5/1/08 NOW: KS/MO/OK/AR/TX/NE/IA

[afischer]

Softball hail reported with southeastern SD tor-warned storm in latest SVS. Low-level theta-e seems relatively weak considering the thermodynamic pattern, so at first glance I'm not sure how strongly surface-based this storm is. No doubt a nice low-level sr hodograph though as the storm moves north of the warm front.

 

[Nick Hartley]

Very nice funnel on Kory Hartman's cam over by Hurley, SD.

 

[Patrick Romans]

public reports of wall cloud and rotation on the TOR warned cell in Elk co ks.

 

[Chad Cowan]

OKC is about to get nailed. Rapidly strengthening discrete cell in a very favorable environment. Any live streams?

 

[Chris Allington]

Interesting warning text out of FSD for a TOR covering a wide area SE of Souix Falls.

SPOTTERS HAVE REPORTED MULTIPLE TORNADOES IN A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS.

None of them are in fantastic shape on radar either.

 

[JR Hehnly]

golf balls all around me currently in midwest city... live on cam www.mobilemesonet.com

 

[Bruce M. Sumner]

Live stream from OKC

http://www.koco.com/video/11098209/index.html

 

[afischer]

Latest SVS from FSD says half mile wide tornado was reported with tail-end cell in far northwestern Sioux County, IA near Rock Valley.

 

[Mark Farnik]

I strongly suspect the reports of "multiple tornadoes" southeast of Sioux Falls are acutally landspouts occuring under the line of developing thunderstorms there, given the mediocre radar presentation of the cells.
Now, that supercell north/northeast of Yankton and southwest of Sioux Falls is looking good and appears to be attempting to form a couplet attm.
EDIT: The cells have rapidly intensified and are quickly evolving into extremely compact, low topped tornadic supercells. A large , damaging tornado was reported north of Rock Valley, IA at 7:10 p.m. CDT. Also, the cell southwest of Sioux Falls is now tornado warned, with strong rotation reported in northern Turner County near the town of Hurley at 7:03 p.m. CDT, moving, interestingly, NORTHWEST at 15 mph. A nasty situation quickly evolving there in southeast SD/northwest IA/southwest MN.
Further south, the supercell in Elk County, KS now has a funnel cloud reported with it near Longton, moving northeast at 30 mph. Wouldn't be surprised to see a tornado on the ground here shortly with that storm.
The storms in north central and central Oklahoma look amazing - three beautifully isolated supercells between Oklahoma City and Ponca City. The southern one over OKC is tornado warned and is rapidly bearing down on Tinker AFB with a strengthing couplet... not good.

 

[Bruce M. Sumner]

Tornado warning for Payne County Oklahoma.

 

[J Kinkaid]

LIVE CHOPPER COVERAGE OF OKC twister cut and paste

mms://a777.l543454134.c5434.n.lm.akamaistream.net/D/777/5434/v0001/reflector:54732

 

[B. Kotcher]

There's a tornado in the northern outskirts of Kansas City with a monster hook on radar. Here's live video from Kansas City:

http://media.myfoxkc.com/live/index2.html

--Bob

 

[afischer]

I don't know that the KC cell is producing a tornado to my knowledge. But there is really heavy rain at my house as the storm passes over. Reflectivity and VIL been generally trending downward.

 

[B. Kotcher]

NWS confirms reduction in rotation, but says that it may be cycling. Another tornado-warned storm is in Olathe, moving up I35 ...will be in Kansas City soon at this pace.

--Bob

 

[afischer]

Yowsers, 00Z OUN RAOB shows an incredible evolution since 20Z launch, with a very deep moist boundary layer, complete erosion of the 800-700mb cap, and very strong low-level instability.