Derecho Effects on Electrical Power in a Large City
Whether in rural areas or in cities, "high end" derechos typically produce considerable damage to buildings and trees and people can be killed or injured particularly when they are outside, in cars, or in mobile homes. Further, loss of electrical power is often widespread and customers can be without electrical power for a long period of time. It is this loss of electricity that affects most city inhabitants when a strong derecho passes through a city. This loss typically is the result of falling trees and tree limbs severing or shorting out electrical lines. In some instances, large portions of the city may be without electrical power for one to two weeks! Examples of two cities (Kansas City, MO and Memphis, TN) affected by strong derecho events and major electrical power losses are described below.
JUNE 7, 1982 DERECHO
"The Kansas City Derecho of 1982"
AFFECTING THE KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI METROPOLITAN AREA
During the predawn hours on Monday, June 7, 1982, a derecho developed over north central Kansas (KS) and roared eastward causing considerable damage and some injuries as it crossed northern Kansas, central Missouri (MO), and west central Illinois (IL) (Fig. 1). The most intense portion of the storm was along a band from just west of Manhattan, Kansas (orange "M" on Fig. 1) though the central and northern portions of the Kansas City metropolitan area (orange "K" on Fig. 1). Measured peak wind gusts included 62 mph at Manhattan, 78 mph at Topeka (orange "T" on Fig. 1), 90 mph at Lake Perry (orange "P" on Fig. 1) and 78 mph at Kansas City International Airport. Gusts were estimated to have reached 90 to 100 mph in several places including the northern Kansas City suburb of Parkville, Missouri. Along the most intense portion of the derecho path ("M" to "K"), mobile homes were overturned, buildings were damaged, planes were overturned at the airports in Topeka and Kansas City, and thousands of trees were damaged or blown down (Fig 1). Six people were injured in the overturned mobile homes. Much of the area lost electrical power including the northern two-thirds of the Kansas City metropolitan area.
Figure 1. Area affected by the June 7, 1982 derecho event (outlined in blue). Curved purple lines represent the approximate locations of the "gust front" at hourly intervals. "+" symbols indicate the locations of wind damage or estimated wind gusts above severe limits (58 mph or greater). The red line indicates the location of a tornado track. The other symbols are described in the text.
The electrical power loss to over 100,000 customers in the Kansas City metropolitan area would continue for several days for many and even more than a week for a few. The power loss and its affect on city residents was captured in several photographs published in the Kansas City Star and Kansas City Times newspapers within 24 hours after the event occurred. Scanned images from these historical newspapers are shown below (Figs. 2-6).
Dr.
Charles Doswell III, a research meteorologist at the National Severe Storms
Forecast Center at the time, experienced the power loss with his family at
their home in the northern part of Kansas City and he remembers it well. The
Doswell household remained without electrical power for about a week. After
the power had been off for several days, the food in the family freezer began
melting. To save the expensive meat in the freezer, Chuck cooked as much of
it as he could during the course of one day, over two charcoal grills. In
the process, he singed the hair on his hands when some of the fat caught fire
in the grill. The day after the grilling frenzy, his neighbor to the north
got her power back; however, the Doswells did not. Showing considerable goodwill,
the neighbor allowed Chuck to run an extension cord from her home to the Doswells'
basement where electrical power could be supplied to the refrigerator and
the freezer. This action proved to be extremely helpful since, for whatever
reason, it would be another 3 or 4 days before the electrical power was restored
to the Doswell home.
From the June 7,
1982 issue of the Kansas City Star, used with permission
Figure 2. As the derecho passed through the Kansas City metropolitan area near sunrise on the June 7, 1982, this large oak tree was blown down damaging 2 homes on the 4500 block of North Bales Avenue on the north side of the city. This was just one of thousands of trees that were damaged or blown down many of which severed electric lines cutting off power in the region.
Staff
photo by Frank Niemeir and Cliff Schiappa, from the June 8, 1982 issue of
the Kansas City Times, used with permission
Figure 3. On the afternoon of June 7, 1982, an electric company repairman works on reconnecting a downed power line on the 1700 block of 34th Terrace in the midtown portion of Kansas City, Missouri.
Staff
photo by Frank Niemeir and Cliff Schiappa, from the
June 8, 1982 issue of the Kansas City
Times, used with permission
Figure 4. A couple in the northern suburb of Parkville, Missouri sit at their kitchen table with a kerosene lamp on Monday night (late evening of June 7, 1982) waiting for their electricity to be restored.
Staff
photo by Greg B. Smith, from the
June 8, 1982 issue of the Kansas City
Times, used with permission
Figure 5. More than 100 people wait in line to buy ice at a refrigerator company on the 200 block of West 75th Street (on the south side of Kansas City). The picture was taken about a 1/2 hour after the company's normal closing time on Monday afternoon, June 7, 1982. Many people had to wait more than 1 1/2 hours to get ice which was used to keep perishable food cold in the wake of the early morning derecho.
Staff
photo by Frank Niemeir and Cliff Schiappa, from the
June 8, 1982 issue of the Kansas City
Times, used with permission
Figure 6. On Monday June 7, 1982, fifty one boxes of frozen french fries from a fast food restaurant in Sugar Creek, Missouri (an eastern suburb) are being transferred from a truck to a refrigerated trailer after power was lost near sunrise because of the derecho winds. Many businesses had to close and find ways to save perishable food.
......................................................................................................................................................................................................
The scanned photographs are from historical Kansas City Star and Kansas City TImes newspapers provided by William Hirt. Permission for displaying the scanned photographs was provided by the Kansas City Star.
(References.......Rockwood and Maddox, 1988; The Kansas City Star and The Kansas City Times; Storm Data for June 1982)
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
"The Mid South Derecho of 2003"
AFFECTING THE MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE METROPOLITAN AREA
[The information concerning the July 22, 2003 derecho's affect on the Memphis, Tennessee metropolitan area have been provided by Scott McNeil, Dan Valle, Jonathan Howell, and Greg Garrett from the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Memphis, TN.]
During the early morning hours on Tuesday, July 22, 2003, a derecho developed over north central Arkansas and moved rapidly east southeastward reaching northern Alabama by mid morning (Fig 1). Although the storm weakened over northern Alabama, it reintensfied over northwestern Georgia and moved across northern and central Georgia and into South Carolina before ending by late afternoon. Many thousands of trees were damaged or blown down. Two people were killed and 11 others were injured, mostly because of trees falling on homes or vehicles.
Between
6 and 7 AM CDT on Tuesday morning the derecho passed through the Memphis,
Tennessee metropolitan area ("M" on Fig. 1) and produced some of
the most intense damaging winds during its existence. Numerous homes and buildings
were damaged and at least 20 were destroyed.
Image provided
by Scott McNeil, modified and used with permission
Figure 1. Area affected by the western portion of the July 22, 2003 derecho event (shaded gray and red areas) with the approximate hourly positions of the leading edge of derecho winds (gust front) indicated by the light blue lines (times in CDT are yellow and times in Universal Time are light blue). The red area shows were the strongest damaging winds (greater than 75 mph) occurred. The black "M" represents the location of the Memphis metropolitan area. The white dashed lines indicate the continued track of the weakened derecho which would reintensify over northwestern Georgia and move on eastward across northern Georgia and into western South Carolina (not shown).
Power outages in the Memphis metropolitan area were extensive. About 750,000 people (over 60 percent of the population) lost electrical power. About 75% of the electrically operated traffic lights quit working causing chaotic traffic jams. Also, the airport, which is an important hub for travelers and freight, was closed down. It would take two weeks for all customers in the metropolitan area to get there electrical power back (Fig. 2).
Image provided
by Scott McNeil, used with permission
Figure 2. Number of customers (and people) without electrical power in the Memphis metropolitan area following the derecho event on July 22, 2003. The values on the left side of the graph represent the number of customers without electrical power (in the thousands). Each green bar represents the number of customers without power on a given day with the left most bar representing July 22, 2003 and the right most bar representing August 5, 2003 (14 days later).
Scott McNeil, a senior meteorologist at the NWS Forecast Office in Memphis, TN, (black "M" on Fig. 1), was working a midnight shift during the early morning hours on July 22nd. When the derecho gust front hit the building in which the forecast office was located just before 7 AM CDT, winds gusted to over 80 mph. Scott remembers the building shaking and the ceiling tiles rattling. Commercial electrical power was lost, so the office's backup generator was activated. When the winds calmed down, the damage outside was apparent. Trees near the employee parking lot had fallen on many cars including Scott's. When he got off work at 8 AM, Scott and several of his building coworkers had to use a chainsaw to free their damaged cars from the fallen trees. Since only the canopy of a tree had fallen over Scott's car, his car received no significant damage.
Scott was finally able to extract his car and started his commute home which typically takes about 25 minutes. He had to detour around several fallen trees that blocked his normal route home. Nearly every electric traffic light was not working and this resulted in traffic jams. Scott finally made it home after about an hour and a half. Although there were many buildings in his neighborhood that received major damage, his home did not receive any damage.
As it turns out, the primary impact that the "Mid South Derecho of 2003" had on Scott was the extended electrical power outage at his home. To save the contents of his electric refrigerator Scott stored the food into "coolers" (non-electric containers) packed with ice. By the second day of the power outage ice was becoming scarce in Memphis, so Scott had to travel west of the Mississippi River into Arkansas to obtain ice for his coolers. Luckily, his in-laws lived in a Memphis suburb where their electric power was restored relatively quickly. When it became obvious that it might be several more days before power would be restored in midtown Memphis, Scott was able to transport the food that he had stored in the coolers to his in-laws' home.
During the period of power outage at Scott's home he was working a series of midnight shifts (midnight to 8 AM CDT) and needed to sleep during the daytime. However, trying to sleep during the very hot and humid summer days in Memphis without air conditioning would be excruciating if not impossible. During the power outage period Scott was able to sleep in his in-laws' air conditioned home during the day and then travel back to midtown Memphis during the evening to take care of his house before going to work.
On the sixth day of the power outage, his neighbors across the street got their electrical power restored. Scott's house would finally get power restored about noon on July 29th.....over a week after the derecho passed through the area (see Fig. 2). However, even then Scott would take another hit. When the electrical power was restored, a surge destroyed his television set! This is certainly a storm event that Scott will likely never forget.
....................................................................................................................................................
The Figures 3-10 (below) were courteously provided by The Commercial Appeal (a Memphis newspaper) and Scott McNeil. They show dramatic examples of the severe damage experienced in the Memphis metropolitan area as a result of the July 22, 2003 derecho. Given the amount of damage and extensive loss of electricity, Shelby County, TN (where the city of Memphis is located) was declared a Federal Disaster Area
Photo
by Scott McNeil of damage from the July 22, 2003 derecho, used with permission
Figure 3. View of a car crushed by a large tree trunk on Central Avenue in midtown Memphis.
The
Commercial Appeal staff photo by Mike Maple of damage from the July 22, 2003
derecho, used with permission
Figure 4. Two children taking a close look at the root structure of a large tree that was uprooted on Belvedere Boulevard in midtown Memphis.
The Commercial
Appeal staff photo by Lance Murphy of damage from the July 22, 2003 derecho,
used with permission
Figure 5. View of damage to the Gibson Lounge and Guitar Factory which took a heavy hit.
The Commercial
Appeal staff photo by Alan Spearman of damage from the July 22, 2003 derecho,
used with permission
Figure 6. View of a house heavily damaged when a large tree fell onto it on Linden Avenue near Cooper Street in midtown Memphis.
The Commercial
Appeal staff photo by Karen Pulfer Focht of damage from the July 22, 2003
derecho, used with permission
Figure 7. View of a the peeled off roof and severe damage to a building on the 200 block of Front Street where journalist Gregory James resided and experienced the devastation.
The Commercial
Appeal staff photo by Mike Maple of damage from the July 22, 2003 derecho,
used with permission
Figure 8. View of Linden Avenue west of Barksdale Street which still looks like a war zone when this picture was taken on Friday afternoon, July 25, 2003.....three days after the derecho passed through the area.
The Commercial
Appeal staff photo by Alan Spearman of damage from the July 22, 2003 derecho,
used with permission
Figure 9. A homeowner on East Goodwyn Street working to extract a large uprooted oak tree which had sandwiched itself between the bedrooms of his two young sons.
Photo by
Scott McNeil of damage from the July 22, 2003 derecho, used with permission
Figure 10. View of a damaged car and downed power lines on Linden Avenue.
...........................................................................................................................................................
(References.......Scott McNeil et al. 2003 National Weather Association Annual Meeting presentation; The Commercial Appeal (a Memphis newspaper); Storm Data for July 2003)
Back to the Derecho Hits City question
Back to the Historic Derecho Events List
Back to the Derecho Facts Page