Here we go again.

Another weekend is upon us and another chance of severe weather is possible. While it does look as if all the major parameters for severe weather will be just to the west of Alabama there could be a few strong storms in the NW corner of the state as the SPC does have the extreme NW corner of Alabama in a slight risk for Saturday. The models below are all valid at 1pm on Saturday. We will be getting a late start on Saturday due to prior commitments, but the TVST will be out streaming on Saturday afternoon into West Tennessee, so stay tuned.

Supercell Composite

SRH is high enough to support rotating updrafts.

SB CAPE is impressive enough for severe weather from 500 j/kg to 2500 j/kg in parts of Mississippi.

Craven Significant Severe Parameter very impressive off to our West.

STP looks to be higher in S. Arkansas and into W. Tennessee.

Watching The Weekend

Well the weekend is shaping up to be interesting for someone somewhere. As of the latest runs it looks as if the weather will be North and West of here just clipping NW Alabama. We are gearing up for a potential chase into NW Alabama and into Mississippi and Tennessee, but will finalize details later. All it will take is a little deveation for the system to impact North Alabama in a much broader way. The system will bring decent rains to North Alabama on Sunday as the Bullseye is just West of the State with 6 plus inches in 5 days. Stay tuned for updates.
STP for 7am Saturday

Day 4 outlook

HPC 5 day forecast

7pm Precipitation

1pm SB CAPE

Very Wet Weekend

With the latest run of the GFS it looks as if the most potent part of the weekend system will be just to our north. Yes we will be getting a lot of rain but areas to our north will get a lot more. There is enough CAPE and Helicity to get some severe storms if the systems jogs a little south. stay tuned for more as the runs later in the week will change.

SE Dekalb Co. Tornado Upgraded To An EF4

EVENT TYPE: TORNADO
* EVENT DATE: 04/24/10

* ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 170 MPH
* PRELIMINARY RATING: EF-4

* PATH LENGTH: 7.3 MILES
* MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH: 1/4 TO 1/2 MILE

* INJURIES: AT LEAST 5
* SUMMARY: AS PART OF A SEPARATE STORM...THIS TORNADO IMPACTED
AREAS FROM MOUNT VERNON TO DOG TOWN IN EXTREME SOUTHEAST DEKALB
COUNTY. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE OCCURRED NEAR THE
INTERSECTION OF COUNTY ROAD 80 AND 55 WHERE THE MCNUTT MEMORIAL
UNITED METHODIST CHURCH AND A TWO-STORY RESIDENCE ACROSS THE
STREET WERE BOTH DESTROYED. OAK TREES NEARBY WERE DEBARKED AS
WELL. SOME STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO RESIDENCES ALONG COUNTY ROAD 79
OCCURRED...JUST WEST OF HIGHWAY 176. FARTHER WEST WHERE THE
TORNADO INITIALLY TOUCHED DOWN...SEVERAL SINGLE WIDE MANUFACTURED
HOMES WERE DESTROYED ALONG COUNTY ROAD 60...BETWEEN COUNTY ROAD
822 AND 892. NUMEROUS LARGE TREES WERE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED.

SEVERAL INJURIES OCCURRED WITH THIS TORNADO BUT AN EXACT NUMBER
IS UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME.

THESE FINDINGS ARE PRELIMINARY AND ARE SUBJECT TO ADJUSTMENT.
PICTURES AND SUMMARY MATERIALS WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE ON OUR WEB
PAGE AT WEATHER.GOV/HUNTSVILLE /ALL LOWER CASE/.

Asbury UMC Bus After It Was Hit By EF3 Tornado

here are a couple pictures of the Asbury UMC bus that was on its way back from Camp Sumatanga Saturday Night after it was hit by the EF3 tornado in Alberville. The Night time shot was from WHNT in Huntsville and the day after photo was from Hanna Denton. We are thankful noone was seriously injured or killed on the bus or in Alabama. Although one death was reported in Walker County when an elderly lady slipped and fell while going to a storm shelter.

Yazoo Miss Tonado upgraded to EF4

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
930 PM CDT SUN APR 25 2010

…PRELIMINARY INFORMATION FROM STORM DAMAGE SURVEYS
TODAY…

FOUR NWS STORM DAMAGE SURVEY TEAMS HAVE BEEN SURVEYING DAMAGE
FROM AROUND THE REGION CAUSED BY THE DEVASTATING STORMS OF
SATURDAY. THE FOLLOWING IS PRELIMINARY INFORMATION REGARDING
THE MAJOR STORM THAT MOVED FROM NORTHEAST LOUISIANA ACROSS
CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI.

NWS SURVEY TEAMS SURVEYED THE PATH OF THE STORM FROM ITS
START WEST OF TALLULAH, LOUISIANA TO AS FAR AS DURANT,
MISSISSIPPI. TORNADO DAMAGE…MUCH OF IT STRONG…WAS FOUND
ALONG THIS ENTIRE PATH…AT LEAST IN THOSE AREAS ACCESSIBLE
BY ROAD. BASED ON THESE SURVEYS…THIS IS A SUMMARY OF
THE INFORMATION SO FAR:

PATH LENGTH: 97 MILES…THIS LENGTH WILL INCREASE AS MORE
DAMAGE IS SURVEYED EAST OF TODAY’S SURVEY
MAXIMUM WIDTH: 1.75 MILES
RATING: EF4, WITH MAXIMUM WINDS OF 170 MPH
CASUALTIES: 10 TOTAL FATALITIES WITH DOZENS OF INJURIES

A NUMBER OF AREAS OF EF3 DAMAGE WITH ESTIMATED WINDS OF 150 TO 165
MPH WERE FOUND ALONG THE PATH. TWO AREAS OF EF4 DAMAGE WITH MAXIMUM
WINDS OF 170 MPH WERE FOUND…ONE IN YAZOO CITY…AND THE OTHER IN
HOLMES COUNTY.

ANOTHER SURVEY TEAM IS STILL SURVEYING DAMAGE IN CHOCTAW COUNTY
CAUSED BY THE SAME STORM. THIS DAMAGE HAS BEEN DETERMINED TO BE
AT LEAST HIGH END EF3. WHETHER OR NOT THIS IS A PART OF A
CONTINUOUS TORNADO PATH ALL THE WAY BACK TO ITS START IN
NORTHEAST LOUISIANA HAS YET TO BE DETERMINED. NWS SURVEY TEAMS
WILL BE IN HOLMES…ATTALA…AND CHOCTAW COUNTIES AGAIN MONDAY
TO TRY TO DETERMINE THIS…AND WILL ALSO BE ATTEMPTING TO
OBTAIN AERIAL DATA TO HELP CONFIRM A CONTINUOUS PATH.

IT MUST BE STRESSED THAT ALL OF THIS INFORMATION IS PRELIMINARY
AND SUBJECT TO LATER ADJUSTMENT. A TORNADO OF THIS STRENGTH AND
MAGNITUDE REQUIRES A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF DAMAGE SURVEYS AND DATA
ANALYSIS. THE NWS WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE UPDATES AS ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION IS OBTAINED…AND IS PLANNING TO HOLD A MEDIA BRIEFING
LATER THIS WEEK TO PROVIDE A FULL ANALYSIS OF THE STORM AND THE
DAMAGE SURVEY RESULTS.

THE NWS WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL OF OUR PARTNERS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT
AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT FOR THEIR INVALUABLE ASSISTANCE IN
PERFORMING OUR DAMAGE SURVEYS.

More Tornado Ratings From Saturday Night

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
950 PM CDT SUN APR 25 2010

…PRELIMINARY STORM SURVEY INFORMATION FROM DEKALB AND MARSHALL
COUNTIES…

A PRELIMINARY STORM SURVEY OF THE DAMAGE INCURRED ACROSS DEKALB
AND MARSHALL COUNTIES HAS BEEN COMPLETED BY NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE…MARSHALL AND DEKALB EMA…AND ALABAMA EMA. INITIAL
FINDINGS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

TORNADO 1:
THE FIRST TORNADIC STORM MOVED ACROSS MARSHALL AND DEKALB
COUNTIES. DUE TO DARKNESS…IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO DETERMINE IF THE
TWO SECTIONS OF THE SURVEYED DAMAGE ARE A SINGLE TRACK OR TWO
SEPARATE TRACKS. UNTIL A FINAL DETERMINATION CAN BE MADE…THE
DAMAGE AREAS WILL BE ADDRESSED BY SECTIONS. ADDITIONAL SURVEYS ARE
PLANNED MONDAY.

THE NUMBER OF INJURIES IS IN EXCESS OF 33.

SECTION 1: ALBERTVILLE TO GERALDINE
* EVENT TYPE: TORNADO
* EVENT DATE: 04/24/10

* ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 140 MPH
* PRELIMINARY RATING: EF-3

* PATH LENGTH: 18.5 MILES
* MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH: 3/4 MILE

* SUMMARY: THIS SECTION TOUCHED DOWN EAST OF ALBERTVILLE…MOVED
ACROSS THE CITY…THEN MOVED NORTHEASTWARD INTO THE TOWN OF
GERALDINE. THE CITY OF ALBERTVILLE WAS ESPECIALLY HARD HIT…
WITH DAMAGE TO NUMEROUS RESIDENCES…ALBERTVILLE HIGH SCHOOL…
SEVERAL LARGE RETAIL BUILDINGS. EXTENSIVE TREE DAMAGE WAS ALSO
OBSERVED THROUGHOUT THE DAMAGE PATH. IN THE TOWN OF GERALDINE…
NUMEROUS LARGE TREES WERE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED WHICH ALSO LED TO
SOME STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO RESIDENCES. THIS WAS NOTED ALONG
COUNTY ROAD 227 AND 52…JUST SOUTHEAST OF HIGHWAY 75.

SECTION 2: NEAR MENTONE
* EVENT TYPE: TORNADO
* EVENT DATE: 04/24/10

* ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 140 MPH
* PRELIMINARY RATING: EF-3

* PATH LENGTH: 2.0 MILES
* MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH: 1/4 MILE

* SUMMARY: THIS SECTION OF THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN ABOUT 3 TO 4
MILES SOUTHEAST OF MENTONE…BETWEEN COUNTY ROAD 106 AND 117.
THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE OCCURRED TO A TRAILER PARK (MORNING
GLORY COURT) WHERE SEVERAL SINGLE WIDE MANUFACTURED HOMES WERE
COMPLETELY DESTROYED. NUMEROUS LARGE TREES WERE ALSO SNAPPED OR
UPROOTED.

SEVERAL INJURIES OCCURRED WITH THIS TORNADO BUT AN EXACT NUMBER
IS UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME.

TORNADO 2: MOUNT VERNON (NORTHEAST OF COLLINSVILLE)

* EVENT TYPE: TORNADO
* EVENT DATE: 04/24/10

* ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 150 MPH
* PRELIMINARY RATING: EF-3

* PATH LENGTH: 7.3 MILES
* MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH: 1/4 TO 1/2 MILE

* SUMMARY: AS PART OF A SEPARATE STORM…THIS TORNADO IMPACTED THE
AREAS FROM MOUNT VERNON TO DOG TOWN IN EXTREME SOUTHEAST DEKALB
COUNTY. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE OCCURRED NEAR THE
INTERSECTION OF COUNTY ROAD 80 AND 55 WHERE THE MCNUTT MEMORIAL
UNITED METHODIST CHURCH AND A SMALLER HOUSE NEXT TO IT WERE BOTH
DESTROYED. OAK TREES NEARBY WERE DEBARKED AS WELL. STRUCTURAL
DAMAGE TO RESIDENCES ALONG COUNTY ROAD 79 OCCURRED…JUST WEST
OF HIGHWAY 176. FARTHER WEST WHERE THE TORNADO INITIALLY TOUCHED
DOWN…SEVERAL SINGLE WIDE MANUFACTURED HOMES WERE DESTROYED
ALONG COUNTY ROAD 60…BETWEEN COUNTY ROAD 822 AND 892. NUMEROUS
LARGE TREES WERE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED.

SEVERAL INJURIES OCCURRED WITH THIS TORNADO BUT AN EXACT NUMBER
IS UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME.

THESE FINDINGS ARE PRELIMINARY AND ARE SUBJECT TO ADJUSTMENT.
PICTURES AND SUMMARY MATERIALS WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE ON OUR WEB
PAGE AT WEATHER.GOV/HUNTSVILLE /ALL LOWER CASE/.

SURVEYED BY: COYNE/WHITE
NADLER/AMIN

Walker County Tornado EF3

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
415 PM CDT SUN APR 25 2010

…STORM SURVEYS TO BE CONDUCTED ON DAMAGE REPORTS FROM SATURDAY…

…PARISH TORNADO RATED AS AN EF-3…

MULTIPLE SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED AND TRACKED
NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA BEGINNING SATURDAY MORNING
AND CONTINUED INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS SATURDAY NIGHT. NUMEROUS
DAMAGE REPORTS WERE RECEIVED THROUGHOUT THE EVENT…WITH
CONCENTRATED DAMAGE IN SEVERAL COUNTIES. THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM WILL CONTINUE TO ASSESS THE DAMAGE AT
SEVERAL LOCATIONS OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS AND SHARE THE INFORMATION
ABOUT THE STORMS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE

…WALKER/JEFFERSON/BLOUNT TORNADO…

EVENT DATE: 24 APRIL, 2010
EVENT TYPE: EF-3
ESTIMATED PEAK WINDS (MPH): 140
INJURIES/FATALITIES: NONE
EVENT START TIME/LOCATION COORDINATES: 10:04 PM/33.7336N 87.2864W
EVENT END TIME/LOCATION COORDINATES: 10:55 PM/33.8532N 86.7931W
DAMAGE PATH LENGTH (IN MILES): 29.5 MILES
DAMAGE WIDTH (IN YARDS): 400 YARDS

WARNINGS: TORNADO WARNING 25/10:01PM TO 10:30PM
TORNADO WARNING 26/10:22PM TO 11:00 PM
WATCHES: TORNADO WATCH #99 VALID FROM 715PM CDT TO 2 AM 25 APRIL 2010.

THIS LONG TRACK TORNADO CAUSED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE IN PARRISH, AND
CONTINUED A PATH OF DAMAGE ACROSS NORTHERN JEFFERSON AND
SOUTHWESTERN BLOUNT COUNTIES. A TOTAL OF 70 TO 80 HOMES AND
BUSINESSES WERE DAMAGED, WITH ONE HOME DESTROYED. APPROXIMATELY
800 TO 1000 HARDWOOD AND SOFTWOOD TREES WERE EITHER UPROOTED OR
SNAPPED ALONG THE PATH OF THE STORM. THERE WAS ONE INDIRECT
FATALITY CAUSED WHEN A 50 YEAR OLD WOMAN SLIPPED AND FELL WHILE
GOING TO STORM SHELTER IN WALKER COUNTY.

ADDITIONAL PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENTS WILL BE ISSUED PERIODICALLY
THROUGH MONDAY…AS SURVEY TEAMS REPORT BACK THEIR FINDINGS.

A MAJOR CONTRIBUTION TO THE SUCCESS OF OUR SEVERE WEATHER WARNING
PROGRAM IS THE RECEIPT OF STORM REPORTS FROM ALL OUR CUSTOMERS AND
PARTNERS ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA. IF YOU WITNESSED OR ARE AWARE OF
ANY STORM DAMAGE DUE TO HIGH WINDS OR TORNADOES…PLEASE CONTACT
YOUR LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICE…OR CALL OUR STORM REPORTING
HOTLINE AT 1-800-856-0758 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 1-800-856-0758 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

Cullman Co tornado rated EF2

Cullman County Damage Rated as EF-2 Tornado

The National Weather Service in Huntsville is still in the process of surveying and analyzing the damage that occurred on Saturday, April 24. Storm survey information will be posted as soon as possible.

Cullman County, Alabama:

A PRELIMINARY STORM SURVEY OF THE DAMAGE INCURRED ACROSS CULLMAN
COUNTY HAS BEEN COMPLETED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PERSONNEL.
INITIAL FINDINGS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

* EVENT TYPE: TORNADO
* EVENT DATE: 04/24/10
* EVENT TIME: 713 PM CDT

* ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 115 MPH
* PRELIMINARY RATING: EF-2

* PATH LENGTH: 6 MILES
* MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH: 300 YARDS

* SUMMARY: AN EF-2 TORNADO FIRST TOUCHED DOWN ON HIGHWAY 31 JUST
SOUTH OF THE COUNTY ROAD 601 INTERSECTION. THE TORNADO DAMAGED
ROOFS TO TWO BUSINESSES IN THE PHELAN COMMUNITY. THE TORNADO
THEN MOVED NORTHEAST AND DOWNED SEVERAL POWER LINES AND SNAPPED
AND UPROOTED OVER 100 TREES INCLUDING PINE AND OAK TREES. MINOR
ROOF DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED ON A HOUSE ON COUNTY ROAD 601 AND A
CARPORT WAS DESTROYED ON COUNTY ROAD 622 LOOP. BEFORE THE
TORNADO CROSSED THE BROGLEN RIVER...OVER 20 PINE TREES WERE
SNAPPED. TWO CHICKEN HOUSES WERE DESTROYED AND SEVERAL TREES
WERE DOWNED NEAR COUNTY ROAD 747 IN THE WELTI COMMUNITY. TIN
ROOF DEBRIS FROM THE CHICKEN HOUSES WAS THROWN OVER ONE MILE
ALONG THE TORNADO PATH. THE TORNADO FINALLY LIFTED ON COUNTY
ROAD 643 BUT NOT BEFORE CAUSING ROOF DAMAGE TO A BARN AND
KNOCKING DOWN SEVERAL TREES.

Marlon Davis of Yazoo City Mississippi Captures Destructive tornado on video

Aftermath

After a long long day it has finally came to an end. The TVST send out their thoughts and prayers to everyone that was effected by the tornadoes across the Deep South on Saturday the 24th. As most of you may know 3 very large and devastating tornadoes touched down on Saturday, 1 in LA/Miss that done considerable damage in the town of Yazoo City, 1 in Walker County Alabama as considerable damage was reported in Parrish and Cordova, and 1 in Marshall and Dekalb Counties in Alabama in Which this tornado first touched down in Albertville and went through Geraldine and close to Fort Payne. Like many chasers out there I to was having radar troubles. My radar kept dropping which is not a good thing during a major sever weather event like we had. The damage photos below are from the Welti community of Cullman County Alabama Where an EF2 destroyed some chicken houses, this same tornado just about 1 hr earlier slammed into me and my wife on corridor X in Walker County completely wrapped in rain not knowing it was there because I had no radar. The sirens in Walker County sounded after We was hit by the massive wall of rain. The Church bus you see was carrying members from Asbury UMC back from a religious retreat when it was struck in Albertville (estimates have it at 1/2-3/4 mile wide). This tornado hit close to home as my wife and I are memebers of Asbury UMC and knew everyone on board including my Sister-in-law. All are well just a little shaken up. Numerous tornadoes touched down across Central and North Alabama and the NWS survey team are in the field today. I will post their findings as soon as they are available.

HIGH RISK TODAY

THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION PLEASE STAY WEATHER AWARE TODAY

Chase Potential Looking Good.

Watching the severe weather unleash out west tonight as many of my fellow Severestudios.com chasers are scoring big time tornadoes. This whole system will bring storms our way Saturday afternoon, while the SB CAPE is not overly impressive at 1500 j/kg for late April the other parameters are off the charts. all charts below are valid at 7pm Saturday. Please keep your NOAA radio handy Saturday as this looks to be a daytime event and with the daytime heating it is going to get rough.High low level helicity ) strong wind fields at the surface and aloft, diffluence aloft, and steep lapse rates are all in play. All modes of severe weather will be possible, including large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes. A few violent, long track tornadoes are very possible.
Super Cell Potential

Significant tornado parameter

SB CAPE

Watching The Weekend, Could Be Interesting

We could be in for a wild start to our weekend. With CAPE values between 1000-2500j/kg and Helicity values high enough to rotate support rotating updrafts it could be interesting. While it does look that the worst of the weather will start over in Mississippi and it does look like it will be real bad over there we will have to wait and see just how unstable we become here in Alabama as the day goes on. As far as the TVST chase team we will decide by Friday morning just where we will target during the day Saturday. Below is some of the latest Model runs valid for 7pm on Saturday night. Stay tuned for updates.


Significant Tornado Parameter

Surface Based CAPE

Storm Relative Helicity

Energy Helicity

Watching The Weekend

I know alot of people are patiently watching the weather for the weekend because of the big race at Talladega, so lets get right into it. There will be a pretty major storm develop out in the Southwestern US this week,and it will be our next big rain maker for Alabama on Saturday so the Nationwide Race looks like it could be a wash out( but I know that will not stop die hard race fans) but lets wait and see. The system moves out mid morning Sunday and sunshine returns for the Sprint Cup Race with highs in the upper 70s to low 80s, with lights at Dega we may see both races on Sunday. The SPC has a day 5 risk up for Mississippi and areas to our west on Saturday, while there is no formal risk for Alabama yet we will need to watch this system close, after all this is mid-April in Alabama so expect the unexpected. The SB CAPE values are marginal at best and the ML CAPE values are a little more impressive so we will wait and see. The TVST team will be ready to mobilize early Saturday morning not sure if we will be in Alabama, West Tennessee, or Mississippi so stay tuned fro those chase details. All the models below are for Saturday.

A few changes to next week.

Well the 00Z GFS is now coming in a little drier Monday and Tuesday, then turns unsettled towards the end of next week. Could our Spring Severe Weather Season be starting to finally kick of both here in Alabama and in the Great Plains? It will be interesting to see if this does happen especially with the CAPE values Valid 0Z next Thursday( see below) looking to be near 2500-3500 j/kg that is awesome, but it is way out there so it may change. Until then enjoy the beautiful weather.

Another Beautiful but Otherwise Boring Day

Like a broken record that skips and gets on your nerves, this weather pattern we are in is exactly the same. With a forecast high of 82F in Huntsville today and bright sunshine and no rain in sight people like me get tired of it real quick. There is a small chance of rain coming in on Saturday and Sunday, but it is less than 30% and not a major rain event. Still no signs of any severe weather outbreaks through the end of the month, but the winds aloft do look to strengthen with the southern JS towards the end of the last week of the month so we may get active in May, I sure hope so. So until then enjoy the sunshine and the 80 degree temps.

Double tornado

Massive Double tornado rated F4 that hit Elkhart County Indiana killing 14 during the 1965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak that spawned 47 tornadoes including 17 F4s and Killing 271 people in 11 hours in 6 states.

April 10th 2009 Hail and Tornado Outbreak

As many of you recall on April 10th of 2009 we were pounded with severe weather across North and Central Alabama with a total of 10 tornadoes, 2 in North Alabama( including a EF-3 in Marshall, DeKalb, and Jackson Counties) and 8 across Central Alabama and very large hail.I personally had baseball size hail at my home in Madison and there where numerous other reports of large hail across North Alabama. The size of the hail that day, we do not normally see here in Alabama, hail that size is what people are used to seeing in the plains. To see the NWS Huntsville reports and pictures from that day please click the title. If anyone has photos or comments about that day we would love to hear from you.

Remembering April 8th 1998

This you tube vide is from ABC 3340 in Birmingham.
For some people there are things that will change their lives forever and it does not matter how big or how small it is. That thing for me happened 12 years ago on April 8th 1998 when an F5 tornado ( the worst tornado in Alabama since 1977)tore through Jefferson County Alabama. I was an EMT and a volunteer firefighter back then and that night I saw more death and destruction than I have ever seen. Shortly before 8pm that night a tornado touched down in Western Jefferson County Alabama not really knowing the magnitude until a little later when my phone started ringing. I was being mobilized to go to the Oak Grove/Concord area because the destruction was extensive people missing, deaths, and hundreds injured. The Fire Stations where destroyed and roads were blocked as well as no power. When I arrived it made my stomach turn seeing all the people wandering around not knowing really where their loved ones are. I have seen a lot of people die in my lifetime but this scene is now burnt into my memory. Every time I smell pine it nearly makes me sick because the smell of all the broken pine trees was over whelming. The NWS issued the Tornado Warning for Jefferson County at 7:45pm and the tornado touched down at 7:52pm and by the time it was over 34 people would lose their lives, 256 injured, 1,117 homes completely destroyed, 988 other home damaged. I became a Skywarn Spotter later that year and began my storm chasing career. Unlike the Great Plains you cannot see a tornado miles away due to the hilly terrain. So by becoming a Storm Spotter it is my hope that when tornadoes form and start doing damage I can relay any information I have to the NWS in hopes to save lives.





All photos from the NWS in Birmingham.

Watching Models Close For Wednesday into Thursday. Going Green

While we have been in a lull for any severe weather so far this spring,
we may see a little late in the day Wednesday. While this not going to
be a typical wide spread outbreak there could be at least a Severe
Thunderstorm Watch issued for parts of North Mississippi, West
Tennessee, and extreme NW Alabama so we will see. The TVST will be
heading out towards the West at the noon hour. Our live stream will
start around 1:30pm until early Thursday morning so stay tuned.

Significant Tornado Parameter

Craven Significant Severe Weather

Significant Hail Parameter

Helicity Values

Watching For A possible Chase

Well this Spring the chances for severe weather has been real slow. Now it looks as if we may get a chance (although it is a small one)for some weather Wednesday afternoon. Below is the SPC risk outlook percentage for tomorrow. Stay tuned for mobiliztion of the TVST chase team.

In Remembrance Of The Super Outbreak Of 1974.

As everyone well knows on April 3rd and 4th the worst tornado outbreak in US history.  148 tornadoes touched down in that 24 hour period in 13 states killing 315 people and injuring more than 6000. Here is information about the strongest of the Outbreak
Never before had so many violent (F4 and F5) tornadoes been observed in a single weather phenomenon.
There were six F5 tornadoes and 24 F4 tornadoes. The
outbreak began in Morris Illinois, at around 1 p.m. on April 3. As the
storm system moved east where daytime heating had made the air more
unstable, the tornadoes grew more intense. A tornado that struck near Monticello, Indiana was an F4 and
had a path length of 121 miles (193.6 km), the longest path length of
any tornado for this outbreak. Nineteen people were killed in this
tornado.However, the first F5 tornado of the day struck the city of Xenia Ohio (the strongest and deadliest of the outbreak, at 4:40 pm EDT. It killed 34, injured 1,150, completely
destroyed about one-fourth of the city, and caused serious damage in
another fourth of the city. There where also 2 F5 tornadoes that hit Alabama that day one in Tanner in Limestone County and the other Wiped out the town of Guin in Marion County. What many people might not know there was another small outbreak of tornadoes on April 1st 1974 leading up to the Super Outbreak with 6 of those also in Alabama. So from April 1st to April 4th there were 171 tornadoes ( 148 during the Super Outbreak) with 322 people killed. Will this type of event ever happen again it just might but when and where we just do not know. We have better warning sysytems now and our NWS Meteorologists are better equipped to monitor all weather events everywhere.

One Word For The Day "BEAUTIFUL" Snow Next Week??????????????

Well we have been waiting on this for a few weeks but better late than
never I say. We are looking at sunny skies and low 80s for the next 2
days, then a risk of showers and storms return on Saturday. With that
said the rain should be out of here by Saturday afternoon and the rest
of the Easter weekend should be near perfect with the exception of a few
clouds on Sunday with highs in the 70s. Do not look now though and if I
were you all I would not plant just yet. The GFS is hinting at a early
April freeze towards the end of next week. Notice the critical thickness
lines valid next Thursday as a major artic cold dips southward and with a LOW expected to develop in the
GULF there could be an April accumulating snowfall event on the table
for someone in the deep south. It is very rare but it has happened.
looking at the models it looks as if it could be a Middle Tennessee
event and to the north into Kentucky. Hear me now THIS IS NOT A FORECAST
yet it is just on the table and is up for discussion. it is more than 5
days out and not in stone. This will be followed very closely and updated soon to apprise everyone everyone. But for now everyone enjoy the beautiful weather we are having now and HAPPY EASTER.