Tornadoes and fires aye yae yae...

The fires are nothing out the ordinary, either. The twentieth century was abnormally mild, weather-wise, and everyone is using recent memory as the basis for comparison. In the historical record the current drought is quite normal and far more severe droughts occurred on a regular basis.

In others words -- things are just returning to normal...

Originally posted by mrsdudara
WOW I live in Missouri, around the KC area. It is unbelievable that some might think what happened last night was no big deal. Everyone is out assessing the damage.

Try...no...it's not.

The tornado touchdown counts didn't even hit 65.

The "outbreak" was in hailstones of 5 inches in some locations. 413 storm reports of hail...ALL CONFIRMED. Judging by some activities with NOAA there's probably a good 100 or 150 that never got called.

It was a hailstorm, not a tornadic powerhouse. NOAA sure put their 2.5 bill to good use though from the sounds of things. Only 3 kills. That's a prime number compared to previous years.

I live in the northwest corner of Arkansas and all I can add is...YYEEEAAAAAA!!!! Spring has sprung. I love the thunderstorms and lightning and all the flash and show involved with Mother Nature getting her panties in a bunch. It's my favorite season.

I admit that the weather can get a bit too rough at times but that is the price we pay for choosing to live where we live.

I hope its a very wet spring, Lord knows we need the water.

Wupy

KCTV5 Here is the link to our local news about the storm. The NWS is putting the number of tornados at 110 for now. 9 people died, and many are still in the hospital. One poor lady in Sedalia died when her mobile home landed on her. A couple was killed when their vehicle was shoved under a propain tank. Several people had to be freed from their cars because the rain was so intence they never saw the tornado comming.

I know that we get bad storms here. I know that tornado outbreaks happen here. However the storms that went through were some of the most intence storms we have had. My heart goes out to everyone who lost their loved ones, homes, and businesses. This outbreak covered just about every county in Missouri, not to mention 4 or 5 other states. I do not believe that this is the end of the world, but after yesterday, I do think that we are going to be in for a long hard ride.

[edit on 13-3-2006 by mrsdudara]

[edit on 13-3-2006 by mrsdudara]

Alright, let me post this pa lease...to ya all. Allow me to introduce this article.

www.foxnews.com...

Um...hay, where is OUR fema detainment camp? Now there is a conspiricy if I ever saw one.

Originally posted by mrwupy
I love the thunderstorms and lightning and all the flash and show involved with Mother Nature getting her panties in a bunch. It's my favorite season.

Wupy

I have to agree with you there mrwupy, I live in Michigan and last night we had a rip roaring thunderstorm with the brightest lightning I have ever seen. TOday we are having 50-70 mph winds, and a few tornados!

Mother earth strutting her stuff.

Originally posted by whitelightwolf
No, LA NINA IS GOING TO HAPPEN!!!! AS SAID IN ONE OF MY FRIENDS DREAMS. HE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT LA NINA MEAN;T BECAUSE AN ALIEN ENCOUNTERED HIM AND TOLD HIM THAT HORRIBLE STORMS WERE GOING TO HIT!!! AND THE ALIEN KEPT ON SAYING LA NINA LA NINA...

Ok, there is no need to yell.

BTW, as I have already mentioned in another link, scientists have already stated, for over a week, that an unprecedented La Niña is developing.

Here is an excerpt to the story and a link to it.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said it saw unprecedented signs pointing to a looming La Nina, a phenomenon that originates off the western coast of South America but can disrupt weather patterns in many parts of the globe.

In a press release, the Geneva-based agency said temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific had been between 0.5 and 1.0 C (0.9 and 1.8 F) below normal since the start of the 2006.

"Combined with broader tropical Pacific ocean and atmosphere conditions, this is consistent with the early stages of a basin-wide La Nina event," it said.

"(...) It is unprecedented in the historical record for a La Nina of substantial intensity or duration to develop so early in the year."

Under La Nina, the sea-surface temperature in the central and eastern tropical Pacific falls below normal.

This typically brings far dryer weather to the southwestern United States, Florida and western Latin America and above-average rainfall to Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

But there can also be a knock-on much further afield, with an increase to monsoon rainfall in South Asia, unusual coolness in tropical West Africa, Southeast Africa, Japan and the Korean peninsula.

La Nina usually lasts nine to 12 months, although "some episodes may persist for as long as two years," the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says on its website.

The WMO sounded a note of caution.

The buildup of this La Nina was so exceptionally swift and intense that it was impossible at the moment to infer what the impact would be, and how long the phenomenon would last, it warned.

"Most models and expert interpretations favour the event dissipating quite rapidly over the next three to six months," the UN's weather agency said.

"Nonetheless, neither a continuation of La Nina beyond mid-year, nor the development of El Nino in the second half of 2006, can be ruled out as possible outcomes from the current prevailing situation."

www.abovetopsecret.com...

[edit on 13-3-2006 by Muaddib]

Originally posted by Shugo

Try...no...it's not.

The tornado touchdown counts didn't even hit 65.
...................

I have to agree with Mrs.Dudara, all I heard on the radio last night was that these events were extremely bad, as well as some other things happening in other parts of the country, such as streets turning into rivers in some parts of the Midwest, etc, etc.

BTW, wasn't the last count on 7 deads? even 3 is too many imo.

BTW I was wrong, there were 10 deads in the Midwest due to these systems.

My heart goes out to the families of those people who died.


www.foxnews.com...

BTW, the Mayor of Springfield, Illinois was quoted as saying the devastation looked the same as that of Katrina. I am sure you are not saying that Katrina and the rest of the hurricanes that went through the south were "not unusual and just something normal that happens once in a while", because experts are disagreeing with you.

"It's just amazing how devastating it is," Mayor Tim Davlin said Monday after daylight let him see the extent of damage. "It looks like the pictures we saw a couple months ago after Katrina."

Excerpted from.
www.msnbc.msn.com...


Here are some pictures of the devastation.









Above images can be found at.
standeyo.com...






The above two photos can be found at.
www.msnbc.msn.com...

Originally posted by mrsdudara
Um...hay, where is OUR fema detainment camp? Now there is a conspiricy if I ever saw one.

Now this is something I have to disagree with, and something which imo has been taken out of context.

Oh, that is so sad. This picture I will remember for quite some time I believe. An incredibly sad picture. The dog.... still chained up...

No, I don't think the dog is dead dude. It's laying on its back and looks completely uninjured. If it was tied to a chain in 70mph winds its head and body would no longer be in the same area code.

Why don't these people build their houses out of concrete? The cost is not exhorbitant, and it would save the country billions. Everyone living near tornadoes, hurricanes, heavy snows, and windy areas should build with that in mind.

Some of these people were living in wooden boxes on top of cinderblocks. :shk:

And they act surprised when their house blows over.

Build a concrete dome and laugh at momma nature!

Originally posted by Shugo

Originally posted by mrsdudara
WOW I live in Missouri, around the KC area. It is unbelievable that some might think what happened last night was no big deal. Everyone is out assessing the damage.

Try...no...it's not.

The tornado touchdown counts didn't even hit 65.

The "outbreak" was in hailstones of 5 inches in some locations. 413 storm reports of hail...ALL CONFIRMED. Judging by some activities with NOAA there's probably a good 100 or 150 that never got called.

It was a hailstorm, not a tornadic powerhouse. NOAA sure put their 2.5 bill to good use though from the sounds of things. Only 3 kills. That's a prime number compared to previous years.

What on earth are you talking about? Have you been watching the news or now.105 tornadoes hit the midwest...

Originally posted by Muaddib
I have to agree with Mrs.Dudara, all I heard on the radio last night was that these events were extremely bad, as well as some other things happening in other parts of the country, such as streets turning into rivers in some parts of the Midwest, etc, etc.

BTW, wasn't the last count on 7 deads? even 3 is too many imo.

7 deaths is the correct count at least as far as the NWS tally:

SEVERE WEATHER OVERVIEW
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
MON MAR 13 2006 842 PM CST

...SEVERE WEATHER IMPACTED THE AREA LAST NIGHT LEAVES DAMAGE...

...

WHILE MANY TORNADOES WERE REPORTED OVER THE COURSE OF THE NIGHT. ONLY 39 TOUCHDOWNS WERE CONFIRMED. AN ESTIMATION OF 7
FATALITIES WERE REPORTED..THESE NUMBERS ALONG WITH MISSING PERSONS AND INJURIES ARE STILL UNCLEAR...BUT IT IS APPARENT
THAT THE INJURY TOTAL DOES NOT EXCEED 100. NOAA AND FEMA HAVE CONFIRMED AT LEAST 56,000 WITHOUT POWER IN MISSOURI AS AN
APPARENT TORNADO HAD DEMOLISHED A POWER FACILITY. MISSOURI HAS AN ESTIMATION OF 12 MILLION DOLLARS IN DAMAGE ACROSS THE
STATE. EMERGENCY MANAGERS ACROSS THE REGION ARE CURRENTLY LOOKING FURTHER INTO THE FAILURE OF WARNING ALARM SYSTEMS IN
EASTERN KANSAS AND WESTERN MISSOURI.

THE MOST SIGNIFICANT EVENTS WITH THIS STORM SYSTEM WERE RAIN AND HAIL RELATED. 2 F-4 TORNADOES WERE REPORTED IN MISSOURI
OVER THE COURSE OF THE DAY AND INTO THE EVENING HOURS. HOWEVER...THESE TORNADOES DID NOT STAY ON THE GROUND FOR VERY
LONG..AND WERE NOT NEAR ANY IMMEDIATE POPULATED LOCATIONS.

It's a tragedy, don't get me wrong here, this isn't a good thing. But the numbers even stated by NOAA were not high enough to warrant it as a tornadic outbreak.

What on earth are you talking about? Have you been watching the news or now.105 tornadoes hit the midwest...

Buddy, I live in the impacted area. I would know that there were tornadoes. There were 113 reports, not 113 touchdowns and 113 funnels.

[edit on 3-13-2006 by Shugo]

Originally posted by Muaddib

Originally posted by whitelightwolf
No, LA NINA IS GOING TO HAPPEN!!!! AS SAID IN ONE OF MY FRIENDS DREAMS. HE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT LA NINA MEAN;T BECAUSE AN ALIEN ENCOUNTERED HIM AND TOLD HIM THAT HORRIBLE STORMS WERE GOING TO HIT!!! AND THE ALIEN KEPT ON SAYING LA NINA LA NINA...

Ok, there is no need to yell.

BTW, as I have already mentioned in another link, scientists have already stated, for over a week, that an unprecedented La Niña is developing.

Here is an excerpt to the story and a link to it.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said it saw unprecedented signs pointing to a looming La Nina, a phenomenon that originates off the western coast of South America but can disrupt weather patterns in many parts of the globe.

In a press release, the Geneva-based agency said temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific had been between 0.5 and 1.0 C (0.9 and 1.8 F) below normal since the start of the 2006.

"Combined with broader tropical Pacific ocean and atmosphere conditions, this is consistent with the early stages of a basin-wide La Nina event," it said.

"(...) It is unprecedented in the historical record for a La Nina of substantial intensity or duration to develop so early in the year."

Under La Nina, the sea-surface temperature in the central and eastern tropical Pacific falls below normal.

This typically brings far dryer weather to the southwestern United States, Florida and western Latin America and above-average rainfall to Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

But there can also be a knock-on much further afield, with an increase to monsoon rainfall in South Asia, unusual coolness in tropical West Africa, Southeast Africa, Japan and the Korean peninsula.

La Nina usually lasts nine to 12 months, although "some episodes may persist for as long as two years," the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says on its website.

The WMO sounded a note of caution.

The buildup of this La Nina was so exceptionally swift and intense that it was impossible at the moment to infer what the impact would be, and how long the phenomenon would last, it warned.

"Most models and expert interpretations favour the event dissipating quite rapidly over the next three to six months," the UN's weather agency said.

"Nonetheless, neither a continuation of La Nina beyond mid-year, nor the development of El Nino in the second half of 2006, can be ruled out as possible outcomes from the current prevailing situation."

www.abovetopsecret.com...

[edit on 13-3-2006 by Muaddib]

Sorry...just wanted to get the message out. Caps are a habbit sometimes...won't use em..

Going back looking at those pictures I have to question the number of "100 Injuries and 7 Deaths" myself...Guess I'll have to wait for the final report tomorrow at 2 PM, you're certainly right by saying those numbers are wrong as far as damage. *itches chin*

Definition of tornado outbreak is ten tornadoes. Over 100 hit this weekend.

AMS definition:

amsglossary.allenpress.com...

"Multiple tornado occurrences associated with a particular synoptic-scale system. In recent years, Galway (1977) has defined ten or more tornadoes as constituting an outbreak. Galway, JG, 1977: Some climatological aspects of tornado outbreaks. Mon. Wea. Rev., 105, 477–484."

AP story indicates over 100 hit this weekend:

english.ohmynews.com...

"The National Weather Service said there were as many as 110 reported instances of tornadoes touching down over the weekend in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Illinois. But the weather service said it could take two weeks to confirm those accounts."


Other references to this weekend's outbreak:

news.google.com...,GGLD:2004-45,GGLD:en&q=tornado%20outbreak&spell=1&sa=N&tab=wn

Tornado outbreak hits Midwest
Disaster News Network - 15 hours ago

Dozens injured in Ozarks tornado outbreak; Homes reported ...
News-Leader.com, MO - 11 hours ago



This was, in fact, an outbreak, assuming NWS confirms at least ten touchdowns.......which I belive it will.

Originally posted by desert rat
Definition of tornado outbreak is ten tornadoes. Over 100 hit this weekend.

AMS Would be wrong then. Why don't you call your local NWS Office and ask them. 100 is the outbreak number, and for the last time 39 hit. 113 were REPORTED not sighted exactly, or confirmed, REPORTED. Or the same ones.

NWS confirms:

"Although the notion of a tornado outbreak is
common, specific criteria defining these events
vary from manuscript to manuscript. Galway
(1977) provides the most widely-used definition
with a focus on approximately 6–10 tornadoes as
an initial threshold for an outbreak, and with
progressively higher thresholds used to define
actual tornado outbreaks."

www.spc.noaa.gov...