SmokeEater

Thank God man, really great to hear from you. You need anything that can be done, don't hesitate to ask. A few of us from my FD here may be coming out there in the coming weeks to volunteer, depending on whether I can get off from work or not. But I really don't think they are going to have an issue.

I went back and checked all my saved images from AE, first scan the debris ball shows up is at that time, and it's SW of the dot for Joplin, just east of Iron Gates. And the next scan, 71 dbz shows up in the debris ball, which is something I've never seen before, that high dbz at least. I really think it's down to yards, maybe even feet, of whether this thing missed him or not.

The spotter reports of damage, were not until the tornado had passed. And not one said a large wedge. They said extreme damage yes, but nothing until after it passed.

The tornado dropped literally 5-10 miles west of town, if that. Before that it was only a funnel cloud. Add in that it was rain wrapped, it was the perfect storm so to speak. Nobody even knew the extent of the damage it did until after it passed through town. It was warned since it was in KS, people had plenty of warning. The NWS did the best job they could, it dropped down so fast, they had no idea what size it was, or the need for a TE. People should have been taking shelter no matter what, whether it was a TE or not, made no difference.

It was warned before it moved into the city, it was even warned before it was on the ground.

3 story hotel reported to have collapsed with victims, near Rome, GA.

Coosa County, AL.

From chaser Brett Adair. #Tuscaloosa will be rated EF-5. Pulled bodies from the rubble today. #alwx

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."

5th or 6th of the day for Cullman County. BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 753 PM CDT WED APR 27 2011 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... NORTHERN CULLMAN COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA... * UNTIL 830 PM CDT * AT 752 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR CRANE HILL MOVING EAST AT 60 MPH. * LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO INCLUDE... LOGAN. BALDWIN. CULLMAN. WALTER. FAIRVIEW.

Large tornado moving through the same areas that were hit by an EF4, during the 1994 Palm Sunday outbreak. Goshen is where all the people were killed in the church.

Numerous fatalities reported in Pleasant Grove.

It's back, 160 kts G2G.

They showed it live on ABC 33/40.

License plate from Tuscaloosa found in Birmingham, 50 miles away.

Debris falling 20 miles NE of this.

Damage is reported to be extreme in Fultondale, not good. Hope he's ok.

[bmxallchat] nwsbmx-scott.unger: media press this storm in Bibb, please!!!

These storms were warned WELL in advance, NWS did their best. Storms this major are going to kill people, no matter what we do.

Debris falling out of the sky on Mike Phelps cam, clothing, sheet metal, etc. http://stormscapelive.com/michael-phelps

Parts of Tuscaloosa reported as unrecognizable.

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 607 PM CDT WED APR 27 2011 ALC007-065-105-125-272345- /O.CON.KBMX.TO.W.0115.000000T0000Z-110427T2345Z/ PERRY AL-HALE AL-BIBB AL-TUSCALOOSA AL- 607 PM CDT WED APR 27 2011 ...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEASTERN TUSCALOOSA... BIBB...NORTHERN HALE AND NORTHERN PERRY COUNTIES UNTIL 645 PM CDT... ...TORNADO EMERGENCY CONTINUES FOR HARPER HILL...PHIPPS...AND WATEROAK... AT 604 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A CONFIRMED TORNADO. THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED 8 MILES SOUTHEAST OF AKRON...OR 9 MILES NORTH OF GREENSBORO...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH. LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... BRENT...CENTREVILLE...MERTZ...LOW GAP...HARRISBURG...EOLINE...WEST CENTREVILLE...VANCE...TALLADEGA NATIONAL FOREST AND WEST BLOCTON.

em-beau.dodson: Extreme damage being reported in west Birmingham, AL

Reports of fatalities coming in from Tuscaloosa.