2013 U.S Severe Weather: Videos / Photos / Stats / Forecasts

[cycloneye]

Here is the discussion by Dr Jeff Masters of the strange 2013 U.S severe season.

A strange 2013 tornado season

Sunday's tornado outbreak is yet another anomaly in what has been a very unusual 2013 tornado season. The top three tornado outbreaks have occurred in November, January, and October--well outside the usual spring/summer peak of tornado season:

Top Five Tornado Days of 2013
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01/29/13: 62 tornadoes
11/17/13: 68 (filtered) tornadoes, but likely to decrease once damage surveys completed
10/31/13: 42 tornadoes
05/20/13: 32 tornadoes
05/31/13: 30 tornadoes

It's been an unusually slow severe weather season, with the 2013 preliminary tally of 818 tornadoes before Sunday the lowest year-to-date count since the extreme drought year of 1988. However, when severe weather outbreaks have come, they have been unusually destructive. According to Aon Benfield, there have been five severe weather outbreaks topping $1 billion in damages this year. This is the third highest number of such disasters on record, going back to 1980. The record is shared by 2011 and 2012, with seven billion-dollar-plus severe weather outbreaks, according to NOAA's National Climatic Data Center. According to Aon Benfield, "prior to Sunday’s outbreak, both economic and insured losses attributed to severe weather were slightly below the 10-year average in 2013. Thus far, economic losses from convective storm events were roughly USD15.7 billion and approximately USD9.2 billion of those losses were covered by insurance. The 2003-2012 averages are USD17 billion and USD11 billion, respectively. It remains too early to project losses from Sunday’s event." The most expensive and deadliest severe weather outbreak of 2013 hit on May 20, when Moore, Oklahoma was devastated by an EF-5 tornado that killed 23 people and did $2 billion in damage. Yesterday's damage was severe and widespread, and there is a good chance the outbreak will become the first-ever billion-dollar severe weather outbreak to hit in November.

[cycloneye]

See here a dramatic short video of a direct hit inside a car on I-57 Tuscola,Illinois

[Cyclenall]

See here a dramatic short video of a direct hit inside a car on I-57 Tuscola,Illinois

Another great video, tons for 2013 as well. Awesome music playing in this one too for some reason. I would say it was extremely close but not direct, direct (just yards away). How was the car unmoved or shook?

[Ntxw]

It will take awhile for stats to officially come in but this outbreak should boost the annual count some and get us out of the basement and at least match 2012

[TropicalAnalystwx13]

Sunday was the biggest tornado day of the year, with at least 62 tornadoes. Of these 62, at least 30 have been rated as "strong" (at least EF2). Shows how significant wind shear was.

Nov. 22 update: Up to 74 tornadoes now. 13 EF0s, 26 EF1s, 23 EF2s, 7 EF3s, 2 EF4s, and 3 unrated.

[Cyclenall]

Sunday was the biggest tornado day of the year, with at least 62 tornadoes. Of these 62, at least 30 have been rated as "strong" (at least EF2). Shows how significant wind shear was.

Nov. 22 update: Up to 74 tornadoes now. 13 EF0s, 26 EF1s, 23 EF2s, 7 EF3s, 2 EF4s, and 3 unrated.

Funny because the mainstream media kept saying that 62 figure or close to it, will be reduced by half when NWS confirms them. So this is one of those rare outbreaks where the number goes up instead of down?

Another video came out with a person filming the tornado as it hit his house. We're up to 3 now .

[WeatherGuesser]

AT USEC, THREE METAL ROLL-UP DOORS ON

MAIN PROCESSING BUILDING BLOWN IN ON WINDWARD SIDE. THIS CAUSED SOME

WALL PANELS ON THE LEEWARD SIDE OF THE LARGE BUILDING TO BLOW OUT.

THE TOPS OF THREE STEEL POWER TRANSMISSION TOWERS BENT OVER. A FEW

POWER LINES SNAPPED. COOLING TOWER SHROUDS BLOWN OFF; SOME SIDING ON

ONE COOLING TOWER DAMAGED. TRAIN CAR COVERS BLOWN OFF. ONE SPORT

UTILITY VEHICLE SHOVED 30 YARDS INTO A DITCH, ACROSS THE TORNADO

PATH. DAMAGE AT USEC RATED EF-2.

USEC is the United States Enrichment Corporation - a Uranium enrichment processor operated under contract of the US Department Of Energy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paducah_Ga ... sion_Plant

PAH logged 12 Tornadoes, 4 EF3s, 4 EF2s, 3 EF1s and an EF0

They also logged the third longest track in their region in 20 years at 42 miles.

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/news/display_cm ... 6&source=0

[cycloneye]

Here are the numbers for the 2013 season that was a below average year but had some big events.





http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/online/mo ... mmary.html