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

[Will Tinder]

New videos keep coming out on Youtube. I think these two do a good job of summing up what residents in the area faced:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMS_E-KNgvs
From Limestone County. The people in the video didn't recognize what they were facing was a tornado until a minute in. The rate the tornado closed on them is downright frightening. Thankfully they were lucky and it missed them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQvuiEECmsM
This is almost as terrifying as the now-infamous Mall Parking Lot Tuscaloosa video. The tornado's obscured by trees, its not until its almost nearby that its apparent. I can't imagine what they must have been feeling trying to get hold of relatives and friends as it churned by.

 

[Ryan McGinnis]

Interesting vids! Though I wouldn't compare them to the Tuscaloosa parking lot video - that video will probably go down as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, tornado video ever, despite the amateur camerawork. Shooting from the inflow jet of an EF-4 to EF-5 is not something you see every day.

Part of me wonders if they're going to recover any video cameras or memory cards of people who were actually run over by the tornado, given the number of residents who rushed outside to shoot video during the tornado. As my uncle recent said: "I wonder how many people died with cameras in their hands?"

 

[Kevin Walters]

New videos keep coming out on Youtube. I think these two do a good job of summing up what residents in the area faced:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMS_E-KNgvs
From Limestone County. The people in the video didn't recognize what they were facing was a tornado until a minute in. The rate the tornado closed on them is downright frightening. Thankfully they were lucky and it missed them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQvuiEECmsM
This is almost as terrifying as the now-infamous Mall Parking Lot Tuscaloosa video. The tornado's obscured by trees, its not until its almost nearby that its apparent. I can't imagine what they must have been feeling trying to get hold of relatives and friends as it churned by.

Did you notice when she yelled "get to the basement" it was basically a walk in, above ground basement? So many people had no chance to seek underground shelter during this outbreak.

 

[Trey Thee]

Interesting vids! Though I wouldn't compare them to the Tuscaloosa parking lot video - that video will probably go down as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, tornado video ever, despite the amateur camerawork. Shooting from the inflow jet of an EF-4 to EF-5 is not something you see every day.

Part of me wonders if they're going to recover any video cameras or memory cards of people who were actually run over by the tornado, given the number of residents who rushed outside to shoot video during the tornado. As my uncle recent said: "I wonder how many people died with cameras in their hands?"

I agree that parking lot vid is absolutely astonishing but you have to wonder what they were thinking, sitting in a vehicle in the path of an oncoming EF4/EF5.

 

[Jeff Duda]

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

There certainly does not appear to be a confirmation of an EF5 on that map. There is also no indication from the Birmingham WFO about it being an EF5, so unless the person that wrote that wikipedia article knows something that hasn't been publicly released yet, I would say it is not an EF5.

 

[Mike Johnston]

So, I see TWC has christened the name of this outbreak to be the "Epic Outbreak" according to ads for a one-hour special they'll be airing. Surely, this event will be named for historical purposes. I just wonder if this (commercially chosen) name will stick or whether another name will somehow emerge in the wider culture.

 

[STurner]

I very highly agree with you Gabe. The Smithviile, MS aerials of damage were also extremely impressive as was the Hackleburg, AL IMO.

 

[Amanda Farnham]

So, I see TWC has christened the name of this outbreak to be the "Epic Outbreak" according to ads for a one-hour special they'll be airing. Surely, this event will be named for historical purposes. I just wonder if this (commercially chosen) name will stick or whether another name will somehow emerge in the wider culture.

When is this special airing? I have not seen anything.

 

[Mike Johnston]

When is this special airing? I have not seen anything.

Tomorrow (Monday) night 8:00pm EDT; it's called "Inside the Epic Outbreak."

 

[Bobby Prentice]

April 26-28, 2011 is a contender for the largest tornado outbreak in history

This outbreak is a contender for the largest tornado outbreak in U.S. history, perhaps even greater that the "Jumbo Outbreak" or "Super Outbreak" of April 3-4, 1974 in some aspects. That outbreak resulted in 6 F5s, 24 F4s, 34 F3s, 34 F2, 33 F1s, and 19 F0s for a total of 148 tornadoes.

OUTBREAK...The term outbreak is used when referring to a group or family of six or more torndoes which are spawned by the same general weather system. Six tornadoes from two different thunderstorms cells, in advance of a cold front might be called a small outbreak. Six scattered tornadoes from different weather systems in three states should not be called an outbreak. This definition is from Galway (1977). Later that year, (personal conversation) he defined an outbreak of 10 ore more tornadoes from a single organized weather system. This book uses the six-tornado definition. The author has added the following addition to that definition: The end of one outbreak and the start of another is marked by a greater than six-hour lull in tornado activity, and an outbreak need not be confined to a single calendar day. Thus, if tornado activity subsides at 2 AM, and begins again at 2 PM, the Project considered that new activity to be the start of a different outbreak.

Based on the Grazulis definition and the SPC Storm Reports (rough log), this outbreak actually began with this report:

2156 1 E MABANK KAUFMAN TX3237 9608 TORNADO REPORTED ON GROUND NEAR MABANK. (FWD)

and ended 47 hours and 40 minutes later with this report:

2136 KNOTTS ISLAND CURRITUCK NC3651 7592 TORNADO ON GROUND REPORTED BY PUBLIC (AKQ)

As of May 1, 2011, the total SPC Storm Reports (rough log) tornado count for this outbreak was 378 broken up like this:

April 26, 2011.....101 (four early tornadoes in the log were not counted due to time/space constraints)
April 27, 2011.....263
April 28, 2011.......14
GRAND TOTAL=378

I know that the SPC Storm Reports (rough log) over-counts tornadoes even more since the filtering criteria standards were recently relaxed. However, even if only 40% of these reports verify, it would exceed the Super Outbreak of 1974. Funny part is, the April 14-16, 2011 tornado sequence already has 155 confirmed tornadoes (according to Wikipedia) and might have beaten the Super Outbreak total (according to the Grazulis definition), but there was a 6 hour and 39 minute break between tornadoes on the morning of April 16 (between 1002Z and 1641Z).

Here's what the the outbreak looks like on the individual SPC Storm Reports maps:





Grazulis's work provides some historical perspective, at least through 1995:

Outbreaks with 20 or more Significant (F2-F5) Tornadoes, 1880-1995

...Date.........significant....F4/F5.......killer
.................tornadoes...tornadoes...tornadoes
Apr 03-04, 1974 ... 95 ........ 30 ........ 49 (Super)
Nov 21-23, 1992 ... 42 ......... 5 ......... 9
Apr 11-12, 1965 ... 38 ........ 19 ........ 21 (Palm Sunday 1965)
Feb 19-20, 1884 ... 37 ......... 4 ........ 28 (Enigma)
Mar 21-22, 1932 ... 36 ........ 10 ........ 27 (Deep South)
Apr 29-30, 1909 ... 35 ......... 4 ........ 24
Jun 05-06, 1916 ... 34 ......... 1 ........ 23
Apr 15-16, 1921 ... 34 ......... 1 ........ 17
May 08-09, 1927 ... 32 ......... 8 ........ 17
Mar .. 28, 1920 ... 31 ......... 8 ........ 19 (Palm Sunday 1920)
Mar 30-31, 1933 ... 30 ......... 1 ........ 16
May .. 20, 1949 ... 29 ......... 2 ......... 5
Apr 23-24, 1909 ... 29 ......... 6 ........ 16
Apr 10-11, 1979 ... 28 ......... 2 ......... 5 (Red River Valley)
Mar .. 25, 1884 ... 27 ......... 0 ........ 12
Jun 02-03, 1990 ... 27 ......... 7 ......... 4 (Lower Ohio Valley)
Mar 30-31, 1938 ... 26 ......... 3 ......... 9
Jun 07-08, 1984 ... 26 ......... 2 ......... 4 (Barneveld, WI)
Mar .. 13, 1990 ... 26 ......... 4 ......... 2
Apr 26-27, 1991 ... 26 ......... 5 ......... 5 (Andover, KS)
May 26-29, 1973 ... 26 ......... 3 ......... 8
Mar .. 16, 1942 ... 25 ......... 7 ........ 18
Mar .. 19, 1948 ... 25 ......... 3 ......... 5 (Alton-Bunker Hill-Gillespie)
May .. 05, 1960 ... 25 ......... 4 ......... 8
Mar .. 27, 1890 ... 24 ......... 6 ........ 16 (Mid Mississippi Valley)
Apr .. 30, 1924 ... 24 ......... 2 ........ 16
Apr .. 02, 1982 ... 24 ......... 4 ........ 10
Apr 15-17, 1939 ... 23 ......... 2 ........ 10
Apr .. 18, 1880 ... 22 ......... 5 ........ 14
May .. 05, 1930 ... 22 ......... 5 ......... 4
Feb 05-06, 1942 ... 22 ......... 0 ......... 9
May .. 18, 1883 ... 21 ......... 6 ........ 16
Nov .. 25, 1926 ... 21 ......... 2 ........ 14
May .. 15, 1943 ... 21 ......... 4 ......... 2
Apr .. 30, 1954 ... 21 ......... 1 ......... 2
Apr 07-08, 1980 ... 21 ......... 0 ......... 1
Mar 13-14, 1913 ... 20 ......... 3 ......... 6
May 27-28, 1917 ... 20 ......... 4 ........ 16
Apr .. 21, 1967 ... 20 ......... 4 ......... 3 (Belvidere-Oak Lawn)
May 15-16, 1968 ... 20 ......... 4 ......... 8
May .. 31, 1985 ... 20 ......... 8 ........ 10

Outbreaks with 40 or more Recorded Tornadoes, 1880-1995

...Date............total....significant....F4/F5.......killer.....total
.................tornadoes...tornadoes...tornadoes...tornadoes...deaths
Apr 03-04, 1974 ... 148 ....... 95 ........ 30 ........ 48 ...... 315
Sep 19-23, 1967 ... 111 ....... 15 ......... 0 ......... 2 ........ 5
May 26-29, 1973 .... 99 ....... 26 ......... 3 ......... 8 ....... 22
Nov 21-23, 1992 .... 95 ....... 43 ......... 5 ......... 9 ....... 26
May 18-19, 1995 .... 80 ....... 17 ......... 2 ......... 2 ........ 4
May 11-12, 1982 .... 70 ....... 13 ......... 1 ......... 1 ........ 2
Apr 26-27, 1994 .... 67 ........ 9 ......... 1 ......... 1 ........ 3
Mar 20-21, 1976 .... 66 ....... 18 ......... 3 ......... 3 ........ 3
Jun 02-03, 1990 .... 66 ....... 27 ......... 7.......... 4 ........ 9
Jun .. 16, 1992 .... 65 ....... 12 ......... 2 ......... 1 ........ 1
Jun 26-27, 1992 .... 62 ....... 11 ......... 0 ......... 2 ........ 2
May 02-03, 1984 .... 60 ....... 15 ......... 1 ......... 1 ........ 5
Mar .. 13, 1990 .... 59 ....... 26 ......... 4 ......... 2 ........ 2
Jun 15-16, 1992 .... 58 ....... 15 ......... 2 ......... 0 ........ 0
Jun .. 08, 1993 .... 58 ........ 2 ......... 0 ......... 0 ........ 0
May .. 08, 1988 .... 57 ........ 8 ......... 0 ......... 0 ........ 0
Apr 26-27, 1991 .... 53 ....... 26 ......... 5 ......... 5 ....... 21
May 25-26, 1965 .... 51 ........ 4 ......... 0 ......... 0 ........ 0
May 04-05, 1959 .... 49 ........ 8 ......... 0 ......... 0 ........ 0
Apr 11-12, 1965 .... 48 ....... 38 ........ 19 ........ 21 ...... 256
Apr 02-03, 1982 .... 48 ....... 24 ......... 4 ........ 10 ....... 29
May 18-20, 1983 .... 48 ....... 10 ......... 0 ......... 6 ........ 6
Jan 09-10, 1975 .... 47 ........ 9 ......... 1 ......... 3 ....... 11
May 15-16, 1968 .... 46 ....... 20 ......... 4 ......... 8 ....... 74
Apr 07-09, 1980 .... 46 ........ 0 ......... 0 ......... 1 ........ 1
May .. 16, 1991 .... 46 ........ 3 ......... 0 ......... 0 ........ 0
May .. 07, 1993 .... 46 ........ 8 ......... 1 ......... 1 ........ 1
Apr .. 21, 1967 .... 45 ....... 20 ......... 4 ......... 3 ....... 58
Jun 07-08, 1984 .... 45 ....... 26 ......... 2 ......... 4 ....... 13
Nov .. 15, 1988 .... 44 ....... 13 ......... 0 ......... 3 ........ 7
Apr .. 29, 1984 .... 42 ........ 4 ......... 1 ......... 1 ........ 1
Feb 19-20, 1884 .... 41 ....... 37 ......... 4 ........ 28 ...... 167
May .. 29, 1980 .... 40 ........ 4 ......... 0 ......... 0 ........ 0
Dec .. 14, 1971 .... 40 ....... 10 ......... 0 ......... 2 ........ 2
Nov .. 07, 1995 .... 40 ........ 7 ......... 0 ......... 0 ........ 0

If there is a possible challenger to April 3-4, 1974 for most numerous outbreak (in the 1880-1995 period), it is May 20, 1949. Officially, only 36 tornadoes were reported that day, but that was before an organized reporting system existed. For the 1916-1949 period, tornado totals were only about one-fourth of what they are today. The newspaper headlines read "Tornado Army Hits Kansas." Clusters of small tornadoes, and a few large ones, also touched down in Oklahoma, Colorado, and Nebraska. May 20, 1949 was in the middle of a record period of activity, as significant tornadoes hit on nine consecutive days.

There have been other large outbreaks since 1995, but I haven't compiled them into a list to see how they compare to Grazulis's.

 

[STurner]

This is kind of unusual thing to ask. I remember a few years back experts were also mentioning about a armageddon tornado outbreak that never came true, because a squall line ruined the potential for it to happen. The date I believe was 4-10-08. This tornado outbreak recently was of unimaginable proportions and never would believe this could ever happen. Had 4-10-08 have verified like they were expecting and ingredients for a massive tornado outbreak would have kept getting higher, would it have been almost as bad as this one or not?

 

[Rob Wadsworth]

Shouldn't/couldn't it be also defined as part of the same system that began on the 24th and 25th as well?

After all; it was the same low/cold front that progressed.

How is it going to be defined?

 

[Robert Dewey]

While this may be the biggest multi-day outbreak in history, I still have doubts about it exceeding 148 tornadoes in 16 hours.

 

[f.vanalstine]

I wonder how many people were saved by home tornado shelters or safe rooms. I wonder what the percentage of homes have them.
It would be interesting to hear from some of these people. What did their safe room or shelter cost them? How long ago were they installed?

 

[George Tincher]

This is kind of unusual thing to ask. I remember a few years back experts were also mentioning about a armageddon tornado outbreak that never came true, because a squall line ruined the potential for it to happen. The date I believe was 4-10-08. This tornado outbreak recently was of unimaginable proportions and never would believe this could ever happen. Had 4-10-08 have verified like they were expecting and ingredients for a massive tornado outbreak would have kept getting higher, would it have been almost as bad as this one or not?

May 30, 2004 was like that. There was a huge warm sector that day and all of the parameters were in place for a very significant tornado outbreak. There were still tornadoes that day and some of them were strong. But the huge squall line that developed along the front prevented that day from being far worse.