on_wx

Sirens can make several different tones depending off if they are computerized or mechanical. The sirens in Joplin are mechanical, so they can make three tones: Steady Up and down Fast up and down Steady is an old cold war tone meaning "alert", you know, be on alert something is possible... such as if a tornado warning is issued based on radar per se, then "steady" should be "attention everyone" Up and down, or fast up and down, which during the cold war meant "attack", or an attack is imminent or occurring. So, if a tornado is spotted or reported the "attack/up and down" tone should be sounded on the sirens. Merrill Wisconsin does this apparently, in all the videos of the tornado from May 2011, or maybe April, whenever that MDT/PDS watch "busted" in WI, that city of Merrill did a steady tone when the warning went out, then as the tornado was moving into the city they did the up and down tone. Computerized sirens have a wide variety of tones, maybe six or more, plus voice capabilities. Sometimes in cities with talking computer tornado sirens it will be a high-low tone followed by a message "tornado warning seek shelter immediately" it's pretty creepy.

This video makes me feel uncomfortable

JoMo good to hear your ok

Some of what you say may be true. An example could be the Christchurch 2011 earthquake. Every major news outlet carried the story for a day, but the NZ government didn't begin to release damage numbers or fatality numbers for three days. By then, aside from Australian and NZ news outlets, the rest had moved on to other stories. That earthquake killed 181 people and they don't even know how they will rebuild the city of 375,000 because it's been so badly damaged. Yet, you never heard any follow up story because the figures weren't made clear for weeks.

Schools usually close on high risk days in the US don't they? Imagine if they canceled sporting events on high risk days... one of those cheap disaster movie plots with a mayor who refuses to cancel an event because the revenue will benefit the city comes to mind.

CNN had an official on the phone today who said up to 270,000 people can be in Joplin for work, shopping, visiting, etc. Seems surely plausible there was a very high number of people in the shopping districts, restaurant districts, driving, etc. Also, with families at home instead of at school and at work... Someone said on here it's a good thing it didn't strike at night, but if it did then there wouldn't have been hundreds of people in the Wal-Mart that was hit, all the restaurants would have been closed and those tens of thousands of possible visitors would be back in their rural homes, etc. I really don't know any statistics, I'm just speculating right now, but I'm studying emergency management and there is just so much going on right now my mind is going a thousand miles a minute.

Everyone in tornado alley needs an underground tornado shelter. All shopping centres, libraries, schools, and campgrounds need tornado shelters. I know there has already been enough debate about the need for tornado shelters since April 27, but come on really... so many lives can be saved it people can go into a reinforced underground or above ground structure. Hiding in a main floor closet in a woodframe plastic siding home is just no longer an option. Something really needs to be done. Also, stores like Walmart etc should at least be built now with safe rooms in the back. That is just my opinion, though. It's good there has been a long stretch without extremely deadly tornadoes, but it's just becoming too clear there is really no hope for you when the next major tornado hits a city if you don't have a shelter.

I don't think anyone realized how big the tornado became. The storm went from very broad rotation and a messy looking hook to extreme rotation and a massive debris ball in just one scan. Look at chaser video, it went from a small funnel to wedge tornado in what feels like seconds. The NWS began using strong wording immediately after.

Live news conference on CNN Just unbelievable

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO 542 PM CDT SUN MAY 22 2011 MOC097-222300- /O.CON.KSGF.TO.W.0030.000000T0000Z-110522T2300Z/ JASPER MO- 542 PM CDT SUN MAY 22 2011 ...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 600 PM CDT FOR CENTRAL JASPER COUNTY... ...A TORNADO WARNING ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL FOR NORTHERN NEWTON...SOUTHEAST CHEROKEE COUNTY...AND SOUTHERN JASPER COUNTIES... AT 538 PM CDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A TORNADO NEAR JOPLIN...OR 6 MILES NORTHEAST OF GALENA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH. LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE AIRPORT DRIVE...ALBA...ATLAS...BROOKLYN HEIGHTS...CARL JUNCTION...CARTERVILLE...LAKESIDE...NECK CITY... NORTHEASTERN JOPLIN...OAKLAND PARK...ORONOGO...PURCELL AND WEBB CITY. INTERSTATE 44 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 13 AND 18 WILL ALSO BE IMPACTED BY THIS TORNADO. IN ADDITION TO A TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE DAMAGING HAIL UP TO BASEBALL SIZE. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM CDT SUNDAY EVENING FOR SOUTHEAST KANSAS AND SOUTHERN MISSOURI.

It was warned some 15 minutes before it hit BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO 517 PM CDT SUN MAY 22 2011 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SPRINGFIELD HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... NORTHWESTERN NEWTON COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST MISSOURI... SOUTHEASTERN CHEROKEE COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST KANSAS... SOUTHWESTERN JASPER COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST MISSOURI... * UNTIL 600 PM CDT. * AT 514 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO NEAR RIVERTON...OR 4 MILES NORTH OF BAXTER SPRINGS...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. * LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE BAXTER SPRINGS...CLIFF VILLAGE...DENNIS ACRES...DIAMOND...DUENWEG...DUQUESNE...FIDELITY...GALENA...IRON GATES...JOPLIN...LEAWOOD...LOWELL...REDINGS MILL...RIVERTON... SAGINAW...SHOAL CREEK DRIVE...SHOAL CREEK ESTATES...SHOAL CREEK ESTATE AND SILVER CREEK. INTERSTATE 44 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 0 AND 13 WILL ALSO BE IMPACTED BY THIS TORNADO.

They took about four or five months to determine it was an F5. Not like they jumped the gun right off the bat. I'm still suspicious about that tornado, but WFO Winnipeg is just about the best performing office out of them all, so it adds credence.

I don't trust Environment Canada tornado ratings. Most of the time they confirm tornadoes over the phone with possibly a picture or two of damage emailed to them. All the damage pictures I've seen from Elie MB show roofs off houses and pine trees on their side. But then again, I'm no expert.

. IN THE COMMUNITY OF TANNER...THE INTENSITY WAS MAXIMIZED WITH A LARGE SWATH OF EF-4 DAMAGE AND A NARROW CORRIDOR OF HIGH END EF-4 TO NEAR EF-5 DAMAGE. ANOTHER SURVEY TEAM WILL BE ON THE GROUND IN MADISON TO FURTHER ASSESS THE DAMAGE ON FRIDAY.

FWIW, April so far- including 3 tornado and 3 wind reports yesterday over southern Ontario... WFO T.O. is investigating today

WHNT Huntsville is live across Northern Alabama http://www.whnt.com/ Phil Campbell is mess

BREAKING NEWS Eight people killed by storms in Virginia, bringing death toll in Southern storms to 202 people in six states. http://www.cnn.com/

Calling all SEMI folks!

I just posted this over in the SE forum

Another debris ball southeast of Peachtree City

List of all tornado emergencies issued- today is still incomplete http://en.wikipedia....ado_emergencies

Unbelievable monster

Must depend on location. ABC 33/40 said Tuscaloosa sirens were down also from previous outbreaks Birmingham videos have the sirens sounding continuously, but in today's videos there are no sirens playing off in from each photographers vantage point. With a tornado that large hitting as many connectors, transformers and power lines many siren systems were probably knocked out miles in advance of the tornado. Also, coupled with all the storms and power outages from this mornings storms... sirens may have failed many today. Also, not just sirens but probably the EAS or even ability to reach local media warnings too with loss of power. Also noticing a lot of videos on Youtube the authors didn't even know they were looking at a tornado with the massive wedge because it was so big.

So far in all the Youtube's I've looked at of the Tuscaloosa & Birmingham tornadoes I haven't heard a single tornado siren

ABC 33/40 initially said "total destruction" at the hospital