Kevin Myatt

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About Kevin

Kevin Myatt grew up in Arkansas to the tune of tornado sirens and the rhythm of hailstones, aspiring to be a meteorologist before his studies and career were turned to journalism instead. Though he often chases storms, he prefers living in the cooler, more tranquil weather of the Blue Ridge. He moved to Roanoke in 1999 to take a job on the copy desk of The Roanoke Times; writing headlines and editing copy is his principal work for the newspaper today.

Each May, Kevin assists Pulaski County High School / Virginia Tech meteorology instructor Dave Carroll in leading college and high school students to the Plains to observe severe weather firsthand. The accounts of many of his storm chases can be found here on the storm chasing page of his weather blog on roanoke.com.

Kevin was an editor for "Hurricanes and the Middle Atlantic States," a book written by D.C.-area weather enthusiast Rick Schwartz and published by Blue Diamond Books that documents hurricanes striking the mid-Atlantic states since colonial times.

The Weather Journal column began in 2003 and appears on Friday's Virginia section front in The Roanoke Times. The Weather Journal blog began in 2006 and follows weather day-by-day between the larger columns.

Did tornado wreak havoc on War of 1812?

You've probably sung these lyrics before, written by my fellow native Arkansas homeboy Jimmy Driftwood and made popular as a Grammy-winning song in 1959 by Johnny Horton:

"In 1814, we took a little trip

Along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississip'

We took a little bacon, and we took a little beans

And we caught the bloody British at the town of New Orleans."

That song was about the War of 1812, a fight between a young United States and its former colonial master Great Britain that actually lasted until 1814 or 1815, depending on the historical source. Interestingly, New Orleans was hit by a destructive hurricane in August 1812, a few weeks after war was declared, resulting in heavy damage to the small U.S. Navy contingent stationed there.

But that hurricane was not the most infamous weather occurrence that made an impact in the War of 1812.

In 1814, the same year the fictional subject of Jimmy Driftwood's song was taking his "little trip" with future President Andrew Jackson, Washington, D.C., came under assault in August. The British burned much of the city, including the early Capitol and the presidential mansion, then occupied by James Madison, to the ground.

On Aug. 25, 1814, as British troops occupied a burning Washington, D.C., a powerful thunderstorm hit the city. According to many sources, that severe thunderstorm spawned a tornado that would plow through the heart of Washington.

An online excerpt from the book "Washington Weather" by authors Kevin Ambrose, Dan Henry and Andy Weiss, perhaps best describes what happened next.

"The tornado tore through the center of Washington and directly into the British occupation. Buildings were lifted off of their foundations and dashed to bits. Other buildings were blown down or lost their roofs. Feather beds were sucked out of homes and scattered about. Trees were uprooted, fences were blown down, and the heavy chain bridge across the Potomac River was buckled and rendered useless.

"A few British cannons were picked up by the winds and thrown through the air. The collapsing buildings and flying debris killed several British soldiers. Many of the soldiers did not have time to take cover from the winds and they laid face down in the streets. One account describes how a British officer on horseback did not dismount and the winds slammed both horse and rider violently to the ground."

There has been some disagreement over the years about whether the Washington storm of 1814 was a tornado, strictly a severe thunderstorm, or perhaps even some kind of tropical system. However, the descriptions of the storm and the manner of its destruction seem most consistent with a tornado, so this has become a widely accepted account of the storm.

The account in "Washington Weather" also tells of a British admiral who asked a local woman whether the storm was typical of the weather "in this infernal country." The lady told him that it was a storm specially sent by God "to drive our enemies from the city." The admiral retorted that it was sent to help the British destroy Washington.

I'll leave the divine meaning to your interpretation. But, nevertheless, British troops wasted no time in abandoning Washington after the storm hit. And they haven't been back.

But consider what a similar tornado would do to a Washington today that is exponentially more developed and populated. Don't say it can't happen. It probably did in 1814.

On the Net:

"Washington Weather" account of the Washington tornado of 1814 can be found at www.weatherbook.com/1814.htm

Navy Department Library account of the 1812 hurricane in New Orleans can be found at www.history.navy.mil/library/online/hurricane_1812.htm