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

[mikegeukes]

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
934 PM CDT THU APR 28 2011

...PRELIMINARY STORM SURVEY INFORMATION FROM FRANKLIN COUNTY ALABAMA...

PRELIMINARY RATING: EF-4

http://kamala.cod.edu/offs/KHUN/1104290234.nous44.html

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
931 PM CDT THU APR 28 2011

...PRELIMINARY STORM SURVEY INFORMATION FROM LIMESTONE AND MADISON
COUNTIES...

PRELIMINARY RATING: EF-4

http://kamala.cod.edu/offs/KHUN/1104290231.nous44.html

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT..
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
920 PM CDT THU APR 28 2011

..PRELIMINARY STORM SURVEY INFORMATION
http://kamala.cod.edu/offs/KJAN/1104290220.nous44.html

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
1010 PM CDT THU APR 28 2011

PRELIMINARY RATING: EF-4

http://kamala.cod.edu/offs/KMEG/1104290312.nous44.html

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
1040 PM EDT THU APR 28 2011

TEN TORNADOES CONFIRMED SO FAR IN NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA

PRELIMINARY RATING: EF-4

http://kamala.cod.edu/offs/KFFC/1104290241.nous42.html

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
724 PM EDT THU APR 28 2011

http://kamala.cod.edu/offs/KGSP/1104290313.nous42.html

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
1045 PM EDT THU APR 28 2011

..EF-4 TORNADO CONFIRMED IN HAMILTON...BRADLEY

http://kamala.cod.edu/offs/KMRX/1104290245.nous44.html


PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
920 AM CDT FRI APR 29 2011

...DAY 2 STORM SURVEY AND DAMAGE ASSESSMENTS UNDERWAY...

...MONROE COUNTY TORNADO UPGRADED TO EF-5 WITH 205 MPH WINDS...

THE NATIONAL SERVICE IN MEMPHIS IS IN THE PROCESS OF ASSESSING
DAMAGE FROM A HISTORIC SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK THAT SPANNED
SEVERAL DAYS BEGINNING LATE LAST WEEK THROUGH WEDNESDAY APRIL 27
2011. THIS SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK RESULTED IN DOZENS OF INJURIES
AND NUMEROUS FATALITIES. CREWS WILL CONTINUE TO BE DISPATCHED OVER
THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS TO VARIOUS LOCATIONS ACROSS EAST
ARKANSAS...WEST TENNESSEE...NORTH MISSISSIPPI AND THE MISSOURI
BOOTHEEL TO SURVEY DAMAGE AS THE RESULT OF SUSPECTED
TORNADOES...FLOODING...AND POSSIBLE DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.
SURVEY CREWS WILL INVESTIGATE AS MANY AS 10 SUSPECTED TORNADO TRACKS
THAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE CONTINUOUS AND MAY BEGIN OR END IN
SURROUNDING COUNTY WARNING AREAS. WE WILL WORK CLOSELY WITH OUR
MEDIA PARTNERS...EMERGENCY MANAGERS AND SURROUNDING FORECAST OFFICES
TO BUILD A THOROUGH PICTURE OF THIS EVENT.

DUE TO THE SCOPE OF THIS TRAGICALLY HISTORIC EVENT...SURVEYS MAY
TAKE A WEEK OR MORE TO COMPLETE. WE WILL RELEASE INFORMATION BY
UPDATING OUR PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENTS AS SURVEY CREWS REPORT
BACK TO US. CHECK BACK OFTEN FOR THE LATEST.

&&

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
1109 AM CDT FRI APR 29 2011

http://kamala.cod.edu/offs/KJAN/1104291609.nous44.html

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...CORRECTED FATALITIES
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
122 PM CDT FRI APR 29 2011

COUNTY/PARISH: SMITH...JASPER...AND CLARKE
RATING: EF-4 MAX ESTIMATED WINDS 175 MPH

http://kamala.cod.edu/offs/KJAN/1104291950.nous44.html

 

[Zack Hargrove]

Here is a video of our first supercell intercept. This was the cell that produced some tornado damage in the Blountville/Cleveland, AL areas. We got sirens, the possible tornado, an impressive meso, and some light damage before a tree got in our way to keep us from moving on to the more substantial damage.

Watch video >

 

[Ryan McGinnis]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8SLdLOAM2c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6giQ3csbUg

It's also worth watching parts 2,3,4, etc if you want to see 40 miles
of forest weed-whacked. Just unbelievable.

 

[Robert Dewey]

Wow, that aerial footage is impressive. I'd bet everything I own on that tornado being an EF5.

 

[John Farley]

Hmm...given the wind speed bounds from DI2 (single family homes), that sounds like EF5 damage to me.





Again, sounds pretty definitively like EF5 damage.

I suspect that they may be waiting for the rapid response team to make a final judgement. Perhaps today the RRT was in the Birmingham CWA, not Huntsville. I think there is a good chance these tornadoes will end up being rated EF5.

On another related subject, I just heard from a friend on the faculty of the University of Alabama that the rest of the semester has been cancelled.

 

[Jason Harris]

Looks like there can be days more of speculation based on how long it will take to complete these surveys:

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/bmx/?n=event_04272011_surveystatus

 

[Mike Johnston]

Hopefully, the NWS will produce a comprehensive analysis of the meteorology of this event. Just looking back at the archived mesoscale analysis at 18z on 4/27, the following can be noted:

1. Distinct 500mb trough w/ base over northern Lousiana, neutral to slightly negatively tilted, and a speed max of 80 to 100 kt with divergence indicated over northwest Missssippi. It looked progressive, and was referred to as a short-wave during in the forecasts of the day, but certainly had some amplitude.

2. Very rich moisture advecting through the gulf coast states, with td's > 64 covering most of Mississippi and Alabama, and td's > 68 covering the southern 2/3's of those states.

3. Surface low of 996mb over eastern Arkansas, with attendant backed surface winds over Tennessee, and the northern halves of Mississippi and Alabama.

4. Cloud cover from ongoing convection over much of Tennessee and northern Mississippi, but significant breaks in clouds over Alabama.

5. SB CAPE of 2,000 - 3,000 j/kg over much of the southeast, with CIN eroded across about 70 percent of the area.

6. Significant Tornado Parameters of 6+ over west central Alabama up to 9 over northern Mississippi.

7. 0 - 1km SR Helicity readings of between 400-900 m2/s2 over much of Tennesee, northern Mississippi and northern Alabama.

8. Base reflectivity mosaic showing signs of 3 n/s bands of convection setting up over the outbreak area.

I know this is a quite simplified snapshot, but I would certainly appreciate any more insight from a meteorological standpoint on the setup of this outbreak.

 

[John Hudson]

Anyone know what the EHI values were prior to this event? I did the math, but came up with 16.9. Is that possible?

John
VE4 JTH

 

[mikegeukes]

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1155 PM CDT THU APR 28 2011

http://kamala.cod.edu/offs/KBMX/1104290456.nous44.html

TORNADO 1...SHOTSVILLE TORNADO (MARION COUNTY)...

PRELIMINARY DATA...
EVENT TYPE: EF-3 TORNADO OR POTENTIALLY HIGHER


TORNADO 2...HACKLEBURG TORNADO (MARION COUNTY)...

PRELIMINARY DATA...
EVENT TYPE: EF-3 TORNADO OR POTENTIALLY HIGHER (FURTHER EVALUATION
IS NEEDED)


TORNADO 3...HALEYVILLE (MARION/WINSTON COUNTIES)...
PRELIMINARY DATA...
EVENT TYPE: EF-3

SURVEYS WILL CONDUCTED ONCE AGAIN ON FRIDAY AS WELL SATURDAY. THE
ENTIRE PROCESS MAY TAKE UPWARDS OF TWO WEEKS. ANOTHER PLAN OF THE
DAY WILL ISSUED EARLY FRIDAY MORNING.

 

[Mike Johnston]

Anyone know what the EHI values were prior to this event?

At 18z, there were some 9 readings of 0-1km EHI values over east central MS and west central AL.

 

[Jeff Duda]

Anyone know what the EHI values were prior to this event?

You can still check on the archived SPC mesoanalysis page for a few more days. Then you'll have to go to this site to view CONUS sized views of them. 0-1 km EHIs maxed out at 11-12 and pretty much followed along with the Tuscaloosa-Birmingham supercell during the peak hours of the event. There was quite a gradient around it, though. In far northern AL, 0-1 km EHIs were only about 2-5. 0-3 km EHIs maxed out at 15-16 in C/N MS early in the event and actually decreased slightly to 13-14 as the Tuscaloosa-Birmingham supercell was hitting those cities. Again, there was a sharp gradient away from the axis of highest values there.

 

[GPhillips]

Unfortunately, a double post.

 

[GPhillips]

Anyone know what the EHI values were prior to this event? I did the math, but came up with 16.9. Is that possible?

John
VE4 JTH

19Z had 13 into central MS with a contour of 10 extending into west central AL.

 

[Will Tinder]

Some more videos cropping up on Youtube I don't think have been posted yet in this thread:

Ringgold, GA:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOkKAG_obNs

Arab, AL (I think this might have been one of the Cullman tornadoes later?):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5a_yyh4KbQ

Rose Hill, MS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yr9mO-iC9LM&feature=related

I'm curious to see the percentage of strong/violent tornadoes in this outbreak once all the confirmations and surveys are complete. I know that was a benchmark of the Super Outbreak in 1974 as well, and I think this one will be up with that previous one in that regard unfortunately.

 

[Rob Gardner]

Some more videos cropping up on Youtube I don't think have been posted yet in this thread:

Ringgold, GA:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOkKAG_obNs

Arab, AL (I think this might have been one of the Cullman tornadoes later?):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5a_yyh4KbQ

Rose Hill, MS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yr9mO-iC9LM&feature=related

I'm curious to see the percentage of strong/violent tornadoes in this outbreak once all the confirmations and surveys are complete. I know that was a benchmark of the Super Outbreak in 1974 as well, and I think this one will be up with that previous one in that regard unfortunately.

The Arab, AL tornado has a speaker system in the background telling people to seek shelter immediately, similar to the one that was referenced in robinson,il