Tornadoes

[TOADS]

The big tornado outbreak across the south last night might have killed 50-100 people. This kind outbreak is really off the charts for occurring his time of year. This is the type of activity usually seen in the April to June timeframe.

The changing climate is going to result in more of this type of activity occurring earlier than usual spring outbreaks.

Of all meteorological events, tornadoes are the worst since they can strike with next to no warning.

I sincerely hope that no one here has been affected by this outbreak.

 

[Karen-W]

Dozens Dead, Injured After Historic Tornado Outbreak | The Weather Channel

A historic tornado outbreak and rounds of severe weather left multiple people dead in several states. - Articles from The Weather Channel | weather.com

weather.com

Not just the South but a big chunk of the Midwest. There are deaths reported in Illinois, Tennessee and Arkansas already. An Amazon warehouse in southern Illinois was severely damaged with workers trapped, a nursing home in Arkansas was leveled, and there was a factory in Kentucky that was also badly damaged also with workers trapped.

Saturday is also expected to be a very active day with tornado threats moving eastward.

 

[Catherine M]

Such sad news to wake up to. Even though my house had extensive roof damage from Hurricane Ida, I was 350 miles away when said damaged happened--next door neighbor who did ride out Ida said it was the worst experience of his life and was praying for his life to be spared. So my heart breaks for all those that had no to little warning that these tornadoes were coming.

 

[Cachoo]

Well that is a tragedy anytime but this close to Christmas is even worse. Too much warm, moist air for December….Wasn’t there a tornado in Britain recently?

 

[LeafOnTheWind]

We don't have any tornados right now (knock on wood) but I am getting very concerned about wind damage. It's picking up. I don't want to open the blinds this morning because if anything breaks the window they may take some of the impact from coming in the house.

 

[Cachoo]

That Amazon warehouse took a direct hit. It looks like it was constructed from cardboard. I’m not sure how you survive that.

 

[TOADS]

It is possible that the track of this tornado will be the longest on record, surpassing a record that is over 100 years old.

 

[aka_gerbil]

Mayfield is the county seat of the county I grew up in. The photos and videos I’ve seen… are just completely unrecognizable. My parents are safe, but so many people lost everything last night. A dear childhood friend’s home was destroyed all but the bathroom they were sheltering in and a bedroom.

 

[ChelleC]

Glad your family is safe @aka_gerbil

Absolutely devastating to wake up and see this damage in my state. My childhood next door neighbor posted that Mayfield is where her sister-in-law is from. From some other things I've seen on social media, Bowling Green has been hit hard too.

I live in the eastern part of Kentucky, and the storms just started here about an hour ago. Thankfully they have died down.

 

[pollyanna]

It’s heartbreaking. I live just outside Louisville and we were too far north for the tornadoes, so my family was very lucky. Seeing Mayfield on the news this morning - well, it was shocking. My heart goes out to everyone affected by this disaster.

 

[TOADS]

After looking at the drone pictures of what is left of downtown Mayfield, I can only imagine what we would be looking at for casualties if this had occurred in the middle of the afternoon. There would have been a lot of folks working and shopping.

 

[Karen-W]

Kentucky's governor just wrapped up a press conference - he said that they know of at least 70 dead in that state alone. ?

 

[LeafOnTheWind]

Kentucky's governor just wrapped up a press conference - he said that they know of at least 70 dead in that state alone. ?

And possibly up to 100 after all reports are in.

 

[once_upon]

The force, path, and length of this outbreak is unfathomable

 

[LeafOnTheWind]

TN confirmed 3 deaths in the northwest part of the state. The 5 tornados that went through there were not as bad as the ones in Kentucky. EF0 and EF1. Wind advisories are still in effect throughout most of the day.

Reports of 2 deaths in Arkansas and 2 in Illinois

 

[AxelAnnie]

Terrible, terrible event. My heart goes out to everyone, as everyone IS effective. I would like to correct one thing. Tornadoes....according to the USGS do come with a warning and lead time.

Not that it is a great honor...the only weather event that comes with NO warning are earthquakes. In 1964 115 people died in an earthquake.
We didn't (I lived just a few. miles from the epicenter) lay it off on climate change...that had not been invented yet.
These events. Tornadoes, quakes, tsunamis, and on and on have been going on forever.....ask the dinosaurs.

USGS earthquake stats.

Whether "Climate Change" is real or anything we can effect makes little difference to the hundreds of thousands of people who are and will be touched by this event.

NOTE: Please remember if you respond in this this cataclysms are not a contest of whose is worst. And you never know whois still hurting physically or mentally from any of these events.

 

[Sylvia]

Terrible, terrible event. My heart goes out to everyone, as everyone IS effective.
I would like to correct one thing. Tornadoes....according to the USGS do come with a warning and lead time.

AFFECTED (sorry, pet peeve). I think @FGRSK8 knows what he's talking about. Not much anyone can do with a warning or lead time when a single tornado path ends up being 200+ miles long : https://www.wkdzradio.com/2021/12/11/wky-tornados-will-likely-surpass-1974-outbreak/news-edge/
"Shanklin added the four-state tornado may be the first in U.S. history."

Just terribly sad for everyone affected.

 

[Aceon6]

My old stomping grounds in Bowing Green, KY took a hit. Fortunately, everyone I know has checked in with no injuries. A former coworker lost the detached garage where he kept his motorcycle and boat. His house has damage, but it’s repairable.

 

[ChelleC]

Terrible, terrible event. My heart goes out to everyone, as everyone IS effective. I would like to correct one thing. Tornadoes....according to the USGS do come with a warning and lead time.

Warnings and lead time do not matter much when it happens overnight and the storms are moving at 60-70 mph. From what I can tell from the Lexington and Louisville TV stations almost every county in central Kentucky went under tornado warnings last night, and that's not the area of the state that was hard hit.

One friend said the sirens in Lexington went off at 4 am, another Lexington friend slept through it all.

 

[LeafOnTheWind]

Just heard from a friend at EPB that the local electricians are gearing up and just waiting to hear where they need to go. The retirees are coming out in full force too. They are ready to return the favor. Kentucky crews helped us out a lot last year.

 

[BittyBug]

The changing climate is going to result in more of this type of activity occurring earlier than usual spring outbreaks.

The reality that TPTB don't seem to want to face. With climate change, our weather is becoming increasingly violent, yet we will do nothing to reduce our contribution to the problem.

Whether "Climate Change" is real or anything we can effect makes little difference to the hundreds of thousands of people who are and will be touched by this event.

There is no need to put climate change in quotes. Climate change is all too real, despite what you may have been led to believe from watching too much Fox "News." And while we can't change what has already happened, we absolutely can influence how much worse it will get, and yet we won't.

Here's the tragedy that not enough people will discuss. We'll spend billions and billions in FEMA aid to assist those whose lives devastated by violent weather events fueled by climate change, but we don't have the stomach to spend any meaningful amount on clean energy. As a race, people are incredibly short-sighted and stupid. Always reacting instead of anticipating.

 

[aka_gerbil]

TN confirmed 3 deaths in the northwest part of the state. The 5 tornados that went through there were not as bad as the ones in Kentucky. EF0 and EF1. Wind advisories are still in effect throughout most of the day.

Reports of 2 deaths in Arkansas and 2 in Illinois

The deaths in northwest tn were in the counties that border Kentucky. The state line doesn’t mean much there because people are back and forth across it all the time.

I haven’t been able to find yet exactly where it crossed the Mississippi River from the bootheel of Missouri into Tennessee. It hit Samburg and Tiptonville near Reelfoot lake, tracked through Obion County, then crossed into Kentucky and went through Fulton and Hickman counties, but somehow between the “bigger” towns of Hickman, Fulton, and Clinton. The tiny community of Cayce was wiped out. At one point it was tracking directly towards the farm, but turned and sort of followed the Purchase Parkway (part of I-69 now to Mayfield where it just kind of blew up in intensity as it hit the southwest part of town. That is where the candle factory was. The farm equipment dealership that my dad has bought almost every farm implement from since my childhood was destroyed. I think the auto repair shop was too. A business owned by the parents of one of my sister’s best friends is only about maybe a mile south and is still standing though. It then tracked through town and hit the court square area. It exited town on the order side and destroyed the home of one of my dearest childhood friends in the process.

The photos and videos in the light of day…. It’s unrecognizable to me.

 

[annie720]

I've seen references online by meteorologists comparing this to a multi-day tornado outbreak in December 1957 in IL, MO and TN. That outbreak included some F4s and an F5.

 

[Buzz]

The images are terrible! Thoughts and prayers to the victims. Hope all our FSUers are safe.

 

[TOADS]

I've seen references online by meteorologists comparing this to a multi-day tornado outbreak in December 1957 in IL, MO and TN. That outbreak included some F4s and an F5.

Also some references back to the super outbreak of April 6, 1974.

Old longest tornado track is 219 miles in 1925. This one traveled over 250 miles. Once a final survey is done by the SPC a final number will be likely issued.

 

[FiveRinger]

My prayers and condolences to anyone who has lost a loved one or a home or their job due to these horrific storms. I live in Missouri and we knew storms were coming, but I’ve never seen anything like this.

I was watching CNN where there was a man and his family looking for his wife at the candle factory in Mayfield, KY that was destroyed. He was crying, devastated, but helping others look for their families while he couldn’t find his wife. I cried right along with him.

There were 2 people confirmed dead in the Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, IL, which is about an hour from St Louis. I’m wondering how SIU is. That’s a college town.

 

[Judy]

This is awful. ?

 

[caseyedwards]

The reality that TPTB don't seem to want to face. With climate change, our weather is becoming increasingly violent, yet we will do nothing to reduce our contribution to the problem.


There is no need to put climate change in quotes. Climate change is all too real, despite what you may have been led to believe from watching too much Fox "News." And while we can't change what has already happened, we absolutely can influence how much worse it will get, and yet we won't.

Here's the tragedy that not enough people will discuss. We'll spend billions and billions in FEMA aid to assist those whose lives devastated by violent weather events fueled by climate change, but we don't have the stomach to spend any meaningful amount on clean energy. As a race, people are incredibly short-sighted and stupid. Always reacting instead of anticipating.

It’s not only about spending on clean energy. It’s about banning combustion engines, coal mining, fracking and forcing all construction companies to make solar housing

 

[aka_gerbil]

I finally found some diagrams of the track of the storm, so I have a better idea of where it crossed the river. For some reason, crossing the river usually most of the time lessens the intensity of storms. That did appear to happen to some extent, but then it just reintensified right before it hit Mayfield.

The town is not entirely gone. The northwest side where the county high school and the hospital are located are fine. So is the more southeastern part with the Walmart and some other shopping centers. It’s like it just went through the center of town at an angle.

I’ve been anticipating the day for 10-11 years now that the area would eventually see a storm like this. When I was a child, tornados went well north and well south. Tornado warnings were rare. But, storm tracks have been progressively moving closer from both directions.

I never expected it would happen in a December though. I always thought it would be spring or possibly fall.

 

[GarrAargHrumph]

After looking at the drone pictures of what is left of downtown Mayfield, I can only imagine what we would be looking at for casualties if this had occurred in the middle of the afternoon. There would have been a lot of folks working and shopping.

I thought you'd be interested in this: just a couple of days ago, I read an article that talked about a 2008 study that shows that nighttime tornados are disproportionately deadly, versus daytime tornados. The article I linked to also shows which states tend to be hit by nighttime tornados, when in the year nighttime tornados are more likely to occur, and explains why that is the case. Since you are in the weather field, you may already know this, but I found it interesting.

This is the article:

Nighttime Tornadoes More Than Twice As Likely To Be Deadly | Weather.com

A recent study found the death rate from nocturnal tornadoes is rising. - Articles from The Weather Channel | weather.com

weather.com