February 5-6: Super Tuesday Outbreak... 57 dead

[Squarethecircle]

Is there still no more word on any of the tornadoes? Or are they just not going to upgrade anything?

[simplykristi]

:uarrow: Again, I was saying we don't fully know the damage yet, so it's hard to discount it. You misinterpret me.

Go over to this link: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lzk/html/svr0208.htm The track of the tornado that went from Yell County to Sharp County is 123 miles. It's the longest tornado track in Arkansas history. It is a confirmed EF4 tornado. Make sure you look at some of the aerial shots.

Kristi

[Bunkertor]

Has Little Rock been renamed to Clinton ?

[CrazyC83]

Has Little Rock been renamed to Clinton ?

No it hasn't.

[Coredesat]

Has Little Rock been renamed to Clinton ?

Little Rock is further south.

[Bunkertor]

This question should have been a joke - but didn´t fire up

Since Billary Little Rock is as well known as D.C. or the place where Mavericks are going to be f%&/ed right now

[HarlequinBoy]

^ I kind of get it.

I just realized that Pope County, AR has already had a previous killer tornado this year back in January. That's two in a month. Crazy!

[CrazyC83]

^ I kind of get it.

I just realized that Pope County, AR has already had a previous killer tornado this year back in January. That's two in a month. Crazy!

For this time of year it is definitely crazy! In the spring it is more understandable, although I am not aware of any counties with such rapid-fire deaths in recent years (I don't think any counties had deaths in both of the April 2 and 7 outbreaks of 2006.)

[HarlequinBoy]

^ I kind of get it.

I just realized that Pope County, AR has already had a previous killer tornado this year back in January. That's two in a month. Crazy!

For this time of year it is definitely crazy! In the spring it is more understandable, although I am not aware of any counties with such rapid-fire deaths in recent years (I don't think any counties had deaths in both of the April 2 and 7 outbreaks of 2006.)

Indeed it is. No, I don't think any did. I know some counties had multiple tornadoes in Arkansas on 1/17/99 and 1/21/99 but no fatalities in those counties.

[CrazyC83]

Looks like the NWS offices took today off (needed rest finally!) since no new reports came in, although there are still some tornadoes to be assessed I believe.

[wbug1]

Wow... the SPC has 256 or so wind reports up for Feb 5th, and many of them mention significant damage.

I found this report of a super EF-2, 120 mph.

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lmk/?n=shelbycountytornadopage

*SNIP*

ON FLOOD ROAD...AROUND 40 LARGE HARDWOODS WERE UPROOTED AT 900 FLOOD
ROAD...A 30 BY 60 BY 14 BARN WITH 10 BY 10 OAK SUPPORTS IN CONCRETE
WAS DESTROYED AND THROWN 50 YARDS...A HOLIDAY RAMBLER IMPERIAL
TRAILER WEIGHING 18 THOUSAND POUNDS MOVED 4 FEET AND FLIPPED OVER AT
940 FLOOD ROAD.



AT 970 FLOOD ROAD...A BARN WAS DESTROYED...AND EVERY
SINGLE SHINGLE WAS BLOWN OFF A WELL CONSTRUCTED ROOF TOP.

ON CHRISTIANBURG ROAD...TREES WERE UPROOTED AND SEVERAL HOMES
SUSTAINED ROOF DAMAGE.

ON CROPPER ROAD A GRAIN SILO SNAPPED ON THE TOP QUARTER OF THE
SILO. NUMEROUS TREES WERE TWISTED AND SNAPPED...AND A VERY LARGE
LIQUID NITROGEN TANK FULL OF 20 THOUSAND GALLONS...WEIGHING OVER 200
THOUSAND POUNDS WAS DISPLACED 1 FOOT EASTWARD.

TORNADO RATING: EF-2
MAX WIND SPEED: 120 MPH
PATH LENGTH : 6 MILES
PATH WIDTH : 250 YARDS
INJURIES : NONE
FATALITIES : NONE
TIME OF INITIAL TOUCHDOWN: 1246 AM EST
TIME OF FINAL DISSIPATION: 1252 AM EST

Lucky... lucky LN2 didn't start spraying around.

[Dionne]

The Holiday motorhome flipping over isn't a surprise. Although the shed with oak timbers in concrete being destroyed by this EF2 is interesting. The timbers must have been compromised at the concrete line. It would be interesting to see pics of the site.

Some years ago I built a home for a client on the Pearl River in south Mississippi. It is on treated poles in concrete.....6' feet in the ground. The home is 10' in the air with 2700 sq/ft. The poles extend all the way up to the roof line. It has survived two floods, a near miss tornado, Katrina and a nasty divorce.

[MGC]

A buddy of mine home didn't survive the nasty divorce. It went up in flames. Now they are fighting over the insurance monies......MGC

[Bunkertor]

ON CROPPER ROAD A GRAIN SILO SNAPPED ON THE TOP QUARTER OF THE
SILO. NUMEROUS TREES WERE TWISTED AND SNAPPED...AND A VERY LARGE
LIQUID NITROGEN TANK FULL OF 20 THOUSAND GALLONS...WEIGHING OVER 200
THOUSAND POUNDS WAS DISPLACED 1 FOOT EASTWARD.
.

That are 100 tons = 2 large army tanks ... i don´t think that can be.

[wbug1]

ON CROPPER ROAD A GRAIN SILO SNAPPED ON THE TOP QUARTER OF THE
SILO. NUMEROUS TREES WERE TWISTED AND SNAPPED...AND A VERY LARGE
LIQUID NITROGEN TANK FULL OF 20 THOUSAND GALLONS...WEIGHING OVER 200
THOUSAND POUNDS WAS DISPLACED 1 FOOT EASTWARD.
.

That are 100 tons = 2 large army tanks ... i don´t think that can be.

Yup, that's the most impressive aspect of that tornado. 20,000 gallons is roughly 80,000 liters, and such a tank would indeed weight over 80,000 kg (near 200,000 lbs) if full.

What is very odd.. is that amount of LN2 would only be used in scientific applications, possibly for cooling superconductor magnets in a particle accelerator. How could a tornado strike such a tank? The RV mentioned in this report, is a very unusual one, it retails for over 250,000 USD. I can also say with certainty that a 120 mph wind wouldn't have a chance of budging such a tank.

Is this a joke? If it is, a tornado report is a very bad place to be making a joke.

It is a joke.
Right?
Yup, I think so.

[wbug1]

VBHOUTEX:

I'm not able to PM you, my PM is moved to outbox and not sent: in reply,

NOAA's National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office
Louisville, KY
The link I found the report at:
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lmk/?n=shelbycountytornadopage



Shelby County, Kentucky Severe Weather Page
February 5-6, 2008

...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONFIRMS A BRIEF EF0 TORNADO TOUCHDOWN
IN SHELBY COUNTY KENTUCKY ON FEBRUARY 6 2008...

A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SURVEY TEAM HAS CONFIRMED A BRIEF TORNADO
TOUCHDOWN IN SHELBY COUNTY KENTUCKY EARLY IN THE MORNING ON FEBRUARY
6 2008. THE TORNADO WAS RATED AS AN EF0 WITH WINDS OF 80-85 MPH WITH
A PATH LENGTH ABOUT 1/3 OF ONE MILE AND A PATH WIDTH OF 125 YARDS.
THE TORNADO WAS EMBEDDED WITHIN A SWATH OF STRAIGHT LINE WINDS
AROUND 70 MPH.

THE TORNADO BRIEFLY TOUCHED DOWN ABOUT 2 MILES SOUTHEAST OF WADDY
NEAR 1527 KINGS HIGHWAY OR (KY 637) BETWEEN KY 395 AND KY 1472. A
LARGE BARN WAS DESTROYED WITH SHEET METAL LAYING FROM THE BARN OVER
300 YARDS AWAY AND TWISTED METAL FROM THE BARN LAYING 50 YARDS TO
THE WEST. UPROOTED AND A FEW SNAPPED TREES WERE LAYING NORTH AND
EAST.

TORNADO RATING: EF-0
MAX WIND SPEED: 80-85 MPH
PATH LENGTH : 1/3 MILE
PATH WIDTH : 125 YARDS
INJURIES : NONE
FATALITIES : NONE
TIME OF INITIAL TOUCHDOWN: 1252 AM EST
TIME OF FINAL DISSIPATION: 1254 AM EST

...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONFIRMS A SECOND TORNADO TOUCHDOWN
IN SHELBY COUNTY ON FEBRUARY 6 2008...

A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DAMAGE SURVEY TEAM...IN CONJUNCTION WITH
THE SHELBY COUNTY KENTUCKY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY AND THE
SHELBY COUNTY RED CROSS CONDUCTED CONFIRMED THAT AN EF-2 TORNADO
TOUCHED DOWN.

THE TORNADO FIRST TOUCHED DOWN WITH EF-0 INTENSITY NEAR KY 55 AND
CLEAR CREEK ROAD AND CONTINUED NORTHEAST GAINING EF-1 INTENSITY AS
IT CROSSED KY-1889. THE TORNADO CONTINUED GAINING INTENSITY AS IT
CROSSED CROPPER ROAD WITH EF-2 INTENSITY AT 900 BLOCK OF FLOOD ROAD.
THE TORNADO DISSIPATED ABOUT 1 MILE NORTHEAST OF FLOOD ROAD NEAR
DUTCH FORK JUST SOUTH OF CROPPER ROAD.

ON FLOOD ROAD...AROUND 40 LARGE HARDWOODS WERE UPROOTED AT 900 FLOOD
ROAD...A 30 BY 60 BY 14 BARN WITH 10 BY 10 OAK SUPPORTS IN CONCRETE
WAS DESTROYED AND THROWN 50 YARDS...A HOLIDAY RAMBLER IMPERIAL
TRAILER WEIGHING 18 THOUSAND POUNDS MOVED 4 FEET AND FLIPPED OVER AT
940 FLOOD ROAD. AT 970 FLOOD ROAD...A BARN WAS DESTROYED...AND EVERY
SINGLE SHINGLE WAS BLOWN OFF A WELL CONSTRUCTED ROOF TOP.

ON CHRISTIANBURG ROAD...TREES WERE UPROOTED AND SEVERAL HOMES
SUSTAINED ROOF DAMAGE.

ON CROPPER ROAD A GRAIN SILO SNAPPED ON THE TOP QUARTER OF THE
SILO. NUMEROUS TREES WERE TWISTED AND SNAPPED...AND A VERY LARGE
LIQUID NITROGEN TANK FULL OF 20 THOUSAND GALLONS...WEIGHING OVER 200
THOUSAND POUNDS WAS DISPLACED 1 FOOT EASTWARD.

TORNADO RATING: EF-2
MAX WIND SPEED: 120 MPH
PATH LENGTH : 6 MILES
PATH WIDTH : 250 YARDS
INJURIES : NONE
FATALITIES : NONE
TIME OF INITIAL TOUCHDOWN: 1246 AM EST
TIME OF FINAL DISSIPATION: 1252 AM EST

Page Updated: 02/09/2008 3:38 PM EST

I assume it's a joke. The probability of that particular RV (retail 250,000 USD and up) and a 20,000 gallon LN2 tank sitting that close together and being hit by a tornado is almost impossible.

The reference to "flood", a particle accelerator (indirectly, by mention of a LN2 tank that I can only think is used to cool superconducting magnets in a particle accelerator) and an expensive RV is perplexing. I don't really find it funny at all..

[wbug1]

VBHOUTEX:

My PM took several minutes to move out of the outbox. It now appears to have been "sent".

[vbhoutex]

I recieved it and sent you a reply. It will not move out till the other person picks it up. Thanks for the verification. I guess I missed the intial link

[nbcrecon]

Hello everyone. I appreciate all the information and links that are on this thread; I'm in Mountain View and it was really hard to find out all of the details of the tornadoes for the past week as we had no electricity/television/internet in town. This board has been a wealth of information and far more useful than the hour of googling I did before I found you guys.

I'm by no means an expert on any of this tornado stuff, but I found a couple of comments really interesting. When I linked to the NWS site to see the aerial photographs, I found this little blurb:

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lzk/html/aerial020508.htm

"One long track tornado covering over 100 miles seemed almost impossible. Such a tornado is almost unheard of. In most cases, it is not one tornado...it is a "family of tornadoes". It is a repetitive cycle of one tornado weakening and dissipating as another tornado spins up and takes over. The cycle continues until the parent storm moves into a more stable region and falls apart. That is what is supposed to happen.

However, there were no signs of weakening. The ground survey crews mentioned this after several days of driving. But then there was the rugged terrain they did not (and could not) visit such as the Ozark National Forest in Stone County. The crews were not sure the tornado could have endured these hilly areas."

It's statements like this one that make residents of mountainous regions feel relative safety from such severe weather. It doesn't help when the "myth" is unintentionally reinforced by sources the public feels are reliable. So anyone who thought there was truth to that statement shouldn't feel too bad.

On that same page, there's an aerial photo of a swathe of trees that were blown down. If you click on it to enlarge it, it looks like there might be some debarking in the upper right corner? Or am I imagining that?

Anyway, I'm back to work for the first day since the storm. That thing shut this entire town down for a week, which is amazing in itself. It would be nice to see photos of the large power line structures it destroyed after it crossed the river.

[JonathanBelles]

Welcome to s2k nbcrecon and I am glad you are ok.