To date, the United States set a record with 12 separate billion dollar weather/climate disasters in 2011, with an aggregate damage total of approximately $52 billion. This record year breaks the previous record of nine billion-dollar weather/climate disasters in one year, which occurred in 2008. These twelve disasters alone resulted in the tragic loss of 646 lives, with the National Weather Service reporting over 1,000 deaths across all weather categories for the year. Previously only 10 events were reported; the two new billion-dollar weather and climate events added to the 2011 total include: The Texas, New Mexico, Arizona wildfires event, now exceeding $1 billion, had been previously accounted for in the larger Southern Plains drought and heatwave event. This is in line with how NOAA has traditionally accounted for large wildfire events as separate events. The June 18-22 Midwest/Southeast Tornadoes and Severe Weather event, which just recently exceeded the $1 billion threshold. With that said 2011 will go down as one of the strongest, costliest ($52 billion), and deadliest (over 1000) years for natural disasters this country has ever seen. From the heavy snows and blizzards across the country to begin the year to the tornadoes, floods, and wildfires. Some of the information and images from this posting are from online events others are from persons sending me the information or from my on personal ordeals.
January
In Alabama just 1 week after the first White Christmas where I measured 5” (measurable snowfall) since 1989, we had a rough New Years Eve. Mother Nature decided to have her on party this year (with 40 reported tornadoes). It all began during the predawn hours on Friday when a tornado tore thru Cincinnati Arkansas killing 3 people. This tornado has preliminary rated an EF3 with maximum estimated winds of about 140 mph. This EF rating is primarily based on severe damage to 3 permanent homes and a destroyed metal (volunteer fire department) building system in Cincinnati. This was a long track tornado as it was on the ground for 21 miles and was 500 yds wide at its widest point. Another severe tornado was in the St Louis metro hitting Cedar Hill, St Louis City, and then to Sunset Hills. This tornado was also preliminarily rated EF3 but NWS St Louis may upgrade to at the least EF4. No track length or width is available at this time.
Then later in the night Mother Nature unleashed her fury on the Deep South as tornadoes raged across portions of Central and Southern Mississippi where the NWS WFO in Jackson had to take shelter from a beast of a storm the tore thru the area. With with lots of damage being reported in the area the town of Byram was hit extremely hard and the local police put the whole town on lock down over night due to extensive damage. I went out around 2am when the line was progressing east thru the Valley to try and intercept some hail but it all fizzled out, which is what we predicted. Then on January 9th the Winter storm that everyone has been talking about has come and dumped the third largest total ever in Huntsville. Even though we were seeing snow on radar beginning around 6pm it was not reaching the ground just yet. The air started out a little dry with dew points in the 20s and as the moisture kept on creeping into the area the dew points came up the moisture was here and the snow began to reach the ground. At 8:30pm I saw the first flake in Madison and began taking pictures of my snow plate with a ruler fixed to it. Below are some pictures from that day including my ruler throughout the night with the times the pictures were taken as well as a short video of the Thunder Snow. The wooden ruler is fixed the black one behind it was there to support it until the snow reached a depth that the wooden one supported itself. This will surely not be our last chance for snow this Winter, as we usually see our snows in February and early March.
Thunder snow about 45 seconds in
9:30pm 1 hour after the snow started to fall
6:30am after the snow stopped
This storm would shut most most all of North Alabama schools down for at least 1 week.
February
The month of February was a month that Mother Nature threw us a mixed bag of weather all across the Nation. From severe weather and tornadoes in the south to record snows across the plains and the Midwest. Here are just a few of the events
On February 26th tornadoes tore across portions of Louisiana, Mississippi, And Alabama. Hackleburg Alabama
ON THE EVENING OF THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24TH, A SQUALL LINE PASSED
THROUGH CENTRAL ALABAMA CAUSING NUMEROUS REPORTS OF STRAIGHT LINE
WIND DAMAGE THROUGHOUT THE AREA. AS PART OF THIS SQUALL LINE, THERE
WAS ONE AREA THAT RECEIVED DAMAGE THAT WOULD BE INDICATIVE OF A
BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWN.
IN RESPONSE TO THIS DAMAGE, A SURVEY TEAM OF NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS COMPLETED AN ASSESSMENT OF THE AREA JUST
OUTSIDE OF HACKLEBURG IN MARION COUNTY. THESE ARE THEIR FINDINGS:
...MARION COUNTY TORNADO...
EVENT DATE: FEBRUARY 24, 2011
EVENT TYPE: EF-0 TORNADO
ESTIMATED PEAK WINDS (MPH): 75-80
INJURIES/FATALITIES: NONE
EVENT START LOCATION AND TIME: 34.2858/-87.8578 AT 1018 PM
EVENT END LOCATION AND TIME: 34.2878/-87.8482 AT 1018 PM
DAMAGE PATH LENGTH (IN MILES): 0.5
DAMAGE WIDTH (IN YARDS): 100
AS PART OF A SQUALL LINE, THE TORNADO BRIEFLY TOUCHED DOWN JUST TO
THE NORTHWEST OF THE TOWN OF HACKLEBURG. TRAVELING ON THE GROUND
FOR ONLY 1/2 MILE, THE TORNADO DID CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE TO A NUMBER
OF CHICKEN BARNS AND OUTBUILDINGS IN THE AREA, EXTENSIVELY LIFTING
TIN ROOFS AND OVERHANGS.
WARNINGS: SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING #009 WAS IN EFFECT FROM 935 PM
UNTIL 1015 PM. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING #011 WAS IN EFFECT FROM
1010 PM UNTIL 1100 PM. TORNADO WARNING #004 WAS IN EFFECT FROM
957 PM UNTIL 1030 PM.
Mississippi Delta Region
EF1 and EF2
Tornado #1 West Carroll Parish La
The tornado first touched down near the intersection of highways 585 and 835 in the northwest part of West Carroll Parish. A grain truck was overturned first. Significant damage occurred to the roof of a church and minor damage occurred to the nearby parsonage. Then, the tornado knocked down a very large tree, which fell on a shed and the corner of a house. Two people narrowly escaped harm from this falling tree. As the tornado continued to move east-northeast, it destroyed a small shed, damaged a larger shed, and blew out some windows of a house. A large antenna was also significantly bent over. A travel trailer was turned about 45 degrees into a garage. The next structure the tornado encountered was a double-wide trailer, which had a large part of the roof blown off. Finally, another trailer was turned over in Kilbourne. Numerous trees were snapped and uprooted along the path.
Rating:EF-1
Estimated Maximum Wind:95 mph
Casualties:none
Damage Path Length:6 miles
Maximum Path Width:75 yards
Tornado #2 Grace Mississippi
The tornado started at Grace, where it downed a few large trees and caused minor roof damage to several homes. The tornado continued into Sharkey County, and just after crossing Dry Bend Road it destroyed a metal outbuilding, scattering tin and other debris a mile downstream. Part of the roof of another larger metal building was taken off at the same location, along with a couple of trees snapped. From here the tornado mainly passed through open fields for a couple of miles, although trees could be seen down along some tree lines. As the tornado approached US Highway 61, it turned more east-northeastward and downed more trees and rolled some equipment at a farm shop. As it crossed Highway 61, it snapped or downed at least 6 wooden power poles. It also caused significant shingle damage to a frame home and downed several trees and large limbs. The tornado then moved back into inaccessible farm fields, and is assumed to have dissipated shortly thereafter.
Rating:EF-2
Estimated Maximum Wind:115 mph
Casualties:none
Damage Path Length:6.5 miles
Maximum Path Width:400 yards
And in the Midwest the month opened with a humongous blizzard paralyzing the Midwest of the United States. Chicago reported its third greatest snowfall on record with 20.2” measured at O’Hare Airport on February 1-2. Tulsa, Oklahoma’s 14.0” accumulation was the greatest on record for that city. Record cold temperatures then plunged southward following the storm resulting in Santa Fe, New Mexico tying its all-time coldest temperature with -18°F on February 3 and Ruidoso broke its all-time record low with -27°F (old record -26° in 1951 and 1971). Readings as low as -36°F were reported from other sites in the state (Angle Fire and Eagle Nest).
Laredo, Texas never rose above 30° on February 3 (coldest maximum temperature since a 29°F high on January 30, 1951) and, ironically, the city reached a high of 103° on February 27, tying the hottest February temperature on record for the site and only one degree short of the hottest temperature ever recorded in the USA for any location in the country for February (104° at Fort Ringgold, Texas in February 1904). However, the data from the official airport site in Laredo is suspect according to Laredo-based weatherman Richard Berler. Richard suspects the actual reading was just 101°F accounting for a +2°F bias at the airport site.
Another blizzard pummeled Oklahoma and Arkansas just a week later when an Oklahoma state record for a 24-hour snowfall was reached at Spaville when 27.0” accumulated on February 8-9. The Arkansas state record for such fell shy just 1/2” with 24.5” measured at Siloam Springs. Following the storm, Oklahoma broke its record for the coldest temperature on record for the state when a -31°F reading was measured at Nowata on February 10.
An unprecedented warm up occurred the following week in Oklahoma with temperatures rising into the 80°s. Some locations reported a 100°F+ rise in temperature within the span of 6 days.
Also in Douglas, Ariz., hits 0 degrees Fahrenheit for the third time in history; Laramie's mercury plummets to -39 F. Tens of thousands of people in Arizona and New Mexico are left without natural gas to heat their homes due to cold-caused shortages. South of the border, 35 animals -- including parrots, snakes, a monkey and a crocodile -- freeze to death in a Mexican zoo.
March
March would be what I would say as a precursor for the next month as far as severe weather goes. On e moderate risk after another was put out by the SPC in Norman Oklahoma and as most of them would burst out and be nothing but rain makers one proved different as a tornado tore through the town of Theodore in South Alabama. I was tracking this storm on my laptop using GR2 Analyst and screen grabbed this as the tornado was reported on the ground.
Another phenomenon in March this year came on the 19th when the SUPERMOON would be the closest it has been to earth in 18 years.
My Image of the SUPERMOON
Most people would argue that with the SUPERMOON comes very extreme weather or other catastrophic events such as the last SUPERMOON in 2005 on January 10th right around the time of the 9.0 Indonesia earthquake. The 2011 SUPERMOON comes 8 days since a massive Earthquake and Tsunami hit the island of Japan. And knowing what happened in the US this weather year I am a firm believer that the SUPERMOON discussion is still a BIG topic. As April is next and we all know what happened in April.April
April would prove very costly in both dollars and lives lost. Following 2 massive tornado outbreaks less than 2 weeks apart. The first began on April 14th in the plains and moved east over the next 2 days. In Alabama a moderate risk of severe weather also existed for April 15 across much of Alabama and Mississippi. During the pre-dawn hours into the morning of April 15, tornadic activity temporarily waned with only isolated activity. However, by late that morning, supercell thunderstorms developed again over parts of Mississippi, and tornadoes began to touch down again. A tornado emergency was declared for the northern Jackson metropolitan area shortly after 11:00 am CDT (1600 UTC), as a result of a widely photographed tornado that moved through parts of the city and the adjoining city of Clinton. The destructive tornado moved across the area producing severe damage and numerous injuries according to WLBT coverage. That afternoon, Mississippi State University spotters confirmed another large tornado in east-central Mississippi and west-central Alabama and the second tornado emergency of the outbreak was issued. ABC 33/40 coverage reported that the tornado was 3/4 mile (1.2 km) in width. Another tornado slammed into Tuscaloosa, Alabama that afternoon rated EF3,Two additional tornado emergencies were also issued that afternoon for other storms in Attala County, Mississippi and Choctaw County, Alabama, and a fifth such issuance occurred near Leakesville, Mississippi that evening. Local storm reports report at least 7 fatalities from the storms on April 15. With 178 confirmed tornadoes 38 deaths and in the 3 day outbreak and hearing talks of the next big event in AFDs, most knew this would be a long month.
On April 25th-28th An extremely large and violent tornado outbreak, the largest tornado outbreak ever recorded, and popularly known as the 2011 Super Outbreak, occurred from April 25 to 28, 2011. The outbreak affected the Southern, Midwestern, and Northeastern United States, leaving catastrophic destruction in its wake, especially across the state of Alabama. It produced destructive tornadoes in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Virginia, and affected many other areas throughout the Southern and Eastern United States. In total, 353 tornadoes were confirmed by the National Weather Service in 21 states from Texas to New York and even isolated tornadoes in Canada. Widespread and destructive tornadoes occurred on each day of the outbreak, with April 27 being among the most prolific and destructive tornado days in United States history with a record 208 tornadoes touching down that day. Four of the tornadoes were destructive enough to be rated EF5 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which is the highest ranking possible; typically these tornadoes are only recorded about once each year or less.
In total, 346 people were killed as a result of the outbreak. That death toll includes 322 tornado-related deaths across six states. In addition, 24 fatalities were not caused by tornadoes, but were confirmed to be as a result of other thunderstorm-related impacts such as straight-line winds, hail, flash flooding or lightning.[8][9] 239 deaths in Alabama alone were confirmed by the SPC and the state's Emergency Management Agency.
April 27 was the deadliest tornado day in the United States since the 1925 "Tri-State" outbreak, which produced the infamous Tri-State Tornado. Although it has been classified by some news outlets as the second-deadliest tornado outbreak in United States history, the 1936 Tupelo–Gainesville tornado outbreak actually holds that distinction with at least 436 reported deaths split almost evenly over two days. Officially the outbreak is listed by NOAA as the fourth deadliest in United States history and the 24-hour-period from 8:00 a.m. April 27 to 8:00 a.m. April 28 as the fifth deadliest tornado day in United States history. Over 492 preliminary local storm reports were received for tornadoes over four days, including 292 in 16 states on April 27. It was also the costliest tornado outbreak and one of the costliest natural disasters in United States history. With 4 EF5s, 11 EF4s,and 23 EF3s this day may never be duplicated.Hulaco EF4
Piedmont EF5
May
May also saw some violent weather across the heartland.
Midwest/Southeast Tornado Outbreak (May 22-27)
This six-day tornado outbreak killed approximately 180 people, and includes the EF-5 tornadoes that rolled through Joplin, Missouri on May 22, and El Reno, Oklahoma on May 24. Tornadoes in this storm were spawned from central Texas to the Upper Midwest. The whole event is estimated to have done $7 billion in damages.
Mississippi River Flooding
Between the spring snow-melt and two storms that dumped massive amounts of rain in the Mississippi watershed in April, the Mississippi was in for a flood of record proportions. The river began to bulge by the beginning of May, flooding every state from Illinois to Louisiana and Mississippi. A federal disaster was declared by the President in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi. In an effort to save Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana, the Army Corps of Engineers opened the Morganza Spillway on May 14, which flooded 4,600 square miles of Louisiana. The NCDC estimates $4 billion in damages from this flood, although the final amount might not be fully realized yet.
June
Midwest, Southeast, Plains Severe Weather Outbreak (June 16-22)
This seven-day outbreak of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes featured four EF-3 tornadoes. The worst storm damage occurred in Wheeling, Illinois. The whole event is estimated to have done $1.25 billion in damages.
Texas Drought & Wildfires
Texas is in the midst of one of the worst droughts of its history. As of June 28, 2011, 91% of Texas was in extreme or greater drought, and 47% of the state was in an "exceptional drought," the most severe category. In April and May of 2011, wildfires burned over 3 million acres across the state. The governor of Texas, Rick Perry, has declared a State of Disaster every month since December 2010. As of June 16, NCDC estimates that the drought and fires in Texas have cost $3.0 billion.
August
Hurricane Irene
Hurricane Irene roared ashore over the Outer Banks of North Carolina on August 27, 2011, as a Category 1 hurricane with 80 mph winds. Irene made a second landfall on Long Island, NY on August 28 as a tropical storm with 65 mph winds. Major coastal damage resulted from the hurricane's storm surge and battering waves; two new channels were carved through the Outer Banks, isolating the barrier islands from the mainland. However, the main damage from Irene occurred due to the storm's heavy rains of 8 - 12 inches that fell over much of the Northeast. Record flooding hit rivers in NJ, NY, VT, PA, and CT, resulting in billions in damage and dozens of lives lost.
September
Tropical Storm Lee Flooding
Tropical Storm Lee made landfall on the Lousiana coast on September 4, 2011, as a very wet tropical storm with 45 mph winds. Lee dumped over 10" of rain over Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee, but flooding damage was limited in these states due to pre-existing drought conditions. However, Lee's remnants reached the Northeast U.S. on September 8, where soils were already saturated from heavy August rains due, in part, to Hurricane Irene on August 28. Irene set the stage for what was to become the greatest flood in recorded history on the Susquehanna River. On September 5, a front stalled out over Pennsylvania and New York. Tropical moisture streaming northwards in advance of Tropical Storm Lee was lifted up over the front, and heavy downpours resulted. The rains continued for four days, and were amplified by the arrival of Tropical Storm Lee's remnants on September 7, plus a stream of moisture emanating from far-away Hurricane Katia, 1,000 miles to the south-southeast. Binghamton, New York received 8.70" of rain in 24 hours September 7 - 8, the greatest 24-hour rainfall in city history. This was nearly double the city's previous all-time record (4.68" on Sep 30 - Oct. 1, 2010.) The record rains falling on soils still saturated from Hurricane Irene's rains ran off rapidly into the Susquehanna River, which rose an astonishing twenty feet in just 24 hours. By noon on September 8, the rampaging Susquehanna River crested in Binghamton at 25.71', the highest level since records began in 1846. Record flood heights were recorded downstream in Pennsylvania as well, where damage is estimated at over $1 billion.
October
October Northeast Snow Storm
The most extraordinary October snowstorm in over two centuries hit the Northeast U.S. on October 29, bringing snow amounts as high as 32" to Peru, Massachussetts. Not since the infamous snow hurricane of 1804 have such prodigious amounts of snow been recorded in New England and, to a lesser extent, in the mid-Atlantic states. Trees that had not yet lost their leaves suffered tremendous damage from the wet, heavy snow, and snapped branches and falling trees brought down numerous power lines, leaving at least 3 million people without electricity. Damage in Connecticut alone was estimated at $3 billion, exceeding the damage from Hurricane Irene.
November
A powerful storm system moving through the southern Great Plains produced tornadoes, large hail, damaging winds and flooding across parts of Oklahoma and western north Texas on November 7-8, 2011. The system initially produced numerous thunderstorms, heavy rainfall and flash flooding over parts of south central Oklahoma during the late evening of November 6th and early morning of November 7th. Rainfall totals of 5-9 inches were reported across parts of Jefferson, Carter and Murray counties.
The system then generated severe weather including tornadoes, large hail, damaging winds and flooding from the early afternoon of November 7th through the early morning of November 8th. Several supercell thunderstorms developed over southwest Oklahoma during the mid-afternoon hours and moved northeast. One particularly nasty supercell thunderstorm developed over northern Wilbarger county in north Texas. This thunderstorm moved northeast into Tillman county, eventually producing at least six tornadoes over a five county area (If you would like to view images of the tornadoes, click here, or click the Storm Photos tab at the top of the page). A preliminary tornado track map is available below. Two of the tornadoes moved near two Oklahoma Mesonet sites, both taking direct hits. The Mesonet site at Tipton measured 86.4 mph before it was destroyed. The Mesonet site near Fort Cobb measured 91.4 mph before it was destroyed. Both sites also recorded significant drops in surface pressure. You can see the recorded data (before malfunctioning) at Tipton and Fort Cobb, courtesy of the Oklahoma Mesonet. Other supercells over southwest Oklahoma eventually congealed into a complex of storms and moved east into central Oklahoma. Numerous reports of high winds (92 mph near Clinton, OK) and hail up to golf ball-size were reported
Tipton Oklahoma
Saddle Mountain
A severe weather event (small scale) unfolded on November 15th with 4 confirmed tornadoes in Alabama.
On Tuesday, November 15th, moisture began streaming northward from the Gulf of Mexico. The moisture surge was just ahead of an approaching upper level low. Surface dew points climbed into the middle 60s and created increased atmospheric instability late Tuesday night. As the upper low approached, deep layer shear increased and led to increased storm relative helicities (SRH) in the lowest levels of the atmosphere. This set the stage for supercell development in Central Alabama. By 5 am Wednesday morning, dew points had increased into the upper 60s and 0-1km SRH of 300-400 m2/s2 across Sumter and Marengo Counties. By 745 am, one supercell dropped 2 tornadoes in these counties. Similar severe weather parameters advected across Central Alabama through the morning hours and caused additional supercell development near Montgomery, Auburn and Opelika.
December
December would again bring a mixed bag of weather in the form of a raging Blizzard to parts of the Central Plains and tornadoes to the Southeast. On Thursday the 22nd 6 tornadoes raked across Central and south Alabama doing mainly minor damage but just reminding everyone tornadoes happen any month of the year. What will 2012 have in store for us all? That yet to be seen but you can rest assure that we will be there to bring you all the details days in advance, reporting from the field during an event, and after it is all over. Thank you for your continued support in 2011 and see you in 2012. Tommy Self Lead chaser for the Tennessee Valley Storm Trackers
