AIR SHOW TRAGEDY 1 YEAR LATER

It has been 1 year since the tragedy at the air show featuring the Blue Angels at the Huntsville International Airport. While this event is still fresh in some of our minds for others who would like to know what happened here is a report from that sad day.Weekend storms left a bit of destruction and beneficial rain locally. While there were reports of a strong winds knocking down trees and power lines over the weekend, it was the destructive wind at a Huntsville air show that made unfortunate headlines. Yesterday afternoon around 2:00 central a “microburst” overturned planes and toppled a spectator tent, injuring 12 and killing a 5-year-old boy.

According to WAFF-TV in Huntsville:
Airport officials have confirmed that one person, 5 year-old Aaron Miller of Athens is dead after a microsburst hit the Air Show this afternoon. Witnesses say several VIP tents, including the City of Huntsville's tent, and the main announcer's stand were picked up off the ground and overturned. Twelve additional injuries, including lacerations and fractures have also been confirmed.this is a show in the open field with hundreds, if not thousands, outside at one time. In a case like this, many were left to find shelter in tents or no shelter at all. There were no severe thunderstorm warnings on the storm as the winds were below the severe limit of 58 mph. A weather statement was issued at 1:45 of the storm and the Airport was alerted. At 2:05pm, a wind gust of 48 mph was registered.

Tim Troutman who works for the NWS in Huntsville was attending the show. He spoke with the Huntsville times:

"It happened really fast," said Troutman, "It was a matter of a second or two and it was over. There wasn't a lot of time to react, to be honest." "It was developing into a strong thunderstorm, but it never did reach severe thunderstorm level," he said. "The peak gust was 10 mph under what the weather service qualifies as severe-level winds."

As I write this story, I ask what could have been done. I don't really know. While there was some warning, it just appears to be one of those cases where you are truly caught off guard. We are thinking of the families affected.

Here is the NWS Huntsville Definition of what happened.

At approximately 2:05 PM CDT, a strong thunderstorm hit the Huntsville International Airport during the 2008 Huntsville Airshow. The Huntsville ASOS (Automated Surface Observing System) recorded a 48 mph gust from 300 degrees (NW) at that time. Approximately 17 minutes earlier, at 1:48 PM, the same storm produced a 33 mph wind gust at the Decatur airport in southern Limestone County. A thunderstorm becomes severe when it produces wind gusts of 58 mph or greater, or hail larger than 3/4 inch in diameter (generally the size of a penny).

The damage and injuries that occurred at the Huntsville Airshow were determined to originate from a non-severe microburst. Microbursts are downdrafts that occur from some thunderstorms, hit the ground, and spread out, producing strong gusty winds at the earth's surface. Microbursts are fairly frequent across the southeastern United States in the summertime, often occurring with very strong thunderstorms, but significant microbursts can occur even within weaker thunderstorms.

Famous Pitchman Passes Away

Television spokesman Billy Mays, who made his living doing commercials and infomercials for household products such as Oxiclean, died Sunday.


According to the Tampa Police Department, Billy, 50, was found unresponsive by his wife at 7:45 a.m. on Sunday. Authorities say that there were no signs of forced entry into Billy's Tampa, FL home, and his autopsy should be complete by Monday afternoon.

Billy was reportedly hit on the head while aboard a US Airways flight on Saturday that made a rough landing. His wife told invesitgators that the television personality didn't feel well before he went to bed on Saturday night.

US Airways confirmed today that Billy was among the passengers on a flight that landed Saturday afternoon at Tampa International Airport, leaving debris on the runway after apparently blowing its front tires.

Tampa Bay's Fox television affiliate interviewed Mays after the incident.

"All of a sudden, as we hit, you know it was just the hardest hit, all the things from the ceiling started dropping," MyFox Tampa Bay quoted him as saying. "It hit me on the head, but I got a hard head."

Recently, he'd been seen on commercials for a wide variety of products and was featured on the reality TV show Pitchmen on the Discovery Channel, which followed Mays and Anthony Sullivan in their marketing jobs.

Tropics Getting Active

Looks as if the tropics will be getting a little more active as we head into next week.A tropical wave over the Northwest Caribbean could develop into a depression when it gets over the southern Gulf on Sunday. The GFS is not bullish on developing a tropical system here, but some of the other models still develop a strong tropical storm or weak hurricane and move it toward the West Coast of Florida early in the week. It should not affect the Alabama or Northwest Florida coast. So if you or someone you know if leaving on a cruise in the gulf please stay aware of what is going on.Click the title for the NOAA Hurricane center web site.

Hurricane Audrey 1957

Residents of Cameron LA went to bed believing that they had plenty of time to evacuate the following morning in advance of what was then a Category Two Hurricane Audrey. Official bulletins from the U.S. Weather Bureau stated that the storm would not come ashore until late the next day. They would be very surprised the next morning to find water covering much of their parish as a twelve foot storm surge was already impacting the area and the center waas just offshore. Also, Audrey had intensified rapidly during the night, with the central pressure dropping 35 mb from the last reconnaissance fix during the day. Winds correspondingly increased to 145 mph and the storm surge rose from an expected 5-8 feet to a devastating 12 feet or higher. Additionally, the forward movement of the hurricane increased from 6 mph to 15 mph, and residents were told that the hurricane would not strike until the following afternoon. 390 people would die and another 192 would never be found.Hurricane Audrey is also noted as being the strongest June hurricane to make landfall within the United States, and one of only two major hurricanes to make landfall in the month of June. The other major hurricane affected Louisiana across St. Mary and Terrebonne parishes on June 16, 1934.

Rain And Storm Chances Return

Well it has been s few days since my last post, but I am the kind of guy who really cannot stand the heat and sun as much as I do stormy weather. Each and everyday last week up until now was a carbon copy of my last post on June 23rd. But now that the high has pushed west our storm chances are on the rise, with todays best chance in the Middle Tennessee area with a lull on Saturday then the Valley will be Under the gun on Sunday. Just click the title or navigate thru all the convective outlook tools on the right of the blog page. even though the we should not see a widespread severe weather outbreak the storms can and will produce heavy rain, vivid CG lightning, and some hail. The above outlook is for today, but as I said you can navigate thru all 3 days with the convective outlook tools.

Another Hot Day Instore For The Valley

Looks as if the high pressure system that has had us in its grasp for the last week is still our keeper for our neighbors in west Alabama. We now have a chance of showers and storms today here east of I-65 with the better chances in the higher altitude areas of east Alabama but cannot rule out a storm in the Metro. With the heat index nearing 100F today stay cool when you can and go outside in short spans when you can.

High Pressure Moving Westward

The High Pressure System that had a grip on us here in Alabama and the rest of the southeast will slowly start to shift to the west today. With that there is a small chance of rain 5 out of the next 7 days with hihgs remaining in the low to mid 90's and heat index values neaqr 100. At least there is a chance os showers and storms that is better than this past weekend. Stay cool and remember this is also lightning awareness week click the title of this post tp redirect to the NWS lightning awareness site.

Lightning Awareness Week

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
750 AM CDT SUN JUN 21 2009

...LIGHTNING SAFETY AWARENESS WEEK BEGINS TODAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS DECLARED THE WEEK OF JUNE 21ST
THROUGH JUNE 27TH LIGHTNING SAFETY AWARENESS WEEK.

THIS WEEK...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE WILL ISSUE A
SERIES OF DAILY PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENTS CONTAINING INFORMATION
ON LIGHTNING AND LIGHTNING SAFETY. EACH DAY WE WILL FOCUS ON A
DIFFERENT LIGHTNING SAFETY TOPIC. THE DAILY TOPICS WILL BE:

MONDAY JUNE 22ND...LIGHTNING AND LIGHTNING SAFETY - AN INTRODUCTION.

TUESDAY JUNE 23RD...UNDERSTANDING THE SCIENCE OF THUNDERSTORMS AND
LIGHTNING.

WEDNESDAY JUNE 24TH...LIGHTNING SAFETY OUTDOORS.

THURSDAY JUNE 25TH...SAFE SHELTERS AND INDOOR SAFETY.

FRIDAY JUNE 26TH...THE FACTS ABOUT LIGHTNING STRIKE VICTIMS.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT LIGHTNING AND LIGHTNING SAFETY...
VISIT THE LIGHTNING SAFETY AWARENESS WEB SITE AT:

HTTP://WWW.LIGHTNINGSAFETY.NOAA.GOV/ (ALL LOWER CASE)

Hot Weather Expected This Weekend

A strong high pressure system will continue to exert its influence over our weather through the weekend. Daytime high temperatures in the mid to upper 90s are expected through the weekend, with overnight lows only dropping into the low 70s. High humidity levels will result in afternoon heat index temperatures around 100F to 105F, or possible even higher in some areas. Temperatures may be high enough to meet our heat advisory criteria during the afternoon hours this weekend. Keep abreast of the latest forecast and advisory information from the National Weather Service, to ensure you stay safe in the heat this weekend.

From the Southern Region's Page on Heat Safety Rules

Slow down. Strenuous activities should be reduced, eliminated, or rescheduled to the coolest time of the day. Individuals at risk should stay in the coolest available place, not necessarily indoors.

Dress for summer. Lightweight, light-colored clothing reflects heat and sunlight, and helps your body maintain normal temperatures.
Put less fuel on your inner fires. Foods (like proteins) that increase metabolic heat production also increase water loss.

Drink plenty of water or other non-alcohol fluids. Your body needs water to keep cool.
Drink plenty of fluids even if you don't feel thirsty. Persons who have epilepsy or heart, kidney, or liver disease, are on fluid restrictive diets, or have a problem with fluid retention should consult a physician before increasing their consumption of fluids.
Do not drink alcoholic beverages.
Do not take salt tablets unless specified by a physician. Persons on salt restrictive diets should consult a physician before increasing their salt intake.

Spend more time in air-conditioned places. Air conditioning in homes and other buildings markedly reduces danger from the heat. If you cannot afford an air conditioner, spending some time each day (during hot weather) in an air conditioned environment affords some protection.

Don't get too much sun. Sunburn makes the job of heat dissipation that much more difficult.
Know These Heat Disorder Symptoms

Sunburn - Redness and pain. In severe cases swelling of skin, blisters, fever and headaches.

Heat Cramps - Painful spasms usually in muscles of legs and abdomen possible. Heavy sweating.

Heat Exhaustion - Heavy sweating, weakness, skin cold, pale and clammy. Fainting and vomiting. Normal temperature possible.

Heat or Sun Stroke - High body temperature (106 or higher). Hot, dry skin. Rapid and strong pulse. Possible unconsciousness.


Heat Advisory Criteria for the NWS Huntsville Forecast Area

Heat index temperatures are forecast to be between 105F and 110F
-or-
Actual air temperatures are forecast to be between 100F and 105F
Excessive Heat Warning Criteria for the NWS Huntsville Forecast Area

Heat index temperatures are forecast to exceed 110F
-or-
Actual air temperatures are forecast to exceed 105F

Hot and Humid with a chance of strong storms.

DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0739 AM CDT WED JUN 17 2009

VALID 171300Z - 181200Z

...THERE IS A MDT RISK OF SVR TSTMS THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT
ACROSS PARTS OF NEB...EXTREME NORTHERN KS...SOUTHWEST IA...AND
NORTHWEST MO...

...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS FROM THE CENTRAL PLAINS INTO
THE OH VALLEY AND SOUTHEAST STATES...

AN ACTIVE CONVECTIVE DAY IS ANTICIPATED TODAY ACROSS THE UNITED
STATES...WITH MULTIPLE AREAS OF SEVERE STORMS EXPECTED. IT APPEARS
AT THIS TIME THE AREA OF GREATEST THREAT WILL BE OVER PARTS OF THE
CENTRAL PLAINS...WHILE OTHER CONCENTRATED AREAS OF SEVERE OCCUR FROM
THE UPPER OH VALLEY SOUTHWARD INTO THE SOUTHEAST STATES.

...NEB/KS/IA/MO...
A LARGE UPPER RIDGE IS IN PLACE ACROSS THE SOUTHERN STATES
TODAY...WITH BAND OF STRONG MID LEVEL WINDS EXTENDING FROM THE
CENTRAL ROCKIES INTO THE MID/UPPER MS VALLEY...THEN
EAST-SOUTHEASTWARD TO THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS. MODELS AGREE IN THE
DEVELOPMENT OF A SURFACE LOW BY THIS AFTERNOON OVER WESTERN KS WITH
BACKED LOW LEVEL WINDS EXPECTED TO THE NORTH OF THE LOW ACROSS MUCH
OF NEB. A HOT AND VERY MOIST AIRMASS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THIS
REGION WITH DEWPOINTS IN THE UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S AND TEMPERATURES
IN THE 90S. MODEL FORECAST SOUNDINGS ACROSS NEB THIS AFTERNOON SHOW
STEEP LOW AND MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES AND MLCAPE VALUES OF 4500+ J/KG.


IT APPEARS LIKELY THAT A COMBINATION OF DIURNAL HEATING AND WEAK
LARGE SCALE ASCENT BENEATH THE UPPER JET WILL WEAKEN THE CAP AND
LEAD TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON FROM EXTREME
NORTHEAST CO INTO WESTERN AND CENTRAL NEB. THE INITIAL STORMS WILL
LIKELY BE SUPERCELLS CAPABLE OF VERY LARGE HAIL AND A FEW TORNADOES.
THIS ACTIVITY WILL TRACK EASTWARD ACROSS NEB DURING THE EVENING AND
IS EXPECTED TO COALESCE INTO A FAST-MOVING MCS AS STORMS SPREAD INTO
IA/KS/MO. THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR WIDESPREAD DAMAGING WINDS FROM
THIS CLUSTER OF STORMS ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF OF THE MODERATE RISK
AREA.

...MN/NORTHERN IA...
REMNANT WEAK UPPER LOW OVER ND WILL LIFT NORTHEASTWARD INTO SOUTHERN
CANADA TODAY...WHILE THE SURFACE LOW/TROF BECOMES ESTABLISHED ALONG
THE DAKOTA/MN BORDER. SOUTHERLY LOW LEVEL WINDS TO THE EAST OF THE
TROF COMBINED WITH VEERING/INCREASING WINDS WITH HEIGHT WILL PROVIDE
CONSIDERABLE VERTICAL SHEAR FOR A RISK OF A FEW SUPERCELLS THIS
AFTERNOON. AMBIENT LOW LEVEL VORTICITY AND STEEP LAPSE RATES WILL
ALSO AID IN THE RISK OF ISOLATED TORNADOES...ALONG WITH HAIL AND
DAMAGING WINDS. THIS THREAT SHOULD DIMINISH SHORTLY AFTER SUNSET.

...IA/PA/WV/KY...
MORNING WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS A STRONG MID LEVEL JET MAX MOVING
ACROSS IL. THIS FEATURE WILL TRACK INTO THE UPPER OH VALLEY BY THIS
AFTERNOON PROVIDING LARGE SCALE ASCENT AND AIDING IN THE DEVELOPMENT
OF SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS. AMPLE MOISTURE/INSTABILITY WILL BE IN
PLACE ACROSS MUCH OF OH...WITH A RATHER STRONG THETA-E GRADIENT
ACROSS WESTERN PA INTO WV. FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW SUFFICIENT
VERTICAL SHEAR FOR A RISK OF ORGANIZED MULTICELL AND SCATTERED
SUPERCELL STORMS THIS AFTERNOON CAPABLE OF TORNADOES...LARGE
HAIL...AND DAMAGING WINDS. EASTWARD PROGRESS INTO CENTRAL PA AND
EASTERN WV WILL BE LIMITED BY WEAKER INSTABILITY IN THIS REGION.

...SOUTHEAST STATES...
RATHER STRONG NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT IS PRESENT TODAY OVER THE
SOUTHEAST STATES. SCATTERED CLOUDS THIS MORNING WILL GIVE WAY TO
POCKETS OF STRONG HEATING THIS AFTERNOON...YIELDING MLCAPE VALUES
OVER 2000 J/KG IN MANY AREAS. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED
TO INTENSIFY OVER MUCH OF THE REGION BY MID AFTERNOON AS CONVECTIVE
TEMPERATURE IS REACHED AND INITIATION OCCURS OVER THE HIGHER
TERRAIN. STORMS WILL TRACK SOUTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE RISK AREA WITH
A THREAT OF DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS
MULTIPLE WEAK UPPER VORTICITY MAXIMA WHICH MAY HELP TO FOCUS STORMS
ACROSS THE REGION.

...WEST TX...
HOT CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON OVER WEST TX WITH
TEMPERATURES OVER 100F AND LARGE SURFACE T-TD SPREADS. MODEL
GUIDANCE IS IN GOOD AGREEMENT IN DEVELOPING SCATTERED HIGH-BASED
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ALONG AN AXIS FROM SOUTHWEST TX INTO THE
SOUTHERN PANHANDLE. INVERTED-V PROFILES AND SUFFICIENT CAPE WILL
PROMOTE A RISK OF LOCALLY DAMAGING WIND GUSTS IN THE STRONGEST
CORES.

Bright Flash

If you remember my post last night about the bright flash from a lightning strike a mere 50 yards away that knocked me backwards. Well here is the victim,my neighbors bradford pear tree was hit and split in half and 50 yards is an understatement it was right across the street. I was shooting just to the right of my neighbors house when the strike happened. Not only has this been the year of the Derecho but the amount of lightning strikes this year is amazing.

Monday evening storms June 15 2009

Well it has been an interesting afternoon and evening here today. As the storms started to fire in west Tennessee I loaded up and headed towards Wayne County to a storm that was tornado warned realizing that I would not be able to catch it I turned around and focused my attention to NW Limestone county and waited awhile. As the storm started to weaken a bit I moved to athens where I captured these images as the leading edge was moving in. The last photo is not out of focus because of operator error as you can see by how bright it is the lightning hit a mere 50 yards away and knocked me backwards. I still did not see any hail just as the storms yesterday the worst parts went towards the River City in Morgan County.

Sunday Morning Storms June 14th

I headed out to try and intercept a Squall line as it pushed ESE out of the Shoals this morning. At first I was traveling towards Athens when my NOAA weather radio started going off for a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for south Limestone and South West Madison Counties, I then turned around and headed back towards Madison. As I turned south onto County line Road I decided to stop at the intersection of County line Rd and I-565, but I pulled into a subdivision that was under construction just past Palmer road and set up. About that time the most intense part of the storm was in Decatur and looked as if it would stay south of the River and away from me.I had no CG lightning and very little CC lightning as well,but as the leading edge moved towards me I captured these cloud formations as it got closer. Looks as if tomorrow and into Tuesday will be another chance for me.

EF-2 Tornado hits Olive Branch Mississippi as Derecho pushes east

DAMAGE SURVEY TEMPLATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
1126 PM CDT FRI JUN 12 2009

…PRELIMINARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DAMAGE SURVEY DETERMINES AN
EF2 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN OLIVE BRANCH MISSISSIPPI THIS
AFTERNOON…

THE TOUCHDOWN STARTED AT 458 PM CDT AT THE TRUCK WEIGHING SCALES ON
HIGHWAY 78…ONE MILE SOUTHEAST OF GOODMAN ROAD…WHICH IS HIGHWAY
302. THE TORNADO HAD A NON CONTINUOUS TRACK TO THE EAST..NORTHEAST
FOR 2.9 MILES…ENDING A FEW HUNDRED YARDS EAST OF HACKS CROSS
ROAD…ABOUT A HALF OF A MILE SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 302. IT IS ESTIMATED
THE MAXIMUM WIDTH WAS ABOUT 75 YARDS…WHILE THE MAXIMUM ESTIMATED
WINDS WERE 120 MPH.

THERE IS WIDESPREAD DAMAGE ACROSS OLIVE BRANCH…WITH NUMEROUS TREES
AND POWER LINES DOWN…SOME WHICH HAVE FALLEN ON HOUSES. AT LEAST
THREE HOMES SUSTAINED EF2 DAMAGE. NUMEROUS HOMES HAVE SUBSTANTIAL
ROOF OR SHINGLE DAMAGE. THE DESOTO COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGER REPORTS
ONE MINOR INJURY IN OLIVE BRANCH.

THE TORNADO FORMED ON THE LEADING EDGE OF A BOW ECHO WHICH PRODUCED
60 TO 80 MILE AN HOUR STRAIGHT LINE WINDS ACROSS A LARGE PORTION OF
THE MIDSOUTH.

$$

Derecho weakens but still packs a punch

Well the dreaded Derecho that brought so much havoc to the lower Mississippi Valley earlier today weakend as it moved into Alabama. I set up in Rogersville on highway 72at North Lake Storage. The wind started to pick up around 7:30 or so, I watched it blow some garbage cans down the road and as you can see from the photo Old Glory was at full attention. As darkness fell the rain and winds picked up so I headed back east towards Athens and drove out of the rain close to Clements. As I arrived back home to Madison I noticed that it has not rained one drop at my home off of Wall Triana Highway.(How weird is that?)I did capture some nice lightning photos though.Maybe tomorrow will be more eventful,right now the SPC has most north Alabama under a slight risk again.

Derecho headed east into lower Mississippi river valley.Moderate severe weather risk issued.

...THERE IS A MDT RISK OF SVR TSTMS PARTS OF ERN OK...NRN AND
CENTRAL AR...WRN TN AND NRN MS...

...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS FROM THE SOUTHERN PLAINS TO THE
CAROLINAS...

...SYNOPSIS...
DYNAMIC FEATURE OF INTEREST AS RELATED TO SEVERE CONVECTIVE
POTENTIAL THIS FORECAST PERIOD IS THE MID LEVEL S/WV TROUGH
CURRENTLY MOVING EWD CENTRAL KS TO NRN OK EMBEDDED IN RELATIVELY
FAST MID/UPPER WLY FLOW THAT EXTENDS EWD TO ATLANTIC COAST. A
DERECHO HAS DEVELOPED IN ADVANCE OF THE TROUGH AND IS TRACKING
RAPIDLY E/ESEWD ACROSS NERN OK ON INTO LWR MS VALLEY THIS AFTERNOON.


A S/WV TROUGH ROTATES INLAND SWRN U.S. BY TONIGHT WITH DOWNSTREAM
RIDGING OVER THE SRN HIGH PLAINS.

...ERN OK/AR/NRN MS/WRN TN...

REF MCD 1074

HAVE UPGRADED AREA IN ADVANCE OF THE SEVERE MCS/DERECHO OVER NERN OK
TO MDT RISK AS THE COMBINATION OF 40-50KT OF SHEAR COUPLED WITH
DEVELOPMENT OF VERY TO EXTREMELY UNSTABLE AIRMASS DOWNSTREAM ACROSS
LOWER MS RIVER VALLEY EXPECTED TO RAPIDLY INCREASE THE DAMAGING WIND
POTENTIAL ALONG WITH THE ONGOING VERY LARGE HAIL THREAT. WITH
DEWPOINTS AOA 70F...SURFACE TEMPERATURES WELL INTO THE 80S...AND
STEEP MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES...MLCAPES AOA 3500 J/KG... A SWATH OF
POSSIBLY SIGNIFICANT DAMAGING WINDS WILL TRACK EWD ACROSS NRN HALF
OF AR INTO WRN TN/NRN MS BY LATER THIS AFTERNOON.


...CAROLINAS/GA/AL...
FARTHER EAST...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL FORM THIS AFTERNOON FROM
EAST TN/AL EASTWARD INTO THE CAROLINAS. SUFFICIENT VERTICAL SHEAR
WILL BE PRESENT FOR A FEW SEVERE STORMS...ALBEIT LESS ORGANIZED THAN
FARTHER WEST. LATE TONIGHT...SOME POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR LONG-LIVED
MCS MOVING INTO THIS REGION FROM THE WEST.

Today in Weather History( 1752) Ben Franklin flew his kite.

On this day in 1752, Benjamin Franklin flies a kite during a thunderstorm and collects a charge in a Leyden jar when the kite is struck by lightning, enabling him to demonstrate the electrical nature of lightning. Franklin became interested in electricity in the mid-1740s, a time when much was still unknown on the topic, and spent almost a decade conducting electrical experiments. He coined a number of terms used today, including battery, conductor and electrician. He also invented the lightning rod, used to protect buildings and ships.

Franklin was born on January 17, 1706, in Boston, to a candle and soap maker named Josiah Franklin, who fathered 17 children, and his wife Abiah Folger. Franklin’s formal education ended at age 10 and he went to work as an apprentice to his brother James, a printer. In 1723, following a dispute with his brother, Franklin left Boston and ended up in Philadelphia, where he found work as a printer. Following a brief stint as a printer in London, Franklin returned to Philadelphia and became a successful businessman, whose publishing ventures included the Pennsylvania Gazette and Poor Richard’s Almanack, a collection of homespun proverbs advocating hard work and honesty in order to get ahead. The almanac, which Franklin first published in 1733 under the pen name Richard Saunders, included such wisdom as: "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." Whether or not Franklin followed this advice in his own life, he came to represent the classic American overachiever. In addition to his accomplishments in business and science, he is noted for his numerous civic contributions. Among other things, he developed a library, insurance company, city hospital and academy in Philadelphia that would later become the University of Pennsylvania.

Most significantly, Franklin was one of the founding fathers of the United States and had a career as a statesman that spanned four decades. He served as a legislator in Pennsylvania as well as a diplomat in England and France. He is the only politician to have signed all four documents fundamental to the creation of the U.S.: the Declaration of Independence (1776), the Treaty of Alliance with France (1778), the Treaty of Paris (1783), which established peace with Great Britain, and the U.S. Constitution (1787).

Franklin died at age 84 on April 17, 1790, in Philadelphia. He remains one of the leading figures in U.S. history.

The great Worcester tornado June 9th 1953

A tornado with winds reported to be in the range of 300-500 miles per hour roared across Worcester County late in the afternoon of June 9, 1953 taking 94 lives and causing $62 million in property damage. It was the most damaging storm to hit the entire nation in 1953 and the deadliest tornado in the history of New England.

In it’s path, this storm leveled most of Assumption College in the Greendale section of Worcester, injured at least 1,500 people including 15 at Norton Company where more than $1 million in damage was inflicted. It collapsed 700 homes, damaged 3,300 others, destroyed 3,500 automobiles and left 10,000 homeless.

The national media and disaster relief teams remarked that it took less than 24 hours for each of the communities in Central Massachusetts to “lift itself up”. Response was overwhelming. In fact, no one needed to ask for help. It just happened. Store and shop owners sent co-workers to help employees to dig out from the damage. Even graduating high schoolers slipped gowns over their overalls, received their diplomas and then tossed them aside to return to the task of cleaning up.

What follows here is a photographic collection of what was inflicted upon the landscape of Central Massachusetts on that hot, sticky June afternoon.

All photographs were shot by Worcester residents Howard T. and Dorothy A. Rourke. Their private collection of photographs is a gift given to the people of Worcester in 2003, the 50th anniversary of the Worcester tornado. On behalf of the people of Worcester and Central Massachusetts for this generous gift, I extend my appreciation to Mr. Rourke who served Worcester as City Assessor

Click title to view a slide show of the tornado damage.

June 8th: National Tornado Day part 2

June 8, 1953
A 1/2 mile wide tornado struck Flint, Michigan. 115 people were killed making it the worst tornado in the state's history. This tornado, rated F5 on the Fujita scale, was the last single tornado in the U.S. to kill over 100 people.

June 8, 1966
An F5 tornado devastated a large part of Topeka, Kansas. 820 homes were destroyed as entire neighborhoods were leveled. This was the first tornado to produce 100 million dollars in damage. The tornado killed 16 people and passed directly over Burnett's Mound which legend had said protected Topeka from tornadoes. So much for that legend.

June 8, 1974
22 tornadoes touched down in Oklahoma and 4 in Kansas. An F4 tornado killed 12 people in Drumright, Oklahoma. An F3 tornado touched down at Will Rogers Field in Oklahoma City and damaged National Weather Service Office. Two F3 tornadoes ravaged the city of Tulsa and then over 10 inches of rain deluged Tulsa County, resulting in the worst natural disaster in Tulsa's history up to the time. A tornado, rated F4, tracked 38 miles Lyons, Osage, and Shawnee Counties in Kansas. Emporia, Kansas suffered heavy damage with 6 people killed, 220 injured, and 20 million dollars damage done.

June 8, 1984
42 tornadoes touched down in the Upper Midwest with 21 of them occurring in Iowa. An F4 tornado tracked 30 miles through Mahaska and Keokuk Counties in Iowa, killing 2 people and injuring 51. The small town of Wright was practically wiped out. Barneveld, Wisconsin was devastated shortly before midnight as an F5 tornado chewed up the town. 90 percent of the town was damaged or destroyed, 9 people were killed, and 197 were injured.

June 8, 1985
An F3 tornado tracked 68 miles through Price and Oneida Counties in Wisconsin. 2 people were killed and 42 were injured. Damage was set at $6 million. Huge hailstones, up to 6 inches in diameter, accompanied the tornado.

June 8, 1989
8 tornadoes struck southeastern Louisiana during the early morning hours. A strong (F2) tornado hit baton rouge and damaged 60 houses and 35 mobile homes. 60 people were injured

June 8, 1995
Classic supercell thunderstorms spawned 21 tornadoes in the north Texas Panhandle. 5 of the tornadoes were rated F4 on the Fujita scale, one which tracked through the center of Pampa injuring 7 people and doing $30 million in damages. The Project Vortex team (20 vehicles, including a state of the art truck-mounted Doppler Radar, and 2 P3 aircraft) were all over the storms, collecting an incredible storm dynamics, structure, and environment data set, on the last day of the 2 year funded project no less! The team witnessed one of the F4 tornadoes near Allison, and said it was one of biggest and meanest appearing tornadoes they had ever seen.

Click the title above for video of the F4 that hit Pampa taken from a sherriff deputys dash cam.

June 8th: National Tornado Day

The National Weather Service office out of Wichita, Kansas has put together a fantastic synopsis of the significance of today’s date: June 8th, when it comes to tornado history. Each of the following tornadoes all occured on June 8th in their respective years.

If any date was to be observed as National Tornado Day in the United State it would likely be June 8th. In 1941, an F4 tornado around one quarter mile wide and possessing rotational velocities of 210 to 260 mph roared 42 miles across south-central Kansas from 7 miles southwest of Maize to the Butler/Marion county line 5 miles west of Burns. Eight people were killed, 20 injured, and 5 homes were leveled.

As reported by the National Weather Service, Kansas wasn’t the only state that got in on the action on June 8th. Many other tornadoes, some of which were much more devastating, followed:

In 1951, two tornadoes, one an F4 one half mile wide and 15 miles long; the other an F2 around 100 yards wide and 5 miles long, struck west-central Oklahoma. These are the first tornadoes ever filmed in the United States. Fortunately, there were no deaths or injuries.

When the media sensationalizes the current tornado season as being somehow grossly anomalous, it bears reminding that, while the number of fatalities has been above average so far for the season, it pales in comparison to many years past. In fact, a single tornado in 1953 killed more people than all of the tornadoes combined have so far this season:

In 1953, the worst tornado ever to hit Michigan did so when an F5 monstrosity devastated North Flint. Possessing a track 27 miles long and one half mile wide and rotational velocities of 260 to 315 mph, the tornado killed 115 people, injured 844, and caused $19 million dollars in damage. This was the last tornado to cause 100 or more fatalities in the United States.

And finally, mention of the historic F5 of 1966 that devastated Topeka, Kansas. This was the first “$100 million dollar tornado” on record:

In 1966, an F5 tornado roared through downtown Topeka, Kansas. Possessing a track 22 miles long and one half mile wide, the tornado destroyed 820 homes as entire neighborhoods vanished. Most damage occurred in an 80mile long by 4-block wide track right through the center of the state capitol. There were 16 deaths, 406 injuries, and around $100 million in damage; $10 million to Washburn University alone.

The NWS also closes with a bit of a mythbusting line:

The twister passed directly over Burnett’s Mound which, according to legend, protected Topeka from tornadoes. That legend died a violent death.

The above photo A night-time tornado photographed by Fred Smith in Florida in 1991 is shown illuminated by a nearby lightning strike.

Today in Weather History( June 7th)

1984 - A major outbreak of tornadoes across the Upper Midwest. 21 of them occurred in Iowa. The small town of Wright Iowa was nearly wiped out by an F4 tornado that killed 2. Barneveld, Wisconsin was hard hit shortly before midnight by an F5 tornado. 9 people were killed and 197 injured. 90 percent of the town was damaged or destroyed.
The only warning residents got -- just before 1 a.m. -- was an intense blast of thunder that shook many of them from their beds. Big storms had been brewing west of Wisconsin and a tornado watch was in effect, but many people were sleeping and unaware.

The tornado was part of 50 tornadoes that came out of the Midwest skies that early morning, 20 years ago.
In 15 furious seconds, the village of Barneveld was wiped out. More than 200 homes were destroyed or damaged, and 17 of the 18 businesses and every public building were gone.
"All of a sudden, everything exploded and glass started flying -- and all the windows blew out of the house," said resident Libby Boehnen.
It was the worst tornado to strike Wisconsin in 26 years.
"All of a sudden, boom, our garage was in our living room," said survivor Barb Brewer.
Sirens were silent because the storm knocked out electricity. The 582 residents never knew what hit them. When night turned to day, the search for victims intensified, and the news got worse. People were missing for hours, and rescuers didn't know if they were dead or alive.

In the end, nine people died and more than 200 -- a third of the village's population -- were injured. The tornado cut a path 400 yards wide through Barneveld with its 300 mph winds. Tornadoes touched down in five other towns that night as the storm system moved northeast doing $40 million in damage -- $25 million in Barneveld alone.
The village water tower was the only thing left standing. The fire station, bank and post office were gone. At three churches, only prayer books remained.
"We felt so much pride in our community," said Judy Anderson in 1984. "We were building a new library, and everything was just so good for our community -- two hours later there's nothing."

State government officials, including then-Gov. Tony Earl, surveyed the damage the next morning at dawn. They were in shock. Earl, who was turned down for $25 million in federal disaster aid for a tornado that had hit Lake Tomahawk two months earlier, wondered if it would happen again.
"You recognize how frail human things are -- you simply can't believe what it's done," he said.
Residents spent weeks looking for belongings. The hardest part was figuring out what was theirs and what was their neighbor's. Paper debris was found 135 miles away.
Within hours and for weeks afterward, the Red Cross and Salvation Army helped feed the town and its spirit as it buried the dead, including 53-year-old farmer Robert Arneson; Bruce and Jill Simon and their daughter, Cassandra.

A month later, the town celebrated Independence Day at Birch Lake with traditions, such as fried chicken, dancing and tractor pulls.
The sign, which became their motto hung downtown: "We're not giving up, we're going on."

June 5 - Goshen County Tornado - Preliminary Rating of EF1( click here)

Well for all that watched on the weather channel and online the amaazing VORTEX 2 live video of a tornao from begining to end here are is the info from the NWS in Cheynne Wyoming.As many of you noticed that this tornado was very large and it was on the ground for nearly 30 minutes. Since the tornado was over open areas of the county the NWS is posing a preliminary rating of EF-1. Even though it could have had EF2 or stronger winds the EF rating is determined by the amount of damage that occured and there really was not any.
Just click the title above for the pictures from the NWS and the VORTEX 2 team. maybe today will be another active day.

Today in Weather History( June 6th)

Sorry todays post has taken so long but I have been dealing with another storm of such. my mother had a massive stroke on Wednesday and I have been dealing with that.So here it is.

Dwight Eisenhower giving orders to American paratroopers in England. (June 6, 1944).


June 6, 1944
D-Day weather at Normandy, France:



1966 - Hurricane Alma made landfall over the eastern Florida panhandle becoming the earliest hurricane to make landfall on the US Mainland.

1997 - Record low maximum temperatures for the date included 65 in Charleston SC where over 7 inches of rain fell in day-long thunderstorms. The high in Raleigh NC was only 59, tying the record all-time coldest June maximum temperature for that location. Atlanta GA tied their record low for the date with 53 degrees and Tulsa OK broke the record for the date with a cold morning low of 53 degrees.

Today in Weather History( June 5th)

1859 - Frost reported from Iowa to New England. 2 inches of snow fell in Ohio. Temperatures plummeted to the middle 20s in Ohio.

1908 - 3.67 inches of rain fell at Helena MT, establishing their all time 24 hour rainfall record.

1916 - Warren AR devastated by a tornado that killed 83 people. 125 people lost their lives across Missouri and Arkansas in the outbreak.

1917 - Giant disk-shaped hailstones 6 to 10 inches in diameter and two to three inches thick? The hailstones came from a large severe thunderstorm that also produced a tornado.

1976 - The Teton Dam in Idaho collapsed, killing 11 people.

1987 - Unseasonable thunderstorms on the 5th and 6th produced flash flooding, power outages, and many lightning induced fires in Los Angeles County of southern California, particularly in the Antelope Valley. Over half a million people were without power, some until the morning of the 8th.

1987 - Major flooding in south Texas. Guadelupe River 18 feet above flood stage at Ceuro TX.

1987 - 34 degrees this morning at International Falls MN. Record highs of 94 degrees reported in the afternoon at Williston ND and Glasgow MT.

1988 - Unseasonably cold in the East. 40 degrees at Asheville NC established a record for the date. 19 other cities also recorded record lows, while 15 cities in the northern part of the country established record highs for the date, including Glasgow MT, where their reading of 108 degrees also established an all-time record for June.

1993 - An unusually strong late spring storm moved into California. Los Angeles reported .76 inches of rain to establish a new rainfall record for the date. Mammoth Mountain Ski Area received over 12 inches of snow. 3.24 inches of rain fell in 24 hours at Lake Gregory.

1995 - Hurricane Allison makes landfall on Florida coast with winds of 75 mph. Hardest hit was Dixie County, but damage was relatively minor.

1998 - Numerous trees and power lines were blown down across the city of Hattiesburg MS blocking many of the roads and highways. Winds heavily damaged twenty-five homes and twenty-five mobile homes. Forty-five people were injured and two people were killed. The two fatalities were both in automobiles which ran into falling trees or the trees fell on them.

Drought Gone!!

These statistics are from Dr. Tim Coleman from ABC 3340 in Birmingham. Its good to know that we are now in a surplus of rain since the stage 4 drought we were in August of last year.

Beautiful sunrise before the storms

I took these shots on I-65 south as I was headed to Birmingham this morning. These were taken around 7:00am

Huntsville Gustnado

These pictures were taken around 12:45 pm today as I was headed west on I-565 near the International Airport. I noticed a commercial airliner attempt to land and then immediately lifted back up and I thought that was strange. Thats when i noticed at the end of the runway was the very ominous Gustnado. The airliner could not land due to the fact the Gustnado was crossing the runway right in front of it. (I had to enhance the light due to the fact this was taken with my Blackberry.)

Hurricane season 1995

1995 - Just three days into the 1995 Atlantic Hurricane Season, Allison formed in the Caribbean and moved northward toward the Florida coast, making landfall near Alligator Point early on June 5th. This was only the beginning. The 1995 Atlantic Hurricane Season will go down in the record books as the second busiest hurricane season since 1871. There were a total of 19 named storms, 11 of which reached hurricane strength. Only in 1933, with 21 known storms, did the number of tropical cyclones surpass 1995's count.

As a result of this hurricane Walterlean Salley of Sannanah Georgia wrote this poem.

Hurricane Season (1995)


Tis a season bringing fear,
Beginning June 1st each year,
With destructive winds and rain,
The season of the hurricanes:
For costly time our city vied
In June, nineteen ninety-five,
When on the very second day,
A hurricane was in array:
June third of ninety-five,
Hurricane Alison passed us by:
And again, Savannah is blessed,
And grateful for a haven of rest.
Each year, this prayer I pray:
Lord, keep the storms away.
While the perilous season lasts,
Protect us from potential blasts;
Shelter us from nature's wrath,
Even when November's past.

Walterrean Salley

Above is the overall tracks of all storms in 1995.

June 2nd 1990 worst tornado outbreak since 1974

Storms Leave 13 Dead in Midwest; Indiana Twisters Worst Since '74
Tornadoes and heavy storms in the Midwest killed at least 13 people over the weekend, littering a wide area with debris and leaving floods behind.

A state of emergency was declared in Indiana, where tornadoes touched down dozens of times on Saturday night, killing eight people and injuring 150 others, several critically. A ninth tornado victim was reported dead in Illinois.

In Wisconsin, a woman was killed today when high winds at a campground in Rocky Arbor State Park toppled a tree onto her tent. In the central Indiana town of Mulberry, a 60-foot-tall tree blew down today in Centennial Park, killing an 8-year-old boy from West Lafayette, Ind., and injuring two other children.

In Milwaukee on Saturday, a 10-year-old boy drowned in the storm-swollen Menomonee River, and an 82-year-old man was killed by a wind-blown tree branch in the nortwestern Missouri town of Stewartsville.

Elsewhere, twisters or tornado-force winds downed trees, knocked out power and damaged homes and businesses in Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. Storms continued to rake the Midwest and Great Lakes region today. In Arkansas, thunderstorms dumped heavy rain, causing flash flooding that closed roads.

Officials in Indiana said the tornadoes were the most destructive to strike the state since 1974. Gov. Evan Bayh of Indiana sent the National Guard to Bedford and Petersburg, the two hardest-hit areas in southern Indiana. The Guard dispatched medical workers, engineers and ambulances to the region, where the state police set up a temporary command post to assist injured and homeless people.

Fire Station Becomes a Morgue

A temporary morgue was set up at a fire station in Petersburg, a city of 4,000 people about 40 miles north of Evansville.

''Half of the town was destroyed,'' said Ed Thurman of nearby Vincennes, who walked through Petersburg early today to view damage. ''Homes, businesses, an elementary school. It went right down the main street. The Mayor's house was demolished.''

Temporary shelters in churches quickly filled up in Petersburg, where flooding two weeks ago chased people from their homes, Mr. Thurman said.

Randy Harris of radio station WFPC in Petersburg said he was home when disaster struck. ''It was just a very strong roar, almost like a low-flying jet,'' he said.

Phil Roberts, deputy director of the Indiana Department of Emergency Management, said eight people were confirmed killed in Indiana, six of them in Petersburg.

A woman in the small town of Browns in southeastern Illinois was killed and at least eight people in nearby Findlay and Newton were injured by tornadoes, officials said.

Fear of Gas Leaks

Electricity and gas service was turned off for fear of gas leaks in Findlay, where about 800 people live. Eleven homes were destroyed and 25 others were damaged in the area.

Mike Garvey, a medical specialist for the Indiana emergency management agency, said 75 people were injured in the Bedford and Petersburg areas. Hospitals in the Bedford and Petersburg areas treated many of the injured. Utility service was knocked out in those areas.

Among the injured were 27 people in a Bedford restaurant that was destroyed, Mr. Roberts said. A service station and convenience store were destroyed south of Bedford.

The Indiana State Police in Lafayette reported extensive damage in Montgomery County, about 25 miles northwest of Indianapolis. At least two tornadoes touched down in that region.

In Minnesota, thunderstorms with 70-mile-an-hour gusts and hail moved across the southeastern and east-central parts of the state. A tornado damaged four farms on Saturday one mile east of Goodhue in southeastern Minnesota, but no injuries were reported, the authorities said.

Harvest before and after storm part 2

And then the sun went down.

Harvest before and after storm

As the storm developed near harvest I grabbed my camera and headed out. I did not see any hail but did encounter some flooded fields and some water about to cover a road. and after it was over a rainbow appeared and then there was a beautiful sunset.

A Very Wet May.

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
731 AM CDT MON JUN 1 2009

...3RD WETTEST MAY FOR HUNTSVILLE...
...20TH WETTEST MAY FOR MUSCLE SHOALS...


MAY 2009 WILL GO DOWN IN THE RECORD BOOKS AS THE 3RD WETTEST ON
RECORD. FOR THE MONTH...10.20 INCHES OF RAIN FELL AT THE HUNTSVILLE
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. THAT AMOUNT IS 4.96 INCHES ABOVE AVERAGE.

HERE IS A LIST OF THE TOP TEN WETTEST MONTHS OF MAY ON RECORD FOR
HUNTSVILLE.

1. 11.88 1983
2. 10.43 2003
3. 10.20 2009
4. 9.08 1980
5. 9.03 1974
6. 8.68 1991
7. 8.35 1909
8. 8.27 1993
9. 8.07 1923
10. 7.51 1984

IN MUSCLE SHOALS...6.27 INCHES OF RAIN FELL...WHICH IS ONLY 0.97
INCHES ABOVE AVERAGE. THIS PUTS MAY 2009 AS THE 20TH WETTEST MAY
FOR MUSCLE SHOALS.