May 7th-9th Severe Weather Episodes

[Msalgado]

NWS Tulsa:

From storm survey team: Boswell #OKwx tornado to be rated EF3, w/max winds 135-145 mph Hugo OK tornado to be rated EF1, w/max winds 95-105

 

I thought Boswell and Hugo might have had the same tornado. I guess not.

 

same storm, but SW of Boswell it was a wedge that pulled up.  I couldn't stay on after that, but it was a cone the last time I saw and it looked to be roping out.  

[thewxmann]

Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Norman OK
302 PM CDT WED MAY 11 2016

...NWS Damage Survey for 05/09/16 Tornado Event - Update 2...

.Update...Adding surveyed tornadoes northwest of Stillwater and
in eastern Bryan County.

.Overview...This is very preliminary information from damage
surveys conducted on tuesday. additional analysis will continue
for these and other tornadoes that occurred on monday and some
of the specific information may be modified as this analysis
continues.

.Katie tornado...

Rating: EF-4
Estimated Peak Wind: 166-175 MPH
Path length /Statute/: 9 Miles
Path width /Maximum/: To be determined
Fatalities: 1
Injuries: 0

Start date: May 9 2016
Start time: 406 PM CDT
Start location: 1.25 S Katie /Garvin County/ OK

End date: May 9 2016
End time: 427 PM CDT
End location: 8 E Katie /Garvin County/ OK

Survey Summary: The tornado developed about 1.25 miles south of
Katie, or about 4 miles north of Hennepin, and moved generally
east-northeast with some fluctuation in the motion. One fatality
occurred east of Katie toward the end of the tornado path. The
tornado dissipated just before crossing Interstate 35 about 8
miles east of Katie, or about 5 miles southwest of Wynnewood. A
well-constructed home was destroyed about 6 miles east of Katie
consistent with an EF-4 damage rating.

.North of Sulphur tornado...

Rating: EF-3
Estimated Peak Wind: 150-165 MPH
Path length /Statute/: 17 Miles
Path width /Maximum/: To be determined
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: To be determined

Start date: May 9 2016
Start time: 434 PM CDT
Start location: 4 NNW Davis /Murray County/ OK

End date: May 9 2016
End time: 517 PM CDT
End location: 2.5 SSW Roff /Pontotoc County/ OK

Survey Summary: The tornado touched down just east of Interstate
35 between Wynnewood and Davis and moved generally east, before
turning east-northeast and dissipating near the Ponotoc/Murray
County line between Roff and Hickory.

.West of Roff anticyclonic tornado...

Rating: EF-1
Estimated Peak Wind: 100-110 MPH
Path length /Statute/: Up to 13 Miles
Path width /Maximum/: To be determined
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: To be determined

Start date: May 9 2016
Start time: 445 PM CDT
Start location: 6 NNW Sulphur /Murray County/ OK

End date: May 9 2016
End time: 520 PM CDT
End location: 4 NW Fitzhugh /Pontotoc County/ OK

Survey Summary: An anticyclonic tornado developed about 6 miles
north-northwest of Sulphur and moved northeast into the southeast
corner of Garvin County and then into western Pontotoc County.
The tornado moved to at least a point 5 miles west-northwest of
Roff with damage was likely associated with the tornado continuing
northeast to 4 miles northwest of Fitzhugh.

.Bromide tornado...

Rating: EF-3
Estimated Peak Wind: 155-165 MPH
Path length /Statute/: 9 Miles
Path width /Maximum/: To be determined
Fatalities: 1
Injuries: To be determined

Start date: May 9 2016
Start time: 518 PM CDT
Start location: 4 S Connerville /Johnston County/ OK

End date: May 9 2016
End time: 536 PM CDT
End location: Bromide /Coal County/ OK

Survey Summary: The tornado developed near highway 99 about
4 miles south of Connerville, or about 12 miles west-northwest of
Wapanucka, and moved east-northeast dissipating on the east side
of Bromide on the Coal-Johnston county line. One fatality occurred
at a home southeast of Connerville. The damage survey team indicated
that the house damage southeast of Connerville was consistent with
an EF-3 damage rating.

.Northwest of Atoka tornado...

Rating: EF-1
Estimated Peak Wind: 100-110 MPH
Path length /Statute/: 12 Miles
Path width /Maximum/: To be determined
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: To be determined

Start date: May 9 2016
Start time: 546 PM CDT
Start location: 12 WNW Atoka /Atoka County/ OK

End date: May 9 2016
End time: 619 PM CDT
End location: 5 N Atoka /Atoka County/ OK

Survey Summary: A tornado developed in northwest Atoka County
about 12 miles west-northwest of Atoka, or about 6 miles east-
northeast of Wapanucka. The tornado moved east-northeast
crossing into southeastern Coal County to the south and southeast
of Lehigh, then moved back into Atoka County to the north of
Atoka with the last damage noted near the county line.

.Northwest of Stillwater tornado...

Rating: EF-2
Estimated Peak Wind: 115-125 mph
Path length /Statute/: 6 Miles
Path width /Maximum/: To be determined
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: To be determined

Start date: May 9 2016
Start time: 557 PM CDT
Start location: 9 SE Perry /Noble County/ OK

End date: May 9 2016
End time: 617 PM CDT
End location: 6 WSW Morrison /Noble County/ OK

Survey Summary: A tornado developed near or just northeast of
Lake McMurtry and moved northeast across northwest corner of
Payne County and back into Noble County southeast of Morrison.
Two homes suffered significant roof damage and a mobile home was
destroyed northeast of Lake McMurtry. Tree and power line damage
continued along the duration of the path to the northeast.

.Southeast of Bennington tornado...

Rating: EF-2 in bryan county
Estimated Peak Wind: 111-120 mph in bryan county
Path length /Statute/: 2 Miles in bryan county. 12.7 miles total.
Path width /Maximum/: 2500 yards in bryan county
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: To be determined

Start date: May 9 2016
Start time: 624 PM CDT
Start location: 4.3 SE Bennington /Bryan County/ OK

End date: May 9 2016
End time: 627 PM CDT moved out of Bryan County
End location: 6 ESE Bennington moved out of Bryan County

Survey Summary: A tornado developed about 4 miles southeast of
Bennington and quickly become very wide. The tornado produced very
significant tree damage in eastern Bryan County before moving into
Choctaw County at 627 PM. The width was estimated to be 2500 yards
wide as the tornado crossed into Choctaw County. Please see information
from the National Weather Service Office in Tulsa for details
of this tornado in Choctaw County.

EF Scale: The Enhanced Fujita Scale Classifies Tornadoes into
the following categories.

EF0...Weak......65 to 85 MPH
EF1...Weak......86 to 110 MPH
EF2...Strong....111 to 135 MPH
EF3...Strong....136 to 165 MPH
EF4...Violent...166 To 200 MPH
EF5...Violent...>200 MPH

Note:
The information in this statement is preliminary and subject to
change pending final review of the event and publication in NWS
Storm Data.

[thewxmann]

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
237 PM CDT WED MAY 11 2016

...NWS DAMAGE SURVEY FOR 05/09/16 TORNADO EVENT...

.OVERVIEW...A supercell thunderstorm produced several tornadoes in
Choctaw County on Monday evening. NWS meteorologists conducted
ground surveys of the damaged areas yesterday and their findings
follow.

.Boswell Tornado...

Rating: EF-3
Estimated Peak Wind: 135-145 mph
Path Length /Statute/: 12.7 miles in Bryan and Choctaw Counties
Path Width /Maximum/: 3100 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 2

Start Date: May 9 2016
Start Time: 624 pm CDT
Start Location: 4.3 SE Bennington / Bryan County / OK
Start Lat/Lon: 33.9713 / -95.9734

End Date: May 9 2016
End Time: 642 pm CDT
End Location: 6.4 ESE Boswell / Choctaw County / OK
End Lat/Lon: 34.0049 / -95.7588

Survey Summary: This tornado developed southeast of Bennington where
numerous trees were snapped and uprooted. The tornado quickly became
very large. Tree damage suggested it intensified into the EF-2
category before crossing into Choctaw County, which was about 2.3
miles into its path. In Choctaw County, the tornado continued to
widen, producing a damage path of nearly 1.8 miles across, to the
southwest of Boswell. The tornado destroyed at least three mobile
homes. Two injuries occurred in one of the mobile homes, one of which
was critical. Numerous homes were damaged by this tornado, with the
worst damage including major loss of the roof structure and collapse
of a few exterior walls. Numerous outbuildings were also destroyed. A
metal high-voltage transmission tower/truss was destroyed, and
numerous power poles were snapped. Many trees were snapped and
uprooted in the path; trees in several areas were reduced to
shortened trunks with short stumps where large limbs existed.

.Hugo Tornado...

Rating: EF-1
Estimated Peak Wind: 95-105 mph
Path Length /Statute/: 6.1 miles
Path Width /Maximum/: 650 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 0

Start Date: May 9 2016
Start Time: 702 pm CDT
Start Location: 3.1 W Hugo / Choctaw County / OK
Start Lat/Lon: 34.0107 / -95.5699

End Date: May 9 2016
End Time: 710 pm CDT
End Location: 3 E Hugo / Choctaw County / OK
End Lat/Lon: 34.0148 / -95.4649

Survey Summary: This tornado developed west of Hugo and moved
eastward across the town. Numerous homes and businesses were
damaged, trees were uprooted, signs were blown down, and storage
buildings were destroyed.

.Hugo Lake Tornado...

Rating: EF-0
Estimated Peak Wind: unknown (no known damage)
Path Length /Statute/: 6 miles (estimated)
Path Width /Maximum/: 150 yards (estimated)
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 0

Start Date: May 9 2016
Start Time: 718 pm CDT
Start Location: 6.3 NW Sawyer / Choctaw County / OK
Start Lat/Lon: 34.0770 / -95.4526

End Date: May 9 2016
End Time: 730 pm CDT
End Location: 2.4 S Spencerville / Choctaw County / OK
End Lat/Lon: 34.1008 / -95.3468

Survey Summary: Storm chasers and storm spotters witnessed this
tornado, which remained over Lake Hugo for much of its life. The
ground survey team investigated accessible areas of land on both the
west and east sides of the lake and could find no damage. Therefore,
much of the detail above is estimated based on observer accounts and
radar data. There are reports of a satellite tornado occurring with
the storm at the same time this tornado is occurring.

EF Scale: The enhanced Fujita scale classifies tornadoes into the
following categories.

EF0...weak......65 To 85 mph
EF1...weak......86 to 110 mph
EF2...strong....111 to 135 mph
EF3...strong....136 to 165 mph
EF4...violent...166 to 200 mph
EF5...violent...>200 mph

Note:
The information in this statement is preliminary and subject to change
pending final review of the events and publication in NWS Storm Data.

[Chinook]

NWS Shreveport surveyed two EF-1 tornadoes in Bowie County, TX

[Msalgado]

Best shot I got of the Boswell tornado.  1.8 miles wide at its max.  Biggest tornado I've ever seen.

 

[weatherextreme]

Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Paducah, KY
848 PM CDT WED MAY 11 2016

...NWS Damage Survey for 5/10/2016 Tornado
Event for Graves and Marshall counties of KY.

Rating: EF-3
Estimated peak wind: 140 mph
Path length /Statute/: 19 miles
Path width /Maximum/: 450 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 10

Start date: May_10_2016
Start time: 244 PM (Estimated)
Start location: 6 miles West of Mayfield KY along Lewis Rd

End date: May_10_2016
End time: 324 PM (Estimated)
End location: 4.5 miles Southwest of Benton KY - East of Bondurant Lane

SURVEY SUMMARY: Dozens of structures including mobile homes,
businesses, barns and garages were destroyed. Several homes received
major damage or were destroyed. Many dozens of other homes and
businesses received minor damage, mainly loss of shingles and facia.
Several dozen cars were damaged or destroyed. Some cars were tossed
around and lofted atop other cars or stuctures. Thousands of trees
were snapped, uprooted, or broken. The tornado was captured on video
or camera by numerous individuals. The tornado was reported to have
had more than 1 vortex at several different points along its path in
both Graves and Marshall counties.

EF Scale: The Enhanced Fujita Scale Classifies
Tornadoes into the following categories.

EF0...Weak......65 to 85 mph
EF1...Weak......86 to 110 mph
EF2...Strong....111 to 135 mph
EF3...Strong....136 to 165 mph
EF4...Violent...166 To 200 mph
EF5...Violent...>200 mph*

[weatherextreme]

Another one from 5/9/16

 

 

 

 

[OUGrad05]

Monday really emphasizes how much SRH can impact storms, even small differences compared with setups earlier this year that had much higher CAPE but limited shear.  

[bdgwx]

Monday really emphasizes how much SRH can impact storms, even small differences compared with setups earlier this year that had much higher CAPE but limited shear.  

 

Yeah. To put SRH in perspective consider it's role in the energy budget of a thunderstorm. A typical 0-3 km CAPE value in EF2+ environments is 100-250 j/kg. The typical SRH is often in excess of 250 m2/s2. Remember that m2/s2 is the same thing as j/kg so CAPE and SRH have the exact same units. SRH can thus be interpreted as an energy density the same way CAPE can. It is the storm relative kinetic energy which is specifically configured in a manner that a storm can easily convert it into a vertical pressure perturbation and/or vorticity that are aligned to favor strong mesocyclones and eventually tornadoes. There was a paper (by Emmanuel I think)  and which Howard Bluestein's book Severe Convective Storms and Tornadoes reproduces with an equation that showed that wind shear can and often is the dominating energy source for driving updraft velocities in mature supercells. But, it's also a delicate balancing act. Too little shear and the storm will collapse in on itself; too much and it will rip the storm apart. But, if it's just right it can make the thunderstorm super strong.

[nwohweather]

Monday really emphasizes how much SRH can impact storms, even small differences compared with setups earlier this year that had much higher CAPE but limited shear.

I guess it's all about where you live but as someone who has lived in the Great Lakes their whole life I can tell you it's all about the shear. Rarely do we get CAPE in excess of 2000 J/KG here but when you get a 990-995 mb low with a LLJ ripping through, that's when things get real dicey for us up here

[OUGrad05]

I guess it's all about where you live but as someone who has lived in the Great Lakes their whole life I can tell you it's all about the shear. Rarely do we get CAPE in excess of 2000 J/KG here but when you get a 990-995 mb low with a LLJ ripping through, that's when things get real dicey for us up here

Shear is important everywhere for tornadoes.  More important than CAPE in my opinion.  There seems to be plenty of evidence supporting that as well.

[weatherextreme]

Saw this posted from another forum, and thought it was interesting enough to also post it here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just saw a post on Facebook from Tim Marshall regarding the Sulphur, OK tornado on Monday, May 9th. The post is as follows:

"stunning NWS Doppler radar images of the giant Sulphur tornado. Yes, there's an anticyclonic tornado (white dot) northeast of the cyclonic tornado. I've never seen an anticyclonic tornado in a rain-filled forward flank downdraft before. It traveled 12 miles ! Anyone have any pictures of the anticyclonic tornado ?
Thanks to Stu Ostro. (FYI: base reflectivity on left, radial velocity on right)"

 

 

 

 

 

[OUGrad05]

Saw this posted from another forum, and thought it was interesting enough to also post it here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just saw a post on Facebook from Tim Marshall regarding the Sulphur, OK tornado on Monday, May 9th. The post is as follows:

"stunning NWS Doppler radar images of the giant Sulphur tornado. Yes, there's an anticyclonic tornado (white dot) northeast of the cyclonic tornado. I've never seen an anticyclonic tornado in a rain-filled forward flank downdraft before. It traveled 12 miles ! Anyone have any pictures of the anticyclonic tornado ?

Thanks to Stu Ostro. (FYI: base reflectivity on left, radial velocity on right)"

 

 

 

Wow, that is very cool.  Thank you for sharing!

[nwohweather]

Shear is important everywhere for tornadoes. More important than CAPE in my opinion. There seems to be plenty of evidence supporting that as well.

Oh I know that. I'm just saying forecasting my whole life in an area that sees little instability compared to the Plains you see almost all the time nothing but high shear events

[brettjrob]

May 16: we can't get the synoptic warm front to lift past the Red River because temps across OK are in the 40s and 50s for the second straight afternoon (per 00z NAM).

 

Medium range looks lukewarm at best heading into the true heart of the season. We'll need a 2008-style turnaround at this point.

[bjc3395]

Yeah it's looking pretty bad at this point.

[David Reimer]

May 16: we can't get the synoptic warm front to lift past the Red River because temps across OK are in the 40s and 50s for the second straight afternoon (per 00z NAM).

 

Medium range looks lukewarm at best heading into the true heart of the season. We'll need a 2008-style turnaround at this point.

 

After Monday I'm content with my season. Quality over quantity seems to have won again. We'll see what the last week of May and first week of June can bring. Its obvious at this point that most of the 'chaseable' tornadoes will be produced from mesoscale accidents. 

[brettjrob]

After Monday I'm content with my season. Quality over quantity seems to have won again. We'll see what the last week of May and first week of June can bring. Its obvious at this point that most of the 'chaseable' tornadoes will be produced from mesoscale accidents. 

 

Yeah, my decision to blast south at the first towers Monday may have been the most pivotal season-changing one I've ever made so nonchalantly, if things continue down the path progs suggest for the next 7-10 days.

 

Usual disclaimer: June, and even Memorial Day weekend, are too far out to have much of any predictability. Season's certainly not over, but the window for finally getting a series of big synoptically-evident events south of the OK/KS border is beginning to narrow. In other words, a 2004 or 2010 scenario for the southern states is becoming unlikely. It's been so long since we had a truly big June (outside localized, subtle setups ala Pilger/Coleridge) that it's hard to stay optimistic, but one of these years it'll happen again.

 

EDIT: Just realized I'm posting in the wrong event thread - this was all supposed to be in the May 16 one! Probably for the best since we're just moaning again.

[thewxmann]

Here's one of the slider homes that Tim Marshall talks about a lot:

 

https://500px.com/photo/153369979/house-moved-by-ef-4-tornado-off-foundation-into-ro-by-jazz-bishop?ctx_page=1&from=user&user_id=7333771

[Torchageddon]

  This reminds me a little bit of the Wynnewood, Oklahoma tornado today and the Hesston F5 tornado from 1990. They both sound similar.

  Pause the Wynnewood tornado vid at 0:19

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1b1pW6HuUY

 

Pause the Hesston tornado vid at 2:38.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCUHtyFcRUI

 

  I can't tell if that is a house in the Wynnewood tornado but we know that is a house in the Hesston tornado.

 

I think that is a house in the Wynnewood tornado but in Hesston it does hit buildings and standing objects however I knew when (timestamp) it was referenced you were talking about the mound of powdered concrete that got sucked right in from a greater than average distance. That's according to Twister: Fury on the Plains and to me that looks like powdered/dirt something.

 

Alot of the really good footage is cut and edited to provide exclusivity to the entities willing to purchase it's rights. At least that's my guess. That being said, I really have no problem with this considering that chasing can be an expensive venture. The majority of chasers provide valuable spotting information to entities capable of spreading information to mass amounts of citizens, so I have no problem with the monetization of some of their footage.

 

I don't know if that's the real reason, I see it all the time in amateur footage too where they aren't looking for dollars. Usually its just to use the footage on TV and have no watermark, extra historic footage being kept behind a curtain would be uncouth to all.

[hm8]

The 212 mph radar image...

https://twitter.com/karen_kosiba/status/733735199486414850