Tornado

I remember the day in 1977 when a Tornado hit CP. Our family took shelter in the Ticket Booth while my father searched for our car in a flooded parking lot. I saw lighting strike a gift shop and one of the picnic shelter - I think it was the one they sawed in half for the Demon Drop. My mother saw one of the CP trams blow into somebody's car and there where people in the parking lot screaming about damaged vehicles. The drive off of the point was the worst as the lake seemed level with causeway and the waves were pretty big. We didn't know a Tornado had struck the park until it was on the news the next day. I also heard many trees where ripped out of the future Gemini location when I worked at the park 10 years later. I have heard many rumors of damage throughout the years but this is all the I know is true.

We also spent a lot of time in Coliseum Arcade that day. The storm clouds coming in behind the
Jumbo Jet's glowing sign was an awesome view I will NEVER forget. I fell in love with Cedar Point that day in spite of the terrible weather.

Was "the year of the somewhat famous waterspouts" June of 1998?

I was there at that time with my family (2 small children) and my sister and her family (3 kids). Water spouts look like tornados to the untrained eye. After sighting the first spout (which we naturally thought was a tornado) we got caught outside of a some game near the Gemini children's area.

It was like a scene out of a terror movie, with people running wildly from the Frontier Land area. A PA system would have made the panic worse...as was said previously, there are only so many places you can go when bad weather hits. We headed for the concrete bathrooms when future spouts were spotted!

Our kids were all shook up, but got over it quickly when we rearranged schedules and stayed at CP for another day. (Adults were happier than the kids!)

My family was under said Picnic shelter when it was struck by lightning in the 77 storm, It was a very frighting experience we were all hidding in the restroooms

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kneemeister

"If you look to the left side of the train you will see the Coasters of Cedar Point"

Youv'e all got me worried now? Coming from UK all we ever get is miserable rain. So are these storms etc.. common in the area?

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"An English Gentleman does it with a stiff upper lip"
AIM : leeben666
ICQ: 30610039

Not entirely common - Lake Erie can spawn some rather nasty weather, but typically it does not last more than an hour or so before clearing up. The more inclement weather is typically in May and June, but later in the season you will still see thunderstorms. Waterspouts/tornados are rare occurences!

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PO!NT OF VIEW - A Different Look at Roller Coasters
http://www.crosswinds.net/~justmayntz/thrills/

...Of course, Cedar Point is right up tornado alley! *end sarcasm*

No, these are just 2 cases that have happened in the "recent" future. You shouldn't worry about going to the park during a storm like one of those...unless you're really, really unlucky. :)

Or lucky, depending on your point-of-view.  I don't believe England often gets the spectacular, booming thunder-and-blinding-lightening storms that can pop up on a hot and humid Midwestern afternoon.  Heck, we don't even get those much in Toronto, where I live now, and I kinda miss them.  I'd certainly rather have one of those quick-moving cells than an all-day, grey sky rain.  And I was there for those waterspouts (we have a copy of the photo that ran on the front page of the Sandusky Register the next day hanging in our living room).  The rides at Cedar Point are awesome, but they are no match for Mother Nature ...

The Rain is common Lee but probably not like your used too in the UK, however were going through kind of a drought in the Midwest lately..The waterspout was VERY RARE though..DOn't sweat it and have a blast!

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http://www.msu.edu/~armbrus9/cp.html
mf laps = 100! No More No Less!!
Wheres the Electricity!

Actually, when you get to brass tacks. CP is well protected by the water. The intensity of any spout/cyclone is tempered by the water. The weather patterns and storms are just facts of the midwest. But when you are discussing events of magnitude nearly 21 yrs apart, that pretty much sums up the chances of anything significant. And to my knowledge, there has never been any loss of life due to weather at CP....and my keychain says

They have a warning system... sort of... There is a warning that comes over the speaker system in the park. I remember it in 98 on the waterspouts day.

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Kansan by birth; Cedar Point by desire; Zone 5/6 by the grace of God

Hey, maybe the waterspouts were a sign of good fortune...coaster wise. The tornado that hits in 1977 pedicts the worlds tallest coaster in 1978. The water spouts that go by the peninsula predict a monster of a coaster and multiple record breaker in 2000. What do you guys think? huh? huh? ;)

when did a tornado hit CP?or was it waterspouts,when did that happen?recently?FONT face=
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The tornado hit in 1977 clearing trees in the future Gemini contruction site.
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MF Count: 20
Front Seat MF Rides: 2
First CP Rollercoaster: Corkscrew