Colorado Tornado and some other things...

WOW. That is all I can say for now is wow.  A mile wide tornado in Colorado.  

The image you see left is from CNN.com take by KUSA.

According to CNN's story, at least one person was killed. Even as I type this even more tornado warnings are taking place in the same areas. And more severe weather is expected through out the rest of the week going into Memorial Day weekend. 

In earlier post I mentioned how I feel this is going to get worse. I just hope more and more people are becoming aware of how dangerous weather is becoming this year and taking precautions to protect themselves. 

Now I am just curious how long before this stuff starts effecting where I live at here in Jeffersonville, Indiana. I feel its only a matter of time. I find it so strange I guess one could say about this whole thing.  Back when I was in high school and even middle school... I kept talking about how our weather will continually get worse as time progress. I'll admit it... I hate being right. :| 

While I love watching storms and chasing tornadoes... this weather is getting out of hand. What can we do to stop it? Eh unless you know any time travelers from the future or know anyone not from this world who has a leg of weather controlling, I am afraid that can't be done. We just have to prepare to deal with this.

I am just curious now how bad Hurricane Season is going to be consider its right around the corner. I feel with the increased of number of tornadoes, the number of increasing hurricanes may be right behind it. 

One thing I keep finding myself doing is I keep going back watching Al Gore's (insert groans here) movie An Inconvenient Truth. A good movie with a lot of interesting data. I'll admit... right now I am not interested in what the nay sayers say about this issue.  Now I don't want to give the impression that what they say is meaningless. Not at all.  Its just now isn't the time to be dealing who is right and who is wrong. 

We need to figure out what is going on with the weather and the climate so we can adapt and change with it. If we don't it could lead to a lot of suffering if not worse, our extinction. Yeah I said it. I pulled out the "e" word. 

Maybe thats a little too extreme. But look around... this year is been one disaster after another. Our world is changing, caused by us or not, its changing. Our season's are not the same as well as our normal temperatures. 

Hmm... I look to my left on CNN's page and I just read "NEW: Another tornado hits schools, store, homes in Laramie, Wyoming. I hate to say but I think we'll be reading more headlines along those lines.  

Its time to prepare, take severe weather more seriously.  It just takes one time... one time not paying attention and its too late. Its over. All done. Nature doesn't care if your poor, what race you are, what orientation you maybe, what religious beliefs you have, or even how old or young you are. It hits any time... any where. 

I really won't be surprised if the United Kingdom and other places in Europe will start seeing tornadoes as strong as we see them in the United States.  To be honest, any meteorologist in the UK and Europe may want to start talking to the US about severe storm protection and begin implementing a plan of some sort. Its only a matter of time.  And I feel the hour glass is running out.

In closing, I'll quote Al Gore about our climate changing, "Is it possible that we should prepare against other threats besides terrorist?"  I feel the same way. Our weather changing, done by us or not, its changing... we need to adapt... or we'll perish. 

Newton County, MO - EF4 Tornado

I just found out that the tornado that hit Newton County, MO has been rated as an EF4 tornado. Here is the report for the NWS...

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO

558 PM CDT SUN MAY 11 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SPRINGFIELD MISSOURI HAS CONFIRMED THE TOUCHDOWN OF A VERY STRONG TORNADO ON MAY 10 2008 IN NETWON COUNTY MISSOURI. AT APPROXIMATELY 559 PM A TORNADO CROSSED THE OKLAHOMA BORDER JUST NORTH OF IRSI ROAD. THE TORNADO MOVED EAST SOUTHEAST TO THE INTERSECTION OF HIGHWAY 43 AND IRSI ROAD WERE IT INTENSIFIED BRIEFLY TO AN EF-4 TORNADO WITH WINDS OF APPROXIMATELY 170 MPH. DAMAGE INCLUDED THROWING AUTOMOBILES UP TO ONE HALF MILE... COMPLETELY DESTROYING BUSINESS AND NUMEROUS HOMES. MANY OF THE TWELVE REPORTED DEATHS IN NETWON COUNTY DURING THIS EVENT OCCURRED NEAR THIS INTERSECTIONS. 

THE TORNADO GREW TO ONE MILE IN WIDTH AS IT CROSSED JUST SOUTH OF THE INTERSECTION OF HIGHWAY 86 AND BB. TRESS WERE DEBARKED AT THIS LOCATION AS WELL AS AT HIGHWAY 43 AND IRSI ROAD. IT CONTINUED EAST SOUTHEAST... CROSSING HIGHWAY NN BETWEEN IRIS ROAD AND JUTE ROAD BEFORE ONCE AGAIN GROWING TO ONE MILE IN WIDTH AS IT STRUCK THE COMMUNITY OF FREDVILLE AT HIGHWAY 175 AND JUTE ROAD.

THE TORNADO MOVED TOWARD THE INTERSECTION OF HIGHWAYS 59 AND 60... DESTROYING MOBILE HOMES AND TAKING ROOFS OFF FRAME HOMES AS IT MOVED THROUGH THE SOUTH SIDE OF GRANBY AS AN EF-1 TORNADO WITH 110MPH WINDS. THE STORM TOOK A DIRECT PATH TO NEWTONIA. BASED UPON SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO ROOFS AND STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO MOST HOMES IN NEWTONIA...THES TORM WAS RATED AN EF-1 WITH WINDS NEAR 100 MPH. 

THE TORNADO THEN CROSSED INTO BARRY COUNTY ONE HALF MILE SOUTHEAST OF THE INTERSECTION OF MULBERRY ROAD AND ZEBRA ROAD AS AN EF-1 TORNADO...DAMAGING HOMES AND TURKEY BARNS. IT PASSED THROUGH THE NORHT SIDE OF PURDY WITH AN EF-2 RANK...SNAPPING POWER POLES AND CAUSING SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO FRAME HOMES AND DESTROYING MOBILE HOMES. ONE FATALITY OCCURRED AT COMMERICAL STREET AND BUSINESS 37. THE TORNADO WEAKENED AS IT TRACKED EAST OF PURDY LIFTING APPROXIMATELY ONE MILE SOUTHEAST OF THE COMMUNITY OF MCDOWELL.

150 TO 175 HOMES AND OUTBUILDINGS WERE DAMAGED WITH ABOUT 12 STRUCTURES DESTROYED IN BARRY COUNTY. IN NEWTON COUNTY... APPROXIMATELY 35 HOMES AND MOBILE HOMES WERE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED...AND OVER 100 BARNS AND OUTBUILDINGS WERE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. NUMEROUS VEHICLES AND FARM EQUIPMENT WAS ALSO DAMAGED OR DESTROYED ALONG WITH HUNDREDS OF TREES AND POWER POLES UPROOTED AND SNAPPED OFF.

THIS TORNADO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR 13 FATALITIES IN NEWTON COUNTY AND ONE FATALITY IN BARRY COUNTY...AS WELL AS APPROXIMATELY 200 INJURIES ALONG THE ENTIRE TRACK IN MISSOURI

You can find a more detail report at the Springfield, MO National Weather Service. 

If you ask me this is only one of many that will occur this year.  And from what I posted from my previous post, this year is going to only get worse. This is why now everyone should take to prepare before the next one hits.  It only takes one time... just one... to destroy lives.  The National Weather service has forecasted more severe storms for this week.  There is no telling how bad this is going to get and if you ask me its only going to get worse.  

Storm Prediction Center to find more out about severe weather for this week.  Please take the time to prepare so what happen last Saturday doesn't happen to anyone else.  

On a Sobering Note...

Yesterday was... incredible but yet a sad day.  At least 20 people died in yesterday's tornadoes. This unfortunately a sad fact we go through every year.  But within the past 24 hours, I happened to catch something on the Weather Channel that really became a sobering note for me.

It talked about how tornadoes frequencies are increasing and it could be due to the climate change. Now people who want to debate if Climate change is real or not... no offense... but you may want to start looking around you.  The Storm Prediction Center already has 800+ reports of tornado this year. This is so... unbelievable.  Another thing that has been recorded is increasing temperatures. Some scientist are starting to look into, if there is a connection between the increasing amount of tornadoes and the rising temperatures.  

May 10 Tornadoes and Climate Change...

Granted I am not a scientist, I just have an extreme interest in weather.  But I am starting to see the connections these scientist are making. So far Indiana itself is suppose to be in its peak of its season for tornadoes.  So far only one we really seen was back on February 5, 2008.  But none after that.  Are we lucky that we're going to get out of this without a scratch?  Or is Nature trying to warn our state before it hits here in the summer?  Other states haven't been lucky.  Its only a matter a time for here. 

As for tornado alley, anyone reading this may really want to consider the idea that area no longer exist.  It now seems to cover the entire United States.  Being a storm chaser I am anxious yet dreading to see what the rest of this year has to bring tornado wise. But I assure anyone reading this, once those sirens sound I will be outside watching the skies.  

January, 7, 2008

I know its late...but I've been trying to think what I wanted to say about this night. Talk about a long night, and I wasn't even in the areas hit by the tornadoes. But lately, I've started a chatroom on irc.wyldryde.org called #Tornado_Watch. You can find me in there as DasFamiliar or ThePrepressDude.

During that night, a friend of mine and I were in that chat keeping up with the watches an warnings. Or at least we tried. I couldn't believe what was going on. Literally counties were getting tornado warning after tornado warning. I think at one point, Pulaski County, Missouri had at least 4-5 tornado warnings the night I was watching the storm. But they weren't just the only county.

What makes this night so odd that it happened the second week of January. I never really heard of that happening. When I say that, no telling if it ever has, I personally just never heard of this situation. But what makes the event even weirder, is that 3 nights later... another outbreak occurred, however it wasn't as severe.

Today its January 15th, snow is on the way, so what is ahead of this season. My friends will think I am crazy, but honestly guys... I really don't know. I've been thrown into a loop with this, and like everyone else, we'll just have to wait and see.

Btw, the last time I checked... Storm Prediction Center's preliminary count of tornadoes as of this year, is 89. Tornado Count of 2008

Happy New Years!

I just want to wish everyone a Happy New Years!  See you all in 2008! - ThePrepressDude

Tornado Season 2008

I know it is early, but I am ready for tornado season! But this year, I am planning on getting a new digital slr camera before the season starts.  I've been really wanting to get back into photography especially severe storm photography. 

I've been looking over past history books, pictures, videos, etc of April 3, 1974 tornado outbreak, and it makes me wonder when will this happen again. (Please bare with me, considering I am writing this 2:30 am, I may not make sense at certain portions.)  But with 148 tornadoes within a 24-48 hour period touching down in 11 states, its amazing the amount of damage that occured.  Even to this day, you can still see damage in Borden, Indiana caused by the massive F5 tornado that hit the area. 

Eh I'll continue this when I am more awake. :) 

Introduction...

Without having a decent blog for a while, I decided to jump back into blogging. But I really didn't want to cover anything except just one thing, weather. Whats to be expected? Eh my views, opinions, my "educated" guesses on whats going on with the weather and our climate.

Global Warming regardless if its caused by humans or not, is an interest for me. The process our planet goes through warming or cooling our atmosphere. The thing to keep in mind is that, we as the human race are not sure what will happen. Scientist can throw what they want out, but how can they guarentee what will happen?

That is one thing I love about the weather. The unpredictability. You can't predict and you can't control it. Its anyone's guess. So, with this, I'll share my views, my perspective, and my evidence out there for anyone to read. Together, we'll see what happens with our weather.