HurricaneJosh

Wow-- really cool. Thanks for posting this.

OK, gotcha. I was having a hard time believing that was one continuous surface circulation-- but, hey, it's been an extraordinary event. Why would I be surprised by anything at this point? I can't wait to read the survey report on that one (or those ones)-- and to see some detailed damage maps.

Re: Northridge, a lot of energy was sent N, but some of the pockets of max (Level IX) shaking occurred in Sherman Oaks and Santa Monica-- two densely-populated parts of the metroplex-- and most of the city had very heavy (Level XII-XIII) shaking. Sorry to go OT... Back on topic... Did I hear correctly that the Tuscaloosa tornado started in MS, crossed AL, and moved into GA without lifting? If so, wow.

I'm amazed at the hostility toward a suggestion of simple building standards. In CA it is simply an expectation-- and guess what? When our metroplex of 8 million had a direct hit by a quake that produced whopping Level IX shaking right in the city, only 75 people died-- out of 8 million. Strict CA building codes saved thousands of lives.

I think the numbers will certainly grow. But just to clarify my own position, I'm not saying I personally think the death toll will rival Katrina's-- simply that, like Katrina, this event seems to have caused a much higher death toll than we've seen in a long while.

Actually... Good point. As per your post earlier, God knows how many people might be unaccounted for in some of these very rural areas-- and it looks like even in the population centers, they're finding bodies everywhere. There's definitely a Katrina parallel here, in the sense that we're seeing a contemporary death toll that seems strangely anachronistic-- like it's from another era.

Agreed. I was noticing there's more talk about the death toll than the actual tornadic events themselves, which were quite spectacular and unique. I'd like to know more about the dimensions and severities of some of these bigger storms-- but I guess we're still waiting for most of the survey teams to complete their work. I also agree that deaths were inevitable. It is no one's fault. The earth is a constant stream of violent, natural processes-- tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, etc.-- and sometimes we're just in the way of it. There is no one to blame. It is what it is. The NWS and the media were on top of this. Without them, the death toll probably would have been over 1,000.

Well... Even with the Moore tornado, if I'm not mistaken, there were only a few spot instances of EF5 damage (as is the case with any EF5 event; no tornado produces big, wide swaths of EF5 damage). Therefore, most of the imagery showing wide areas of devastation was actually showing EF3-4 damage. (Someone correct me if I'm wrong.) For me, a good rule-of-thumb difference between EF4 and EF5 is that with standard wood-frame homes, EF4 leaves piles of rubble, whereas EF5 actually leaves the site swept clean. Like, it won't even be clear what was at that location before the event occurred. So, a casual glance of the Tuscaloosa images I've seen says EF4 to me. But, again, I am no expert and don't pretend to be. There are people in this thread who actually do these surveys, and I'm sure they'll shed much brighter light on this topic.

Agreed. I'm no expert, either-- I'm a severe part-timer, at best-- but a casual glance suggests EF4-- for the reasons you cited.

Back on the topic (and sorry I dragged it off a little)... What is the estimated EF rating for the Tuscaloosa event? I am sure it's discussed above, and sorry for asking y'all to rehash-- but it's a big thread. Does it look like an EF4?

I agree it's seriously lame of any American news outlet to not make front-and-center a natural disaster that involves important regional population centers (a la Tuscaloosa) getting devastated. P.S. MSNBC-- which I know a lot of people here hate-- makes the story the absolute top.

The NYT has it as the top, front-page story, as does the LA Times, if that's any comfort.

They do report on the big events-- like when a major hurricane hits or when there's a tornado outbreak-- but it's unusual for a USA storm to be the top story. Look at the BBC right now-- it is the banner headline item: http://www.bbc.co.uk.

The outbreak is at the top of the news in Europe this morning-- not just in London, but even in Prague. Below is one of the main dailies here. The headline reads, "Storms and tornadoes ravage three states in the USA and kill 72 people".