Georgia’s insurance and fire safety commissioner on Monday increased the damage estimate from last …

I have a problem with the wording “Never try to outrun a tornado. Motorist should abandon their vehicles and seek a sturdy shelter or lay in a ditch or other low-lying area.” I understand the underlying reason for this statement is that most people are not familiar with severe storms and they may not know what they are driving into – thus, it is best just to tell them to get out of their cars and jump into a ditch or low-lying area.

There is a very slight chance for tornadoes today across parts of the South and along the Gulf Coast. A 55-65 knot westernly flow in the 700-500 mb level combined with steep mid-level lapse rates and increasing moisture will likely create severe storms anywhere from extreme East Texas to points E/NE later today and through tonight. Most likely threats will be severe hail, strong straight line winds, but even though this appears to be an MCS event, any storms that develop will have a small potential for tornadoes.

Exclusive: New photos of the Edmond Tornado from February 10, 2009, these were taken by Kate Meyer in Oklahoma City. Special thanks to Kate and Sarah Kogler (StormTours.com Meteorologist) for these incredible photographs.

Preliminary survey results are in for the February 10, 2009 tornado outbreak in Oklahoma. The damage survey on the Lone Grove tornado indicated the tornado reached EF4 strength with maximum wind speeds in the 165-200 mph range. The tornado’s widest path was measured at ½ mile wide at times.

Damage survey results are also in their final stages for the Edmond tornado. The preliminary data indicates that there were 3 tornadoes. The first tornado had the shortest life of the three and struck NW of Bethany, it travelled ¾ of a mile and was about 30 yards wide and did EF1 damage.

Oklahoma’s first tornado of 2009 happened at approximately 3:05 p.m. today and traveled along the North side of the Oklahoma City metro, it was reported to have lasted 10 minutes and did “significant damage” near Edmond.

Reports just coming in that there have been three tornado related fatalities in Lone Grove, Oklahoma, probably happening at about the time of the radar image below.