Memorial Day Weekend Outbreak 2008

[snoopj]

Confirmed. Low-end EF5

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/crnews/display_ ... 9&source=0

--snoopj

[CrazyC83]

BREAKING NEWS: OFFICIALLY EF5

000
NOUS43 KDMX 272130
PNSDMX
IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-070>075-
081>086-092>097-280930-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
430 PM CDT TUE MAY 27 2008

...FINAL DAMAGE SURVEY RESULTS FOR BUTLER AND BLACK HAWK COUNTIES...

......

THE FOLLOWING IS A FINAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE DAMAGE THAT OCCURRED OVER
BUTLER AND BLACK HAWK COUNTIES ON MAY 25TH.

* EVENT DATE: MAY 25TH

* ESTIMATED START TIME: 4:48 PM CDT

* EVENT TYPE: LOW END EF5 IN PORTIONS OF PARKERSBURG AND NORTH OF NEW
HARTFORD

* EVENT LOCATION: 2 MILES S APLINGTON TO PARKERSBURG TO NEW
HARTFORD AND ACROSS NORTHERN BLACK HAWK COUNTY.

* PEAK WIND: MAXIMUM WINDS OF 205 MPH

* AVERAGE PATH WIDTH: PATH WIDTH RANGED FROM 0.6 TO 0.7 MILES NEAR
PARKERSBURG TO JUST NORTH OF NEW HARTFORD. THE PATH WIDTH CONSTRICTED
TO NEAR ONE QUARTER MILE WIDE EAST OF NEW HARTFORD TO NORTH OF
WATERLOO. PATH WIDTH INCREASED TO NEAR 1.2 MILES WIDE NORTH OF
DUNKERTON BEFORE DISSIPATING NEAR THE BLACK HAWK AND BUCHANAN
COUNTY LINE.

* PATH LENGTH: 43 MILES

* INJURIES: PRELIMINARY 70

* FATALITIES: PRELIMINARY 6

* DISCUSSION/DAMAGE: SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURAL DAMAGE OCCURRED ACROSS
THE SOUTHERN END OF PARKERSBURG AND ALONG A PATH TO JUST NORTH
OF NEW HARTFORD. NUMEROUS STRUCTURES COMPLETELY DESTROYED FROM
PARKERSBURG TO NEAR NEW HARTFORD. THE TORNADO CONTINUED EASTWARD
TO JUST NORTH OF THE WATERLOO AND CEDAR FALLS AREA. SIGNIFICANT
DAMAGE ALSO OCCURRED NORTH OF DUNKERTON WHERE THE TORNADO
INCREASED TO ITS GREATEST PATH WIDTH. ADDITIONAL EF2 TO EF3 DAMAGE
OCCURED NORTHEAST OF DUNKERTON BEFORE THE TORNADO LIFTED SHORTLY
BEFORE MOVING INTO BUCHANAN COUNTY. THIS STORM ALSO PRODUCED
SUBSTANTIAL STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE ALONG THE SOUTHERN
PERIPHERY OF THE STORM JUST SOUTH OF THE TORNADO TRACK.
PRELIMINARY ESTIMATES THAT STRAIGHT LINE WINDS OF 90 TO 100 MPH
OCCURRED WITH THIS STORM. AT 537 PM CDT THE WATERLOO AIRPORT
RECORDED A 93 MPH WIND GUST. INITIAL SURVEY RESULTS SUGGEST THAT
STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE WAS THE CAUSE OF THE SEVERE DAMAGE AT
THE RECREATIONAL VEHICLE DEALERSHIP NORTH OF CEDAR FALLS.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION INCLUDING IMAGES...APPROXIMATE STORM
TRACK...RADAR DATA...AND PRELIMINARY TIME LINE ARE AVAILABLE AT
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES WEBSITE AT:

http://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/DMX

&&

FOR REFERENCE...THE FUJITA TORNADO SCALE CLASSIFIES TORNADOES INTO
THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES:

EF0...WIND SPEEDS 65 TO 85 MPH.
EF1...WIND SPEEDS 86 TO 110 MPH.
EF2...WIND SPEEDS 111 TO 135 MPH.
EF3...WIND SPEEDS 136 TO 165 MPH.
EF4...WIND SPEEDS 166 TO 200 MPH.
EF5...WIND SPEEDS GREATER THAN 200 MPH.

$$

DONAVON/KINNEY

[snoopj]

<Removing this because it apparently is dripping with stupid and causing a negative backlash.>

[CrazyC83]

I'm a little amazed by that announcement. I grew up in the NE part of Iowa and we just don't see tornadoes that strong up there. I used to get a lot of F0s around my neck of the woods, but it was rare to go above F1 back in my growing up days.

As the local media kept saying, that type of supercell, you just don't see up there very often.

--snoopj

They've had (E)F5 tornadoes as far north as Manitoba and as far east as Pennsylvania though...

[MiamiensisWx]

I'm a little amazed by that announcement. I grew up in the NE part of Iowa and we just don't see tornadoes that strong up there. I used to get a lot of F0s around my neck of the woods, but it was rare to go above F1 back in my growing up days.

As the local media kept saying, that type of supercell, you just don't see up there very often.

--snoopj

That's a dangerous myth. Have they ever heard of the Charles City and Oelwein, IA F5 tornadoes (two) in 1968?

[RL3AO]

Most consider all of Iowa in tornado alley. They get strong tornadoes.

[wbug1]

Strong cells firing SW Oklahoma and north Texas.

[snoopj]

Wow. Chill guys. I guess I stuck my foot in my mouth with that comment. Replace my words of "we don't see" to "we rarely see". <Edit>Actually, don't replace my words. Since I'm just talking out of my ass, I removed the comment. Getting flamed is something that wasn't the intention of the post.

And yes, I'm well aware of the Oelwein/Charles City F5s. My mother saw the Oelwein one from a distance. Her stories got me interested in severe weather.

--snoopj

[HurricaneBill]

Iowa now has had 6 (E)F5 tornadoes.

1953: Adair, Iowa (1 death)
1966: Belmond, Iowa (6 deaths)
1968: Charles City, Iowa (13 deaths)
1968: Maynard, Iowa (5 deaths)
1976: Jordan, Iowa (0 deaths)
2008: Parkersburg, Iowa (7 deaths)

[Squarethecircle]

Are there images out of the damage that prompted the rating?

[wbug1]

One of the videos I saw showed an area with just the concrete foundation remaining surrounded by piles of debris. Yeah, EF5.

[HarlequinBoy]

One of the videos I saw showed an area with just the concrete foundation remaining surrounded by piles of debris. Yeah, EF5.

There were photos from Clinton, AR like that but it got EF4.

Nevertheless, I definitely think Parkersburg was an EF5.

[Tstormwatcher]

Wow. Chill guys. I guess I stuck my foot in my mouth with that comment. Replace my words of "we don't see" to "we rarely see". <Edit>Actually, don't replace my words. Since I'm just talking out of my ass, I removed the comment. Getting flamed is something that wasn't the intention of the post.

And yes, I'm well aware of the Oelwein/Charles City F5s. My mother saw the Oelwein one from a distance. Her stories got me interested in severe weather.

--snoopj

No one is flaming you snoop, just correcting. Nothing more, nothing less.

[snoopj]

Well, guess it shows the complacency of the area. It was 31 years between F5s and during my 20 years in the area, all I ever saw was F0s/F1s. I realize anywhere can get a F5, but it was almost an entire generation between them in that area. All you had to do was listen to the news media during the event. I do remember them saying something to the effect about "this is the type of storm you see in Kansas, Oklahoma, or Texas".

Oh well, damage done. I'll keep my foot out of my mouth and stick to posting factual information.

--snoopj

[Ed Mahmoud]

Nice hook near Lamesa

[wbug1]

Big cells popped just south of Las Vegas. Also Texas.

[Texas Snowman]

Anybody know what the final tally of confirmed tornadoes was and confirmed number of fatalities (Edit: for last week and weekend's outbreak)?

[CrazyC83]

Anybody know what the final tally of confirmed tornadoes was and confirmed number of fatalities (Edit: for last week and weekend's outbreak)?

Deaths: 11

Tornadoes: so far 38, but many surveys still outstanding

[HarlequinBoy]

38 tornadoes (so far) and 11 fatalities.

2008 so far..
Super Tuesday Outbreak - 57 fatalities, 84 tornadoes
May 10-11 Tornado Outbreak - 24 fatalities, about 60 tornadoes
2008 Plains Tornado Sequence - 11 fatalities, 38+ tornadoes
May 1-2 Tornado Outbreak - 6 fatalities, 50 tornadoes
January Tornado Outbreak Sequence - 4 fatalities, 72 tornadoes
Atlanta Tornado Outbreak - 3 fatalities, 29 tornadoes

[CrazyC83]

Dodge City finally released their first report:

Estimated 30 to 40 tornadoes in their coverage area! The tornado that just missed Greensburg was an EF3.

http://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwat ... %20Warning