It's Raining Fish and Spiders (5 page)

BOOK: It's Raining Fish and Spiders
8.86Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

The 17 Deadliest Days In U.S. Tornado History

(Since 1950)

Courtesy Storm Prediction Center; Compiled by Greg Carbin, Roger Edwards, and Joe Schaefer, SPC

 

Please note that data from 2011 is incomplete.

RANK

BEGINNING DATE

DEATHS

1

May 22, 2011

695

2

April 27, 2011

313

3

April 3, 1974

310

4

April 11, 1965

260

5

March 21, 1952

205

6

June 8, 1953

142

7

May 11, 1953

127

8

February 21, 1971

121

9

May 25, 1955

102

10

June 9, 1953

90

11

May 31, 1985

76

12

May 15, 1968

72

13(tie)

March 3, 1966

58

13(tie)

April 21, 1967

58

15(tie)

April 10, 1979

57

15(tie)

March 28, 1984

57

15(tie)

February 5, 2008

57

Waterspout: Cousin to the Tornado

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Department of Commerce; Photographer: Steve Nicklas

A waterspout is a tornado over water. Waterspouts are common along the southeast U.S. coast—especially off southern Florida and the Keys—but they have been seen as far north as New York City, over the Great Lakes, and even off the coast of California. In one season, as many as 390 waterspouts were observed within 50 miles of the Florida Keys, making them far more prevalent than previously thought.

Waterspouts occur over seas, bays, and lakes worldwide. Although waterspouts are tornadoes, they don't officially count in tornado records unless they hit land. Waterspouts commonly come from rapidly growing cumulus clouds that have not and often do not become thunderstorms. Waterspouts are smaller and weaker than the most intense Great Plains tornadoes, but still can be quite dangerous. They can cause the same type of damage as an EF0 or an EF1. Waterspouts can overturn small boats, damage ships, do significant damage when hitting land, and kill people.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Department of Commerce

What Is the Difference Between a Tornado Watch and a Tornado Warning?

A tornado watch means that approaching weather
may
produce a tornado. In a tornado watch, you need to be alert to the fact that the weather conditions are favorable for the formation of tornadoes. You need to be prepared to go to a safe shelter or other place of safety if tornadoes do happen or if a warning is issued. This is the time to turn on local TV or radio to get the latest information. You should also make sure your friends and family are aware of the potential for tornadoes in the area.

Example of a Tornado Watch

URGENT—IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 600

NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK

1030 PM EDT WED AUG 15 2007

 

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A

TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

NORTHERN INDIANA

NORTHWEST OHIO

LAKE MICHIGAN

 

EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING FROM 1030 PM UNTIL 400 AM EDT.

 

TORNADOES…HAIL TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER…THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH…AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

 

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 40 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 20 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF VALPARAISO INDIANA TO 65 MILES EAST OF FORT WAYNE INDIANA. FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU0).

 

REMEMBER…A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

 

DISCUSSION…SMALL MCS OVER NW IND HAS FORMED IN THE PAST 90 MINUTES ON WRN SIDE OF COLD POOL/MCV ASSOCIATED WITH EARLIER CONVECTIVE SYSTEM. THE MCS SHOULD REMAIN STRONG THROUGH EARLY THURSDAY AND TRACK ESE INTO OH. A Super cell NOW PRESENT ON WRN SIDE OF SYSTEM WILL POSE A THREAT FOR ISOLATED TORNADOES…IN ADDITION TO DAMAGING WET MICROBURSTS/MARGINALLY SVR HAIL…GIVEN HI PWS AND LOW LEVEL WIND FIELD WITH CONSIDERABLE DEGREE OF SPEED/DIRECTIONAL SHEAR. WIND PROFILES MAY ALSO SUPPORT BACK-BUILDING DEVELOPMENT ON WRN SIDE OF MCS…WITH ASSOCIATED LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN POSSIBLE INTO FAR NE IL/NRN IND IN WAKE OF Super cell.

 

AVIATION…TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1 INCH. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 550. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 30030.

 

…CORFIDI
*

Once the outline of a watch area is defined by the NWS Storm Prediction Center, a list of counties within the watch area is posted to make sure residents and travelers understand exactly which counties are possibly in the path of a future tornado. These watch areas are shown on television by a meteorologist or weathercaster, and the counties are named in a special weather bulletin on radio and television. Many television broadcast or cable channels will scroll the names of the counties across the TV screen in what is called a
crawl
.

Example of a Watch County Breakdown

WOUS64 KWNS 160227

WOU0

 

BULLETIN—IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED

TORNADO WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE FOR WT 600

NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK

1030 PM EDT WED AUG 15 2007

 

TORNADO WATCH 600 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 400 AM EDT FOR THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS

 

INC001-003-009-017-033-039-049-053-069-075-085-087
-091-099-103-113-131-141-149-151-169-179-181-183-160800
-/O.NEW.KWNS.TO.A.0600.070816T0230Z-070816T0800Z/

 

IN

INDIANA COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE

 

ADAMS

ALLEN

BLACKFORD

CASS

DE KALB

ELKHART

FULTON

GRANT

HUNTINGTON

JAY

KOSCIUSKO

LAGRANGE

LA PORTE

MARSHALL

MIAMI

NOBLE

PULASKI

ST. JOSEPH

STARKE

STEUBEN

WABASH

WELLS

WHITE

WHITLEY

 

OHC003-039-051-069-125-137-161-171-160800
-/O.NEW.KWNS.TO.A.0600.070816T0230Z-070816T0800Z/

 

OH

OHIO COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE

 

ALLEN

DEFIANCE

FULTON

HENRY

PAULDING

PUTNAM

VAN WERT

WILLIAMS

 

 

LMZ046-160800-/O.NEW.KWNS
.TO.A.0600.070816T0230Z
-070816T0800Z/CW

ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS INCLUDED ARE

 

MICHIGAN CITY IN TO NEW BUFFALO MI

Tornado Warning

A tornado warning is issued when a hook echo is indicated on weather radar. A hook echo is produced when rain, hail, or debris is wrapped around a super cell, indicating that the hook echo that has been sighted could potentially drop down to the ground and become a tornado.

A tornado warning is also issued when an official weather spotter (someone who is trained to detect a tornado with the human eye) sees a funnel cloud and alerts local authorities such as police, sheriff, fire department, or the local National Weather Service office. It can take only a few moments between a funnel cloud being sighted on radar and a tornado touching down. By the time a warning is heard on radio or seen on television, the tornado may already be on the ground.

It's important to know the details and find out if your county is in the watch area. Have a plan and be ready to act if and when a tornado warning is issued.

BOOK: It's Raining Fish and Spiders
8.86Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Other books

Tied to the Tycoon by Chloe Cox
Forests of the Heart by Charles de Lint
Homeland by Clare Francis
The Lawson Boys: Marty by Angela Verdenius
Vision of Venus by Otis Adelbert Kline
Finders Keepers by Costello, Sean