4/27-4/28 Tornado Outbreak Damage Assessment Thread

[Ginx snewx]

Dr Coleman assessment

http://www.alabamawx.com/?p=47176

[ArtRosen]

what else would it be? Nature just doesn't doing something for the hell of it, everything occurs for a reason, weather we know why or not.

Not to get into a religious debate here, but what if there is no reason for anything and things just happen randomly because well... things just happen randomly? What if there no cause? Would the Earth be just fine if we never had another to CTG lightning strike again? Another tornado again? Rain is beneficial. Thunder and lightning are not. Neither is a tornado. There are such things called parasites in nature. Wasps for instance aren't very good pollinators, so there isn't much use for them in the nature and they can be very menacing towards other insects that actually DO pollinate and towards animals that help the environment. Perhaps a tornado is the meteorological version of a wasp?

Btw - question for the Mets: How does the pressure inside of a tornado relate to the condensation funnel's size, shape and color?

[huronicane]

Would the Earth be just fine if we never had another to CTG lightning strike again? Another tornado again? Rain is beneficial. Thunder and lightning are not.

The earth benefits from lightning in several ways. First, lightning helps the Earth maintain electrical balance. The Earth is recharged by thunderstorms. The Earth's surface and the atmosphere conduct electricity easily – the Earth is charged negatively and the atmosphere, positively. There is always a steady current of electrons flowing upwards from the entire surface of the Earth. Thunderstorms help transfer the negative charges back to Earth (lightning is generally negatively charged). Without thunderstorms and lightning, the earth-atmosphere electrical balance would disappear in 5 minutes. Lightning helps plants. The air in our atmosphere is about 78% nitrogen, but it is in a form that plants cannot use. Lightning helps dissolve the nitrogen into the water to create a natural fertilizer so plants can absorb it through their roots. Lightning also produces ozone, a gas that helps protect the Earth from the dangerous rays of the sun.

From: http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/primer/lightning/ltg_climatology.html#

[A-L-E-X]

I'm not even sure that's possible or will ever be. The amount of force to counteract a tornado's vortex is enormous, and not only that that same amount of force would have to be applied throughout the rotating column which would extend very high in the atmosphere. That's just on the mesoscale level too and would only stop one storm. In order to prevent a tornado outbreak you'd have to try doing this on the synoptic scale level, which is even more difficult if not impossible. Not to mention the costs involved with it and logistics of getting into the exact right place.

As far as getting to the point where we can predict where tornadoes will hit exactly. A lot of warnings are already issued before tornadoes even touch down.

There are processes in the universe (hell, in our own solar system) that would dwarf any tornado on earth..... I suspect you'd have to control a huge amount of energy in order to do this. The Kardashev scale is conjectural, but according to what Carl Sagan had said, when we reach Kardashev scale 1 (maybe within 100-200 years) weather control should be possible. Right now we're at 0.72

[thewxmann]

Bibb/Greene/Hales Counties in AL:

TORNADO 4...SAWYERVILLE/EOLINE TORNADO (GREENE/HALE/BIBB COUNTIES)

PRELIMINARY DATA...

EVENT DATE: APRIL 27, 2011

EVENT TYPE: EF-3 TORNADO

ESTIMATED PEAK WINDS (MPH): AROUND 145

INJURIES/FATALITIES: AT LEAST 7 FATALITIES, 50 INJURIES.

EVENT START LOCATION AND TIME: 32.6211/-88.0462 AT 530 PM

EVENT END LOCATION AND TIME: 33.1443/-86.9998 AT 655 PM

DAMAGE PATH LENGTH (IN MILES): 71.3 MILES

WIDTH: 1 MILE

NOTE: STARTED NEAR THE TOMBIGBEE RIVER IN SOUTHWEST GREENE COUNTY

AND CONTINUED INTO NORTHEAST BIBB COUNTY

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS SURVEYED ACROSS GREENE...

HALE...AND BIBB COUNTIES. IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED THAT THE DAMAGE WAS

CONSISTENT WITH A TORNADO. THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN FAR SOUTHWEST

GREENE COUNTY NEAR THE TOMBIGBEE RIVER JUST WEST OF TISHABEE ON

COUNTY ROAD 69 NEAR HEAD DRIVE...AND HEADED NORTHEAST ACROSS RURAL

GREENE COUNTY NORTH OF FORKLAND. AT LEAST 4 MOBILE HOMES...3

OUTBUILDING...AND 2 CHURCHES WERE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED ALONG WITH

NUMEROUS TREES. 2 MINOR INJURIES WERE NOTED IN GREENE COUNTY. THE

TRACK STARTED AS AN EF-1 BUT INCREASED TO AN EF-2 RATING WHILE IN

GREENE COUNTY. THE TORNADO THEN CROSSED THE BLACK WARRIOR RIVER AND

MOVED INTO HALE COUNTY PASSING THROUGH SAWYERVILLE AND NORTHEAST

INTO THE TALLADEGA NATIONAL FOREST. NUMEROUS MOBILE HOMES AND SINGLE

FAMILY HOMES...1 CHURCH...AND COUNTLESS TREES WERE DAMAGED OR

DESTROYED. THERE WERE 40 INJURIES AND 6 FATALITIES ACROSS HALE

COUNTY. THE TRACK INCREASED FROM AN EF-2 TO AN EF-3 WHILE IN HALE

COUNTY JUST NORTHEAST OF SAWYERVILLE. THE TORNADO THEN CROSSED INTO

SOUTHWEST BIBB COUNTY IN THE TALLADEGA NATIONAL FOREST AND MOVED

NORTHEAST TO EOLINE AND ENDED IN MARVEL. SEVERAL MOBILE HOMES AND

SINGLE FAMILY HOMES...1 BUSINESS...AS WELL AS THE EOLINE FIRE

STATION...AND COUNTLESS TREES WERE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. THERE WERE

8 INJURIES AND 1 FATALITY IN BIBB COUNTY. EF-3 AND EF-2 DAMAGE WERE

NOTED FOR THE MOST PART IN EOLINE AND CENTRAL BIBB COUNTY THEN

DECREASED IN INTENSITY AS IT MOVED INTO NORTHEAST RURAL BIBB COUNTY

TOWARD MARVEL. MAX WINDS WERE ESTIMATED UP TO 145 MPH AND WAS 1 MILE

WIDE AS ITS WIDEST POINT IN CENTRAL BIBB COUNTY. A SPECIAL THANKS TO

COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICES FOR THEIR ASSISTANCE.

THIS TRACK MAY NEED TO EXTENDED INTO SHELBY COUNTY AFTER FURTHER

SURVEYS ARE COMPLETED.

[MJW155]

Not to get into a religious debate here, but what if there is no reason for anything and things just happen randomly because well... things just happen randomly? What if there no cause? Would the Earth be just fine if we never had another to CTG lightning strike again? Another tornado again? Rain is beneficial. Thunder and lightning are not. Neither is a tornado.

What does this post even mean? Thunder is a by-product of lightning (it's just air expanding due to heat) and lightning is beneficial. It creates fire which in turn benefits the envirornment.

[thewxmann]

NWS JAN has posted a summary of tornadoes in its CWA. For brevity's sake, I will only post the most noteworthy ones that haven't yet been posted in this thread.

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...TORNADO DAMAGE SUMMARY UPDATE

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS

946 PM CDT FRI APR 29 2011

...PRELIMINARY STORM SURVEY INFO FOR 4/26-27 TORNADO OUTBREAK...

TEAMS REMAIN OUT SURVEYING STORM DAMAGE AND ADDITIONAL UPDATES WILL

BE ISSUED WHEN INFORMATION COMES IN. TOTAL CONFIRMED TORNADOES UP TO

13. THIS INCLUDES: 1 EF-0...2 EF-1...5 EF-2...4 EF-3...2 EF-4

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Europa EF3 in the early morning hours

COUNTY/PARISH: CHOCTAW...WEBSTER...AND CLAY

BEGINNING POINT: 9 SW EUPORA AT 0229 AM

ENDING POINT: 1 S MCCONDY AT 0305 AM

RATING: EF-3 MAX ESTIMATED WINDS 140 MPH

PATH LENGTH: 40.0 MILES

MAXIMUM WIDTH: 1.0 MILE

FATALITIES: 1

INJURIES: 20

SUMMARY OF DAMAGE: MANY THOUSANDS OF TREES WERE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED

ALONG THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO. NUMEROUS ROOFS OF HOMES WERE SEVERELY

DAMAGED. NUMEROUS MOBILE HOMES WERE SEVERELY DAMAGED AND SEVERAL

MOBILE HOMES WERE COMPLETELY DESTROYED. A PERSON WAS FATALLY INJURED

WHEN A TREE FELL ON A MOBILE HOME JUST WEST OF MATHISTON IN

SOUTHEAST WEBSTER COUNTY. NUMEROUS BARNS AND SHEDS RECEIVED HEAVY

DAMAGE OR WERE DESTROYED. NUMEROUS POWER POLES AND POWER LINES WERE

DOWN. EXTENSIVE DAMAGE OCCURRED TO A SCHOOL IN CUMBERLAND AND THIS

WAS THE BASIS FOR THE EF3 RATING. IT APPEARS THIS TORNADO TRACKED

INTO CHICKASAW COUNTY.

---------------------------------------

North of Philadelphia, another EF4

COUNTY/PARISH: NESHOBA...KEMPER...WINSTON...AND NOXUBEE BEGINNING

POINT: 1 N PHILADELPHIA AT 230 PM

ENDING POINT: 6 SE MASHULAVILLE AT 300 PM

RATING: EF-4

MAX ESTIMATED WINDS 180 MPH PATH LENGTH: 29 MILES

MAXIMUM WIDTH: .5 MILE

FATALITIES: 3

INJURIES: 8 (AT LEAST)

SUMMARY OF DAMAGE:

THIS TORNADO CAUSED A PATH OF EXTENSIVE DAMAGE IN NORTHEAST NESHOBA,

EXTREME NORTHWEST KEMPER, EXTREME SOUTHEAST WINSTON, AND SOUTHWEST

NOXUBEE COUNTIES. THE MOST INTENSE DAMAGE OCCURRED IN A SEVERAL MILE

AREA FROM EXTREME NORTHEAST NESHOBA COUNTY INTO EXTREME SOUTHEAST

WINSTON COUNTY. MUCH OF THE DAMAGE IN THE CORE OF THE TORNADO IN THIS

AREA WAS RATED AS HIGH END EF-3 TO LOWER END EF-4. THE THREE

FATALITIES OCCURRED IN NORTHWEST KEMPER COUNTY WHEN A STRAPPED DOWN

DOUBLEWIDE MOBILE HOME WAS THROWN A DISTANCE OF APPROXIMATELY 300

YARDS INTO A TREELINE, AND THEN OBLITERATED WITH THE DEBRIS AND

FRAMING SCATTERED MANY HUNDREDS OF YARDS DOWN THE PATH. THERE WAS NO

INDICATION OF GROUND IMPACTS BETWEEN THE ORIGINAL SITE OF THE MOBILE

HOME AND WHERE IT ENDED UP TO INDICATE THAT THE MOBILE HOME BOUNCED

EXTENSIVELY AS IT TRAVELLED. TWO TRADITIONAL FRAME BRICK HOMES IN

SOUTHEAST WINSTON COUNTY WERE COMPLETELY LEVELED WITH ONLY A FEW

SMALL PARTS OF INTERIOR WALLS STANDING. NEW VEHICLES WERE THROWN OR

ROLLED HUNDREDS OF YARDS BEFORE BEING WRAPPED INTO TREES AND LEFT

ALMOST BEYOND RECOGNITION. IN PARTS OF NORTHEAST NESHOBA AND

NORTHWEST KEMPER COUNTIES, THERE WAS VERY HIGH END TREE DAMAGE WITH

EXTENSIVE DENUDING AND DEBARKING OF TREES, ALONG WITH AREAS WHERE THE

GROUND WAS SCOURED OUT TO A DEPTH OF TWO FEET IN PLACES, AND ASPHALT

WAS SCOURED OFF PAVEMENT.

[A-L-E-X]

What does this post even mean? Thunder is a by-product of lightning (it's just air expanding due to heat) and lightning is beneficial. It creates fire which in turn benefits the envirornment.

Yep.... just because it may not be beneficial to humanity doesn't mean it's not beneficial to nature and the earth as a whole.

[Chicago Storm]

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL

1041 PM CDT FRI APR 29 2011

...PRELIMINARY STORM SURVEY INFORMATION FROM CULLMAN COUNTY...

A PRELIMINARY STORM SURVEY OF THE DAMAGE ACROSS CULLMAN COUNTY HAS

BEEN COMPLETED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE. PLEASE

NOTE THAT THERE ARE MULTIPLE TORNADO TRACKS ACROSS CULLMAN COUNTY BUT

THIS SPECIFIC STORM SURVEY FOCUSED ON THE MOST WIDESPREAD SIGNIFICANT

DAMAGE PATH. INITIAL FINDINGS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

* EVENT TYPE: TORNADO

* EVENT DATE: 04/27/11

* ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 175 MPH

* PRELIMINARY RATING: EF-4

* PATH LENGTH: 28 MILES (ESTIMATED)

* MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH: 1/2 MILE

* FATALITIES: UNKNOWN

* INJURIES: UNKNOWN

* SUMMARY: A POTENTIALLY LONG-TRACK TORNADO WENT SOUTHWEST TO

NORTHEAST ACROSS CULLMAN COUNTY. SOME LIGHT DAMAGE OCCURRED ON THE

NORTH SIDE OF SMITH LAKE ALONG COUNTY ROAD (CR) 310. MORE

SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED TO THE NORTHEAST ALONG CR 222 AND

ALONG CR 436 NEAR GRANDVIEW...WHERE SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURAL DAMAGE

OCCURRED TO SEVERAL RESIDENCES AND NUMEROUS LARGE TREES WERE

SNAPPED.

THE TORNADO CONTINUED TO TRACK NORTHEAST TOWARD THE TOWN OF CULLMAN

WHERE SOME OF THE WORST DAMAGE OCCURRED JUST NORTHEAST OF HIGHWAY

31 AND 278. SEVERAL SMALL RETAIL BUILDINGS WERE COMPLETELY

DESTROYED ALONG WITH NEAR TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF A LARGE CHURCH. THE

TORNADO CONTINUED ITS TRACK NORTHEAST CROSSING HIGHWAY 157 THEN

CREATING ADDITIONAL DAMAGE NORTH OF HIGHWAY 69 BETWEEN SIMCOE AND

PLEASANT VIEW. JUST NORTH OF FAIRVIEW ALONG CR 1559 AND CR

1564...TWO HOMES WERE DESTROYED WITH SIGNIFICANT PORTIONS OF THE

HOMES NOT FOUND. FURTHER NORTHEAST ALONG CR 1589...MAJOR STRUCTURAL

DAMAGE OCCURRED TO SEVERAL OLD (EARLY 1900S) HOMES AND NUMEROUS

HARDWOOD TREES WERE DEBARKED. OUTSIDE OF THE CITY OF CULLMAN...

SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE OCCURRED IN A 1/4-1/2 MILE WIDE CORRIDOR NORTH OF

HIGHWAY 69...BETWEEN FAIRVIEW AND THE CULLMAN/MORGAN COUNTY LINE.

THIS TORNADO CONTINUED INTO EXTREME SOUTHEAST MORGAN COUNTY WHERE

WIDESPREAD SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE OCCURRED AROUND THE HULACO COMMUNITY.

ADDITIONAL SURVEYS WILL BE DONE THIS WEEKEND TO MAP OUT THE

REMAINDER OF THIS "MULTI-COUNTY" TRACK TORNADO. IN ADDITION...IT IS

LIKELY THAT THE START OF THIS TORNADO COULD HAVE EXTENDED BACK INTO

EXTREME NORTHERN WALKER COUNTY BUT THIS WOULD NEED TO BE CONFIRMED

WITH SURVEYORS FROM NWS BIRMINGHAM AT A LATER DATE.

[thewxmann]

Update on Dekalb County:

[Read the bold]

** UPDATED INFORMATION BELOW **

INFORMATION WAS RECEIVED FROM DEKALB COUNTY EMA WHO CONDUCTED

SEVERAL AREAL SURVEYS AND DETERMINED THAT THE TORNADO DAMAGE PATH

WAS INDEED CONTINUOUS FROM THE LAKEVIEW COMMUNITY THROUGH

RAINSVILLE...SYLVANIA...AND THEN TO CARTERSVILLE IN NORTHEASTERN

DEKALB COUNTY. FURTHER DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED TO THE NORTH OF

CARTERSVILLE AND INTO NORTHWEST GEORGIA...BUT THIS IS BELIEVED TO

BE ANOTHER TRACK FROM A POSSIBLE TORNADO EARLIER IN THE DAY.

GROUND SURVEYS WERE CONDUCTED FROM THE BLAKE COMMUNITY INTO

SOUTHEAST SYLVANIA...THEN THROUGH HENAGAR...IDER...AND TO

CARTERSVILLE. THE TORNADO DAMAGE CONTINUED ALONG THE PATH FROM THE

BLAKE COMMUNITY...INTERSECTING COUNTY ROAD 27 AND CONTINUING TO THE

NORTHEAST RUNNING PARALLEL BETWEEN HIGHWAY 75 AND INTERSTATE 59

THROUGH HENAGAR...IDER...AND THEN INTO CARTERSVILLE.

IN THE BLAKE COMMUNITY...THE TORNADO DAMAGE WIDTH WAS ESTIMATED TO BE

ONE HALF TO PERHAPS AS MUCH AS THREE QUARTERS OF A MILE WIDE. ALONG

COUNTY ROAD 27 JUST SOUTHEAST OF THE BORDER WITH THE SYLVANIA

COMMUNITY...SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED. ALL EXTERIOR AND

INTERIOR WALLS OF SEVERAL HOMES WERE COMPLETELY DESTROYED WITH

PARTIAL BLOCK AND MORTAR FOUNDATIONS REMAINING. IN ONE INSTANCE...A

CONCRETE SLAB THAT SERVED AS A PORCH WAS DISPLACED A FEW FEET AND

BROKEN IN HALF. SOME HARDWOOD TREES IN THE AREA WERE STRIPPED WITH

NO STUBS OF ANY BRANCHES REMAINING AND WERE PARTIALLY DEBARKED.

THE MOUNTAIN VIEW BAPTIST CHURCH...WHICH WAS JUST INSIDE THE

SYLVANIA COMMUNITY ALSO SUSTAINED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE. AN OLD ONE

STORY PORTION OF THE CHURCH DATING TO 1902 AND CONSTRUCTED OF A BRICK

AND MORTAR EXTERIOR ON WOOD FRAME WALLS WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED. A

RECENT TWO-STORY ADDITION TO THE CHURCH CONSTRUCTED IN 2004 AND

CONSISTING OF SIMILAR BUILDING MATERIALS WAS PARTIALLY DESTROYED...

WITH MOST EXTERIOR WALLS AND NEARLY ALL INTERIOR WALLS FALLEN. A

CONCRETE BLOCK AND MORTAR FOUNDATION WAS ALL THAT REMAINED OF A

HALLWAY ADJOINING THE TWO BUILDINGS.

FURTHER TO THE NORTHEAST ALONG COUNTY ROAD 112 JUST EAST OF SYLVANIA

AND NEAR THE HIGH POINT COMMUNITY...A COUPLE OF ELECTRICAL

TRANSMISSION METAL TRUSS TOWERS WERE COMPLETELY BENT OVER AND

PARTIALLY TWISTED. SEVERAL HOMES ALONG COUNTY ROAD 112 WERE ALSO

COMPLETELY DESTROYED WITH INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR WALLS ALL

COLLAPSED...BUT LARGE DEBRIS PORTIONS REMAINED NEARBY.

FARTHER TO THE NORTHEAST...JUST SOUTH OF THE IDER COMMUNITY ALONG

COUNTY ROAD 17...THE TORNADO WIDTH WAS ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT ONE HALF

MILE WIDE. IN THIS LOCATION...SEVERAL HOMES WERE DESTROYED WITH

EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR WALLS ALL BLOWN AWAY. BLOCK AND MORTAR

FOUNDATIONS REMAINED. MOST HARDWOOD TREES WERE COMPLETELY STRIPPED

AND DEBARKED IN THIS AREA OF DAMAGE.

SOUTH OF CARTERSVILLE AND NEAR THE BLEVINS MILL COMMUNITY...TREES

WERE SNAPPED AND FELLED...BUT THE DAMAGE PATH HERE WAS REDUCED TO

ABOUT 50 YARDS AS THE TORNADO APPEARED TO WEAKEN.

FURTHER SURVEYS WILL BE CONDUCTED THIS WEEKEND TO REVIEW WITH WORST

HIT AREAS OF DAMAGE ALONG THE PATH. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS

TORNADO...INCLUDING PATH WIDTH...LENGTH AND MAXIMUM INTENSITY IS

STILL SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OF DEKALB COUNTY...AND OTHER CITIZENS...SOME OF

WHOM EVEN VOLUNTEERED TIME AND INFORMATION DURING THEIR CLEANUP

EFFORTS TO HELP IN CONDUCTING THIS STORM SURVEY.

[Stebo]

Latest update for the Franklin/Lawrence County tornado for AL

000

NOUS44 KHUN 300356

PNSHUN

ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-301600-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL

1056 PM CDT FRI APR 29 2011

...UPDATED PRELIMINARY STORM SURVEY INFORMATION

...FRANKLIN AND LAWRENCE COUNTIES...

A PRELIMINARY STORM SURVEY OF THE DAMAGE INCURRED ACROSS FRANKLIN

AL AND LAWRENCE COUNTIES HAS BEEN COMPLETED BY NATIONAL WEATHER

SERVICE ALONG WITH FRANKLIN AND LAWRENCE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL.

UPDATED FINDINGS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

* EVENT TYPE: TORNADO

* EVENT DATE: 04/27/11

* ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 175 MPH

* PRELIMINARY RATING: EF-4

* PATH LENGTH: AT LEAST 39 MILES

* MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH: 3/4 MILE

* FATALITIES: 41

* INJURIES: STILL YET TO BE DETERMINED

THURSDAY SUMMARY:

FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS SURVEY, THE PATH BEGAN AT THE SOUTHERN

FRANKLIN COUNTY LINE WITH MARION COUNTY NEAR HACKLEBURG. FOR

INFORMATION ABOUT THE TORNADO PATH IN MARION COUNTY...CONSULT

INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM.

THE SURVEY TEAM TRAVELED THROUGH PHIL CAMPBELL AND WITNESSED

CONTINUOUS SIGNIFICANT DEVASTATION THROUGHOUT THE CITY. THE MOST

PROLIFIC DAMAGE OCCURRED FROM THE INTERSECTION OF COUNTY ROAD 51 AND

ALABAMA HIGHWAY 237...TO THE INTERSECTION OF COUNTY ROAD 81 AND

COUNTY ROAD 75. WITHIN THIS CORRIDOR, SEVERAL WELL CONSTRUCTED

HOUSES WERE DESTROYED. AT LEAST 3 CHURCHES ALONG THE PATH SUSTAINED

SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE. ONE CHURCH IN PHIL CAMPBELL WAS COMPLETELY

DESTROYED WITH ONLY THE SLAB REMAINING. MULTIPLE MOBILE HOMES

THROUGHOUT THE PATH WERE COMPLETELY DESTROYED...AND THEIR MANGLED

FRAMES WERE TOSSED AT LEAST 25 TO 50 YARDS. CARS WERE TOSSED AND

DESTROYED THROUGHOUT THE PATH OF THE TORNADO...WITH ONE CAR WRAPPED

AROUND A DEBARKED TREE IN PHIL CAMPBELL. ALL ALONG THE PATH

LENGTH...THOUSANDS OF HARDWOOD AND SOFTWOOD TREES WERE SNAPPED.

HUNDREDS OF TREES WERE ALSO DEBARKED AND TWISTED...AND HAD ONLY STUBS

OF LARGEST BRANCHES REMAINING. EF-4 DAMAGE CONTINUED SIMILARLY

NORTHEAST FROM PHIL CAMPBELL...ROUGHLY ALONG COUNTY ROADS 81 AND 82.

SEVERAL HIGH VOLTAGE TVA POWER LINE TRUSSES WERE TWISTED AND

TOPPLED...PARTICULARLY NEAR HIGHWAY 243. SIX CHICKEN HOUSES WERE

COMPLETELY DESTROYED NEAR THE FRANKLIN LAWRENCE COUNTY LINE.

FRIDAY SUMMARY...

THE TORNADO CONTINUED INTO LAWRENCE COUNTY NEAR THE MT. HOPE AREA

WHERE SIGNFICANT DEVASTATION WAS INCURRED TO SINGLE FAMILY HOMES AND

A RESTAURANT. NOTHING BUT THE FOUNDATION AND A PILE OF DEBRIS

REMAINED IN THIS AREA...AND A SMALL PORTION OF THE RESTAURANT

FOUNDATION BUCKLED. THOUSANDS OF HARDWOOD AND SOFTWOOD TREES WERE

SNAPPED...WITH A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF TREES TWISTED AND DEBARKED

WITH ONLY STUBS OF BRANCHES REMAINING. MANY MOBILE HOMES WERE ALSO

DESTROYED WITH THE FRAMES MANGLED...AND A SINGLE FAMILY HOME WAS

COMPLETELY DESTROYED WITH THE WALLS AND CONTENTS STREWN OVER

A HUNDRED YARDS.

FURTHER NORTHEAST...MORE TREES WERE FOUND SNAPPED AND TWISTED BEFORE

REACHING HIGHWAY 24. AT THIS LOCATION 4 CHICKEN HOUSES WERE

COMPLETELY DESTROYED WITH MUCH OF THE DEBRIS WRAPPED AROUND DEBARKED

TREES. TVA HIGH VOLTAGE POWER LINE TRUSSES WERE ALSO DESTROYED AT

THIS LOCATION.

AS THE TORNADO CONTINUED NORTHEAST MORE SIGNIFICANT DEVASTATION

OCCURRED IN AND AROUND THE LANGTOWN COMMUNITY NORTH OF MOULTON. ON

THE WEST SIDE OF ALABAMA HIGHWAY 33...SEVERAL HOMES SUSTAINED

SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE WITH ROOFS MISSING OR ONLY INTERIOR ROOMS

REMAINING. A NEARBY STORE AND GAS STATION ALSO SUSTAINED SIGNIFICANT

DAMAGE.

THE TORNADO STRENGTHENED AGAIN AS IT MOVED INTO COUNTY ROADS 214 AND

298...WHERE MULTIPLE HOUSES AND MOBILE HOMES WERE COMPLETELY

DESTROYED. SEVERAL CARS WERE TOSSED INTO FIELDS AND WRAPPED AROUND

TREES ALONG COUNTY ROAD 291 AND 292. ONE VEHICLE WAS TOSSED INTO A

LARGE HARDWOOD TREE THAT WAS ALSO DEBARKED. TREE AND MOBILE HOME

DAMAGE CONTINUED ALONG COUNTY ROADS 217 AND 222...WHERE A HANDFUL OF

LARGE HIGH TENSION TVA POWER POLES WERE DESTROYED.

TORNADO DAMAGE CONTINUED NORTHEAST TOWARDS ALABAMA HIGHWAY 20...WHERE

A RESTAURANT WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED AND TWO SINGLE FAMILY HOUSES

WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DAMAGED. TREE DAMAGE APPEARED TO CONTINUE INTO

EXTREME NORTHWESTERN MORGAN COUNTY.

SURVEYED BY: CARCIONE/LATIMER

[Stebo]

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC

810 PM EDT FRI APR 29 2011

...FIVE TORNADOES CONFIRMED ON APRIL 28 2011...

...TORNADO CONFIRMED NEAR OLD LAKE RD IN NORTHERN COLUMBUS COUNTY

NORTH CAROLINA...

LOCATION...OLD LAKE RD IN NORTHERN COLUMBUS COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA

DATE...APRIL 28 2011

ESTIMATED TIME...343 PM TO 347 PM EDT

MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING...EF-0

ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...75 MPH

MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH...20 YARDS

PATH LENGTH...0.6 MILES

BEGINNING LAT/LON...34.3734N / -78.4207W

ENDING LAT/LON...34.3796N / -78.4140W

* FATALITIES...0

* INJURIES...0

* THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO

CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT(S) AND PUBLICATION IN NWS

STORM DATA.

...SUMMARY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON NC HAS CONFIRMED A

TORNADO NEAR OLD LAKE RD IN NORTHERN COLUMBUS COUNTY NORTH

CAROLINA ON APRIL 28 2011.

THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN JUST SOUTH OF OLD LAKE RD AND EVENTUALLY

MOVED ACROSS OLD LAKE RD RIPPING THE ROOF OF AN UPHOLSTERY SHOP.

THERE WERE ALSO A HALF DOZEN SNAPPED AND UPROOTED TREES. THE

TORNADO MOVED NORTHEAST OF OLD LAKE RD AND CAUSED DAMAGE TO A SHED

AND A HALF DOZEN ADDITIONAL TREES BEFORE LIFTING.

&&

...TORNADO CONFIRMED 2 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ATKINSON ALONG SLOCUM

TRAIL RD IN PENDER COUNTY NC...

LOCATION...2 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ATKINSON ALONG SLOCUM TRAIL RD IN

PENDER COUNTY NC DATE...APRIL 28 2011

ESTIMATED TIME...405 PM TO 407 PM EDT

MAXIMUM EF SCALE RATING...EF-1

ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...110 MPH

MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH...60 YARDS

PATH LENGTH...0.3 MILES

BEGINNING LAT/LON...34.5097N / -78.1949W

ENDING LAT/LON...34.5135N / -78.1921W

* FATALITIES...0

* INJURIES...0

* THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO

CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT(S) AND PUBLICATION IN NWS

STORM DATA.

...SUMMARY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON NC HAS CONFIRMED A

TORNADO 2 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ATKINSON ALONG SLOCUM TRAIL RD IN

PENDER COUNTY NC ON APRIL 28 2011.

THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR THE EDGE OF A FIELD WEST OF SLOCUM

TRAIL RD WITH STRONG INFLOW NOTED ON ITS SOUTHERN FLANK CAUSING

EXTREME DAMAGE TO 2 GRAIN SILOS AND A BARN THAT WERE BLOWN ACROSS

THE ROAD. THE TORNADO STRENGTHENED TO AN EF-1 ALONG A STRAND OF

TREES WEST OF SLOCUM ROAD...THEN WEAKENED AS IT MOVED NORTH

NORTHEAST ACROSS THE ROAD. THERE WERE A FEW DOZEN TREES SNAPPED

AND UPROOTED ALONG THE PATH OF THE TORNADO AND IN THE STRONG

INFLOW REGION ON ITS SOUTHERN FLANK.

&&

...TORNADO CONFIRMED NEAR ATKINSON IN PENDER COUNTY NC...

LOCATION...ATKINSON IN PENDER COUNTY NC

DATE...APRIL 28 2011

ESTIMATED TIME...451 PM TO 500 PM EDT

MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING...EF-0

ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...85 MPH

MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH...50 YARDS

PATH LENGTH...6.3 MILES

BEGINNING LAT/LON...34.5128N / -78.1850W

ENDING LAT/LON...34.5679N / -78.0970W

* FATALITIES...0

* INJURIES...0

* THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO

CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT(S) AND PUBLICATION IN NWS

STORM DATA.

...SUMMARY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON NC HAS CONFIRMED A

TORNADO NEAR ATKINSON IN PENDER COUNTY NC ON APRIL 28 2011.

THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN ON THE WEST SIDE OF HIGHWAY 11 SOUTH OF

ATKINSON. THE TORNADO PRODUCED DAMAGE TO TWO DOZEN TREES AND MINOR

DAMAGE TO 3 HOMES IN THE AREA. THE TORNADO MOVED NORTHEAST

CROSSING HIGHWAY 11 JUST SOUTH OF ATKINSON...THEN CROSSED ROOKS

RD WITH TREE DAMAGE. THE TORNADO CROSSED HIGHWAY 53 IN A NARROW

PATH EAST OF ATKINSON WITH A FEW DOZEN TREES SNAPPED. THE TORNADO

CONTINUED OFF TO THE NORTHEAST AND CROSSED POINT CASWELL RD WITH

DOZENS OF TREES DOWN IN THE AREA BEFORE LIFTING AGAIN.

&&

...TORNADO CONFIRMED 5 MILES WEST-SOUTHWEST OF WATHA IN PENDER

COUNTY NC...

LOCATION...5 WSW WATHA IN PENDER COUNTY NC

DATE...APRIL 28 2011

ESTIMATED TIME...500 PM TO 507 PM EDT

MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING...EF-1

ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...90 MPH

MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH...60 YARDS

PATH LENGTH...3.1 MILES

BEGINNING LAT/LON...34.6007N / -78.0641W

ENDING LAT/LON...34.6358N / -78.0308W

* FATALITIES...0

* INJURIES...0

* THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO

CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT(S) AND PUBLICATION IN NWS

STORM DATA.

...SUMMARY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON NC HAS CONFIRMED A

TORNADO 5 MILES WEST-SOUTHWEST OF WATHA IN PENDER COUNTY NC ON APRIL

28 2011.

THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR THE FISH HATCHERY ON THE SOUTH SIDE

OF SHILOH RD. THE TORNADO MOVED ACROSS SHILOH RD AND INTENSIFIED

TO AN EF-1 WITH 90 MPH WIND DAMAGE. THE TORNADO CAUSED SEVERAL

DOZEN TREES TO BE UPROOTED AND SNAPPED. SEVERAL LARGE TREES FELL

ACROSS HOMES CAUSING ROOF DAMAGE. OTHER HOMES SUFFERED MINOR

ROOF...SOFFIT...AND SIDING DAMAGE. THE TORNADO CONTINUED TO TRACK

NORTHEAST AND WEAKENED...BUT CAUSED ROOF DAMAGE TO ANOTHER HOME

FARTHER NORTHEAST ALONG SHILOH RD. THE TORNADO EVENTUALLY CROSSED

PENDERLEA HIGHWAY CAUSING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO A LARGE STORAGE

BUILDING...UPROOTED SEVERAL TREES...AND RIPPED THE TOP OF A GRAIN

SILO OFF. THE TORNADO LIFTED AFTER CROSSING NORTHEAST OF PENDERLEA

HIGHWAY.

&&

...TORNADO CONFIRMED NEAR 1 SW WILLARD IN PENDER COUNTY NC...

LOCATION...1 MILE SOUTHWEST OF WILLARD IN PENDER COUNTY NC

DATE...APRIL 28 2011

ESTIMATED TIME...455 PM TO 457 PM EDT

MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING...EF-0

ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...80 MPH

MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH...30 YARDS

PATH LENGTH...0.2 MILES

BEGINNING LAT/LON...34.6752N / -77.9986W

ENDING LAT/LON...34.6780N / -77.9960W

* FATALITIES...0

* INJURIES...0

* THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO

CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT(S) AND PUBLICATION IN NWS

STORM DATA.

...SUMMARY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON NC HAS CONFIRMED A

TORNADO 1 MILE SOUTHWEST OF WILLARD IN PENDER COUNTY NC ON APRIL 28

2011.

THE LAST TOUCHDOWN OCCURRED NEAR A TURKEY FARM OFF MEADOW BEAUTY

RD. THE TORNADO SLAMMED INTO ONE OF THE TURKEY HOUSES CAUSING

SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE AND KILLING A NUMBER OF TURKEYS. THE TORNADO

QUICKLY LIFTED TOWARD THE TREE LINE JUST NORTHEAST OF THE TURKEY

FARM.

THIS INFORMATION CAN ALSO BE FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE AT

WEATHER.GOV/ILM.

FOR REFERENCE...THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE CLASSIFIES TORNADOES INTO

THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES:

EF0...WIND SPEEDS 65 TO 85 MPH.

EF1...WIND SPEEDS 86 TO 110 MPH.

EF2...WIND SPEEDS 111 TO 135 MPH.

EF3...WIND SPEEDS 136 TO 165 MPH.

EF4...WIND SPEEDS 166 TO 200 MPH.

EF5...WIND SPEEDS GREATER THAN 200 MPH.

$$

SRP/MAC

[thewxmann]

Surprised nobody has posted this one yet:

East of BMX

TORNADO 5...ARGO/SHOAL CREEK/OHATCHEE/FORNEY TORNADO (JEFFERSON/ST.

CLAIR/CALHOUN/ETOWAH/CHEROKEE COUNTIES)

PRELIMINARY DATA...

EVENT DATE: APRIL 27, 2011

EVENT TYPE: LIKELY GREATER THAN EF-3 (FURTHER EVALUATION UNDERWAY)

ESTIMATED PEAK WINDS (MPH): POTENTIALLY UP TO 180

INJURIES/FATALITIES: NUMEROUS FATALITIES AND INJURIES.

EVENT START LOCATION AND TIME: 33.6792/-86.5699 AT 623 PM

EVENT END LOCATION AND TIME: 34.0661/-85.420 AT 747 PM (AT GEORGIA

STATE LINE)

DAMAGE PATH LENGTH (IN MILES): 72 MILES

WIDTH: UP TO 1.25 MILES

NOTE: CONTINUED INTO GEORGIA

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS SURVEYED THE DAMAGE PATH

FROM EASTERN JEFFERSON COUNTY NORTHEAST TO CHEROKEE COUNTY. IT HAS

BEEN DETERMINED THAT THE DAMAGE WAS CONSISTENT WITH A VIOLENT

TORNADO. THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR ARGO...BETWEEN DEERFOOT

PARKWAY AND ADVENT ROAD...JUST NORTH OF INTERSTATE 59. THE TORNADO

THEN MOVED EAST ACROSS THE INTERSTATE INTO ST. CLAIR COUNTY. THE

TORNADO CAUSED EF-0 TO EF-1 DAMAGE AS IT TRACKED NEAR MARGARET AND

NORTH OF ODENVILLE. JUST NORTHEAST OF ODENVILLE...THE TORNADO

STRENGTHENED AND WIDENED CONSIDERABLY. THE TORNADO THEN MOVED

EAST-NORTHEAST ALONG COUNTY ROAD 22...THROUGH SHOAL CREEK. DAMAGE

ALL ALONG CR-22 WAS EXTENSIVE. SEVERAL HOMES HAD ALMOST ALL WALLS

BLOWN OUT...AND ONE ROUGHLY 40 YEAR OLD HOME WAS COMPLETELY LEVELED.

THE PATH CONTINUED EAST-NORTHEAST ACROSS NEELY HENRY LAKE INTO

CALHOUN COUNTY. THE GREATEST AMOUNT OF DAMAGE WAS DONE ON THE

EASTERN SHORES OF THE LAKE...JUST NORTH OF OHATCHEE. IN THIS AREA

NUMEROUS HOMES AND MOBILE HOMES WERE COMPLETELY LEVELED...INDICATIVE

OF A VIOLENT TORNADO. AT LEAST ONE WELL BUILT HOME WAS NEARLY SWEPT

CLEAN OF EVERYTHING ABOVE ITS BASEMENT...SAVE FOR A FEW ITEMS OF

FURNITURE. WINDS HERE WERE LIKELY MORE THAN 150 MPH...PERHAPS AS

HIGH AS 180 MPH. THE DAMAGE PATH AT THIS POINT REACHED ITS WIDEST...

AROUND 1.25 MILES. THE TORNADO CONTINUED TO CAUSE EXTENSIVE DAMAGE

ON AN EAST-NORTHEAST PATH ACROSS NORTHERN CALHOUN COUNTY...JUST

SOUTH OF THE ETOWAH COUNTY LINE. ALL HOMES IN ITS PATH RECEIVED

SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE AND MANY WERE COMPLETELY DESTROYED. A SMALL

CHURCH ON ROCKY HOLLOW ROAD NEAR THE WEBSTER CHAPEL COMMUNITY WAS

COMPLETELY LEVELED. THE TORNADO BRIEFLY WENT THROUGH SOUTHEAST

ETOWAH COUNTY SOUTHEAST OF REAVES...CLIPPED A SMALL PORTION OF

CALHOUN COUNTY ONE LAST TIME...THEN MOVED INTO CHEROKEE COUNTY.

THERE IT DAMAGED NUMEROUS MORE HOMES AND MOBILE HOMES AS IT MOVED

EAST-NORTHEASTWARD. THE TORNADO APPEARED TO WEAKEN BRIEFLY AS IT

MOVED THROUGH FROG MOUNTAIN...BUT THEN IT WIDENED AND STRENGTHENED

ONCE AGAIN BEFORE IT REACHED COUNTY ROAD 45 NORTH OF ROCK RUN. ON

COUNTY ROAD 29 SOUTH OF FORNEY...AN APPARENTLY WELL BUILT FRAME HOME

WAS COMPLETELY LEVELED TO THE GROUND BY WINDS THAT MAY HAVE EXCEEDED

150 MPH. THE TORNADO THEN MOVED INTO GEORGIA AT COUNTY ROAD 28.

ALONG THE PATH...HUNDREDS OF STRUCTURES WERE DAMAGED AND

DESTROYED...AND MANY THOUSANDS OF TREES WERE UPROOTED...SNAPPED...

AND REDUCED TO SPIKED STUMPS.

NOTE: THERE WAS NO DAMAGE OBSERVED ON DEERFOOT PARKWAY...JUST WEST

OF THE STARTING COORDINATES ABOVE. THEREFORE...THERE APPEARS TO

BE A SMALL BREAK IN THE DAMAGE BETWEEN THE TUSCALOOSA-BIRMINGHAM

TORNADO AND THIS ONE...AS THE STORM WENT ACROSS THE PINSON AND

CHALKVILLE AREAS. THIS BREAK IN THE DAMAGE MAY NEED FURTHER

INVESTIGATION...TO MAKE SURE THAT IT INDEED DID OCCUR.

[HurricaneJosh]

Are you saying that a tornado with 200+ mph hour winds is a way of the earth regulating itself?

Yes, that is exactly what I'm saying. Tornadoes, hurricanes, tremendous earthquakes-- these are all natural processes-- ways that the earth tries to find equilibrium. What else do you think it is?

Not to get into a religious debate here, but what if there is no reason for anything and things just happen randomly because well... things just happen randomly? What if there no cause? Would the Earth be just fine if we never had another to CTG lightning strike again? Another tornado again? Rain is beneficial. Thunder and lightning are not. Neither is a tornado. There are such things called parasites in nature. Wasps for instance aren't very good pollinators, so there isn't much use for them in the nature and they can be very menacing towards other insects that actually DO pollinate and towards animals that help the environment. Perhaps a tornado is the meteorological version of a wasp?

Btw - question for the Mets: How does the pressure inside of a tornado relate to the condensation funnel's size, shape and color?

You have a rather human-centric view of the earth's processes. You think of rain as "beneficial" and tornadoes as "bad". Actually, you shouldn't think of either as good or bad-- they just are. Every one of these processes has a purpose-- for example, some scientists think that hurricanes are simply a mechanism for transferring excess heat energy from the equator to the poles-- so as to balance out the heat distribution better.

And, please do not bring religion into this discussion. We're on the wx side-- religion has no place in this forum.

[VAwxman]

So combing through all of this as best I can, it looks like, so far, we have 1 EF-5 and a slew of EF-4s. Anyone actually been able to keep track of the total number of separate EF-4s?

[HurricaneJosh]

So combing through all of this as best I can, it looks like, so far, we have 1 EF-5 and a slew of EF-4s. Anyone actually been able to keep track of the total number of separate EF-4s?

Yeah, I was wondering the same thing-- what the tally is so far.

Briefly combing through this thread, I didn't see any reports Re: the long-tracker that went through Tuscaloosa-- or did I miss that one? I imagine there's a lot of work to do with that one.

[VAwxman]

Yeah, I was wondering the same thing-- what the tally is so far.

Briefly combing through this thread, I didn't see any reports Re: the long-tracker that went through Tuscaloosa-- or did I miss that one? I imagine there's a lot of work to do with that one.

I don't think they have rated that one yet. I know Forbes said it looks like an EF-5 to him (I think he was part of an actual flyover), but nothing official yet that I've seen.

[JamieOber]

Not to get into a religious debate here, but what if there is no reason for anything and things just happen randomly because well... things just happen randomly? What if there no cause? Would the Earth be just fine if we never had another to CTG lightning strike again? Another tornado again? Rain is beneficial. Thunder and lightning are not. Neither is a tornado. There are such things called parasites in nature. Wasps for instance aren't very good pollinators, so there isn't much use for them in the nature and they can be very menacing towards other insects that actually DO pollinate and towards animals that help the environment. Perhaps a tornado is the meteorological version of a wasp?

Btw - question for the Mets: How does the pressure inside of a tornado relate to the condensation funnel's size, shape and color?

This is completely wrong. Reading your posts you have a spectacularly bad idea of what is beneficial and what is "bad" in nature. Provably so.

See: http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05550.html

Braconid and Ichneumonid Wasps

These are a large and diverse group of insect parasites. Some are small and attack small insects such as aphids. Others live in the eggs of various pest insects. Larger parasite wasps attack caterpillars or wood-boring beetles.

External evidence of these parasites' activity is often more obvious than with the tachinid flies. For example, aphids that are parasitized by these wasps are typically small and discolored and called "aphid mummies." Other braconid wasp species spin conspicuous pupal cocoons after emerging from a host.

Hunting Wasps

A large number of wasps from several families prey on insect pests. Many take their prey, whole or in pieces, back to their mud, soil or paper nests to feed to the immature wasps. These hunting wasps can be important in controlling Garden insect pests. For example, the common Polistes paper wasps, when hunting, may thoroughly search plants and feed on caterpillars, often providing substantial control of these insects.

[weathergeek5]

Survey plans for today along with Tuscaloosa preliminary.

AT THIS TIME...STORM SURVEYS ARE BEING PLANNED FOR TODAY FOR THE

FOLLOWING COUNTIES:

TEAM ONE: DAMAGE ASSESSMENT FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING STORMS IN

TUSCALOOSA/JEFFERSON/ST. CLAIR/ETOWAH/CHEROKEE COUNTIES.

TEAM TWO: TALLAPOOSA/CHAMBERS COUNTY.

TEAM THREE: FOCUS ON EXTREME DAMAGE AREAS TO ASSESS MAGNITUDE IN

JEFFERSON COUNTY AND TUSCALOOSA COUNTY.

...PRELIMINARY TUSCALOOSA/BIRMINGHAM TORNADO TRACK...

PRELIMINARY DATA...

EVENT DATE: APRIL 27, 2011

EVENT TYPE: AT LEAST EF-4

ESTIMATED PEAK WINDS (MPH): AT LEAST 165

INJURIES/FATALITIES: AT LEAST 65 FATALITIES. OVER 1000 INJURIES.

EVENT START LOCATION AND TIME: 33.0297/-87.935 AT 443 PM

EVENT END LOCATION AND TIME: 33.6311/-86.7436 AT 614 PM

DAMAGE PATH LENGTH (IN MILES): APPROXIMATELY 80.3 MILES

DAMAGE WIDTH: 1.5 MILES CROSSING I-65

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS HAVE BEGUN SURVEYING THE

MASSIVE DAMAGE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS LONG TRACK TORNADO...BY GROUND

AND AIR. THE START POINT IS BASED ON AERIAL SURVEY...WHILE THE END

LOCATION WAS DETERMINED BY A GROUND CREW. THUS FAR...DETAILED DAMAGE

INSPECTION HAS REVEALED A MAXIMUM OF EF-4 DAMAGE IN THE PLEASANT

GROVE. CASUALTY INFORMATION IS BASED ON THE LATEST OFFICIAL RELEASES

FROM THE ALABAMA EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY. THIS TORNADO WAS

PRODUCED BY A SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORM THAT BEGAN IN NEWTON COUNTY

MISSISSIPPI AT 254 PM CDT...FINALLY DISSIPATING IN MACON COUNTY

NORTH CAROLINA AT APPROXIMATELY 1018 PM CDT. SO...THIS SUPERCELL

EXISTED FOR ABOUT 7 HOURS AND 24 MINUTES...TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY

380 MILES PRODUCING SEVERAL STRONG TO VIOLENT TORNADOES ALONG THE

WAY. ADDITIONAL EVALUATION OF THE DAMAGE IN TUSCALOOSA AND JEFFERSON

COUNTY WILL CONTINUE TODAY TO DETERMINE IF THE RATING NEEDS TO BE

INCREASED. RESULTS WILL BE UPDATED WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE.

[HurricaneJosh]

OK, so they've left the door open for EF5. Cool.

[Master of Disaster]

Yeah, I was wondering the same thing-- what the tally is so far.

Briefly combing through this thread, I didn't see any reports Re: the long-tracker that went through Tuscaloosa-- or did I miss that one? I imagine there's a lot of work to do with that one.

I just wrote an article about it. We are at 6 EF-4s.

http://www.examiner.com/environmental-news-in-harrisburg/worst-tornado-outbreak-34-years-kills-at-least-193

[HurricaneJosh]

By the way, I plotted the start point (yellow) and end point (purple) of the tornado's path, and I also put a marker (red-A) at Pleasant Grove. It's a primitive map, but it gives a quick overview of he event's coverage:

[dan11295]

From a review of the data we have so far, it would appear that if Hackleburg and Phil Campbell were hit by the same tornado then we have at least 2 tornadoes which produced over 50 fatalities. This is in comparision to the Super Outbreak where no single storm killed more that 34. .

Regarding the damage rating on the Tuscaloosa storm, from pictures of an elementary school almost completely destroyed and a 2-story apartment building (not Rosedale) where the entire second story and a good portion of the bottom floor was removed as well in places, that it is clear IMHO EF4 damage occurred in the city, although the reports specifically mentioned Pleasant Grove in reference the the rating.

[k***]

I just wrote an article about it. We are at 6 EF-4s.

http://www.examiner....ls-at-least-193

3rd sentence is a fragment. Also, purchase a thesaurus.

[battlebrick]

Here's the count (as of right now) according to wikipedia:

EF0 - 16

EF1 - 37

EF2 - 19

EF3 - 17

EF4 - 8

EF5 - 1

That is from the 25th - 28th.

[Derecho!]

Here's the count (as of right now) according to wikipedia:

EF0 - 16

EF1 - 37

EF2 - 19

EF3 - 17

EF4 - 8

EF5 - 1

That is from the 25th - 28th.

So has anyone come up with something like tropical season ACE for tornado outbreaks? Expressing the rough energy release by cumulative total of each tornado x EF rating x path width x either tornado duration or tornado length (the last factor is tricky to deal with, I guess).

[sojitodd]

So has anyone come up with something like tropical season ACE for tornado outbreaks? Expressing the rough energy release by cumulative total of each tornado x EF rating x path width x either tornado duration or tornado length (the last factor is tricky to deal with, I guess).

yes I remember them doing this and assigning numbers for damage, fatalities, strength, etc. for historic outbreaks. I remember I believe that fatalaties after something like 1950 got a higher score or something? I think it was mostly in the central/western forum. I don't know if it is the same as what you are talking about though..but it was a way of comparing tornado outbreaks/events. (do not think it had anything to do with energy released, etc).

[Hoosier]

yes I remember them doing this and assigning numbers for damage, fatalities, strength, etc. for historic outbreaks. I remember I believe that fatalaties after something like 1950 got a higher score or something? I think it was mostly in the central/western forum. I don't know if it is the same as what you are talking about though..but it was a way of comparing tornado outbreaks/events. (do not think it had anything to do with energy released, etc).

It was called TOIN (Tornado Outbreak Index Number...I think). Perhaps janetj or Tony can run this one through when all the numbers come in.

[Amped]

By the way, I plotted the start point (yellow) and end point (purple) of the tornado's path, and I also put a marker (red-A) at Pleasant Grove. It's a primitive map, but it gives a quick overview of he event's coverage:

Just to make your life easier here's the google earth file . SPC has the link of the botom of the 4/27 reports page but it takes a long time to scroll down.

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/reports/110427_rpts.kmz

[HurricaneJosh]

Just to make your life easier here's the google earth file . SPC has the link of the botom of the 4/27 reports page but it takes a long time to scroll down.

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/reports/110427_rpts.kmz

Cool, thanks! I just whipped together that map in 30 seconds-- it wasn't a big effort!