Memphis Weather Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Smithville, MS tornado has been upgraded to EF5 by MEG WFO...see assessment thread for more... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bingcrosbyb Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 First EF5 rating out. And it's NOT for the storm that tracked from Tuscaloosa -> Birmingham. If true, this outbreak will rank greater than 1974 IMO. ..PRELIMINARY RARE EF-5 TORNADO IN MONROE COUNTY MISSISSIPPI AFTER A REVIEW OF THE DAMAGE PHOTOS TAKEN DURING THURSDAY/S GROUND SURVEY AND CONSULTATION WITH NATIONAL EXPERTS...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS UPGRADED THE SMITHVILLE TORNADO RATING TO EF-5 DAMAGE. THIS IS THE HIGHEST RATING FOR TORNADO DAMAGE AND THE FIRST EF-5 OR F-5 IN MISSISSIPPI SINCE THE CANDLESTICK PARK TORNADO NEAR JACKSON ON MARCH 3RD 1966. * COUNTY/COUNTIES: MONROE * LOCATION/TIME OF EVENT: SMITHVILLE AT 344 PM EDT * BEGINNING POINT: 34.0517, -88.4236 * ENDING POINT: 34.0731, -88.3814 * RATING: EF-5 * ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 205 MPH * PATH LENGTH: 2.82 MILES * MAXIMUM WIDTH: 1/2 MILE * FATALITIES: 14 * INJURIES: 40 * SUMMARY OF DAMAGES: 18 HOMES DESTROYED...2 BUSINESSES /POST OFFICE AND POLICE STATION/ DESTROYED...8 HOMES WITH MAJOR DAMAGE...7 BUSINESSES WITH MAJOR DAMAGE...44 HOMES WITH MINOR DAMAGE...AND WATER SYSTEM DESTROYED. MOST TREES EITHER SNAPPED OR TWISTED AND DEBARKED. MOST THE HOMES DESTROYED WERE WELL BUILT...TWO STORIES...LESS THAN TEN YEARS OLD AND BOLTED DOWN TO THEIR FOUNDATIONS. AN 1965 CHEVY PICKUP TRUCK PARKED IN FRONT ONE OF THE DESTROYED HOMES HAS NOT BEEN FOUND. ALL APPLIANCES AND PLUMBING FIXTURES IN THE MOST EXTREME DAMAGE PATH SHREDDED OR MISSING. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VAwxman Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 First EF5 rating out. And it's NOT for the storm that tracked from Tuscaloosa -> Birmingham. If true, this outbreak will rank greater than 1974 IMO. How so? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bingcrosbyb Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 How so? Let's clarify. For MS/AL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OHWxWatcher Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Radar montage of the destructive supercell which hit Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, & more... Any information the track length of the supercell itself? I'd heard on TWC yesterday morning that it was something like 300 miles. Sounded a bit inflated but that composite makes me think otherwise. Are records kept (or known) to any degree on supercell tracks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HurricaneJosh Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Interesting that the Smithville EF5 was relatively localized for such an intense event-- the path length was less than 3 mi, and it only damaged a few dozen homes. It must have spun up and wound down really fast-- like a microcane that bombs out and then totally falls apart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janetjanet998 Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Interesting that the MS EF5 was relatively localized for such an intense event-- the path length was less than 3 mi, and it only damaged a few dozen homes. It must spun up and wound down really fast-- like a microcane that bombs out and then totally falls apart. Is this the final number though or is this the same one that moved into northern AL? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HurricaneJosh Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Is this the final number though or is this the same one that moved into northern AL? Not sure-- I was just reading from the survey report. Perhaps I misunderstood? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sojitodd Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Interesting that the Smithville EF5 was relatively localized for such an intense event-- the path length was less than 3 mi, and it only damaged a few dozen homes. It must have spun up and wound down really fast-- like a microcane that bombs out and then totally falls apart. yeah... only 18 homes destroyed and a few dozen others damaged-but 14 fatalities. Yikes. scary stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janetjanet998 Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Not sure-- I was just reading from the survey report. Perhaps I misunderstood? no it clearly says 2.48 miles...another decimal point error? Or is this the same supercell and tornado that moved into AL and will get rated by a seperate office too? If its not the same tornado then we could have at least 3 EF5's , this one, N al if it is upgraded and I'm assuming the tucs/BHM one too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Lizard Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 I asked earlier- the absence of rain wrapping on the Tuscaloosa-BHM tornado, seemed odd for that part of the country. I have an amateur theory that extreme vorticity kept the updraft well separated from the rain, but it is only theory. I don't know if I have ever seen storms with bases that low not be rain wrapped on video. I originally thought the Tuscaloosa cell was rain wrapped from a distance on that tower cam, as it got closer it only appeared that way because of how low the wall cloud base was, and the amount of debris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceanStWx Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 no it clearly says 2.48 miles...another decimal point error? Or is this the same supercell and tornado that moved into AL and will get rated by a seperate office too? If its not the same tornado then we could have at least 3 EF5's , this one, N al if it is upgraded and I'm assuming the tucs/BHM one too My guess is that this is the path length in the CWA only. If you check out a map, it is roughly 3 miles to the AL border. That information will likely be updated for final storm data purposes, once HUN finishes their surveys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastalWx Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 I asked earlier- the absence of rain wrapping on the Tuscaloosa-BHM tornado, seemed odd for that part of the country. I have an amateur theory that extreme vorticity kept the updraft well separated from the rain, but it is only theory. I don't know if I have ever seen storms with bases that low not be rain wrapped on video. I originally thought the Tuscaloosa cell was rain wrapped from a distance on that tower cam, as it got closer it only appeared that way because of how low the wall cloud base was, and the amount of debris. My co-worker and I were noting the same thing from a pic of the Tuscaloosa tornado. There was no rain to be found anywhere near the tornado....that's something you see in the Plains...pretty rare for that part of the country. Part of this can likely be contributed to the incredible shear as well...keeping the rain away from the tornado. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpartyOn Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Radar montage of the destructive supercell which hit Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, & more... Scary! We are not looking at supercell here..what we are seeing is a Demon.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan11295 Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Just watching some aerials from Hackleburg here. Devastation. Simply no other way to put it. Houses with just foundations left. Large industrial facilities completely mangled with dozens of tractor trailers tossed around and smashed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALhurricane Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 My guess is that this is the path length in the CWA only. If you check out a map, it is roughly 3 miles to the AL border. That information will likely be updated for final storm data purposes, once HUN finishes their surveys. I plotted the beginning and end lat/lon in Google Earth. The end point is about 10 miles from the AL border. It also shows the tornado traveling SW to NE. Based on this, it appears as if it was a separate tornado track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwagner88 Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 As did the latest CNN interview I saw. Leading them into the answer by asking if they heard, "any alarms before the tornado hit." I appreciate the hell on Earth they just went through, but Ringgold, GA was struck hours into the event. I don't understand how this could take people by surprise, to the point that they were outside when the tornado hit and they only ran inside when they saw a neighbor's roof come off. It is worth mentioning that power was out all day over this entire area. The older portable Tvs don't work anymore, and only one chattanooga radio station broke coverage for warnings. So basically if you didn't have a battery powered weather radio, you would not have known a thing. I live a couple of miles north of ringgold and west of Apison, and I had no clue what was going on because the batteries in my weather radio were dead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calderon Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Just watching some aerials from Hackleburg here. Devastation. Simply no other way to put it. Houses with just foundations left. Large industrial facilities completely mangled with dozens of tractor trailers tossed around and smashed. There is the possibility that the Hackleburg tornado is the same one that hit Smithville, MS, we shall see what HUN finds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janetjanet998 Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 death toll has risen to 313 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceanStWx Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 I plotted the beginning and end lat/lon in Google Earth. The end point is about 10 miles from the AL border. It also shows the tornado traveling SW to NE. Based on this, it appears as if it was a separate tornado track. I see what you're saying now, but still seems odd to me to have a tornado that short produce damage that extreme. Truly a violent vortex if that's the case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HurricaneJosh Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 yeah... only 18 homes destroyed and a few dozen others damaged-but 14 fatalities. Yikes. scary stuff. Yeah, I noticed that-- a very high number of fatalities for the size of the area affected. no it clearly says 2.48 miles...another decimal point error? Or is this the same supercell and tornado that moved into AL and will get rated by a seperate office too? If its not the same tornado then we could have at least 3 EF5's , this one, N al if it is upgraded and I'm assuming the tucs/BHM one too Yeah, maybe it's a mistake or something-- or, like you suggested, maybe this part of the survey covers only one part of the track. I just find it hard to imagine that a discrete event with a track length that short generated winds over 200 mph. That would just be too weird! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceanStWx Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 It is worth mentioning that power was out all day over this entire area. The older portable Tvs don't work anymore, and only one chattanooga radio station broke coverage for warnings. So basically if you didn't have a battery powered weather radio, you would not have known a thing. I live a couple of miles north of ringgold and west of Apison, and I had no clue what was going on because the batteries in my weather radio were dead. I understand that infrastructure was compromised from morning convection, but this is my opportunity to preach preparedness. Many large events are often preceded by morning convection, some of which is severe and does damage. Especially with an event as well forecast as this, I don't think there should be thousands of people being caught off guard. A $20 weather radio with back up batteries can go a long way. For every inconvenience of being woken up in the middle of the night for a false alarm, there is a life saved and that's worth it. I know it pains me to hear these stories about "no warning" when in reality it was not receiving a warning. I can't imagine how it feels for the many, many warning forecasters out there who issued good warnings but had people perish anyway. I have already heard some disturbing reactions from the higher ups in DC, and it will be very interesting to see how the service assessment plays out. Will it be a blame game or will we actually figure out some new ways to reach people and disseminate the message. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewxmann Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 There is the possibility that the Hackleburg tornado is the same one that hit Smithville, MS, we shall see what HUN finds. It definitely wasn't... the two tornadoes were spawned by different supercells. However, there was a different EF3+ that went through Marion County that killed 6 in that county... that may have been a continuation of the Smithville tornado. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceanStWx Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 It definitely wasn't... the two tornadoes were spawned by different supercells. However, there was a different EF3+ that went through Marion County that killed 6 in that county... that may have been a continuation of the Smithville tornado. In addition to two other EF3s that went through Marion County. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoosier Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Well, my relatives in Tuscaloosa are fine. They are on the north side of town so it missed them. They know someone who works in the ER and I guess there are babies lined up in the hallway with no parents around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJwinter23 Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 no it clearly says 2.48 miles...another decimal point error? Or is this the same supercell and tornado that moved into AL and will get rated by a seperate office too? If its not the same tornado then we could have at least 3 EF5's , this one, N al if it is upgraded and I'm assuming the tucs/BHM one too It is hard to imagine a tornado spinning up EF5 damage that quickly, though I am no expert on the subject. These storms were moving 60+mph at times though so were talking about a 2 1/2 minute tornado that created EF5 destruction? Wow if that's the case. Looking at a map it would appear this could have been part of the same long track supercell that devestated Hackleburg and moved towards Huntsville? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Radar montage of the destructive supercell which hit Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, & more... do u have a source for this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackjack123 Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 It is hard to imagine a tornado spinning up EF5 damage that quickly, though I am no expert on the subject. These storms were moving 60+mph at times though so were talking about a 2 1/2 minute tornado that created EF5 destruction? Wow if that's the case. Looking at a map it would appear this could have been part of the same long track supercell that devestated Hackleburg and moved towards Huntsville? It makes me wonder if a rope tornado(<100 yds wide) could move along the ground at 70+mph and still do EF5 damage. Has anything like that ever occured? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KokomoWX Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 do u have a source for this? Back tracked it to the source. Brian Tang who also did this nice time lapse video of the radar. https://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video.php?v=647169125728&comments Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Back tracked it to the source. Brian Tang who also did this nice time lapse video of the radar. https://www.facebook...125728 thx. might use on WaPo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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