2024-04-26 EVENT: IA/NE/KS/MO/OK

[Jeff Duda]

Some offices do better than others when it comes to the narrative on damage surveys. OAX and DMX tend to do pretty well, IMO, whereas some of the OK offices (OUN is a big offender) often have much less narrative, or none at all. The narratives from OAX are pretty insightful. The number of times they note that a new tornado began before a nearby one dissipated seems anecdotally unusual in my memory. While cyclic tornadic storms are far from uncommon, having the distance between cycles be so short seems uncommon.

IEM :: PNS from NWS OAX

PNS issued by NWS OAX at 29 Apr 2024 21:24 UTC

mesonet.agron.iastate.edu

 

[Dan Robinson]

I know this page from OAX is still in the preliminary stages, but there are some interesting details from their plotted maps so far.

Tornado Outbreak of April 26, 2024

www.weather.gov

One is that the EF3 that began at Elkhorn (NW Omaha) is shown as being continuous to Modale, IA. This would bump one tornado from my count for the day (11 to 10). I observed the start of the wedge at Elkhorn, followed by an occluded dissipating tornado at Modale which I'd assumed to be separate. Does anyone have any evidence of a handoff occurring between those two points?

The maps also show the Eppley Airfield EF3 being continuous through Crescent to Beebeetown (where I observed it), as well as the Minden tornado being continuous with Tennant/Harlan. I observed a tornado-less gap after Minden appeared to have shrunk, produced a satellite/possible handoff and dissipated, but I took my eyes off of the storm upon encountering the impacted home.

OAX has been inundated with reports and photos and doesn't yet have everything finalized, so I'm not necessarily challenging those tracks yet as I know they can still change. I'm just wondering if any others' observations of some of those tornadoes differ from the official maps.

 

[Dan Robinson]

After reviewing chaser photos and videos from Elkhorn, Bennington and Blair, it is clear that this was indeed a single tornado. Its continuous progress can be confirmed via these videos and pictures throughout the path up until its form northeast of Blair, where I saw it looking southwest from Modale.

 

[Jeff Duda]

In today's episode of "Building/No Building"...

Note also how readily the rear glass goes on the two vehicles on either lateral flank of the video POV. It just seems to flake away since whatever hits it is so small and moving so fast.

 

[Dan Robinson]

After that warehouse was impacted, the air was more uniformly full of copious debris than I've ever personally witnessed with a tornado, and much of it stayed lofted as the tornado crossed the interstate.

 

[Andy Wehrle]

0:26 that looks like an entire rooftop A/C unit with the fan assemblies still inside flying by. That gives me an idea...

Too late for Twisters, but maybe for the third installment some mad scientist builds a super-sized Dorothy?