The Severe Weather Thread 2008

Thought I would give the arguing a rest and do something simlar to the hurricane and earthquake watch threads.

Was hoping that people could post their severe weather experiences, wether it be a severe thunderstorm, tornado, hurricane, cyclone, typhoon, duststorm, firestorm, extreme rainfall/ snowfall event event, blizzard, flood or anything out of the ordinary. Would give an interesting picture of where most severe weather occurs

Just a brief explanation with some figures (eg rainfall, wind gusts, estimates ok) would be great. Past or present weather can be included

Any pictures would also be great!



[edit on 4/6/2008 by OzWeatherman]

mod edit: to add 2008 to title

[edit on 8-6-2008 by DontTreadOnMe]

thank you! I also inhabit a well-known weather forum, and this year in particular has been a wild ride. By that, I don't mean that I'm enthralled by the disasters that have manifested. I live in the hurricane belt and man of my buds live in tornado alley (which has expanded profoundly) and I also watch and get reports from USGS on earthquakes. I think it matters what is going on around the globe. I'll post here as well as the other place if/when the situation comes down.

cheers

Originally posted by argentus
thank you! I also inhabit a well-known weather forum, and this year in particular has been a wild ride. By that, I don't mean that I'm enthralled by the disasters that have manifested. I live in the hurricane belt and man of my buds live in tornado alley (which has expanded profoundly) and I also watch and get reports from USGS on earthquakes. I think it matters what is going on around the globe. I'll post here as well as the other place if/when the situation comes down.

cheers

Excellent stuff argentus

Should also add that extreme periods of heat and extreme periods of cold can be added, and any record breaking events

Well, I live in part of the tornado alley area, although I am protected to a large degree by mountains. Most storms dissipate when they hit those mountains and anything really severe normally gets turned into drenching rain instead by the time it gets to me.

This spring, I have had two tornados in the immediate area. I didn't see them, as it was nighttime, but both times I awoke to a deafening roaring sound that seemed to pass over my house, and both times it was or had been hailing. I know from experience that twisters will 'hop' large ridges, leaving the ground at the top and coming down a little ways off (or dissipating). So I am assuming that both hopped one of the ridges to the west of me and simply rode across doing little damage (a few large limbs blown off and some debris scattered around the yard).

What's unusual is that I have never heard a single one of these things before, and I have lived here for almost a half-century. Now I have heard two in the space of three weeks. I don't think the planet is about to explode or anything, but it is unusual... and you asked.

TheRedneck

Originally posted by TheRedneck
Well, I live in part of the tornado alley area, although I am protected to a large degree by mountains. Most storms dissipate when they hit those mountains and anything really severe normally gets turned into drenching rain instead by the time it gets to me.

This spring, I have had two tornados in the immediate area. I didn't see them, as it was nighttime, but both times I awoke to a deafening roaring sound that seemed to pass over my house, and both times it was or had been hailing. I know from experience that twisters will 'hop' large ridges, leaving the ground at the top and coming down a little ways off (or dissipating). So I am assuming that both hopped one of the ridges to the west of me and simply rode across doing little damage (a few large limbs blown off and some debris scattered around the yard).

What's unusual is that I have never heard a single one of these things before, and I have lived here for almost a half-century. Now I have heard two in the space of three weeks. I don't think the planet is about to explode or anything, but it is unusual... and you asked.

TheRedneck

In my opinion the conditions in the mid level atmopshere must have been the same for the times at which these occured. Certain weather events need several factors to influence whether or not the event will occur, so what you experienced is probly rare for your location.

Sounds like a tornado by your description which is often accompanied by hail as you probably already know. Thanks for sharing

Here's an event I wanted to share. I actually experienced this while I was training for my job in Melbourne

www.bom.gov.au...

It occured when an intense low pressure system developed (and developed quickly) over eastern bass straight. Melbourne and Victoria experienced gale force winds, thunderstorms, frequent heavy rain, freezing cold summer time temperatures (Melbourne recorded coldest February day maximum ever, 13 degrees Celsius), and it even snowed on the peaks surrounding the city. All this in the hottest month of the year

The thing that made it stand out even more is that the low pressure system drifted westerly instead of the normal easterly route and pretty much stopped on top of Melbourne, meaning the weather persisted for a couple of days. Some places had 30 hours of continuous rain. The offical 24 hour rain total was recorded as 113mm in 24 hours which is the most ever Melbourne has recorded. At our training school we recorded 160mm.

I actually remeber that the temperature dropped some 18 degrees in 2 hours, went from about 37 degrees C to 19 very quickly. Had to adjust from shorts and a tshirt into jumpers and jeans

If this event developed above the tropic of Capricorn, it wouldve been classified as a category 1-2 tropical cyclone

One of the best severe weather events I have experienced

Any other Vics remeber this one?

[edit on 5/6/2008 by OzWeatherman]

Well i think heres your chance for this thread to get some posts:
www.cnn.com...
Weather service warns of tornado outbreak
"Severe storms popped up over the Great Plains on Thursday afternoon as forecasters warned of a potential tornado outbreak that could rival that of a June day in 1974 when 22 people were killed."

here check it out right here

reply to post by UnitedSatesofFreemasons


Thanks for posting that. Interesting read

Thankfully it doesnt look like it will get like the 1974 event, but who knows what will happen, weather changes quickly. Will have to keep an eye on what the models are predicting over the next few days.

Hopefully the storm chasers will get some good footage

www.cnn.com...

At least five people were reported killed.

Lightning struck a pavilion at a Connecticut state park, killing one person and injuring four, state environmental spokesman Dennis Schain told The Associated Press.

Two delivery workers for The Grand Rapids Press in Michigan were killed Sunday morning after their car fell into a deep ravine created when a rain-swollen creek washed out a road, according to a story posted on the newspaper's Web site.

Also in Michigan, a woman died when a small trailer blew over on top of her Sunday afternoon west of Lansing, Michigan, Sheriff Mike Raines told the Lansing State Journal.

Several storms plowed eastward through central Michigan, downing trees and power lines all over Ingham County, said Sgt. Mike Perez, the county's emergency management program manager. One woman in a Lansing city park was struck by a tree, though her injuries were not life-threatening.

Meanwhile, storms in Nebraska spun out an early-morning Omaha tornado about a quarter-mile wide that moved northeast.

www.cnn.com...

At least five people were reported killed.

Lightning struck a pavilion at a Connecticut state park, killing one person and injuring four, state environmental spokesman Dennis Schain told The Associated Press.

Two delivery workers for The Grand Rapids Press in Michigan were killed Sunday morning after their car fell into a deep ravine created when a rain-swollen creek washed out a road, according to a story posted on the newspaper's Web site.

Also in Michigan, a woman died when a small trailer blew over on top of her Sunday afternoon west of Lansing, Michigan, Sheriff Mike Raines told the Lansing State Journal.

Several storms plowed eastward through central Michigan, downing trees and power lines all over Ingham County, said Sgt. Mike Perez, the county's emergency management program manager. One woman in a Lansing city park was struck by a tree, though her injuries were not life-threatening.

Meanwhile, storms in Nebraska spun out an early-morning Omaha tornado about a quarter-mile wide that moved northeast.

Just got this one a couple of hours earlier. Happened just south of Perth, West Australia (my home town), in Rockingham

www.abc.net.au...

A tornado formed along a winter squall line (common for Perth), the severe weather guys at the Perth BOM estimate that the winds were 150kmh. No injuries thankfully but about 130 homes damaged

Will update if more details come in

The midwest US has been getting some extreme weather lately.
Over four inches of rain in one day in Madison, Wisconsin and in the Lansing area of Michigan.

It was very hot and humid her in Southeast Michigan and I watched the line of storms track across the state.
It didn't look like my location would get the worst, but the winds!!!
I happened to be outside when the winds hit and it was the worst wind I have been in ever. I was trying to get whatever I could out of harms way while twigs hurled themselves ate me.
I think the winds could have been 50-60 mph

We were lucky.
Dozens of large trees were felled across the state, taking down power lines and damaging cars and homes.
A woman was killed when an RV fell on her.

Not tornadoes, but derecho.

Thousands of trees are down throughout the metro Detroit area. At the Bloomfield Country Club alone, about 100 trees were toppled by Sunday’s storms, which had winds up to 80 miles per hour but did not include any tornados, according to weather service meteorologists. The technical name for the kind of storm Sunday is a derecho, or a fast-moving straight line of thunderstorms.

Detroit Free Press


This morning--Monday--I got an email update on the weather.
From the WeatherUnderground email:

National Weather Service meteorologists assessed that areas of
enhanced damage caused by the line of intense thunderstorms on
Sunday were a result strong thunderstorm winds...not tornadoes.
Winds associated with surges in the gust front...as high as 80
mph...contributed to swaths of enhanced wind damage across many
locations in Southeast Michigan...especially in Shiawassee...
Livingston...Genesee...Oakland...Lapeer...and Macomb counties. The
widespread nature of the damage is characteristic of a well
organized...long-lived...fast moving thunderstorm complex known as a
derecho.

[edit on 9-6-2008 by DontTreadOnMe]

United States, on the Arkansas oklahoma border, bullseye for tornados, reporting for weather updates.

We get more tha our fair share, as storms form in West Texas/ Western Oklahoma and track across us all the time.

No severe weather at the moment, but expectations are already out for the end of the week. Looks like a cold front from Kansas will meet warm, wet Gulf Coast air right over our heads along about Friday.

Our area has an average of about twenty severe weather events every spring/summer, though it may be up this year. It's like living on a bombing range!

I'll flag this thread, to keep it handy, and report in with local news as it happens, for those interested in the harsh side of mother nature. No pictures, as I prudently keep my fanny in a storm cellar when it get's too intense.

reply to post by NGC2736


Excellent stuff

Does tornado season start in May over in your part of the world or is it a bit earlier, wasnt sure?

Cant wait til we get back to summer/ wet season here, will have some fantastic thunderstorm photos to post here

Ok, Iowa tornado

6 dead, 70 injured, 222 homes gone, 21 business' destroyed and 400 houses with damage

Apparently this year is the worst tornado season so far in terms of deaths. Lets hope the US meteorologists can get the tornado warnings out quicker than they have been doing

Anyone got any wind figures for this tornado

Just outside of Chicago here, been a load of em all around the area the last 2 week, far more than usual. Here's the National Weather Service's break down of out most recent outbreak, figure you might be interested.

www.crh.noaa.gov...

[edit on 13-6-2008 by sp00ner]

reply to post by sp00ner


Fantastic website

I cant believ the rain intensity on the radar, decided to pick this one below because it shows how severe the storm cells were

Thanks for posting



[edit on 14/6/2008 by OzWeatherman]

Hey, OZ! Made it your thread.

Nothing recent but I was involved in a flood in Houston back in spring of 2001 where I pretty much lost everything I owned. It was very irritating because I just moved there one month before it happened. Thank God for insurance.

Then in 2002 we had a tornado that moved my parent's tool shed from their ranch home and was later found [in pieces] about ten miles away on a highway. Funny stuff.

San Antonio also floods a lot near the Olmos Basin so that was alway a pain. Been in one hurricane, too. And a few earthquakes but I guess those aren't really 'weather' related. Exciting nonetheless! The moral is: Stay away from me. I attract disaster.

Everything over the weekend tracked east of me, but only by a few miles. Heavy T-storms, but I heard nothing in the reports to indicate much damage.

The Iowa event with the scouts was sure bad. Pictures from there show that there was some exceptionally fierce winds with this one. I've heard estimates upwards of 175MPH.

April, May and June seem to be the busiest months locally, though any time conditions are right, a storm can explode. (I've personally seen a rotating wall cloud in early December a few years back.)

[edit on 14-6-2008 by NGC2736]

Originally posted by AshleyD
Then in 2002 we had a tornado that moved my parent's tool shed from their ranch home and was later found [in pieces] about ten miles away on a highway. Funny stuff.

Lol, I hope it didnt get any other part of the home and you got all the tools back