BadgerWXman

The book goes into complete detail as to who made the reports and how the reports were either ignored or misrepresented in future warning/statements.

The book did raise one question - which is significant. Does the NWS have a problem with their pathcast system/algorithm? I noticed my local office issued a warning earlier this year and said a storm was moving northeast. The storm was actually moving east. I pointed this out to them and their response was along the lines of "oh that is probably just a product of the computer software"

Hmmm - is this a problem? Mike raises the question in the book. I have no idea if this is a bigger problem (as he mentions) or if he is incorrect. It did make me remember the incident earlier this year in my local region. If it is a problem then it is a fairly serious issue. If media is telling people a storm is moving northeast and the storm is actually moving east then that is a problem.

Of course anyone with any radar skills can determine for themselves what direction a storm is moving (talking about on-air mets here). However - should on-air mets be telling people something different from the NWS (and in the heat of battle would they even notice - or would they trust the NWS)? Obviously I already know the correct answer to the question.

I've long since given up on the NWS path-cast system.. the storm vectors that are included in the warnings are almost always awful and a lot of the time the projected paths aren't very accurate. Really, do we need to rely on computer algorithms for this? I'm an on-air met and I have no trouble saying something different from the NWS if I know the NWS info is wrong and mine is right. It's our job to tell the public what's going to happen, not to tell the public what the NWS says is going to happen.

One thing that stuck out to me about the Rainsville/DeKalb Co tornado was this part of the damage report: "an anchored liberty safe weighing 800 pounds was pulled off its anchorage and thrown into a wooded area 600 feet away. When found, the safe`s door had been ripped open and completely off"

Also, in Smithville, the water tower had a green streak on it, later confirmed to be from a pickup truck that was tossed into it, hundreds of feet in the air

I'd bet my life savings that it's at least EF4... honestly wouldn't be surprised if it ended up EF5 after going through a lot of the raw video this morning on CBS newspath.

does anyone have a screen cap of the cell as it approached? praying for all who were hit including JoMo. My cousin was hit by the Tuscaloosa storm and it is the worst feeling not knowing the outcome of loved ones following the aftermath.

Here's the L2 scan... -105kts to 83kts wall to wall and rain wrapped.

Good lord...

Absolutely massive... never seen a 71dbz debris ball

That thing is headed straight for Birmingham... hopefully it loses some strength before that but it's still incredibly strong

Looks like a 2nd rotation west of Tuscaloosa again

Mother of god!

absolutely UNREAL on abc33 right now...

Northern Tuscaloosa Co 5:10

4:56 west of Hamilton about to cross state border.. looks absolutely huge and violent:

4:42edt:

Last pic is normalized rotation... looks like double vortex.

Don't think I can recall seeing this many tornadic supercells in such a small area ever.

Debris ball.

Volume scan of that frame: