Tornado warning!

[Slutter McGee]

Send some of that rain an hour west oklahoma. Us here in the panhandle need it just as much. Imagine, somebody from Florida lecturing Oklahoma on tornadoes. Havent had any here in the panhandle yet. Id rather have the rain and a few of em.

Sincerely,

Slutter McGee

 

[acptulsa]

Most bizarre thing I've ever seen. They spin up over I-35, maybe hit us and maybe just rain on us, and then attack the Deep South. This is not the usual pattern.

Yes, I don't know what to do about the Panhandles. Maybe we need to build an acquaduct. Can't help but reflect that this is where the Dust Bowl started...

Please, people, make good tornado tips email viral. There's no excuse for Alabama losing over three times as many to a few F2s and F3s than we lose to the most massive outbreak in half a century. Really.

 

[acptulsa]

There's an edited and more self-contained version of the tips on the previous page at the Laughter and Liberty link in my sig.

 

[moostraks]

Send some of that rain an hour west oklahoma. Us here in the panhandle need it just as much. Imagine, somebody from Florida lecturing Oklahoma on tornadoes. Havent had any here in the panhandle yet. Id rather have the rain and a few of em.

Sincerely,

Slutter McGee

Would love to send some rain your way. It has been a soggy Spring up here in NE Ohio. Would also love to see some sunshine for longer than 1-2 hours once a week...

On the plus side we have been too cool for any of the tornadoes to want to terrorize our area.

 

[Madly_Sane]

http://www.wral.com/weather/story/9466092/

Twelve supercell thunderstorms produced at least 25 tornadoes across North Carolina on Saturday, the National Weather Service said Tuesday.
The outbreak was the largest collection of tornadoes in the state in 27 years, according meteorologist Jeff Orrock with the weather service.
Many of the storms produced families of tornadoes, spawning one after another, Orrock said. Five of the tornadoes were EF3 storms, with wind speeds of 136 to 165 mph.
Eight more were EF2 tornadoes, with wind speeds of 111 to 135 mph. Another eight were EF1, with wind speeds of 86 to 110 mph, and four were EF0, with wind speeds of 65 to 86 mph.

I was at the movies when it happened. It was pretty interesting, the sound kept going on and off.

 

[BamaAla]

Most bizarre thing I've ever seen. They spin up over I-35, maybe hit us and maybe just rain on us, and then attack the Deep South. This is not the usual pattern.

Yes, I don't know what to do about the Panhandles. Maybe we need to build an acquaduct. Can't help but reflect that this is where the Dust Bowl started...

Please, people, make good tornado tips email viral. There's no excuse for Alabama losing over three times as many to a few F2s and F3s than we lose to the most massive outbreak in half a century. Really.

They're saying that the Tuscaloosa storm was likely an EF-5 as was the Phil Campbell storm.

I think a big reason that there was so much death is because people didn't know they were coming. The storms in the early afternoon killed the power and people without radios were flying blind from 13:00 until the storms stopped at around 21:00. Our warning system failed in my town; approximately 2 minutes after the first tornado passed by my house, the sirens started ringing.

Also, north Alabama is still without power and expects to be that way for the next few days. We had to go to Mississippi to get fuel for the generator.

 

[BamaAla]

There's no excuse for Alabama losing over three times as many to a few F2s and F3s than we lose to the most massive outbreak in half a century. Really.

News is reporting that at one point yesterday there were 4 supercells producing 4 EF-4-5 at one time.

 

[Matt Collins]

I drove through Alabama heading south on I-65 today. I counted at least 7 noticeable places where a tornado had crossed the interstate yesterday.

 

[tpreitzel]

On the plus side we have been too cool for any of the tornadoes to want to terrorize our area.

Good, but remember 1974 when Xenia, OH got plastered by a F-5. The track of tornadoes is longer east of the Mississippi river due to increasing moisture. Hence, the likelihood of greater property damage exists.

 

[acptulsa]

Looks like there were indeed Supertwisters in the Deep South. Never wanted to export those damned things. Also looks like the toll was twice what was originally reported.

This outbreak was bad. Very bad. But it was no worse than our May 3, 1999 event--yet the death toll was some six times as high. The nation needs schooling. I beg you again--simple precautions, a simple plan, can save you. This nation needs schooling.

The damned government can't save you from these things. Please, if you know anyone east of the Rockies, try to help them make a contingency plan.

 

[moostraks]

Good, but remember 1974 when Xenia, OH got plastered by a F-5. The track of tornadoes is longer east of the Mississippi river due to increasing moisture. Hence, the likelihood of greater property damage exists.

Xenia is on the opposite side of the state from us. It is great not to be in the constant path of tornadoes. It isn't that they can't happen here, they are just much less likely. Our previous houses in both Alabama and Georgia were near the path of this last round and I am glad we were no longer there. Counting my blessings yet again for having moved from the South. I think the constant sirens for every thunderstorm is much like hurricane warnings, you become numb to the danger until something really hits and for too many this time it is too late.

 

[acptulsa]

Alabama and Georgia used to not be tornado country. I would strongly recommend anyone east of the Rockies and more than one hundred miles from the Canadian border educate themselves. Please.

 

[Matt Collins]

Preliminary storm reports:
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/reports/110427_rpts.html


Google Maps has mappage of the storms. WOW!

 

[Matt Collins]

 

[acptulsa]

Nice little 'dry line' got us good and wet yesterday afternoon. Shouldn't have the power to spawn tornadoes, but those in Memphis won't be happy to see more rain this morning.

The real cold front driving it will be through today, and should be pretty powerful. So, a couple of days' rain for a Mississippi Valley that really doesn't need it. As for whether it's powerful enough to wreak more havok, well, I'll let you know if it seems that way.

 

[acptulsa]

Yes, more rain for the Mississippi Valley overnight. No, no sign of tornadic strength yet.

 

[doodle]

Although "Bible belt" was a huge supporter of Iraq shock n awe freedom, it appears God is testing Bible Belt lately while Iraq freedom is still ongoing :

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/07/us-weather-tornadoes-churches-idUSTRE74625R20110507

In tornado-ravaged Bible Belt, churches mobilize to help

By Verna Gates

BIRMINGHAM, Ala | Sat May 7, 2011 7:28pm EDT

BIRMINGHAM, Ala (Reuters) - The call for help came the morning after a killer tornado pulverized a section of Birmingham 10 days ago. Gordon Smelley and his "chainsaw gang" of 11 from the First Baptist Church in Clanton, Alabama started their trailer and headed out.

"I don't have a lot of money to give, but I can give a few hours work to help people the best way I can," said Smelley, 72, a retired electrician for the Alabama Power Company.

Some trailers open out into "feeding units," such as one maintained by the Baptist denomination that is a 53-foot semi-truck and can issue 25,000 meals a day.

Other units include a shower and laundry truck, emergency child-care trucks, supply trucks, and tool trucks like the chainsaw trailers, according to Keith Hinson, spokesperson for Baptist Disaster Relief. Several warehouses store the trailers packed with supplies and equipment.

"Katrina was the catalyst for us to become more prepared for emergencies," Danette Clifton, spokeswoman for the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church, said of the 2005 hurricane that devastated New Orleans and other parts of the South.

Religion is more deeply rooted in the American South than any other region of the country. The two states hardest hit by the recent tornadoes, Mississippi and Alabama, ranked No. 1 and 2 among the states in the importance of religion to residents, according to a 2009 survey by the Pew Research center.

Some 82 percent of people in Mississippi said religion was very important to their lives and 74 percent in Alabama.

While the South is known for white Evangelical Christians such as the Baptists, it also has a diverse range of churches from mainstream Protestants and black Protestant churches to a growing number of Catholics and even non-Christian religions.

Volunteers such as Smelley train extensively for their roles in emergencies. He spent several days in classes at the Alabama Baptist Board of Missions State Conference.

 

[acptulsa]

Damn, easycougar. Little excitement this time.

Please tell me you still have all your shingles.

Anything we can do?

Unfortunately, there's more to come, though my semi-educated guess is it's just rain. That last mess spun up just east of us; we didn't get a drop out of it.

Hey, Deep South: This one's serious.

 

[acptulsa]

Little Joplin on the national news.

Hate that.

 

[acptulsa]

There are three or four more waves due in the first half of this week. Get visqueen. Only one is expected to become 'severe', though.