Tornado Debris from the 23 May 2017 “Tybee Tornado”

Abstract

AbstractWe examine the trajectories of four historical markers displaced during an enhanced Fujita scale 2 (EF2) tornado at the Fort Pulaski National Monument located on Cockspur Island, east of Savannah in southeast Georgia. The careful work of National Park Service employees in cataloguing the origin and landing points of the debris allows for an unusually accurate analysis of tornado debris trajectories for heavy objects. These markers, weighing around 68 kg (150 lb) each, traveled intact for distances of up to 220 m (750 ft). One of the historical markers was fractured into at least three pieces, the larger of which traveled 300 m (1,000 ft). Understanding the travel for these relatively heavy items is important, as they are similar in weight to household appliances that could commonly be part of a tornado debris field.