Another tornado outbreak expected

From the NOAA Storm Prediction Center:

PUBLIC SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK

   NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK

   1226 PM CDT WED MAY 25 2011

   ...MAJOR TORNADO AND SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK EXPECTED OVER PARTS OF

   THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI...MID MISSISSIPPI...AND LOWER OHIO VALLEYS

   THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...

   THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER IN NORMAN OK IS FORECASTING THE

   DEVELOPMENT OF NUMEROUS TORNADOES...WIDESPREAD DAMAGING WINDS...AND

   LARGE HAIL OVER PARTS OF THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI...MID

   MISSISSIPPI...AND LOWER OHIO VALLEYS THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.


   THE AREAS MOST LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE THIS ACTIVITY INCLUDE

          CENTRAL AND EASTERN ARKANSAS

          CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN ILLINOIS

          CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN INDIANA

          WESTERN KENTUCKY

          CENTRAL AND EASTERN MISSOURI

          NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI

          WESTERN TENNESSEE

   SURROUNDING THE GREATEST RISK AREA...SEVERE STORMS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE

   FROM LOUSIANA NORTHEASTWARD TO THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY AND LOWER GREAT

   LAKES.

   THE STRONG JET STREAM DISTURBANCE IN PART RESPONSIBLE FOR

   YESTERDAY'S TORNADO OUTBREAK IN THE PLAINS WILL CONTINUE EAST INTO

   MISSOURI LATER TODAY AND INTO ILLINOIS BY EARLY THURSDAY AS ITS

   ASSOCIATED SURFACE LOW AND COLD FRONT MOVE FROM EASTERN KANSAS TO

   NEAR ST LOUIS.

   WARM...MOIST SOUTHERLY WINDS STREAMING NORTHWARD AHEAD OF THE LOW

   WILL UNDERCUT A BAND OF FAST...COOL...WEST-SOUTHWESTERLY JET STREAM

   FLOW.

   THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOW FORMING ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT

   PROGRESSING EAST ACROSS THE OZARKS AND MID MISSISSIPPI VALLEY.

   OTHER STORMS WILL CONTINUE TO FORM OVER A LARGE AREA OF

   MOIST...UNSTABLE CONDITIONS FROM EASTERN ARKANSAS AND SOUTHEAST

   MO...ACROSS PARTS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...SOUTHERN INDIANA...WESTERN

   AND CENTRAL KENTUCKY...AND WESTERN TENNESSEE.

   CONDITIONS WILL ONCE AGAIN BE FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF

   LONG-LIVED ROTATING THUNDERSTORMS THAT COULD PRODUCE FAST-MOVING AND

   POTENTIALLY DEADLY TORNADOES...IN ADDITION TO LARGE HAIL AND

   DAMAGING WIND. THE STORMS MAY EVOLVE INTO AN EXTENSIVE BAND THIS

   EVENING...WITH AN ASSOCIATED THREAT FOR DAMAGING WIND... HAIL...AND

   TORNADOES SPREADING EAST ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE OHIO VALLEY AND

   INTO PARTS OF THE TENNESSEE VALLEY LATER TONIGHT.

   STATE AND LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGERS ARE MONITORING THIS POTENTIALLY

   VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. THOSE IN THE THREATENED AREA ARE URGED TO

   REVIEW SEVERE WEATHER SAFETY RULES AND TO LISTEN TO

   RADIO...TELEVISION...AND NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR POSSIBLE

   WATCHES...WARNINGS...AND STATEMENTS LATER TODAY.

   ..HART.. 05/25/2011
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mcfarmer
May 25, 2011 10:04 pm

they were correct.Had a rough windy tornado filled day in Sedalia Missouri. Glad the warning system worked for me.

APE
May 25, 2011 11:28 pm

Anthony,
What about the twister in your backyard of Chico today? I was hoping for some coverage.
APE
REPLY: I happened to be in Sacramento when it happened, unfortunately, and just got home. -A

Geoff Sherrington
May 25, 2011 11:37 pm

We are relatively free of tornados in Oz, so we can only imagine the frightening effects and feel for those harmed. Our rarer cyclones are quite a handful also.
A colleague mentioned he had seen video of a tornado in which a whole large house was lifted and taken once or more around the funnel, reaching an estimated height of about 1,000 ft. Is this an urban myth, or have others seen the footage? If so, I’d appreciate a link because it helps to understand forces better.

May 25, 2011 11:56 pm

I live in Rockford, Illinois. We had a warning a few days ago. On my way to the basement I stuck my head out the front door to listen/look. Scariest thing I have experienced in my life. A tornado sounds like continuous thunder with no “boom”. Fortunately only funnel cloud sightings. No touch downs. Lots of wind, hail, and downed tree branches though.

Dale Alexander
May 26, 2011 7:09 am

We even got a couple here in Anthony’s neighborhood yesterday. Small tornadoes touched down in Butte County, Ca at about 6:30pm local time as a strong cell moved west to east over south Chico, Durham and between Oroville and Paradise. The Butte College campus was closed in an effort to keep people safe. This was a pair of very small cells and so far, no reports of damage. KRCA channel 3 out of Sacramento got some good aerial footage from a helicopter of one the tornadoes touching down briefly.

Spector
May 26, 2011 9:06 am

I wonder if the extreme tornado situation this spring might be a delayed consequence of the grand solar minimum of 2008-2010.

SteveSadlov
May 26, 2011 9:36 am

We actually do have the Skywarn / spotter training out here. Not sure what the uptake is in terms of #s of folks.

David Falkner
May 26, 2011 6:01 pm

Geoff Sherrington:
Around :40 in this video, an entire structure is lifted up into the tornado. I don’t know about 1,000 feet. That seems like an exaggeration. This structure made it about 50 feet before the wind shredded the thing.

Brian H
May 28, 2011 12:53 pm

Just this moment watching the beautiful full-colour hi-res hi-fps Nest Cam at Decorah, of 3 bald eagle chicks being fed by Momma, with bright sunshine and a brisk, increasing wind from the SSE. Earlier, the oldest chick (near fledging, almost 2 months old) (older by 1 and 4 days over its siblings), was trying its (huge!) wings, bouncing up and down and bothering the others.
http://www.farmyou.com/falcon_cams/decorah_eagle_xcel.html
Enjoy!

Brian H
May 28, 2011 1:01 pm

P.S. to the above; it’s near the triple junction of Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, on the fringes of the current warnings.