2011-05-22 Joplin, MO tornado thread

[Travis Davis]

"...only 20 minutes..." Seriously.... that was fantastic lead time and given the evolution of the storm as it crossed the state line obviously the local office in my opinion the local office took the appropriate conservative approach about Torn Warn the cell far in advance of a populated area. I can think of a lot that I can do in "...only 20 minutes..." Not the least of which is seek shelter. I wish the media would stop trying to play up the drama/danger component and report on the fact that this and other storms this year have been given more than adequate lead time but a variety of circumstances (some controllable, others not) have been in place resulting in high loss of life.

Exactly my thoughts. 20 minutes is quite a bit of time to seek shelter. Of course if is easier to blame the lead time rather then personal responsibility to actually get the info.

 

[KenMcWatters]

The audio recording from inside the Joplin Fastrip convenience store posted on YouTube is very chilling to hear. It really brings home the human toll of a violent tornado passage. I found it interesting though, because it seems to document the passage of the two "eyewalls" of the tornado. (At least that's my interpretation, feel free to chime in..) On the audio the tornado arrives at 2:14 with the first sound of tremendous rushing wind and crashing debris, followed by a period of intermittent thumps and wind noises while inside the tornado, and then the back eyewall passes at 3:06 in an even louder torrent of wind and debris. Note that similar eyewitness descriptions came out of Greensburg from people in their basements, but to my knowledge this is the first time something like this has been documented on tape.

Here is the link to the YouTube video for reference - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQnvxJZucds

 

[Mike Peregrine]

Storm structure from behind the cold front was very impressive yesterday. Clear air gave us a solid look from KC of a line of powerful supercells running nearly the extent of the horizon from north to south that had initiated and were growing by 3:00. Overshooting tops and backsheared anvils were clearly evident above several updrafts. The first one that really caught my attention was the storm near Clinton, Missouri at about 4:00-4:30 pm, and I'm certain the Joplin storm would have later been visible from here as well, as there were no obstructions to block the view and the storm tops appeared quite high. About an hour before the Joplin storm, I remarked to some friends that the updrafts were particularly vigorous and the anvils very sharp and that I wouldn't be surprised to hear tornado warnings. It's hard not to notice when a person can make out detailed features of an updraft like that from miles away. The video from inside the convenience store is quite emotional, and difficult to watch. So smart to take cover in that cooler! Unfortunately on days like yesterday, people can do everything right and everything they are supposed to do in response to warnings, but with tornadoes as powerful as this one, it often doesn't make a difference.

 

[Jason Haller]

Storm structure from behind the cold front was very impressive yesterday. Clear air gave us a solid look from KC of a line of powerful supercells running nearly the extent of the horizon from north to south that had initiated and were growing by 3:00. Overshooting tops and backsheared anvils were clearly evident above several updrafts. The first one that really caught my attention was the storm near Clinton, Missouri at about 4:00-4:30 pm, and I'm certain the Joplin storm would have later been visible from here as well, as there were no obstructions to block the view and the storm tops appeared quite high. About an hour before the Joplin storm, I remarked to some friends that the updrafts were particularly vigorous and the anvils very sharp and that I wouldn't be surprised to hear tornado warnings. It's hard not to notice when a person can make out detailed features of an updraft like that from miles away. The video from inside the convenience store is quite emotional, and difficult to watch. So smart to take cover in that cooler! Unfortunately on days like yesterday, people can do everything right and everything they are supposed to do in response to warnings, but with tornadoes as powerful as this one, it often doesn't make a difference.

From Manhattan I could see the updrafts and they looked like mushroom clouds from atom bombs and that was a good 300 miles away.

 

[Atreyu Neyhart]

From Manhattan I could see the updrafts and they looked like mushroom clouds from atom bombs and that was a good 300 miles away.

Same here, I live on the NE side of Manhattan. It was amazing, very clear view, they were huge storms.

 

[Chris Outler]

CNN is reporting the Joplin storm as an EF-4 with 190-198 mph winds...has this been confirmed by the NWS? I have not seen any official statements regarding the survey results so im not sure where CNN is getting the info.

 

[Dean Baron]

The audio recording from inside the Joplin Fastrip convenience store posted on YouTube is very chilling to hear. It really brings home the human toll of a violent tornado passage. I found it interesting though, because it seems to document the passage of the two "eyewalls" of the tornado. (At least that's my interpretation, feel free to chime in..) On the audio the tornado arrives at 2:14 with the first sound of tremendous rushing wind and crashing debris, followed by a period of intermittent thumps and wind noises while inside the tornado, and then the back eyewall passes at 3:06 in an even louder torrent of wind and debris. Note that similar eyewitness descriptions came out of Greensburg from people in their basements, but to my knowledge this is the first time something like this has been documented on tape.

Here is the link to the YouTube video for reference - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQnvxJZucds

I wonder if that first "noise" (for lack of better word) wasn't a satellite tornado.

 

[Aaron Kennedy]

I wonder if that first "noise" (for lack of better word) wasn't a satellite tornado.

I was thinking an inflow jet, but hard to say.

 

[Jordan Bell]

There has been no official survey yet. It will probably take a couple of days as people from around the country are en route to help.
My friend who lives in Joplin says the pictures do it no justice. He says its terrible down there. The atmosphere is not helping things either.

 

[Scott Udell]

KOAM-TV is quoting the NWS as saying EF-4, possibly EF-5 in spots, but don't give any references other than that. It was posted in the running blog-like page they have about the event:

http://www.koamtv.com/story/14695681/89-confirmed-dead-in-joplin-tornado

Look for the 2:25 PM (May 23rd) entry (at the top of the article as I type this).

 

[sfender]

They've just updated the number of dead to 116.

 

[Darren Addy]

If this hasn't been posted yet...
Not a lot of "video" to this video, but the audio alone will raise the hair on the back of your neck, or you aren't human.

- source

 

[mwenzbauer]

Note that the EF-4 rating is preliminary...

 

[Greg Higgins]

SGF released an LSR which can be found here: http://www.crh.noaa.gov/sgf/?n=event_2011may22_survey
It was released at 3:52 CDT

 

[Kurt Wayne]

It's been rated EF-4:

*** 116 fatal, 400 inj *** a national weather service storm survey revealed that an EF-4 tornado impacted a large portion of the city of Joplin. Wind speeds were estimated at 190 - 198 mph. The path width was estimated at three quarters of a mile wide.

Hate to ask this but...does this make it the single deadliest tornado in the past 64 years? (According to TWC a tornado obliterated Glazier, TX, killing 181 in 1947, as I recall.) It's fascinating to watch historic events, but not THESE types of historic events. And if this is the case, wonder how many on this board were even ALIVE in 1947, though I'm sure some were.