Big Tornado Outbreak March 2-3

[Stephanie]

For warnings...I wonder if we could get a little cooperation between NWS offices during major outbreaks. I noticed NWS Jackson was swamped with warnings, and they could not keep up and update all the warnings. Instead, they had to leave some warnings to run for their entirety (with no updates, just the initial warning text), in favor of going after updating the more dangerous storms (ie, clear debris ball, or confirmed tornado).

I think they could have benefited from another local office stepping in and helping out (an office not being impacted by severe weather, and such). Be like, I'll grab these counties, you focus on the rest. That way the lines aren't stretched too thin, especially when it comes to updating or ending warnings.

That seems reasonable to me, but there's probably a lot of red tape that would need to be cut through in order for that to happen.

[Stephanie]

At the moment, according to Wikipedia, the Holton, Indiana and Buchanan, Georgia tornadoes are the strongest of those who are currently or have already been surveyed. Both reached EF-3, with the Buchanan tornado being "high-end EF-3".
Nevertheless, should new discoveries be made, those intensities might be pushed upwards.
The tornado that devastated West Liberty was most likely an EF-4, if not an EF-5 twister, and the Henryville tornado, too. (just my opinion, nothing official bout that.)

Also the town of Marysville is gone. I think that was in Indiana too. Seeing buses pushed into homes, trees clear cut, they have to be EF4 or EF5, IMHO.

[bob rulz]

Regarding mountain tornadoes, an F3 tornado once gave a scare to a boy scout camp in the Uinta Mountains of Utah on August 11, 1993...at 10,500 feet in elevation. I also have heard of an F4 that occurred in the Tetons of Wyoming. So of course, mountains make it significantly less likely for a tornado to form, but they do NOT stop them from forming.

[vbhoutex]

Need some good news? They found a baby alive in a field. They said they baby was identified as well as her parents but didnt say if her parents where alive or not. But to have survived and laying in a field is just a miracle..

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/upshot/baby ... 34491.html

Edit: Now it is being said she is the family's only survivor..

Now, in the midst of all of this tragic news we have seen with this massive tornado outbreak, this story here is absolutely a miracle for the ages! Talk about a inspiration!! I am so heartbroken to learn the baby's parents were killed in the tornado.

Unfortunately the baby has passed from her injuries. That is a family of 5 totally gone. TRAGIC!! Some may take offense to this statement. Please don't, it is meant as a heads up for any who read this that don't already know. This family was in a mobile home. DO NOT TAKE SHELTER IN A MOBILE HOME DURING A TORNADO WARNING. FIND MORE SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER.

[RL3AO]

Sadly they took refuge in their neighbors mobile home because it was bigger then theirs.

[vbhoutex]

Sadly they took refuge in their neighbors mobile home because it was bigger then theirs.

I had read that also, but it wasn't clear to me whether they had made it to that one(a double wide)or had been in theirs when it came apart. Even the neighbor who was trying to save them was thrown into the field and iirc survived.

[Dave]

One of the hardest things to convince people is that even if the mobile home is a double wide with tornado anchors it's still not safe because those tornado "anchors" are only thin straps that go over the doublewide and are anchored in the ground. Yes the straps do stay in place but the rest of the mobile home basically explodes...that's the only word I can use to describe it.

IF your in a mobile home, double wide, or even a house...get to a basement or a shelter..don't take the chance that 'it won't happen to me'.

*Edit: I live in a very strong wood frame house built in the 40's and has withstood winds of over 90 mph BUT for the first time ever I took cover in a friends basement 3/4's of a mile from here the other day and I did it because I saw the hook echo on radar seconds before it hit Holton (15 miles across the county from me) and I also saw the forward track on that cell which would have put it in Milan in 5 to 8 minutes later if it'd stayed on the ground...it didn't but it just wasn't worth the chance this time.

[CrazyC83]

An EF2 is capable of destroying or flattening ANY mobile home, forget an EF4. They would have had a better chance of surviving outdoors.