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Monthly archives for April, 2011

April 27, 2011 Tornado Outbreak

Apr27
2011 2 Comments Written by Meteorologist Cory Mottice

Pictures of the tornado outbreak are below…

The average lead time for warnings was 27.1 minutes.

289 tornado warnings were issued in the south (450 total).

Current death toll: 341 (subject to change)

Rank: 2nd deadliest of all time in U.S. history.

    March 18, 1925 – 747 deaths

    April 27, 2011 – 341 deaths (number subject to change)

    March 21, 1932 – 332 deaths

    May 17, 1840 – 317 deaths

    April 3, 1974 – 310 deaths

    May 27, 1896 – 305 deaths

Source: Harold Brooks, NSSL

Preliminary Tornado Reports: 269

EF-0: 26
EF-1: 38
EF-2: 31
EF-3: 19
EF-4: 15
EF-5: 2
Total Preliminary Tornadoes: 131

*NOTE: The number of confirmed tornado reports are preliminary. While I try not to count the same tornado twice if it crossed CWA boundaries, I cannot guarantee complete accuracy. The true total number of tornadoes will continue to become more clear in the coming weeks.

Due to the large number of tornadoes I will only list the ones rated EF-3, EF-4, and EF-5. ALL REPORTS ARE PRELIMINARY.

Mississippi:

– An EF-5 tornado touched down in the Smithville area causing 27 deaths and 40 injuries. Damage assessments have determined that 150 homes, 14 businesses and 2 churches were destroyed by the tornado in Smithville. Maximum winds estimated at 205 mph and the maximum width was a 1/2 mile. The track length was 15.4 miles. This was the first EF-5 tornado nationally since May 25, 2008 (Parkersburg, IA)

– An EF-4 tornado touched down 1 mile ESE Raleigh and continued into the Yantley area in Alabama causing at least 7 deaths and at least 35 injuries. Maximum winds were estimated to be 175 mph. The path length was 92.3 miles. The maximum path width was 0.6 miles.

– An EF-4 tornado touched down near the Philadelphia area causing 3 deaths and at least 8 injuries. Estimated maximum winds were 180 mph and the path width was 1/2 a mile. The path length was 29 miles.

– An EF-3 tornado touched down in the New Wren area causing 7 deaths and 7 injuries. The path length was 34.7 miles.

– An EF-3 tornado touched down in the Europa area causing 1 death and 20 injuries. The maximum estimated winds were 140 mph and the path width was 1 mile. The path length was 40 miles.

– An EF-3 tornado touched down south of Oxford damaging a number of homes. The path length was 13.6 miles.

– An EF-3 tornado touched down in the Polkville area causing major damage to trees and mobile homes. Maximum winds were estimated to be around 130 mph. The maximum width was 1/4 of a mile. The path length was 8.2 miles.

– An EF-3 tornado touched down in the Newton area lifting a concrete bridge and severely damaging several homes. The maximum estimated winds were 145 mph and the maximum path width was 1/4 of a mile. The path length was 11 miles.

– An EF-3 tornado touched down near the Scooba area and continued into Alabama. The path length in MS was 7 miles and at least 9 more miles in AL. The maximum width observed so far is 1/2 a mile and the maximum estimated winds are 140 mph. This survey is still ongoing.

– An EF-3 tornado touched down near Lexington causing no deaths or injuries. The maximum width was 1 mile and the path length was 23 miles.

Alabama:

– An EF-5 tornado touched down in the Hackleberg area and continued northeast through Phil Campbell and into south central TN causing at least 71 deaths. Maximum winds were estimated to be 210 mph. The maximum width observed was 1.25 miles. The entire path length was 132.1 miles.

– An EF-4 tornado (possibly EF-5) touched down from Tuscaloosa, AL to Birmingham, AL causing at least 65 deaths and injuring more than 1000 people. The path length is greater than 80 miles and the estimated peak winds are at least 165 mph. The maximum width is 1.5 miles. Survey ongoing.

– An EF-4 tornado touched down in the Rainsville (Dekalb county) area causing at least 32 deaths. Maximum winds were estimated to be around 175 mph. The path length was 33 miles. The maximum width observed was 3/4 of a mile.

– An EF-4 tornado touched down in Jackson county and extreme northern Dekalb county causing 11 deaths and several injuries. The maximum estimated winds were 190 mph and the maximum path width was 1 mile. The path length was approximately 28 miles.

– An EF-4 tornado touched down near Lake Martin causing 9 deaths and several injuries. Estimated peak winds are potentially up to 170 mph. The maximum width was a 1/2 mile and the path length was 44.1 miles.

– An EF-4 tornado touched down near Cullman, AL causing at least 5 deaths (likely more). The maximum estimated winds were 190 mph and the maximum path width was 1/2 a mile. The path length was estimated to be 47 miles. Survey incomplete.

– An EF-4 tornado touched down in Jackson county causing 1 death and multiple injuries. Maximum estimated winds were 180 mph and the maximum path width was 3/4 of a mile. The total path length was 38.5 miles (Includes path into TN).

– An EF-4 tornado touched down in the Argo/Shoal Creek area causing at least 27 deaths and numerous injuries (exact number unknown at this time). Estimated peak winds are up to 180 mph. The maximum path width is 1.25 miles and the path length is at least 72 miles. This tornado continued into Georgia.

– An EF-4 tornado touched down from Mount Hope to Hatton. There were multiple injuries. Survey in progress.

– An EF-4 tornado touched down near Cordova and continued across extreme southern Cullman County and east into Blount County. There were at least 10 deaths and dozens of injuries. The maximum width was a 3/4 of a mile and the path length was approximately 129 miles.

– An EF-3 tornado touched down near the Sawyerville/Eoline area causing at least 7 deaths and injuring at least 50 others. Maximum winds were estimated to be around 145 mph and the maximum width observed was 1 mile. The path length was 71.3 miles.

– An EF-3 tornado touched down in the Shotsville area causing at least 6 deaths. The maximum width observed so far was 3/4 of a mile. Maximum winds were estimated at 160 mph. This tornado started in MS and continued into the TN valley. The path length was at least 19.2 miles. This survey is incomplete and the numbers will likely rise.

– An EF-3 tornado touched down in the Haleyville area causing at least 10 injuries. The maximum winds were estimated to be around 140 mph. The maximum width observed so far is 3/4 of a mile. The path length was at least 31.8 miles. The survey is incomplete and the numbers will likely rise.

– An EF-3 tornado touched down in the Coaling area. The numbers of injuries and deaths from this tornado are unknown at this point. The maximum width was 200 yards and the estimated maximum wind speed was up to 155 mph. The path length was 18.3 miles. Survey incomplete.

Georgia:

– An EF-4 tornado touched down in the Ringgold area (Catoosa county) causing 20 deaths. 12 houses were flattened and over 75 others were damaged or destroyed by a violent tornado. At least 30 others were injured, some seriously. The path length was 13 miles (in GA) and the maximum width was a 1/3 of a mile.

– An EF-3 tornado touched down in the Trenton (Dade and Walker counties) area causing 2 deaths and injuring at least 12 others. The estimated maximum winds were 150 mph. The path length was 18 miles and the maximum width was 0.6 miles.

– An EF-3 tornado touched down south of Jackson (Pike, Lamar, Monroe, and Butts Counties) causing 2 deaths. The maximum width was 0.6 miles and the path length was 30 miles. The maximum estimated winds were 140 mph.

– An EF-3 tornado touched down NE of Gay (Meriwether, Spalding, and Henry Counties) causing 2 deaths (both people were in mobile homes). The maximum width was 1/2 of a mile and the length was 20 miles. The maximum sustained winds were 140 mph.

– An EF-3 tornado touched down near Mountain City (Raburn county) causing at least 1 fatality. The maximum estimated winds were 165 mph and the maximum width was 1/2 a mile. The path length was 14 miles.

– An EF-3 tornado touched down in Bartow, Cherokee, and Pickens Counties causing at least 3 injuries. Maximum estimated winds were 150 mph and the maximum width was 1/2 a mile. The path length was 23 miles.

Tennessee:

– An EF-4 tornado touched down in southeast Hamilton county, Bradley county, and McMinn county causing 13 deaths and more than 200 injuries. The maximum wind speed was 190 mph and the maximum width was 800 yards. The path length was 37 miles.

– An EF-4 tornado touched down in Bledsoe county causing 4 deaths and 10 injuries. The maximum winds were 180 mph and the maximum path width was a 1/2 mile. The path length was 39 miles.

– An EF-4 tornado touched down in Blount county causing no deaths or injuries. The maximum width was a 1/2 mile and the maximum wind speeds were estimated to be 170 mph. The path length was 20 miles.

– An EF-3 tornado touched down in the Graysville area causing 4 deaths and destroying 7 homes. The path length was 9 miles. Survey incomplete.

– An EF-3 tornado touched down in the Horse Creek area causing 1 death and an unknown number of injuries. The maximum wind speed was 150 mph and the maximum width was 1,000 yards. The path length was 14 miles.

Virginia:

– An EF-3 tornado touched down in Washington county causing 3 deaths and 50 injuries. The maximum wind speed was 140 mph and the maximum width was 3/4 of a mile. The path length was at least 25 miles.

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Most photos that do not have a source are from twitter user @WayneGrayson.

The deadliest tornado outbreak since 1974 took place yesterday, killing at least 292 people. This is currently the second deadliest tornado outbreak since 1950 years, only behind April ’74 Super Outbreak (315). As of Thursday, April 28, 2011 at 9:35 PM EST there have been 180 tornado reports in 16 states (keep in mind these are only tornado reports, and the actual number of tornadoes will likely be much lower). Below is some information on what we know so far, along with some rumors that are floating around. As more information comes in I will continue to update this page. If you have any other reports of any damage or pics of tornadoes, please leave a comment and a source.

- The Crimson White has confirmed 8 deaths from students at The University of Alabama.

- According to the Tuscaloosa, AL mayor: More than 600 people have been injured and the town is facing a major water shortage due to infrastructure damage.

- Governors in MS, AL, GA, and now VA have declared a state of emergency.

- Remember that it is impossible to tell what rating a tornado will receive until the NWS survey’s the damage. This could take several days to more than a month in some cases.

- Many people are comparing this outbreak to that of the April 3-4, 1974 outbreak which had 148 confirmed tornadoes across 13 states, killing 308 people. It is far too early to make any such comparison, and the final stats on this recent outbreak will not be know for months.

- There are rumors flying around about a 300+ mile tornado track. At this point this is impossible to know, and will not be known for quite some time. The current record for the longest tornado path is 219 miles set back in 1925.

- At one point yesterday/last night, it is believed that more than 1 million people in AL were without power (I cannot confirm this).

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Destructive Vilonia, AR Tornado

Apr26
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Meteorologist Cory Mottice

An EF-2 tornado tore through the town of Vilonia, AR last night killing 4 people. Vilonia is a town about 25 miles north of Little Rock, AR with a population around 3,800. The tornado took houses right off the foundation, tossed cars through the air, and there are unconfirmed reports that pavement was scoured off the road in some places (these reports appear to be false). Below are a few pictures of Vilonia, AR, courtesy news.yahoo.com. The last image is courtesy of the Little Rock NWS. This is a 3-D image of the velocity couplet of the storm as it was over Vilonia, AR.

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How La Nina Affects Severe Weather

Apr23
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Meteorologist Cory Mottice

A very active severe weather season looks to continue through the spring. As you may have noticed, the severe weather this year has been much further north and east than where we typically see it in “Tornado Alley”. Why is this? Well the main culprit here is La Nina. During a La Nina the sea surface temperatures across the equatorial Eastern Central Pacific Ocean will be lower than normal by 3-5 degrees Celsius. Below is the most recent sea surface temperature observations across the eastern central Pacific ocean. The La Nina has now weakened for the third consecutive month, although its atmospheric impacts remain strong.

Nearly all of the ENSO models predict La Nina to continue weakening in the coming months and many also indicate a return to neutral by June 2011. Impacts from this weakening La Nina will still be felt across the US. The main roles the current La Nina will have a factor in is below normal precipitation across much of the south, and above normal precipitation across the north. Below is an image of the ENSO models and what they are predicting to happen to the La Nina through the end of the year.

This change in sea surface temperatures affects the location of the jet stream. A strong jet stream is an important ingredient for severe weather, so depending on the location of the jet stream, the areas most likely to receive severe weather will change accordingly. During a La Nina the jet stream is less likely to split into a northern branch and a southern (sub-tropical) branch. This means that there is typically one jet stream that lies further north than where the sub-tropical jet usually lies. Also, with these two jet streams basically joining to form one jet stream, the jet stream during a La Nina is stronger than normal. This is the reason why we typically see severe weather further north than during an El Nino spring.

Another factor in producing such an active severe weather season so far is the above normal Gulf of Mexico temperatures. Below is an image of the current Gulf of Mexico sea surface temperature anomalies.

These warmer than normal temperatures are allowing more moisture rich air to reach the US mainland, another key ingredient for severe weather. Expect more significant severe weather outbreaks to continue this spring, including a potential major outbreak from Monday through Wednesday of this coming week. Severe weather will likely continue into Thursday as well. I will have more on this potential significant outbreak tomorrow.

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STL Lambert International Airport Tornado

Apr23
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Meteorologist Cory Mottice

A tornado tore through parts of Lambert International Airport last night sending 5 people to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries. Several people were injured from glass as the tornado blew out the windows and tore off the roof of Terminal C. Terminal C is the main terminal and may take some time to fully repair. The STL mayor expects that 70% of flights will be operating by Sunday. The tornado also flipped cars and stood semi’s on end. At least two planes were reported to have been moved from the tornado, including a 757 and an American Airlines plane that had passengers on board. These passengers were stuck on board for nearly two hours before they were rescued. AmerenUE reported that at least 85,000 homes and businesses were without power after the storm moved through.

The NWS has preliminarily rated the tornado an EF-4 with maximum winds of approximately 200 mph. This damage was to the nw of the airport. The strength of the tornado at the airport has yet to be rated.

I will have more information on this tornado in the coming days. Below are a few pictures of the damage from this tornado. All of the photos were found on Twitter. The top was from @EmilyRasinski, the middle was from @LakishaJackson, and the bottom image was from @KillerTomato.

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April 22, 2011 Severe Weather Outlook

Apr21
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Meteorologist Cory Mottice

I don’t have enough time to go into an in-depth discussion on tomorrow’s severe weather event, so I am just posting my severe weather outlook above. I went with a Threat Level Red. The main threats will be hail to the size of softballs, damaging straight line winds in excess of 70 mph, and a few tornadoes. I did not go with a Threat Level Red across central Oklahoma and north Texas only because storms down here will be much more isolated. If storms do form down here, however, they will contain large hail, damaging winds, and perhaps an isolated tornado. Also, the severe storms across eastern Kansas, northern Missouri, and southern Iowa will occur Friday morning and afternoon. The rest of the severe storms will occur late in the afternoon through the overnight hours.

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April 19, 2011 Verification Report

Apr21
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Meteorologist Cory Mottice

The shaded areas below are my original forecast for April 19, 2011. There were 39 tornado reports and 38 (97%) of them fell within my Threat Level Red area (Keep in mind these are only tornado REPORTS, not the actual number of tornadoes). There were 38 large hail reports and only 2 of these fell outside my threat area, and just barely. If you recall from my post about this event, I warned that extremely large hail to the size of softballs and damaging winds in excess of 75 mph would be big concerns. Hail was reported to 4.50″ in diameter and the highest measured wind speed (not from a tornado) was 103 mph! There were also multiple other measured wind gusts of over 90 mph throughout several states. The hatched area below is where I claimed the best chance for hail to the size of softballs, wind gusts in excess of 75 mph, and a few tornadoes would be. For the large hail reports 68% fell within the hatched area. Of the high wind reports, 70% fell within the hatched area. As for the tornado reports, 85% were within my hatched area. One other important thing to note is that the reports across MS and AL occurred on the morning of the 20th (from 7-8am) and not on the 19th.

Overall I think I did a very good job with this severe weather forecast. One storm popped up along the dryline just south of Dallas, TX that I did not expect. So other than that one storm all the major severe weather events were covered within my overall outlook, including 100% of the tornado reports. I give this severe weather forecast an A.

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April 19, 2011 Severe Weather Outlook

Apr18
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Meteorologist Cory Mottice

Above is my severe weather outlook for Tuesday and Tuesday night. The orangish color denotes a Threat Level Orange, and the red color denotes the Threat Level Red. The hatched area denotes the area that is at the greatest risk for severe weather.

Yet another severe weather outbreak appears to be taking shape for late Tuesday and Tuesday night. A deep surface low will be moving eastward out of the Rockies and across the southern plains tonight into tomorrow. Warm moist air will surge northward out ahead of the low. Mid 60s dewpoints will reach as far north as central Missouri eastward to extreme southwestern Ohio. Warm air advection showers and thunderstorms will begin tonight across northern Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. These storms will be elevated in nature and may contain some hail. The best chance for severe storms tonight will be across central Missouri eastward to south central Illinois. Again, the main threat with these storms will be hail to the size of half dollars. The real show will begin late tomorrow through tomorrow night.

I went with a Threat Level Red for tomorrow. CAPE values will be very high tomorrow evening and even into the night. Tomorrow evening CAPE will range from 3000-4500 J/Kg and overnight the CAPE values will generally be 1000-2500 J/Kg across much of the Tennessee Valley. Speed shear will be more than sufficient for severe thunderstorms throughout the entire area highlighted below. A nice LLJ will markedly strengthen overnight setting the stage for at least a damaging wind threat as far east as eastern Ohio.

The first storms will likely fire around 4-6 PM across eastern Oklahoma, southwest Missouri, and northwest Arkansas. These cells will initially be discrete and will pose a tornado and damaging wind threat, along with a threat for extremely large hail to the size of softballs. Shortly after these storms fire more discrete cells will form further northeast along the cold front and near the low. These cells will remain discrete for at least a few hours before merging and forming a squall line. Before a squall line forms however, these cells will also pose a threat for tornadoes, extremely large hail, and damaging winds.

I did not go with a Threat Level Black for one reason, directional shear. The winds at the surface throughout the risk area will be out of the south or south southwest. I have seen this set-up before: there is great CAPE, speed shear, forcing, and a majority of the severe weather parameters exceed the “threshold”. However, the directional shear isn’t too great. If the winds were more out of the southeast like we saw with the recent tornado outbreaks, I would have gone with a Threat Level Black. This does not mean there won’t be any tornadoes, I think there will be. I just don’t think we are looking at a tornado outbreak Tuesday and Tuesday night. I think the main threats will be extremely large, damaging hail, and destructive straight line winds in excess of 75 mph. The best chance for tornadoes, will be near the low across central and southern Missouri and southern Illinois. The black hatched area will see the best chance for hail to the size of softballs, winds in excess of 75 mph, and a few tornadoes. A few cities that are at risk for this severe weather include: St. Louis, MO, Springfield, MO, Fayetteville, AR, and Springfield, IL.

Further northeast into northern Indiana and Ohio the main threats will be damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. The timing for the storms in this region will be late overnight and perhaps into the early morning hours across parts of Ohio. There will be a little bit of instability in this region, on the order of 200-500 J/Kg and the LLJ will be streaming to the northeast at 55-70 knots. I do not expect any tornadoes in the area, although I cannot rule out some small hail to go along with the damaging winds.

Moving on to Wednesday, it appears that the squall line will make a sharp turn to the southeast and turn into a derecho during the day Wednesday. If this is the case it may affect parts of the southeast including cities like Atlanta, GA and Huntsville, AL. I will have more on this tomorrow if it continues to look like a derecho is possible.

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April 16, 2011 Tornado Outbreak

Apr17
2011 2 Comments Written by Meteorologist Cory Mottice

UPDATED AT 4:50 PM Tuesday, April, 19, 2011

A powerful storm that has made its away across the country over the last few days was responsible for a tornado outbreak on Saturday, April 16, 2011 across North Carolina. This is the same storm that produced tornado outbreaks on April 14th and April 15th. For more information on the April 14-15 event visit my previous post.

The SPC issued a high risk Saturday, and rightfully so. As of 4:50 PM EST on Tuesday April 19, 2011 there have been 129 tornado reports (note: this does NOT mean there were 129 tornadoes, many of the reports are from the same tornado). Over the coming days the NWS offices will survey the damage and properly rate the tornadoes. As this information comes in I will be updating this post with the latest information. Below is a picture of what used to be a Lowe’s in Sanford, NC. Photo courtesy www.iwitness.abc11.com.


Above is an image from the Raleigh, NC NWS depicting the preliminary tornado track and ratings.

*All ratings are preliminary and are subject to change*

Here is what we know so far:

**Over the 3 day tornado outbreak there has been 44 fatalities (number subject to change). The 11 year average since 2000 is 55 deaths per year. That is 80% in 3 days. (Thanks to Alex Lamers for the information)

All tornadoes that caused fatalities are bold.

-An EF-3 tornado touched down in Askewville, NC causing 11 fatalities and injuring at least 50 others. The path length was 18.8 miles.

-An EF-3 tornado touched down in Sanford/Broadway/Holly Springs/Raleigh, NC causing 5 fatalities and injuring countless others. Maximum wind speeds were estimated to be 160 mph. The path length was approx. 63 miles and the maximum width was 3 miles.

-An EF-3 tornado touched down near Wayside/Smithville, NC causing 3 fatalities and injuring at least 85 people. The path length was 65 miles.

-An EF-3 tornado touched down near Jacksonville, NC damaging or destroying dozens of houses and injuring at least 40 people.

-An EF-3 tornado touched down near Clopton, VA causing 3 fatalities. Several houses were heavily damaged or destroyed.

An EF-3 tornado touched down near Hayes, VA causing 5 fatalities and damaging or destroying multiple houses and buildings.

An EF-2 tornado touched down in Roxboro, NC damaging houses, some significantly.

An EF-2 tornado touched down in Bladenboro, NC causing 1 fatality and damaging several homes. The path length was 14 miles.

An EF-2 tornado touched down near Wilson, NC damaging more than 20 homes and several businesses. The path length was 5 miles.

An EF-2 tornado touched down near Colerain, NC damaging several houses and other buildings. This was a satellite tornado to the Askewville, NC tornado. The path length was 7.8 miles.

An EF-2 tornado touched down near Hargetts Crossroads, NC.

An EF-2 tornado touched down in Riverdale, NC causing significant damage.

An EF-2 tornado touched down near Roanoke Rapids, NC damaging several houses and buildings, some severely.

An EF-2 tornado touched down north of Virgilina, VA destroying at least 8 houses and injuring 4 people.

An EF-1 tornado touched down near Rowland, NC damaging many houses and outbuildings. The path length was 1 mile.

An EF-1 tornado touched down in Farmville, NC damaging several homes.

An EF-1 tornado touched down near Barker Ten Mile, NC uprooting many trees, some of which damaged houses. The path length was 1.6 miles.

An EF-1 tornado touched down near Andrews, SC damaging about 400 trees. The path length was 0.4 miles.

-An EF-1 tornado touched down near Saint Stephen, SC destroying a mobile home, and severely damaging several houses and a church. The path length was 8 miles.

-An EF-1 tornado touched down near Fort Benning, GA damaging a fort and knocking down trees. The path length was 0.25 miles.

-An EF-1 tornado touched down near Macon, GA destroying three houses and damaging about 25 others. Two businesses were also damaged. The path length was 2.6 miles.

-An EF-1 tornado touched down near Salisbury, NC damaging a few houses. The path length was 3.5 miles.

An EF-1 tornado touched down near Union Ridge, NC damaging several homes.

An EF-1 tornado touched down in the Roseboro, NC area damaging several houses and injuring 4 people.

An EF-1 tornado touched down in Micro, NC damaging several houses and businesses. The path length was 3 miles.

An EF-1 tornado touched down south of Whiteville, NC causing damage to several houses. The path length was 1.0 mile.

An EF-1 tornado touched down near Alligator, NC heavily damaging a church and mobile home. The path length was 7.2 miles.

An EF-1 tornado touched down near Harbinger, NC damaging several homes and businesses. The path length was 2.2 miles.

An EF-1 tornado touched down near Duck, NC damaging about 77 houses, some heavily. The path length was 0.65 miles.

-An EF-1 tornado touched down near Stuarts Draft, VA destroying several barns. The path length was 4 miles.

-An EF-1 tornado touched down near Dinwiddie, VA damaging several houses. The path length was 8 miles.

An EF-1 tornado touched down north northeast of New Market, MD damaging several small barns and uprooting numerous trees. The path length was 5 miles.

An EF-1 tornado touched down near Little Rock, SC uprooting numerous trees. Many of these trees fell on houses. The path length was 1 mile.

An EF-1 tornado touched down near Warner, VA damaging a house and grain silo. The path length was 2 miles.

-An EF-0 tornado touched down near Vesuvius, VA causing minor damage. The path length was 1.3 miles.

An EF-0 tornado touched down north of Monroe, NC causing minor damage to several businesses. The path length was 2.5 miles.

An EF-0 tornado touched down southwest of Clarkton, NC causing no damage. The path length was 0.25 miles.

An EF-0 tornado touched down south of Kenansville, NC knocking a few trees down.

An EF-0 tornado touched down northeast of Robersonville, NC tearing the roof off of a mobile home. The path length was 0.15 miles.

An EF-0 tornado touched down south southeast of Andrews, SC knocking down numerous trees and damaging a few boats. The path length was 0.2 miles.

An EF-0 tornado touched down near Unionville, MD snapping several trees and removing a few shingles from the roof of one home. The path length was 3 miles.

An EF-0 tornado touched down southwest of Deep Run, MD uprooting numerous trees and causing damage to a couple of barns. The path length was 2 miles.

An EF-0 tornado touched down west of York, PA removing a canopy from a gas station and damaging one other business. The path length was 0.45 miles.

Total EF-0: 9
Total EF-1: 20
Total EF-2: 8
Total EF-3: 5
Total Tornadoes: 42 so far…
Total Fatalities: 24
Total Injuries: 180 confirmed along with “numerous” others

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April 14-15, 2011 Tornado Outbreak

Apr15
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Meteorologist Cory Mottice

April 15 Tornado Outbreak. UPDATED AT 8:40 PM Sunday, April 17, 2011

As of 8:40 PM Sunday, April 17, 2011 there have been 113 tornado reports (note: this does NOT mean there were 113 tornadoes, many reports are from the same tornado).

-A low end EF-3 hit Clinton, MS injuring 10. Maximum winds were estimated at 140 mph. The path length was 17 miles and the width was 3/10 of a mile.

-An EF-3 tornado touched down in Tucker, MS injuring at least 5 people. Maximum winds were estimated at 140 mph. The path length was 38.5 miles and the width was 3/4 of a mile.

-An EF-3 tornado touched down in the Leakesville, MS area causing 1 fatality and causing significant damage.

-An EF-3 tornado touched down in the Vinegar Bend, AL area causing 3 fatalities. Severe damage was also reported.

-An EF-3 tornado touched down near Prattville, AL causing 3 fatalities and injuring at least 4 others.

-An EF-2 tornado touched down near Possumneck, MS injuring 2 people. Maximum winds were estimated at 120 mph. The path length was 3 miles and the width was 200 yards.

-An EF-2 tornado destroyed several homes in Geiger, AL and many others sustained damage, however, there were no injuries or deaths. Maximum winds were estimated at 135 mph. The path length was 8.6 miles and the maximum with was 1 mile.

-An EF-2 tornado touched down in Cuba, AL causing no injuries or fatalities. Maximum winds were estimated at 115 mph. The path length was 8.9 miles and it was 200 yards wide at its widest point.

-An EF-2 touched down south of Butler, AL damaging numerous houses and businesses.

-An EF-1 tornado touched down near Little Rock, AR causing 2 fatalities due to a tree falling on a house in the west side of Little Rock.

-An EF-1 tornado touched down near Scott, AR destroying a mobile home and injuring 1 person. The path length was 6.9 miles.

-An EF-1 tornado touched down in Pisgah, MS. There were no fatalities or injuries with this tornado.

-An EF-1 tornado touched down near Ludlow, MS causing no injuries or fatalities. Maximum winds were estimated to be around 100 mph. The path length was 6.5 miles and the maximum width was 200 yards.

-An EF-1 tornado touched down near Sand Hill, MS causing no injuries or fatalities. Maximum winds were estimated to be 95 mph. The path length was 7.5 miles and the maximum width was 200 yards.

-An EF-1 tornado touched down in Fort Benning, GA. Winds were estimated to be around 100 mph.

-An EF-1 tornado touched down in Selma, AL causing no fatalities or injuries. Maximum winds were estimated at 90 mph. The path length was 0.8 miles and the maximum width was 100 yards.

-An EF-1 tornado touched down in Marion Junction, AL causing no injuries or fatalities. Maximum winds were estimated to be 90 mph. The path length was 0.2 miles and the width was 100 yards at its widest point.

-An EF-1 tornado touched down near the Paul M Grist State Park in AL causing no injuries or fatalities. Maximum winds were estimated at 90 mph. The path length was 0.1 miles and it was 75 yards wide at its widest point.

-An EF-1 tornado touched down in Wilsonville, AL causing no injuries or fatalities. Maximum winds were estimated at 85-90 mph. The path length was 4.25 miles and the maximum width was 100 yards.

-An EF-1 tornado touched down in Mulberry, AL causing no injuries or fatalities. Maximum estimated winds were 90 mph. The path length was 2.0 miles and the maximum width was 300 yards.

-An EF-1 tornado touched down near Valley Grand, AL significantly damaging a mobile home. The path length was 0.1 miles.

-An EF-1 tornado touched down near the Cahaba River in AL damaging a metal warehouse. The path length was 0.2 miles.

-An EF-1 tornado touched down near Bowling Green, MO damaging a few trees. The path length was 3.5 miles.

-An EF-1 tornado touched down near Easton, IL injuring 1 person. Several outbuildings and two houses were damaged.

-An EF-1 tornado touched down near Athens, IL damaging a few houses. The path length was 2.3 miles.

-An EF-1 tornado touched down near Cadiz, KY damaging two houses and uprooting several trees. The path length was 2.5 miles.

-An EF-1 tornado touched down near Pineville, MS causing no injuries or fatalities. Maximum winds were estimated to be 100 mph. The path length was 6.7 miles and the maximum width was 150 yards.

-An EF-1 tornado touched down near Puckett, MS causing no injuries or fatalities. Maximum winds were estimated at 90 mph. The path length was 3.7 miles and the maximum width was 100 yards.

-An EF-0 tornado touched down near Cadiz, KY uprooting a few trees. The path length was 0.25 miles.

-An EF-0 tornado touched down near Athens, IL damaging one house. The path length was 2.3 miles.

-An EF-0 tornado touched down in Hesterville, MS uprooting a few trees. Maximum winds were estimated at 75 mph. The path length was 4 miles and the width was 75 yards.

-An EF-0 tornado touched down in Alabaster, AL knocking down a few trees and injuring no one. Maximum winds were estimated at 70 mph. The path length was 1.36 miles and it was 50 yards wide at its widest point.

Total EF-0: 4
Total EF-1: 19
Total EF-2: 4
Total EF-3: 5>
Total Tornadoes: 32 so far…
Total Injuries: 31 (Note: All may not be accounted for above)
Total Fatalities: 4 (Note: All may not be accounted for above)

April 14, 2011 UPDATE:

-An EF-3 tornado touched down in Tushka, OK causing significant damage. There were 2 fatalities and several others were injured.

-An EF-2 tornado touched down near Lake Eucha, OK.

-An EF-1 tornado touched down near Madill, OK.

-An EF-1 tornado touched down near Wagoner, OK.

-An EF-1 tornado touched down south of Daisy, OK.

-An EF-1 tornado touched down near Jumbo, OK.

-Two EF-1 tornadoes touched down in the Poteau/Wister/Howe area. One was cyclonic and one was anti-cyclonic.

-An EF-1 tornado touched down 2 miles north of Hominy, OK.

-An EF-1 tornado touched down 7 miles east of Dewey, OK damaging several homes and trees.

-An EF-1 tornado touched down west of Talihina, OK damaging a mobile home and a few trees.

-An EF-0 tornado touched down in Ochelata, OK.

-An EF-0 tornado touched down in Burbank, OK damaging a few trees.

-An EF-0 tornado touched down near Stroud, OK.

-An EF-0 tornado touched down near Smithville, OK snapping several trees and causing minor roof damage. The path length was 2.5 miles.

-An EF-0 tornado touched down near Honey Grove, TX damaging several structures and trees. The path length was 1.4 miles.

-An EF-0 tornado touched down near Ringgold, OK destroying a barn. The path length was 75 yards.

-An EF-0 tornado touched down near Hochatown, OK uprooting several trees at Beavers Bend State Park. The path length was 1.3 miles.

-An EF-0 tornado touched down near Yanush, OK.

-An EF-0 tornado touched down near Tescott, KS. The path length was 1.5 miles.

-An EF-0 tornado touched down near New Cambria, KS causing no damage. The path length was 0.25 miles.

Total EF-0: 10
Total EF-1: 9
Total EF-2: 1
Total EF-3: 1
Total Tornadoes: 21 so far…
Total Injuries: 25 confirmed along with several others (Note: not all are accounted for above)
Total Fatalities: 9 (Note: not all are accounted for above)

Tens of tornadoes have touched down across the southern plains deep south Thursday and Friday. Thursday’s tornadoes have left at least 9 dead with more than 25 injured. Preliminary surveys show at least 10 tornadoes have touched down in Oklahoma, with more possible. The largest of the tornadoes has been preliminarily rated an EF-3. This is the tornado that touched down in the town of Tushka in Atoka County Oklahoma. Six tornadoes have been preliminarily rated an EF-1 and two have been preliminarily rated an EF-0. These ratings and numbers of tornadoes are subject to change as more damage surveys are completed over the coming days. Below are some damage pictures for the Tushka, OK tornado. Both images below courtesy of www.newson6.com.

Posted in Severe Weather - Tagged , ,

February 24, 2011 Severe Wx Verification

Apr15
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Meteorologist Cory Mottice

The area outlined in green is the area is the area I forecasted for severe weather to occur. The area in red is the area I forecasted to have the best chance of severe weather. Keep in mind, at this time I had not yet developed my Threat Level Scale. Overall I had a very good forecast. The reports east of my outlook area were nearly all during the early morning hours of February 25th, not on the night of February 24th. My grade for this severe weather forecast is an A.

Posted in Severe Weather - Tagged ,
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  • Most impressive storm in the country right now is along I-40 east of Amarillo. Gusts to 70 mph and 1" hail poss. twitpic.com/9f3wpo 1 hour ago
  • Additional storms are now forming along the storms outflow boundary as it interacts with the stalled front. #OKwx 6 hours ago
  • Rotation with storm west of OKC remains very broad. Only a large hail threat at the moment. #OKwx 6 hours ago
  • Only way the storm heading to OKC produces a tornado is if it becomes surface based. Poss once it hits the bndry, but far from a certainty. 6 hours ago
  • Storm heading towards OKC may have an outside shot at producing a tornado once it crosses the frontal boundary. #OKwx 6 hours ago
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