SPC tornado report mistake

[Chris Hayes]

I was looking at the SPC storm reports for yesterday and I noticed a tornado report in West Virginia. I scrolled down and read the report. Obviously not a tornado report. lol.

08152 E TORNADO KANAWHA WV38338182WATER OVER SMITH CREEK ROAD IN A FEW SPOTS BETWEEN TORNADO AND SOUTH CHARLESTON. (RLX)

 

[Jason Foster]

I think you realize this...but perhaps not...or other may not get it right away....there is a town called "Tornado" in West Virginia

 

[Dan Robinson]

Ah yes. This town is about 15 miles from me. One year there was actually a tornado report there, and I went to investigate and found nothing. They ended up removing it from the record.

There is a town called Hurricane a few miles away from Tornado. My company's office is in Hurricane. A few years ago there was actually a legit tornado in Hurricane.

 

[Dean Baron]

Maybe I'm missing something and if so, some correct me. But I think Chris may have been talking about the comment in the text, it sounds a lot more like a flash flood report than a tornado report. But then again, I might be reading if wrong.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Yeah - it looks like a flash flood LSR that got tagged as a tornado report due to the town's name. The one I mentioned hearing about in the past was a true tornado report though.

 

[joel ewing]

I actually pulled up the SPC reports this morning prior to logging into S.Track. I saw the West Virginia nader report and went...."Whoa"...West Virginia....the "tornado vacuum" where supposedly they never happen actually bagged one! Then I read on...and well.....here we are in this thread. lol
I have often wondered how come this area doesn't get many. Or...do they happen and aren't reported...because they can't be seen due to terrain, etc. ?? I've never been there...so can't surmise anything.

 

[Chris Hayes]

Maybe I'm missing something and if so, some correct me. But I think Chris may have been talking about the comment in the text, it sounds a lot more like a flash flood report than a tornado report. But then again, I might be reading if wrong.

Dean, yeah. It's an apparent flood report that accidently got tagged as a tornado report. I wasnt implying that there isnt a place known as "Tornado"

 

[Dan Robinson]

I took this shot with my old car there back in 2005:

 

[Aaron Kennedy]

The issue is the script SPC runs scans each LSR file looking for key words. If Tornado is found, it grabs the lat lon information and plots it as a tornado report.

 

[Chris Hayes]

The issue is the script SPC runs scans each LSR file looking for key words. If Tornado is found, it grabs the lat lon information and plots it as a tornado report.

I was thinking it might be something like that. If people were entering the storm reports, they wouldnt post an obvious flooding report as a tornado.