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Calderon

Professional Forecaster
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Posts posted by Calderon

  1. A more recent comparison is the Tuscaloosa tornado last month. Both were relatively close in strength, both went to cities of comparable size and the total damage area is each community looks to be somewhat similar (Tuscaloosa storm carved a longer path as the city is somewhat larger but the Joplin storm may have been a bit wider). The Joplin storm hit more tightly packed blocks of single family residences whereas in Tuscaloosa more damage was done to apartments. Hopefully we can get an idea of the number of people in the core damage path in Joplin (it was about 6,000 people in Tuscaloosa). Tuscaloosa storm was better warned, more visible and awareness was more hightened in general. Neither of the too community had many dwelling with basments. Mobile homes are a non factor in either case. Tuscalossa was a weekend, Joplin a Sunday.

    All variables that will have to be examined as do why so many more died in Joplin.

    4/27 was a Wednesday and the higher populated sections of the Tuscaloosa-B'ham tornado path was a good mix of homes and apartments

  2. Part of the latest PNS from WFO Birmingham:

    PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT

    NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL

    1122 AM CDT THU APR 28 2011

    ...UPDATED FOR JEFFERSON AND TUSCALOOSA COUNTY SURVEYS...

    IN REGARDS TO THE JEFFERSON AND TUSCALOOSA COUNTY DAMAGE...SUBJECT

    MATTER EXPERTS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY WILL BE ARRIVING TODAY TO

    ASSIST WITH SURVEYS...AND DAMAGE RATINGS WILL BE PROVIDED AFTER A

    THOROUGH ASSESSMENT IS CONDUCTED.

  3. Probably almost impossible for a passenger to know whether or not they are over a tornado while flying commercially (I assume planes can fly over these storms without turbulence as long as they stay at maximum altitude)but I wonder what it looks like above these storms and if pilots have the technology available to know whether or not they are flying over a tornado. Just a different aspect.

    these storms had tops well over 40k ft, no way a plane would dare try to fly over that mess. I can tell you right now, they avoid these cells like crazy because they technology is more than there for that. Having worked in Navy Aviation, this is for fact.

  4. What is that he is looking at? Possibly a car? Thats one thing I haven't noticed in any of these videos. Cars not visible and being thrown around. Maybe the tornado is so strong it destroys the car before it's able to get it off the ground. Amazing videos.

    that is wayyyy too large to be a vehicle. Likely a large section of roof or something of the sort.

    The closest video is the one I posted from University Mall and it was really too shaky to see if vehicles were flying, but guaranteed they were.

  5. Here's a shot of what used to be WAFF, Channel 48 in Huntsville's Doppler. It's now just a tower. Note the building in front of it.

    From KAKE Meteorologist Jay Prater "I was the Managing Meteorologist at WAFF-48 in Huntsville, Alabama when "Doppler 2000" was installed along US-72, in the late 90s. My "pride and joy"...at that time, it was the most advanced privately owned weather radar in the state. Only the tower remains today after being struck by a tornado. Thank you WAFF-48 Chief Meteorologist Brad Travis for posting this image."

    in a strange way, that's slightly amusing

  6. Don't see this often:

    BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED

    TORNADO WARNING

    NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL

    ISSUED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA

    754 PM CDT WED APR 27 2011

    THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

    * TORNADO WARNING FOR...

    SHELBY COUNTY IN CENTRAL ALABAMA

    SOUTH CENTRAL ST. CLAIR COUNTY IN CENTRAL ALABAMA

    WEST CENTRAL TALLADEGA COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA

    * UNTIL 845 PM CDT

    * AT 750 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A

    SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR

    ALABASTER...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH. THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY

    OF PRODUCING LARGE DAMAGING TORNADOES. TAKE COVER NOW!

    * OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO

    COLUMBIANA...CHELSEA...WILSONVILLE...HARPERSVILLE...CHILDERSBURG

    AND VINCENT

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