These are 2 amazing videos of the May 22, 2011 Joplin, MO tornado.
This first video is taken from a security camera in someones backyard. First, notice how long this tornado takes to pass through. Also consider this is only the outskirts of the tornado because these houses and most of the larger trees are still standing after the tornado passes. Also notice how the wind is very gusty and not sustained. In the classic clip from the movie "Twister" you can see an 18-wheeler hundreds of feet in the air being carried with the tornado. Since a tornadoes winds are very gusty it would be hard for it to carry a large object in the air for a long period of time. This tornado also seems to be so huge that it acts like a hurricane. There were outer bands, an eye wall, and even what seems like an eye where you can see the actual condensation cloud sweeping in and out. Right in the middle of the video for just a few seconds its almost completely calm. I'm also amazed by the amount of lightning inside the tornado. I can understand that a simple thunderstorms creates enough static electricity with rain drops bouncing off each other, so throw in pieces of metal and wood and you have plenty of places for lightning to go. This video shows the true fury of nature...I can't even begin to imagine what these people were going through when this hit.
This second video shows the tornado from either the north or western side of it. The tornado hit between 5 and 6 PM, so its not night time here. Although the video quality is low, its clear to see how much lightning was inside the tornado. Also as the camera person points out, there's no thunder at all. I actually can't figure out why that is...the wind could be strong enough to keep most of the sound of the thunder in the tornado but I don't think that's the case. There is also a strange light in the sky toward the end of the video. This is either "ball lightning" or a very strong updraft. For instance when water drains out of a bath tub, there is one main spiral with other smaller spirals around it. This could be light coming from the top of the storm which appears to be that bright compared to the pitch black clouds shadowed by the towering tops. All in all, this tornado is probably about as bad as it gets on earth.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Friday, May 13, 2011
Forecast for Starkville, MS and Leesburg, VA
Starkville, MS
Overnight- Becoming clear overnight and cooler. Low temperature around 57.
Saturday- Sun and clouds throughout the afternoon. Much cooler with a high temperature around 74.
Saturday night- Scattered clouds overnight. Low temperature around 53.
Sunday- Mostly sunny with a high temperature around 76.
Sunday night- Increasing clouds overnight. Low temperature around 51.
Monday- Sun and clouds with a shower possible during the afternoon. High temperature around 69.
Monday night- Mostly clear and cool with a low temperature around 50.
Tuesday- Sunny with a high temperature around 74.
Extended Forecast- Skies will remain clear and temperatures will warm back up through Friday. Highs will be in the mid 70s Wednesday and Thursday, and in the upper 70s Friday.
Leesburg, VA
Overnight- Cloudy with light rain and mist overnight. Low temperature around 58.
Saturday- Cloudy with rain likely throughout the day. A rumble of thunder is possible during the afternoon. High temperature around 69.
Saturday night- Cloudy with showers continuing overnight. Low temperature around 57.
Sunday- Cloudy with showers and thunderstorms likely throughout the day. High temperature around 73.
Sunday night- Mostly cloudy with scattered showers overnight. Low temperature around 56.
Monday- Mostly cloudy with showers and thunderstorms possible throughout the day. High temperature around 72.
Monday night- Showers and thunderstorms likely overnight. Low temperature around 56.
Tuesday- Mostly cloudy with showers and thunderstorms likely throughout the day. High temperature around 70.
Extended Forecast- Showers and thunderstorms will be likely again Wednesday with highs in the lower 70s. Showers and thunderstorms are possible but not as likely Thursday with highs in the lower 70s. Dry conditions will finally return by Friday with a few scattered clouds and high temperatures in the mid 70s.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Forecast for Starkville, MS and Leesburg, VA
Starkville, MS
Overnight- Clear with a low temperature around 65.
Tuesday- Sunny and hot with a high temperature around 92.
Tuesday night- Mostly clear with a low temperature around 67.
Wednesday- Mostly sunny and hot with a high temperature around 93.
Wednesday night- Mostly clear with a few high clouds overnight. Low temperature around 66.
Thursday- Mostly sunny with scattered afternoon clouds. High temperature around 87.
Thursday night- Increasing clouds with scattered showers and thunderstorms developing overnight. Some storms could be strong with damaging winds, small hail, and heavy rain. Low temperature around 63.
Friday- Scattered clouds with showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon. Some storms could be strong with damaging winds, small hail, and heavy rain. High temperature around 85.
Extended Forecast- Temperatures will cool down to the lower 80s Saturday and Sunday with a chance of scattered afternoon showers and thunderstorms. Clear skies will return by Monday with highs around 80.
Leesburg, VA
Overnight- Mostly clear with a low temperature around 51.
Tuesday- Mostly sunny and comfortable with a high temperature around 74.
Tuesday night- Mostly clear with fog developing overnight. Low temperature around 50.
Wednesday- Fog clearing out late in the morning with mostly sunny skies for the afternoon. High temperature around 78.
Wednesday night- Mostly clear with a low temperature around 55.
Thursday- Mostly sunny with a few afternoon clouds. High temperature around 77.
Thursday night- Scattered clouds overnight with a low temperature around 58.
Friday- Mostly sunny with a few afternoon clouds. High temperature around 80.
Extended Forecast- Showers and thunderstorms will be likely during the afternoon Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. High temperatures will be in the low 70s Saturday, around 70 Sunday, and in the mid 70s Monday.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Forecast for Starkville, MS and Leesburg, VA
Starkville, MS
Overnight- Clear with a low temperature around 46.
Friday- Sunny and warmer with a high temperature around 80.
Friday night- Clear and not as cold. Low temperature around 53.
Saturday- Mostly sunny and breezy. Winds gusting up to 25 MPH. High temperature around 84.
Saturday night- Scattered clouds and mild with a low temperature around 59.
Sunday- Mostly sunny with scattered showers and thunderstorms developing during the afternoon. High temperature around 83.
Sunday night- Mostly cloudy with scattered showers and thunderstorms. Low temperature around 62.
Monday- Scattered showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon. Not as warm with a high temperature around 75.
Extended Forecast- Showers and thunderstorms will be possible again Tuesday with highs in the middle 70s. Clear skies will return Wednesday and Thursday with highs around 80 Wednesday and in the lower 80s Thursday.
Leesburg, VA
Overnight- Mostly clear with a low temperature around 50.
Friday- Mostly sunny with a few afternoon clouds. High temperature around 69.
Friday night- Mostly clear and cool with a low temperature around 43.
Saturday- Sunny with a high temperature around 72.
Saturday night- Mostly clear with a low temperature around 45.
Sunday- Scattered clouds throughout the day. High temperature around 77.
Sunday night- Mostly cloudy with showers and thunderstorms developing overnight. Low temperature around 53.
Monday- Mostly cloudy with showers and thunderstorms likely during the afternoon. High temperature around 72.
Extended Forecast- Showers and thunderstorms will be possible early Tuesday with highs middle 60s. Sunshine will return Wednesday before another chance of showers and thunderstorms Thursday. Highs will be lower 60s Wednesday and in the middle 60s Thursday.
No Forecasts
I'm sorry for not updating this the past week. It's definitely been a week I should have been updating this. Finals took over my life for a little bit. In the mean time, there's been one of the worst tornado outbreaks in U.S. history. Towns all across the south in Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia have been effected by tornadoes the past 3 days. We can all agree that Alabama took the worst of it though. Parts of Tuscaloosa, AL were completely wiped off the map when an extremely powerful tornado swept through (likely rated EF4-EF5). As of right now, the death toll on Wednesday alone is approaching 300. Preliminary reports show over 30 deaths in Mississippi and Tennessee with a few in Virginia and North Carolina. I cannot say for sure how many died in Alabama because the number seems to change every few minutes. Please pray for those that lost loved ones across the south.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Hailstorm- Starkville, MS
These are pictures of the supercell that moved through Starkville on Wednesday April 20th. Hail stones between 1 and 2 inches in diameter fell (quarter to golfball size with some larger), along with torrential rain, dangerous cloud to ground lightning, and well defined rotation. I'll also try and post video of it soon.
This actually looked like a funnel cloud behind the trees. It was clearly rotating but we could not tell if it was on the ground.
This is the hail on the ground seen from the second story window. It had melted a little bit, but most of those are still about the size of golfballs.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Forecast for Starkville, MS and Leesburg, VA
Starkville, MS
Overnight- *TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 5AM* Mostly cloudy and breezy with showers and thunderstorms developing by sunrise. Winds gusting up to 30 MPH and higher in thunderstorms. Low temperature around 68.
Wednesday- Showers and thunderstorms throughout most of the day. Some storms could be severe with strong winds in excess of 60 MPH, small hail, and heavy rain. High temperature around 81.
Wednesday night- Mostly cloudy with showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly during the evening. Low temperature around 63.
Thursday- Scattered clouds throughout the day. High temperature around 83.
Thursday night- Scattered clouds overnight. Low temperature around 62.
Friday- Mostly sunny and hot. High temperature around 87.
Friday night- Mostly clear with a low temperature around 65.
Saturday- Mostly sunny with a high temperature around 85.
Extended Forecast- Clear skies will continue Sunday and Monday with high temperatures in the lower 80s. Showers and thunderstorms will be possible Tuesday with high temperatures around 80.
Leesburg, VA
Overnight- Mostly cloudy with patchy fog. Low temperature around 50.
Wednesday- Scattered clouds and breezy with showers and thunderstorms developing during the afternoon. Some storms could be severe with strong winds in excess of 60 MPH and heavy rain. Winds gusting up to 35 MPH outside of thunderstorms. High temperature around 85.
Wednesday night- Cloudy during the evening with partial clearing overnight. Low temperature around 48.
Thursday- Mostly sunny and breezy with a high temperature around 66.
Thursday night- Scattered clouds and cool with a low temperature around 43.
Friday- Mostly cloudy with showers developing during the afternoon. High temperature around 58.
Friday night- Cloudy with showers possible overnight. Low temperature around 49.
Saturday- Mostly cloudy with showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon. Warmer with a high temperature around 74.
Extended Forecast- Showers and thunderstorms will be possible during the afternoon Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. Highs will be in the mid 70s Sunday and Monday and in the lower 70s Tuesday.
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