appomattox counties. Thunderstorm wind gusts, estimated from 80-90 mph, blew in the windows and tore off roofs of several downtown businesses, overturned a vehicle and several dumpsters, damaged 40 other vehicles and many signs, and downed trees and lines. Flying debris injured a man while he was running to shelter. 3 mobile homes were destroyed, 3 knocked off their foundation, and 9 other mobile homes damaged. One mobile home was carried 300 feet! A woman was injured in one that was rolled 30 feet. 11 other frame homes had roof damage, several sheds were destroyed, numerous barns were damaged, a three car garage was destroyed, and many trees and powerlines were down. In addition, flash floding occurred in several areas, with water 1 1/2 feet deep on some roads, and four feet deep in a couple parking lots! Numerous roads were closed across the area.

In Maryland, one F1 (low F1 intensity) tornado occurred. It was in the town of Dundalk, immediately outside of Baltimore. It stripped three houses of its gutters, bent siding, lifted aluminum facia from a church roof, and downed telephone cable. As it entered moved toward a few businesses, awnings were torn from the storefronts of a liquor store and laundromat. A portion of a concrete block wall was destroyed at the laundromat. The tornado then hit a marina, damaging 35 boats... a couple severely. A warehouse on the property lost a 1/3 of its aluminum siding, including an entire wall. An aluminum porch was then blown off a home, exposing siding and tossing some insulation into nearby trees. A five ton office trailer was overturned, causing an arm injury to a person inside. A cinder block wall collapsed, and aluminum skirting across the top of a building was blown off, allowing for a portion of the wall to fall. Then at Container Depot Industries, 25-30 large shipping containers were shifted and/or damaged. Several large trees were also uprooted along the path of the storm. Thunderstorm winds downed numerous trees in other parts of MD, and two houses had shingles and tar paper ripped off, along with siding and eaves damaged. A few locations reported hail, from dime size, to golfball size at an isolated location. Flash flooding occurred in some areas too, with several people needing to be rescued from their vehicles.

In Pennsylvania, 7 tornadoes occurred. In Bedford county, an F1 rolled over a mobile home, causing a man inside to suffer a broken arm. A house was slid several feet off its foundation, and other homes had parts of their roof removed. Several barns were damaged or destroyed, and a garage was destroyed with part of the house next to it losing its roof. Trees along the tornado path had their tops sheared off. Next, an F0 tornado hit 3/4 of a mile south of Old Fort. One barn lost part of its roof, and another one was damaged. A sign was blown over at a store, a hay wagon was tossed across route 45, and a utility pole was snapped. As the tornaod moved toward Spring Mills, a barn roof was blown off and trees were downed. In Mifflin county, a low F1 intensity tornado touched down in Burnham, demolishing the roof of a carwash and damaging the roof of a YMCA. A few trees were damaged along the path. An F1 tornado crossed the Clinton/Lycoming county line, initially starting near Pine Station and ending near Jersey Shore. Mostly tree damage was the only signs of damage in the first part of the path, as it traved along the north side of Bald Eagle Mountain. A wall of a garage was blown out and a porch roof collapsed. Tree damage in that area showed good signs of rotation. Once the tornado flattened a corn field, definate rotation was indicated. The stalks were blown down in semi-circular swirls -- very impressive rotation. A barn was damaged and half of a house roof blown off 1 mile southwest of Jersey Shore. Rotation signs diminished for the most part after this, and downburst winds became the primary damage cause. Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted, and a house was shifted on its foundation. Other houses had parts of their roof removed. At the Avis elementary school, some metal facade was blown from the roof. A barn was completely leveled, a mobile home rolled over, and a few other buildings damaged. Another F1 tornado in Lycoming county hit just northwest of Linden. A few trees were downed, and a church had a side wall, made of brick, blown in. Two homes and a shed had some damage to the northeast of the church damage. The strongest tornado in PA on this day was in Northampton coutny... an F1/F2. A church had most of its roof removed along with other structural damage. A car was totaled. A woman was injured when her mobile home was pushed off its foundation. Another large mobile home was tossed into a ditch 50 feet away, but no one was in it. A house roof was blown off and found 100 feet downwind. A playhouse and metal school bus shelter were thrown and destroyed. Numerous other homes had windows cracked and chimney's destroyed at the edge of the tornado. Many trees were snapped or blown over. An F1 tornado in Monroe county damaged 15 homes... 5 with major damage. An airplane hanger and planes within it were damaged, and trees were down. Thunderstorm winds caused the following damage: Many trees downed; utility poles and lines were snapped; Numerous boats overturned & damaged at a marina; structural damage to quite a few homes and businesses; trailers/mobile homes overturned, with nearby homes having roofing and siding ripped off; a local inn had a portion of its roof removed, with a few homes having chimney's damaged; a few barns and sheds demolished; two people were injured, one seriously, when a tree fell on their van. Flash flooding struck in numerous areas around the state with probably the worst in Tioga county. 2.5 million dollars in damage occurred, when flash flood waters damaged roads and bridges, and 24 homes were destroyed, with dozens heavily damaged.