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.