StormscapesDarwin information on storms, TVN,tours, tips, cyclones

This page is not updated that often and rather than deleting the whole page, I have left it as is.

The first severe weather event for the tornado season with tragic results. 8 confirmed deaths and perhaps as high as 15(?), some in Lone Grove, Oklahoma as a wedge tornado rated EF3 (EF4 was later confirmed) leveled a trailer park and damaged several other buildings. From reports the season should not even be starting yet and many chasers have not seen such set ups in a very long time. Several supercells were seen and one in particular dropped a vicious tornado. TVS (tornado velocity signature) was apparently 130kts - which is incredible. Here's a radar still of the supercell and hook echo showing location of the tornado. (NOAA image)

From the SPC: "On February 10 2009 a tornado killed eight people in Lone Grove. The National Weather Service classified the tornado an EF4 with winds up to 166 mph.

The tornado happened at 7:30 p.m. (CST) killing 8 and leaving 14 seriously injured. Seven were killed in Lone Grove and the other was a truck driver passing through the area. Although tornadoes are not new to the area, they are very unusual in February, and many residents were caught off guard, despite the tornado sirens. According to the National Weather Service since 1950, the state has been struck by 44 tornadoes in the month of February".

Reed Timmer and Joel Taylor from Tornadovideos.net were out chasing two supercells but not the one that produced the deadly tornado. His YouTube video is here for you:

A tornado watch was current for 11 February as this storm system moves east across central USA. The red area is the watch zone.

Water vapor satellite imagery showing convection and storms in this area (SPC image)

Excellent overview of these storms courtesy Wikipedia.com http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_2009_tornado_outbreak

Storm Prediction Centre report:

EF#	Location	County	Time (UTC)	Path length	Damage
Oklahoma
EF1	Oklahoma City	Oklahoma	unknown	0.75 miles (1.2 km)	Just west of Lake Hefner. Caused mainly roof damage to a shopping center and an apartment complex.
EF2	Edmond area	Oklahoma	2033	6.5 miles (10.5 km)	Captured on local television live. Several houses were destroyed and others were damaged.
EF0	W of Meridian	Logan	unknown	0.75 miles (1.2 km)
EF0	S of Pawnee	Pawnee	2235	2.6 miles (4.2 km)	Two barns completely destroyed. Debris scattering seems to be consistent with damage caused by a tornado.
EF4	Lone Grove area	Love, Carter, Murray	0130	unknown	8 deaths - See section on this tornado
Texas
EF?	Ringgold area	Montague	0025		Tornado captured on video by storm chaser. One structure destroyed.
EF1	Colleyville	Tarrant	unknown	0.5 miles (800 m)	Several houses sustained roof or structural damage.
Missouri
EF1	Springfield	Greene	0450	unknown	Tornado tracked across the southern end of Springfield. About two dozen houses and businesses were damaged, and several trees and power lines were knocked over.

*****

First the tornado season...now hurricane season for the USA. Regular live updates as they happen with all hurricanes from the Atlantic area.

IKE slams Galveston Texas.

Sept 13 2008

Hurricane Ike crossed the coast around 1-1:30am US time. Winds varied between 110-130mph and most areas sustained gusts of between 45-80mph. Most roads and coastal highways have been flooded, mainly from storm water and over topping from the sea wall. One tragic storm related death; a ten year old boy was killed when a tree his father was chain sawing in an attempt to save the house crashed down on him as wind pushed it over. The same accident occurred with Hurricane Gustav.

So far there have been 17 reports of tornadoes, with one funnel, possibly a water spout in downtown Houston as winds were being tunneled between buildings. Substantial damage prior to landfall as winds destroyed piers, service station roofs, power lines and coastal houses inundated by the storm surge. 320,000 plus homes without power. Several seasoned chasers reported that they had never seen waves so large on the coast as Ike produced een when Katrina and several other hurricanes made landfall, they said the waves were never as big so early.

NOAA water vapor loop link - this shows you fantastic rotation of Ike as he makes landfall. http://www.goes.noaa.gov/HURRLOOPS/gulfwv.html

Heavy rainfall with strong wind gusts are the main focus and of course the threat of tornadoes from the rain bands. These would not be as severe as seen on the plains during supercell storms, but warnings are still out for inland states.

Ike's track history with wind history in orange and red. Red indicates hurricane force winds. The track emphasized the strength of Ike throughout his lifecycle as he crossed the Atlantic, Bahama's, Cuba and the Gulf areas.

radar image as Ike moves onto the coast of Galveston

Whilst the dangers are not over, this event will become a little more low key as Ike turns N/NE under the influence of a low pressure trough to his NW which is diverting his track moreso as the days go by. These areas can expect rain and thunderstorms frequently, possibly severe. I'll update the page as Ike dissipates and post any info re tornadoes etc over the coming days, including damage pics and footage for you to view.

*********

UPDATE 11:06pm Sept12

Hurricane Ike is still some 16-17 hours away from making landfall (U.S 1:30am is crunch time) and currently a CAT2-3 storm, but the streets of downtown Galveston,TX are already under water by at least 3-5+ feet from coastal flooding & [i]not[/i] storm surge! - that's to come! There is an extremely catastrophic situation because the storm surge with this hurricane is going to be terrible. Galveston's sea wall is having no effect at the moment as the sea at LOW tide is over topping the coastal regions and vehicles are having to drive through waves moving inland. Large waves pushed along by strong winds have already destroyed piers and dislodged a large clipper boat and pushed it up into the pier! Large areas along HWY3005 are impassable simply due to a thick sand and mud soup that has engulfed coastal homes along the boulevard.

Whilst Ike's outer bands are affecting the coastal areas, he is extremely dangerous simply because of his massive expanse of over 400-500miles wide. Winds are 114mph already but due to the shape of the gulf near Texas it's shaped like a stomach and this will intensify Ike as he funnels in and winds of 130-50mph are expected. The upper Texas area of Galveston Bay is now the target where the eye will cross and computer models all show the same track so far, this is a extremely dangerous hurricane and evacuations are already taking place.

*Ike now a Cat4 severe hurricane from reports as of 4th Sept US time. Ike is showing excellent structure and a strong eye...but he if he keeps his current track he will enter into cooler waters to the W/NW. Whilst the eye is well defined with very cold core thunderstorm tops, there is some shear which is affecting his efforts to strengthen - not that a Cat4 needs much more to become a superstorm. It's still a little early to predict which way he will go, normally a 3 to 5 window is given so more models can be created to see where he goes and what weather patterns evolve. Still a dangerous storm to watch in the coming days.

Latest sat image 4th Sept (US time) below

* Ike is now a Cat3 hurricane as of today, 4 Sept 12:30pm NT time. He has strengthened considerably since my last comments early this morning. He is tracking W/NW towards the Caribbean - the locals on this island group really must be sick of this season already having been hammered by Gustav, now Hanna is drenching them and Ike is on the way. Latest satellite image shows Ike with strong circulation, a definitive eye formed which shows deep instability and healthy wall cloud centre.

You can visit this site below for all the updated info on current Atlantic storms

http://www.weather.gov/

Latest National Hurricane Centre advice...

000 WTNT34 KNHC 032345 TCPAT4 BULLETIN HURRICANE IKE SPECIAL ADVISORY NUMBER 11 NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL092008 800 PM AST WED SEP 03 2008 ...

IKE BECOMES THE THIRD MAJOR HURRICANE OF THE SEASON... AT 800 PM AST...0000Z...THE EYE OF HURRICANE IKE WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 21.7 NORTH...LONGITUDE 53.2 WEST OR ABOUT 645 MILES...1035 KM...EAST-NORTHEAST OF THE LEEWARD ISLANDS.

IKE IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 18 MPH...30 KM/HR...AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TONIGHT AND EARLY THURSDAY...FOLLOWED BY A TURN TO THE WEST ON THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY...TAKING IKE OVER THE OPEN WATERS OF THE WEST-CENTRAL ATLANTIC DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. IT IS TOO EARLY TO DETERMINE WHAT IF ANY LAND AREAS MIGHT EVENTUALLY BE AFFECTED BY IKE. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 115 MPH...185 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS.

IKE IS A DANGEROUS CATEGORY THIRD HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN INTENSITY ARE EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT DAY OR TWO. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 35 MILES...55 KM...FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 160 MILES...260 KM. THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 960 MB...28.35 INCHES. REPEATING THE 800 PM AST POSITION...21.7 N...53.2 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 18 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...115 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...960 MB. THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 1100 PM AST. $$ FORECASTER BROWN/BLAKE

*****

Latest storm profile graphic with no less than 3 tropical storms forming and could become hurricanes. Are there storm chasers in the Bahama's?!

The Atlantic ocean in this area is quite simply a haven for tropical storms and their tracks are similar in path. In 2005 there were no less than 28 named storms, 15 hurricanes, seven major hurricanes and four CAT5 hurricanes - truly unbelievable. This year may prove just as active.

Hanna is looking ragged in structure from the satpic below, but Ike is well defined, has a visible eye and circulation is good.

(Hanna)

(Ike as of 3 Sept 2008)

HURRICANE HANNA (Sept 2 - Sept...)

Hurricane Hanna is slowly forming in the same Atlantic breeding ground and is another one to watch over the coming 5 days as she gathers momentum. There is a high level area of northerly shear surrounding her but she is resisting the shear's attempt to break her apart. Models indicate that she may well be developed enough in the next two days to overcome this, but it's early days for this one. She has a central pressure of 983mb and gusts of 93kts. Her track is south/southwest at 4kts, so she's not in a hurry. By day 5 she will probably weaken significantly due to coming inland over the islands and much depends on the track she then takes, a sub-tropical ridge is set to reform ahead of her and this will steer her northwestward, if she takes a more NE track then it may assist her further once over sea again. Hanna looks a little untidy.. but this can change quickly. More on her over the next few days...

HURRICANE GUSTAV - SEPT 2 2008

Hurricane Gustav made landfall in the US early this morning (NT time) downgraded from a Cat4 to Cat3. He is now still classed as a Cat1 storm but still packs some 90mp/h gusts in some quadrants. Gustav really was moving way too fast to have any chance of really becoming a vicious hurricane, as once he crossed the Bahamas the conditions were unfavorable. Lots of upper level wind shear and a disorganised eye, added to his track speed left him a bit ragged. This hurricane needed to spend more time over water. The ocean temps in the Gulf of Mexico were 88-89 degrees which are just wonderful for hurricanes, but if they move too fast they just can't generate strength and end up bringing in cooler air from their own outflow to fuel them - not a good mix.. News I have had from the US is that most areas received moderate rainfall, with some as much as 12inches. Flooding was the main concern around New Orleans but this has not been the case thus far. Although levee levels had peaked to 4 feet, there was minor over topping of them. The winds are now from the SE/S and with gusts of 40kts still expected from onshore winds and remaining rain bands, this may be something to watch as the water disperses to other areas. To date sadly there have been 7 storm related deaths from Gustav. One was a death from falling limbs as a man was cutting branches from a damaged tree and the other a car accident involving individuals actually evacuating their area from the hurricane. Although tornado watches are in effect for inland areas, these won't be very strong. Mainly EF0-1 rated if they do form as the system is primarily tropical in nature and they do not spawn monster tornadoes such as seen in tornado alley. Several parishes (they have parishes as opposed to counties in this part of the US) are still without power due to power lines down etc, between 50-100% depending on location.

The US government this time implemented a quicker plan of action and response strategy (as opposed to Katrina which was just deplorable) and everyone seems to be right on top of this situation.

The graphic below shows more systems on the way. The US hurricane season is just ridiculous for the amount of hurricanes that form in this part of the world. The Bahamas receive just about all the hurricanes on the way to the US coast, probably somewhere you don't want to live this time of year. Hurricane Hanna and Hurricane Ike are on their way and you can see other storms developing also. Generally hurricanes don't follow the exact track as the previous one due to poor conditions left by preceding hurricanes, but these will be ones to watch over the coming 5 days. Hanna is expected to track more NE on the other side of the Florida panhandle, but it will depend a lot on what she encounters within the next 5 days.

Hurricane season for the USA has started early with two tropical storms already with three weeks of the season starting. One hurricane last week but only a short lived CAT1 storm. There is another storm in the Gulf of Mexico at the moment (4 Aug'08), Tropical Storm Eduarde which is slowly intensifying but is close to the coast. The US hurricane season is simply unbelievable, up to 24 hurricanes can affect the west coast and the Gulf of Mexico during any given year!

The 2008 tornado season has been tragic and very active, possibly a record for the US in terms of the amount of tornadoes already experienced. Now the hurricane season begins!

Greg Carbin from the Storm Prediction Centre had this to say. This year may set records for tornadoes and tornado-related deaths. "We have already seen more than 115 tornado-related deaths, making this the deadliest tornado season since 1998," said Greg Carbin, a meteorologist at the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma.

"It is only the third time since the 1974 super tornado outbreak that there have been more than 100 tornado-related deaths during a single tornado season in the U.S.," added Harold Brooks, a research meteorologist at NOAA's Severe Storms Laboratory also in Norman. "In 1998 and 1984 there were 132 and 122 tornado-related deaths, respectively — 2008 will likely equal or exceed that record."

Two photos below credited to Oliver of http://www.klipsi.ch/ while chasing supercells in the US this week (June 17) with John Harris and Dave Holder of TVN stream4- insane stuff! His website has some outstanding photography by the way...

Little Sioux, Iowa, killer tornado 12/13 June 2008

(This is the only photo I've located of this supercell. Photo credits wholly to Adam Houston in the USA)

You may have seen reports on this event where four scouts were killed at their camp ground when the EF3 tornado struck. Here's some footage and a first hand report from one of the scouts who witnessed it and a video of two chasers caught in what seems to be the tornado at some stage, but definitely not whent he tornado was at its strongest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XJoXkg-Zf0&NR=1

(Image above shows Doppler radar tornado location)

* Killer tornadoes across central USA 10-12 May 2008

Some links to take you to the US weather sites for reports on severe tornado events and what occurred weather wise.

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lzk/html/svr0508c.htm

You can click here http://www.tornadovideos.net/index.cfm to see the Storm Prediction Centre's map where the tornadoes were reported, video links to footage of the tornadoes and chase reports from meteorologist Reed Timmer and his team. A deadly EF4 wedge tornado touched down also. Tragically there were some deaths.

Mind blowing video of cars being thrown into the air by a tornado!

Click on the 'breaking news' header at the top. You won't believe what you see. More people are killed in their own cars when a tornado is near them and this is why....will leave you speechless!

http://www.whnt.com/

Latest tornado videos!!!

Two videos from fellow chasers in the US who chased tornadoes on 1/2 May. Large elephant trunk and stove pipe tornadoes. You'll note the excessive lightning and debris around the funnel in one of the videos. Credit to Matt Van Emery and Co for the May 1 event and Don and Nicole Guliani for the second video for May 2 2008.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tv8PciVvYEo

http://www.mrsite.co.uk/m/watch?v=QrgJv30QtoA

Matt Van Emery in the US chased on May 1 and sent me this awesome tornado photograph with two lightning strikes.

May 1 outlook...

U.S time for this..models are showing a significant set of storm systems to form. Helicity, CAPE and shear are showing the potential for what's known as a 'hatch condition' whereby storms have the potential to explode further during the forecast period. There is a significant weather system moving across the central plains area so keep returning to this page as I update it...so far there is a 30% chance of tornadic supercells forming!

April 28/29 U.S east coast tornadoes

Supercells formed along the east coast of the USA in North and South Carolina and Suffolk VA. 200 people were injured and one fatality reported, although it is not know if the tornado was the cause of this. The storms were low topped - meaning their height was around 30,000 feet. The tornado was rated possibly EF3 There has been sever damage to houses and cars and areas. Here's some US links to view photos and videos of the tornadoes.

http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=8239023&nav=23iidhDw

http://www.wavy.com/

April 21-22 2008 scenario

Conditions are good for widespread thunderstorms in respective areas, but there is also the possibility of severe thunderstorms with very large hail and the expectation with increased CAPE at 1,000j/kg the likelihood of supercells with tornadoes is possible today or tomorrow US time (21/22nd) There are favorable conditions with a developing jet stream, the latest synopsis from the Storm Prediction Centre explains it all - a bit technical - but fairly straightforward of sorts and just included for your information.

...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS ACROSS PARTS OF NRN OK/SERN-ERN KS/WRN-NRN MO TO FAR SRN IA... ...SYNOPSIS... MODELS REMAIN CONSISTENT SHOWING LARGE UPPER LOW/TROUGH IN THE NWRN U.S./SWRN CANADA WILL EVOLVE INTO AN ELONGATED POSITIVE TILTED TROUGH WITH TWO SEPARATE CLOSED LOW CENTERS...1) ONE DEVELOPING NEWD INTO CENTRAL CANADA...AND 2) SECOND LOW SHIFTING SLOWLY SWWD OFF THE PAC NW COAST. A LEAD WEAK IMPULSE IS EXPECTED TO TRACK ENEWD INTO THE WRN GREAT LAKES REGION TODAY...WHILE A STRONGER AND FAST MOVING SHORT WAVE TROUGH MOVES FROM THE GREAT BASIN TO THE CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS BY 22/00Z...AND THEN NEWD INTO THE UPPER MS VALLEY TONIGHT. IN THE LOW LEVELS...COLD FRONT ATTENDANT TO LEAD IMPULSE AND CENTRAL CANADA CLOSED LOW WILL SPREAD EWD ACROSS UPPER MS VALLEY THIS FORECAST PERIOD...WITH SRN EXTENT SPREADING SSEWD INTO NWRN MO TO NWRN OK BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON. ..

.SRN PLAINS TO LOWER MO VALLEY REGION... 00Z GFS/NAM HAVE COME INTO BETTER AGREEMENT WITH THE MOVEMENT OF THE COLD FRONT SSEWD THROUGH THE SRN PLAINS THIS AFTERNOON. THIS BOUNDARY IS EXPECTED TO EXTEND FROM THE TX PANHANDLE NEWD THROUGH NWRN OK TO ERN KS/NWRN MO TO CENTRAL IA BY LATE AFTERNOON. MEANWHILE...A DRY LINE WILL MIX EWD INTO WRN OK AND CENTRAL TX THIS AFTERNOON BEFORE RETREATING WWD SOME TONIGHT. SWLY LOW LEVEL FLOW LOCATED OVER THE WARM SECTOR THIS MORNING IS FORECAST TO BACK TO SLY DURING THE AFTERNOON IN RESPONSE TO APPROACH OF GREAT BASIN SHORT WAVE TROUGH. THIS WILL RESULT IN NWD MOISTURE RETURN WITH SURFACE DEWPOINTS IN THE MID 60S SPREADING ACROSS MUCH OF OK AND WRN AR EAST OF THE DRY LINE...WHILE UPPER 50S DEWPOINTS REACH INTO CENTRAL PARTS OF IA ALONG COLD FRONT. SWLY FLOW LOCATED ABOVE THE BOUNDARY LAYER WILL MAINTAIN A STRONG EML ATOP THE MOISTURE RETURN...WITH STEEP MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES CONTRIBUTING TO MODERATE INSTABILITY WITHIN THE WARM SECTOR FROM THE SRN PLAINS NEWD INTO SRN/ERN KS TO WRN MO. THIS EML IS EXPECTED TO CAP THE WARM SECTOR FOR MUCH OF THE AFTERNOON AND LIKELY PRECLUDE SURFACE BASED TSTM DEVELOPMENT UNTIL THE ARRIVAL OF FORCING FOR ASCENT WITH SHORT WAVE TROUGH MOVING NEWD THROUGH THE CENTRAL PLAINS THIS EVENING. HOWEVER...GIVEN DEGREE OF INSTABILITY /MUCAPES APPROACHING 2500 J/KG/...DEEP LAYER SHEAR AROUND 40 KT AND CONVERGENCE AT THE TRIPLE POINT..

.THE POTENTIAL FOR AT LEAST ISOLATED TSTM DEVELOPMENT MAY OCCUR LATE THIS AFTERNOON /AFTER 21Z/. IF STORMS DEVELOP DURING THAT TIME FRAME...ISOLATED SUPERCELLS WOULD BE LIKELY WITH ATTENDANT THREATS FOR A FEW TORNADOES AND LARGE HAIL...SOME VERY LARGE...GIVEN THE FAVORABLE THERMODYNAMICS AND KINEMATICS. OTHERWISE...AS THE SHORT WAVE TROUGH TRACKS NEWD THROUGH THE CENTRAL PLAINS TO UPPER MS VALLEY THIS EVENING/OVERNIGHT...TSTMS SHOULD DEVELOP NEWD ALONG THE COLD FRONT INTO ERN KS/WRN MO AND IA. ALTHOUGH STRONGEST DEEP LAYER SHEAR SHOULD REMAIN OVER THE POST FRONTAL ENVIRONMENT TONIGHT...MORE SUBSTANTIAL MOISTURE RETURN INTO SERN KS/WRN MO COMBINED WITH MODEST DEEP LAYER SHEAR SHOULD SUPPORT THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG TO SEVERE TSTMS. ...ERN OK/AR/SRN MO MAINLY TONIGHT... LOW LEVEL WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO VEER TO SWLY TONIGHT AS GREAT BASIN SHORT WAVE TROUGH TRACKS N OF THIS REGION TOWARD THE UPPER MS VALLEY. TSTMS SHOULD DEVELOP WITHIN WAA REGIME...WITH ELEVATED INSTABILITY UP TO 1000 J/KG AND EFFECTIVE BULK SHEAR AROUND 30 KT SUPPORTING A FEW STRONGER STORMS PRODUCING HAIL.

Arkansas/Oklahoma tornadoes with possible severe outbreak 10 April 2008

There have been three reports thus far today of tornado touchdowns. Strongest wind gust 65kts and largest hail thus far 2". There have been several areas with wind damage, downed trees and some structural damage, but the tornadoes have not caused too much concern due to their location. The map below shows the risk areas, a moderate risk is quite worrying in any chaser's view.

There is very strong wind shear with the system moving through, some winds are averaging between 60 - 120mph at different heights - just perfect for supercells to rotate in. There are still tornado watches in place.

Latest warning issued 10 April 2008:

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED































































TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 183































































NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK































































805 PM CDT WED APR 9 2008































































































































THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A































































TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF 































































































































WESTERN ARKANSAS































































SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA































































NORTHEAST TEXAS































































































































EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING FROM 805 PM































































UNTIL 300 AM CDT.































































































































TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND































































GUSTS TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE































































AREAS.































































































































THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 45 STATUTE































































MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 40 MILES NORTHEAST OF FORT































































SMITH ARKANSAS TO 35 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF DE QUEEN ARKANSAS. 































































FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH































































OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU3).































































































































REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR































































TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH































































AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR































































THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS































































AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.































































































































OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 179...WW 180...WW































































181...WW 182...































































































































DISCUSSION...SCATTERED INTENSE/SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING































































EASTWARD ACROSS EASTERN OK INTO WESTERN AR.  THESE STORMS ARE IN































































REGION OF STRONG ASCENT AHEAD OF SUB-SYNOPTIC SURFACE LOW.  VERY































































STRONG WIND FIELDS AND MODERATE INSTABILITY SHOULD MAINTAIN THE RISK































































OF LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND TORNADOES FOR SEVERAL HOURS.































































































































AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL































































SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE































































WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO































































500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24035.

ATLANTA 15/16 MARCH 2008 TORNADO OUTBREAK.

An extreme situation arose from a severe weather event this weekend. Several supercells formed and moved into the SE United States affecting many counties. Atlanta was in the firing line and this included the city! The CNN news building and several large hotels were severely damaged. Around 20 tornadoes were reported, the main one being on the ground for a long time and for quite a long distance. It was officially rated EF2. That might not sound very high, but remember it's not the wind speed but the debris damage that gives the rating. Hard to believe when you see trucks overturned...

Here's some links for you to view on the event.

Courtesy 11Alive.com news station with photos:

http://www.11alive.com/news/article_news.aspx?storyid=112950

Video of tornado: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5THCsnxRVQ

        Commentary of severe weather outbreak outlook here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTsCFHYVlhU&feature=related

          News footage from reporter: http://youtube.com/watch?v=SQmld4mG3Tw&feature=related

          More news coverage:
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/15611659/detail.html

Atlanta tornado photos!!!

Courtesy of Weather.com - here's first photos of the actual storm at night with the tornado visible by lightning and damage photos to the city. Notice the structure of the storm - text book!   The tornado is hidden and this is why you should never chase supercells up close at night.

http://www.weather.com/newscenter/slideshow/atltornado1.html?from=hp_main_tab3

Storm Prediction Centre's report on this event here and you can bookmark this site yourself if you want to visit the SPC regularly.

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/reports/yesterday.html

Highly experienced US chaser, Verne Carlson has an awesome invention to capture video of tornadoes and thunderstorms from the air, a remote aircraft aptly named the Wicked Witch3. This is the link to his storm blog website that shows images that the aircraft relays back to him by video and Verne's reports . This site should be viewed regularly during the next few months as the tornado season kicks in.

http://stormchaserco.blogspot.com/2008/04/best-ww3-flights-yet.html