10/18/2007 DISC: FL / MS / AL / TN / KY / IL / IN / WI / MI

[Kory Hartman]

Fulton, IN

About what time was the funnel sighting near Fulton. I am trying to confirm another funnel sighting in that area. Sighting was around 6:15 ish. There were 3 storms rolling through. The small lead storm had a rain-free base and appeared to have a brief cone funnel - maybe only a minute. I was positioned on CR 1000N at US 131 - about 5-6 miles straight E of the funnel. Fulton is just a little N of where it would have been.

Ben says the time was 7:16 Eastern (so, 6:16 Indiana time). It was on the tail-end (furthest south) cell.

Here's radar screengrabs from his chase with approximate position:
http://www.severestudios.com/node/156

 

[Dan Robinson]

I'm also interested in what the damage surveys turn up. Apparently there were tornadoes confirmed according to PAH and LMK.

I was fortunate enough to be in an easy intercept position for all four supercells that affected the Owensboro, KY area, watching the radar-indicated areas of rotation pass either over me or within a mile of me each time. However, I never once saw evidence of low-level rotation. This is the first time I have seen storms with such classic radar presentations that looked so meager in person under the base. At the time I was quite puzzled. The storms were continuously outflow-dominant, with the aforementioned velocity couplets embedded in strong straight-line outflow winds and heavy rain. This was my first visual on the first storm near Tell City, IN (the storm was across the Ohio River in Kentucky):

http://stormhighway.com/2007/oct18a15.jpg

That looks great at first glance, until I zoomed in and saw that the
'wall cloud' was a long shelf cloud being pushed along by outflow.
Everything was moving outward and nothing was rotating.

http://stormhighway.com/2007/oct18a16.jpg
http://stormhighway.com/2007/oct18a17.jpg

The above turned into this:
http://stormhighway.com/2007/oct18hd3.jpg

Then this:
http://stormhighway.com/2007/oct18hd2.jpg

Owensboro storm #2 again had an ominous-looking 'wall cloud' - again, no
rotation and in the midst of strong northeasterly outflow:
http://stormhighway.com/2007/oct18a21.jpg

Owensboro storm #3, at dusk - looking nice from a distance, but the same
story again underneath.
http://stormhighway.com/2007/oct18a22.jpg

Owensboro storm #4 after dark had a similar appearance and numerous
power flashes in town, but all scattered amidst cold outflow.
http://stormhighway.com/2007/oct18a23.jpg

The outflow winds were very strong in a few spots, and my hunch is that
most of the damage was from straight-line winds. Again, the radar
presentation made me certain I was going to see tornadoes in progress
all day. Three or four WxWorx shear markers on each storm, all reading
92-115mph - but nothing visually. Same story with all six supercells I
observed around the Owensboro area until 10:30PM.

 

[David Demko]

I'm also interested in what the damage surveys turn up. Apparently there were tornadoes confirmed according to PAH and LMK.

I was fortunate enough to be in an easy intercept position for all four supercells that affected the Owensboro, KY area, watching the radar-indicated areas of rotation pass either over me or within a mile of me each time. ...

Surveys by WFO Paducah have found five tornado tracks -- if I'm counting correctly -- in Daviess County, KY (Owensboro is the county seat). One EF-0, one EF-1, two EF-2s, and one EF-3.

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/crnews/display_story.php?wfo=pah&storyid=10669&source=0

The track maps appear to be broken at this time -- PAH will probably fix those soon if I had to guess.

One of the EF-2s occurred around 6:15 PM several miles east/northeast of Owensboro. The other EF-2s was a continuation of a damage track from McLean County, to the southwest, around 8 PM. From the reports I've heard, the EF-3 damage was found in the downtown area of Owensboro, fairly close to the riverfront -- and very likely occurred coincident with the observation of power flashes. It really made a mess of things there. That particular corner of Kentucky has had a rough ride over the past few years. In January of 2000 an F-3 tracked through the middle of Owensboro, south of downtown. I actually grew up in Owensboro and, of course, all this leaves me wondering if I shouldn't just move back.

 

[Rocky Rascovich]

10-18-2007 Black Lake, MI. tornado pics.

I found this picture (and a few others) of the Black Lake, MI. tornado as it was crossing the lake from the 10/18/07 event. In case you don't know, the Wunderground site is one of the best places for weather related pictures. You can find pics from most any place in the world, but most are from North America and Europe. Pick a date or subject, and the pictures will come up. Its quite a time waster if you let it. I encourage if you want to put your pictures on the web, this is a good place to start.

Anyway.. these pictures are the only ones that I'm aware of from the 10-18 outbreak from Michigan. These are great shots! Enjoy this site.


http://www.wunderground.com/wximage/viewsingleimage.html?mode=singleimage&orig_handle=JeffMasters&orig_number=57&handle=JeffMasters&number=55&album_id=39#slideanchor


_________________
rocky&family

 

[Dan Robinson]

Now that the surveys and track maps are finished, it turns out that the Owensboro EF3 passed within 500 yards in front of me (less than 3 city blocks). The freight train blocked my view, but also kept me from driving directly into this fully rain-wrapped tornado.

 

[Bob Hartig]

I found this picture (and a few others) of the Black Lake, MI. tornado as it was crossing the lake from the 10/18/07 event. In case you don't know, the Wunderground site is one of the best places for weather related pictures. You can find pics from most any place in the world, but most are from North America and Europe. Pick a date or subject, and the pictures will come up. Its quite a time waster if you let it. I encourage if you want to put your pictures on the web, this is a good place to start.

Anyway.. these pictures are the only ones that I'm aware of from the 10-18 outbreak from Michigan. These are great shots! Enjoy this site.


http://www.wunderground.com/wximage/viewsingleimage.html?mode=singleimage&orig_handle=JeffMasters&orig_number=57&handle=JeffMasters&number=55&album_id=39#slideanchor


_________________
rocky&family

Rocky, thanks for providing that link. I live in Michigan, but I chased in Indiana that day--so naturally, the storms started busting loose in northern Michigan and on down to lower Michigan while my chase partner and I sat under blue skies, hoping the cap would bust before the sun went down. Thankfully, it did, and we wound up on the track of a nice storm right from its initiation. But it's nice to see something from Michigan, and those photos are downright beautiful.

 

[rdale]

The Williamston EF2 (just east of Lansing) was captured on video at http://kd8aym.com

I stayed in that night and did wall-to-wall coverage then was part of the survey crew the next day with NWS - 2 dead in a modular home who had no idea there was a warning.

Another interesting story... I talked to a couple northeast of Williamston whose house was destroyed. They watched our coverage all night, heard that the tornado hit Williamston and was moving northeast but knew "it won't hit us." So they turned off the TV and headed to their room -- until they heard it and had just enough time to get into the basement.

 

[Bob Hartig]

Thanks for that, Rob. I almost inquired whether anyone had shots of the Williamston tornado, but then I figured, Naaaaah...night time event. What are the odds that someone caught it on camera? Nice that someone did. I watched that storm on GR3 on our way back up from Indiana, and was impressed with the intensity and longevity of the rotation.

In retrospect, I wish I'd just gone about my usual daily routine, which is to sit in the Hastings Public Library with my laptop, doing my work. A very nice storm would have landed right in my lap. That's the second time this year a supercell has visited that town. (The previous one matured virtually overhead and produced the Pottersville tornado shortly afterward.) One of the librarians daughters caught the wall cloud passing to her north on her digital camera's video. From what I could see on the camera's teeny view screen, it looked pretty impressive.

 

[rdale]

I am absolutely stunned that the Hastings cell never produced. All I heard was a few tree limbs down, but that was much more impressive than the Williamston cell with a very strong, tight circulation. Had plenty of spotters too...

 

[Bob Hartig]

I hear you. I first was made aware of the Hastings storm through a phone call, and the person said a tornado was actually in progress in Hastings. That scared the crap out of me, because I have friends in Hastings and I do a lot of my work at the Hastings Library. A look at the Grand Rapids radar didn't make me feel any better. That was one hellacious storm, and I, too, am surprised--and glad--it didn't produce.