The Atlanta Tornado

On March 14, 2008, University of Alabama senior Mykal Riey launched a miracle three point shot at the buzzer in the quarterfinals of their SEC Tournament game against Mississippi State. The shot bounced around the rim and dropped in, sending the game into overtime. As Crimson Tide fans cheered wildly and Bulldog fans groaned, they had no idea that the fantastic shot may well have saved their lives.

Outside the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, where the game was being played, a powerful thunderstorm was approaching Atlanta. Conditions were not particularly favorable for severe weather, but as the thunderstorm had moved from Alabama into Georgia, it became severe. It produced a tornado near Cartersville and turned southeastward toward the Atlanta metro. Seeing indications of rotation on their Doppler radar, meteorologists at the National Weather Service in Atlanta issued a tornado warning.

Inside the Dome, fans were oblivious to the weather outside as the overtime period started. Halfway into the overtime, at 9:38 p.m. EDT, a loud roaring sound was heard. Television announcers said that it sounded like a freight train. Lights and catwalks in the Dome began to sway and debris rained down inside the arena. Players on the court stopped and fans in the upper levels of the arena began to panic.

The court was cleared and order restored, but outside, the scene was like that of a war zone. Damage was widespread. An F2 tornado had struck downtown Atlanta. It touched down just west of the Georgia World Congress Center, which was heavily damaged. An NBA game was being played at the Philips Arena, which was impacted directly by the tornado, as well as the CNN/Omni Hotel complex. Windows were blown out of many downtown buildings.

Fifty homes were destroyed and the Cooton Mill lofts were heavily damaged. The tornado passed just one hundred yards north of the Dome and turned east southeast on a six mile path, lifting near I-20 in DeKalb County. Top winds were estimated to be 130 mph. One person was killed and thirty were injured in the tornado.

If Riley’s shot had not fallen, the death toll could have been much higher as fans would have been outside the dome making their way to their cars or hotels.

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