2011-04-27 MISC: AL,TN,MS,KY,OH,IN,WV,GA

[mikegeukes]

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
605 PM CDT SAT APR 30 2011

..UPDATED FOR INCREASE IN HACKLEBURG TORNADO RATING TO EF-5
http://kamala.cod.edu/offs/KBMX/1104302306.nous44.html

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS...ALONG WITH THE FOREMOST
EXPERT IN STORM DAMAGE ASSESSMENT REVIEWED THE DAMAGE IN HACKLEBURG
IN MARION COUNTY.

THE MAIN INDICATORS OF HACKLEBURG HAVING EF-5
DAMAGE IS THE TOSSING OF VEHICLES UPWARDS OF 150-200 YARDS...ONE
WELL BUILT HOME WITH 4 SIDES BRICK WAS COMPLETELY LEVELED AND THE
DEBRIS FROM THE HOME WAS TOSSED TO THE NORTH OVER 40 YARDS...AND
THERE WAS LARGE AMOUNTS OF WIND ROWING...THE STREWING OF BUILDING
MATERIALS IN STRAIGHT LINES...AROUND THE CITY OF HACKLEBURG.

 

[Jeff Duda]

Interesting how they rated the tornado at EF5, yet the maximum estimated winds are 200 MPH, which according to the EF-scale, is still EF4. Technically, an EF5 has winds greater than 200 mph. I remember this fact vividly because the Bowdle, SD tornado last year was rated EF4 and had maximum estimated winds at 200 mph.

 

[Ryan Pfeifer]

So w/ that above post we are officially at two EF-5 tornados now?

Also, does anyone know what is with the southeasterly tornado track near Madison, AL? How could a tornado in a 50mph+ NE moving storm could take such a path for such a distance? Seems like it has to be wrong.

edit: map of paths: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/images/rtimages/srh/stsd/Apr26-27/PrelimTornadoTracks_Release.jpg

 

[Jeff Duda]

So w/ that above post we are officially at two EF-5 tornados now?

Also, does anyone know what is with the southeasterly tornado track near Madison, AL? How could a tornado in a 50mph+ NE moving storm could take such a path for such a distance? Seems like it has to be wrong.

edit: map of paths: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/images/rtimages/srh/stsd/Apr26-27/PrelimTornadoTracks_Release.jpg

While not impossible, it does seem weird. For a possible explanation, see my post in the 04/09/11 DISC thread here.

Another possible explanation is that they are trying to link two long-track tornado paths together even though they might not be the same tornado.

 

[Ryan Pfeifer]

Another possible explanation is that they are trying to link two long-track tornado paths together even though they might not be the same tornado.

That's been my best guess. It's tough to estimate, but it looks like that path could potentially be shifted by more than 10 miles from the previous one, which would make it hard to attribute the move to the tornado changing location in the meso.

 

[Jeff Duda]

Actually, now that I looked at where Hackelburg is, I'm wondering if that tornado is the same as the Smithville one. On that plot of tornado tracks, there is only one track that goes through Smitville and Hackelburg, and it's the same one. I know multiple tornadic supercells tracked over that region, so maybe that map does not include all the tornadoes yet.

 

[Chad Ringley]

So w/ that above post we are officially at two EF-5 tornados now?

Also, does anyone know what is with the southeasterly tornado track near Madison, AL? How could a tornado in a 50mph+ NE moving storm could take such a path for such a distance? Seems like it has to be wrong.

edit: map of paths: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/images/rtimages/srh/stsd/Apr26-27/PrelimTornadoTracks_Release.jpg

It seems like the track map from this event is going to eerily resemble the Super Outbreak. Not even included on that map are most of the tornado tracks from MRX. Like 3-4 April 1974, there were many small tracks in the Southern Appalchains. So, while the total count seems inflated now, it may end up having more than 3-4 April 1974 after all. I do hope someone puts together a Fujuita style map for this event like the Super Outbreak.

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mrx/?n=tor_outbreak_map

 

[J Allen]

I think Chad that the main difference appears to be the family aspect of the tornadoes in the superoutbreak, where long track tornadoes seemed to be the norm in this case (and these inflated the number of highly rating tornadoes, particularly F4 class markedly for the superoutbreak). Naturally this will change if the NWS survey teams find disjoint damage tracks. A number of tornado ratings from Birmingham NWS office are still sitting as EF3+ (including the second track from the Tuscaloosa Supercell) and awaiting further survey. Will be interesting to see what happens with EF-5 ratings, and whether the Hackleburg/Phil Campbell tornadoes are actually a single track (which would make it another 50+ killer)

 

[Aaron Kennedy]

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/images/rtimages/srh/stsd/Apr26-27/PrelimTornadoTracks_Release.jpg

That track map is garbage preliminary and rather misleading... I'm not sure who put it together, but it is more like the storm track map. There are confirmed long-track tornadoes, but several of them have been connected together for that preliminary graphic. For example, the Birmingham/Tuscaloosa tornado ends just to the NE of Birmingham.

 

[Chad Ringley]

That track map is garbage preliminary and rather misleading... I'm not sure who put it together, but it is more like the storm track map. There are confirmed long-track tornadoes, but several of them have been connected together for that preliminary graphic. For example, the Birmingham/Tuscaloosa tornado ends just to the NE of Birmingham.

No doubt that there isn't long continuous tracks, but they'll be of similar length to 3-4 April 1974, or at least are based on the aerial damage swaths seen from satellite.

 

[Andy Wehrle]

This didn't even occur to me before, but Tuscaloosa also got hit with a fairly major (EF3) tornado during the April 15 outbreak. How much, if at all did the April 27 track overlap that?

The same city getting hit with two very strong to violent tornadoes in less than two weeks is almost unfathomable.

 

[Dave Gallaher]

Re the horizontal vortices: two eyewitnesses to the 74 Huntsville tornado (both since deceased ) described seeing smaller vortices forming and 'whipping' around the main tube while it was visible in shopping center illumination before power failed. That was also the second tor that hit Tanner.

I saw damage in Tanner yesterday, high end EF3 to EF4 in my unprofessional opinion. I only saw a small segment, but a church was heavily demolished but not leveled. Transmission towers were bent over and twisted and a long row of snapped trees ran alongside. We still have no power.

 

[James McCormick]

Actually, now that I looked at where Hackelburg is, I'm wondering if that tornado is the same as the Smithville one. On that plot of tornado tracks, there is only one track that goes through Smitville and Hackelburg, and it's the same one. I know multiple tornadic supercells tracked over that region, so maybe that map does not include all the tornadoes yet.

Smithville happened about 15 minutes or so after Hackelburg, and that supercell appeared to be producing a violent tornado just miles west of Hackelburg as it tracked through Marion County about 45 minutes after the tornado hit Hackelburg. Marion County appeared to be affected by 3 violent tornadoes within 2 hours, which certainly crippled the initial rescue efforts from the first tornado.

 

[Simon Andersen]

Tuscaloosa is now listed as an EF5 too on Wikipedia but I can't corroborate this with a NWS statement. I'm colorblind and can't see any difference between colors in the legend:

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/images/fxc/bmx/graphicast/image_full4.gif

It's interesting to note that Smithville had a trajectory less than 3 miles long.

 

[jeremy wilson]

Google has posted some amazing new GeoEye imagery for Google Earth.

Tuscaloosa

Jefferson County

More on their maps collection page

That Tuscaloosa tornado went through a super dense population!