2011-05-22 Joplin, MO tornado thread

[Andy Jackson]

I was just about to post that same link myself. Two things jumped out at me from the article:

1. That the NWS estimates that nearly 7,000 homes were destroyed. Even if they meant 7,000 structures, that is still a staggering number in a city of about 50,000 people.

2. That the forward speed of the tornado was estimated to be less than 10mph for most of its life.

It seems a bit faster than that here:
Watch video >

Maybe during the widening phase it slowed down some.

 

[James Hilger]

I would definitely agree with the news or even faster. I know I couldn't safely get ahead of it even on I-44.

It seems a bit faster than that here:
Watch video >

Maybe during the widening phase it slowed down some.

 

[E. Clark]

It reminded me of being in a hurricane- sped up 100x - wall, eye, wall.

During Hurricane Opal I remember looking out front while the eye was overhead and our neighbors were out trying to clean up their property. Newbie to hurricanes, they thought it was all over.

 

[Robert Rohloff]

I thought that I would just paste this from Police One


June 03, 2011
Mo. officer struck by lightning in Joplin dies

Jeff Taylor is the first officer in the history of Riverside Police Department to die in the line of duty

By PoliceOne Staff
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Officer Jefferson “Jeff” Taylor of the Riverside (Mo.) Police Department, who was struck by lightning while aiding in relief efforts in the wake of the Joplin tornado, passed away at in Springfield (Mo.) today. Family members were at his side at St. John’s Hospital — where he had undergone successful skin graft surgery and was being treated for other complications related to injuries he suffered in that incident on Monday, May 23 — when he died. Taylor is the first officer in the history of Riverside Police Department to die in the line of duty.
Taylor was part of Riverside’s 12-member contingent of police officers, firefighters, and public works staff members who responded to the Joplin tornado disaster. On the evening after the tornado, as a new line of storms moved through the Joplin area, Taylor had just returned to a command post when lightning struck the ground near where he was working.
Related Article:
Helping police officers struck by the Joplin tornado

​

In a written statement, Greg Mills, Chief of Police and Director of Public Safety for the City of Riverside, said: “Jeff Taylor volunteered to assist with the Joplin disaster recovery. He was a highly dedicated officer and a devoted public servant, and we will always remember his sacrifice.”
Taylor — who is the first emergency responder to die as a result of the May 22 Joplin tornado — joined the Riverside Police Department in 2005 and was named Officer of the Year in 2008.
While departing this world he was still able to save three more people today. His liver and kidneys are being donated to those waiting and three more lives will be spared due to Jeffs generosity.

 

[Justin Avery]

It seems a bit faster than that here:
Watch video >

Maybe during the widening phase it slowed down some.

This is one issue I can't seem to get resolved. The authorities have been saying it traversed the 6 miles of Joplin in 5 minutes(70mph??). The NWS makes a statement saying it traveled 10mph. And this video seems to show something in between. Perhaps this has been previously addressed in this thread and I apologize if it has. I haven't had much time the past two weeks to get online.

 

[Kurt Wayne]

Sorry if this has been posted before, but this is a list of fatality victims with brief bios as of June 2nd, 2011. It puts brief life stories to the names.

 

[Jeff Wright]

The path length now at 12-13 miles If I recall. The saddest events are those who were already hospitalized and in bad shape who passed away as back-up power failed according to wiki.

 

[E. Clark]

From this video, it looks like the wedge developed rapidly:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XT7CtF5ljxY&feature=related

That thing went from nothing to 1/2 mile wide EF4 in about five seconds. Is that a record? I recall Jarrell(TX) went from a rope to a monster killer very quickly as well.

I don't know about a 'record'. But the speed of tornadogenesis and satellite images of the damage path fits with a theory I have been considering for a while about the heat island effect and the baroclinic environment.

If you have the KML on Google earth and look at the difference in damage from west to east in the area about 2 blocks west of St. Johns, you will see an area where the damage goes rapidly from about EF3 to the first cleared slab just north of the hospital. Generally this would be S. Adele Street. You will also see a mass of parking lots and businesses just to the west of S. Adele Street- right where the damage seems to exponentially increase. East of that is mostly more open farm/suburbs with little blacktop or large air conditioning systems.

I did a study for about a year on the Heat Island effect in Las Vegas. There, of course, you can get very abrupt 20 degree surface temperature variations from one parking lot to the center of a natural field one block over. But the average for areas such as Missouri is 2 to 8 degree gradients the closer you get to the center of the city area, depending on the time of year and other factors.

Of course it has been a long standing theory that tall buildings in a city would create areas of wind roughness (turbulence) that could serve to break up or lessen velocity/sheer. I am wondering if the heat island effect could actually override this under the right situation. Also, the tallest building in Joplin was the hospital, itself surrounded by a large skirting of black pavement and multiple, large air conditioning systems.

I am interested in any thoughts on this or if anyone has had this consideration. I had heard that the NWS was going to do a study on it a couple of years ago, but haven't heard anything since.
The idea that the heat island effect could increase vorticity is horrifying, but I believe that it should to be considered - especially after this storm.

 

[Jeff Wright]

I think the recent documentary on Nat Geo called Man-Made disasters had that as a theme--that and mud volcanoes I think...

 

[Melanie Kern-Favilla]

...I had 3 or 4 white vans pass me on I-44 that looked like a tour group about 5 miles or so West of Rangeline. I guess i won't neccessarily say they were being stupid because i wasn't far behind them, but me and my partner was amazed that they was trying to get that close and driving like they was being a tour company and trying to get to it. Maybe they thought they were about to get hit, i don't know....

Make no mistake, they were fleeing, not chasing. I've read the full account from the lead driver on a private forum.

 

[rdale]

This is one issue I can't seem to get resolved. The authorities have been saying it traversed the 6 miles of Joplin in 5 minutes(70mph??). The NWS makes a statement saying it traveled 10mph. And this video seems to show something in between. Perhaps this has been previously addressed in this thread and I apologize if it has. I haven't had much time the past two weeks to get online.

Dont use a statement written in the middle of a storm as any sort of evidence. And it wasn't 70 either...

 

[E. Clark]

I think the recent documentary on Nat Geo called Man-Made disasters had that as a theme--that and mud volcanoes I think...

Thanks, I will look for it. I first thought about this when looking at the '99 Oklahoma City and how it 'fired up' when it got to the outskirts of Moore. Right now I am in the middle of researching the Valley Heat/Wind effect here in the Sierras while still keeping up with convective events. Maybe sometime soon I will have time to really take a better look at this - especially after the Joplin.

 

[E. Clark]

Make no mistake, they were fleeing, not chasing. I've read the full account from the lead driver on a private forum.

Here is a video from inside one of the vans: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6c4_1306929740
Sorry if this has already been posted on this thread.

 

[Jason Persoff]

It's taken a couple of weeks, but I've finally completed a written account of what I saw and felt on 5/22. It's a wall of text, so be prepared. In order not to crash the bulletin board, here is the link to my blog.


http://stormdoctor.blogspot.com/2011/06/first-response-mode-may-22-2011-joplin.html

 

[Andy Jackson]

It's taken a couple of weeks, but I've finally completed a written account of what I saw and felt on 5/22. It's a wall of text, so be prepared. In order not to crash the bulletin board, here is the link to my blog.


http://stormdoctor.blogspot.com/2011/06/first-response-mode-may-22-2011-joplin.html

Jason, Thank you. That's all I have to say.