The 2012 Ring of Fire Derecho - An Unpredictable Monster - A Retrospective & Analysis

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Late June 2012. Across the eastern United States people were sweating bullets because of an intense heat wave caused by a stagnant weather pattern. A dominant high pressure system in the southern United States with a stalled frontal boundary set across the northeast towards the plains led to numerous excessive heat warnings south of the front with temperatures in excess of 100 degrees fahrenheit. To many in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic States, they would take anything in order to minimize the sweltering temperatures. A breeze or some rain at the least. But what mother nature had in store for those areas was way different than what most were expecting. Mother nature’s plan was to print the term Derecho into the general public’s mind, with the 2012 Ring of FIre Derecho/Super Derecho.
On June 29th, a progressive derecho swept across the Midwest, Appalachian mountains, and Mid-Atlantic. The system started off as part of an unorganized cluster of thunderstorms in Iowa and Illinois, and beyond what many would have thought, that cluster expanded into one of the most well known derechos in the United States. Over the course of 12 hours, the storm complex produced large swaths of severe wind damage across numerous states, with wind gusts exceeding 100 mph in some areas. The roaring winds outside was nothing like what many across the River Valley and the Mid-Atlantic had experienced, and during a day that started off as a slight risk for severe weather. The 2012 Derecho is one of the most infamous derechos in US History, and I think it’s warranted to cover it. Today, I will be covering the background of the event, the synopsis, the timeline of events, the aftermath, and the significance of the event. Welcome to Nature’s Fury.

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Tags: #Weather, #documentary, Alferia, Weather Documentary, Science Documentary, Weather Videos, Natural Disaster Documentary, Disaster Documentaries, Derecho, 2012 Derecho ,Findlay Ohio ,Ohio Derecho ,Ring of Fire Derecho ,2012 Disaster ,Mid-Atlantic Derecho 2012 ,Washington DC Wind Event, Progressive Derecho, West Virginia Derecho, Virginia Derecho 2012, Super Derecho, Billion Dollar Disaster, Columbus Ohio Disaster, Severe Wind Event, 2012 Super Derecho, June 29 2012 Derecho

[tropicalcyclone]

I loved the explanation for why progressive derechos are so hard to forecast. As a forecaster in Chicago, ring of fire patterns are an absolute NIGHTMARE because you know there's potential for severe weather but you usually don't know exactly what is gonna happen often until an event is already in progress. We had a ring of fire pattern last week and it was so difficult because we had a threat of severe weather daily, but it was impossible to determine the details until a few hours before the event. It was difficult for me because I had people who wanted to know in the morning if there would be severe weather later that day, but my only answer was "we need to monitor what happens to determine that, I can't tell you for certain."

[itsmegoodbye]

Southerner: Please something to cool us off, wind, rain, anything!
Nature: and i took that personally

[cameronwood]

Lived through this in Virginia. It hit 104 that afternoon and there was no chance of rain, throughout the day the forecast got progressively worse. When the line came through I saw dozens of trees go down and watched our trampoline blow across our yard into the neighbors. We lost power for 7 days and ended up staying in a hotel since we had no generator. Absolute madness! Thanks for covering this, really a forgotten event.

[iluvcj]

Born and raised in Fort Wayne. I will always remember that derecho. Was in the pool that morning until looking off to the west and saw a black sky. At first we were just happy it would rain. But then that crazy wind hit and sent things flying! I remember clambering out of the pool as towels and chairs started going across the yard. By the time we got out and to the door the metal gazebo had been picked up and thrown against the house and then the fence. Got inside as the worst hit. Crazy day. I remember we didn’t have power for a couple of days after that. Downed trees and power lines everywhere. We lost one metal arm of the gazebo in the winds, never found it.

[LunarNght]

i really like how complex this one is! as an atmospheric science student, i found it really nice to see the fun stuff! I havent finished it yet but you've done a really nice job with the initial stuff!

[melodramaticmonday]

This storm was wild. I was driving home from work on 270 when it hit. I remember taking the very next exit and rode it out in a Walmart parking lot. The semi in front of me genuinely looked like it was going to get flipped over. White knuckled it after the worst came through. The kind of drive you turn the radio off.

[kyleb]

I lived in Fort Wayne when this dorecho went down. After the storm you couldn't drive around and not see damage. The entire city was practically out of power for almost a day. All local radio stations were knocked out. We were picking up stations from Wisconsin. Definitely one of the most wild weather events I've experienced. I hope to experience another one again one day.

[LiminalHellscape]

I remember this one. The brunt of the storm hit just south of where I was living in NJ. I was trying to sleep but the lightning was so insane, I had to sit by the window and watch. I've never seen the sky strobe like that for so long. Very eerie. No thunder or wind where I was. I didn't realize how bad the damage was until I saw the news the next day.

[Cathartes]

I rode this one out in a van in a big parking lot in Ohio. There was a big, heavy gas-powered eight-seater golf cart next to us, and it was rocking back and forth on its wheels. Never seen anything like it.

A lot of people didn't even make it to their cars and they had to shelter behind others' vehicles. It was wild!

[eaglescout]

You're spot on with describing the reaction of the Mid-Atlantic. I grew up in Virginia and never heard the term "derecho" until this event.

I actually happened to be looking at the radar that afternoon, trying to decide if I wanted to lob off some big limbs from the dying tree in my backyard. And I saw that classic bow echo across Ohio and thought, "yeah, might get a storm, probably should tackle the tree before it shows up".

I had no idea that what we ended up getting was going to be the worst non-tropical weather event I've ever seen. What is also interesting is how the winds interacted with the mountains. The worst damage in my area were these towns along the Blue Ridge Mountains, places like Crozet, Nellysford, Lynchburg. It was like the wind was funneled and ending up being much higher at the base of the mountain, causing more destruction.

It was certainly something none of us were prepared for and will always be remembered by those of us who saw it first hand.

[NagromX]

Man, have I been waiting for a weather video where I could actually tell a personal story (sucks to live in a state with barely any tornadoes I guess, not exactly?).

Alexandria, VA resident here. This was one of the first storms I remember from my childhood. My family hadn't really been keeping an eye on the weather that day until the severe thunderstorm watch was issued. Despite 4 hours of warning, we didn't really think much of it at first since those storms tend to break up over the mountains. My weather knowledge as a 10 year old was limited, to say the least, but I understood radar and knew that the giant line of orange and red wasn't anything to mess around with. I noticed it had passed over the mountains, and that's around when my parents started taking it more seriously. They let me stay up late to watch it come in, and around an hour later is when all hell broke loose, and we lost power. I don't remember much about the actual storm besides it being quite loud and a bit scarier than average, but the following morning is what I remember the most. We took a walk around the neighborhood and saw street after street absolutely littered with branches. One of our neighbors had had this enormous tree in their front yard, which had been completely uprooted. The actual tree laying across the road was definitely a sight, but the image that sticks with me was the enormous root system, which had been pulled up with it. With all the dirt and mud still stuck to it, it was easily 8 - 10 feet in diameter. Thankfully this didn't cause any damage to anything, and in fact there was surprisingly little damage to buildings and vehicles from what I saw. After that we went back home and ate all the ice cream in the freezer before it melted. Got power back in around 2 days.

Awesome video as usual. Been watching since the GD days. Keep it up!

[loficampingguy]

At 3:20, you mentioned the derecho that ripped across Illinois a few weeks back. I really hope that someday you cover this event, as I would love to hear what you have to say about something I personally experienced.

I work for an agency that typically is _very_ weather aware, and that storm caught even us off guard. We had discussed the forecast of severe weather that morning in our meeting and gone over what to do, but it was still way worse than anyone thought it would have been. My site is currently re-evaluating our storm procedures in part due to the derecho. I moved here to Illinois from Virginia, and we don't see storms like that often. It was the worst I think I have ever seen in my life, doubly so because all of us were doing our best to keep everyone safe so all attention was on the weather.

EDIT: Removed reference to the specific agency and made it seem less like I was speaking on its behalf, because I most certainly am not. Just relating my experience with something relevant.

[adriatic]

live in Fort Wayne, this storm is why I got diagnosed with ptsd. it was no joke

[CedrinMedia]

I live in the DuPage County area in Illinois. I still remember when the derecho hit my city. I was at a mall when it was really hitting. Once I arrived home, I saw an entire park destroyed. All of the thick trees went down. Houses were damaged by fallen trees.

This derecho is what got me into Storm development, Emerency Alert Systems, Weather Radar, etc.

I did my first ever Storm Chase 2 days ago as of the time of this comment. I hope to see a tornado for the first time in person very soon.

[fighterjetsensei]

I remember this storm well. My parents were out of town at a wedding and my brothers had some friends over. We were hanging out, playing beer pong, and just being young men. I remember the rain starting and then getting rapidly more intense. The pavilion that eas being built in our backyard had part of it's roof torn off. It was a scary night.

[cactust]

I lived through this one in the DC metro area. The storm was so unexpected that my family had just gotten home from a fireworks show, which ended at around 9:30pm with essentially no sign of inclement weather. I'm definitely glad we were safely in our house instead of out in a field when the storm hit about an hour later--though being out of power for a week afterwards was no fun. I'll never forget going to the Tyson's Corner mall the next day for AC and seeing it packed with people charging their phones, laptops, etc. on every outlet imaginable while people sat on the floor outside shops just trying to cool down. Crazy stuff.

[Fantasi]

Hey Alferia! I've been watching your videos for a little over 8 months now and I can say with utmost confidence you have helped me realize my fascination and love for the weather; your documentaries are incredibly informative and composed in a way that gives me goosebumps upon every reviewing. It's slightly nerve-racking to say it, but I'm finally starting college and I'm going to transfer to a four-year in my state for meteorology after I get my pre-reqs and personal studies done at my community college! I also just wanted to add that it's incredible to see not only how far you've come in your development as a person and youtuber, but how far you've come in the face of such adversity, especially recently. You've always been a real inspiration to so many weather nerds like me, but also the community as a whole, with people from all walks of life. Don't stop being cool! (I know you won't) and your fans always have your back no matter the odds!😶‍🌫

[sch]

I remember this storm so well! My 14-year-old son was camping with the Boy Scouts outside of Columbus, OH. It was hours before we could confirm that he and the rest of the troop were ok. Terrifying storm. Thanks for a great video!

[hannahcharles]

This derecho and hurricane sandy are some of the earliest memories I can recall

[marissawindler]

Practically died laughing at the Johnny Cash joke 💀 and the fact that it was said in a professional tone of your voice made it even better for me! 🤣 Beautiful work as usual! Thank you for everything you do for this wonderful natural disaster community! You are truly absolutely incredible! Keep up the amazing work!!! ✨