Weather Report 12/22/13

Another week and another powerful storm system has blasted through the mid-section of the country and into the northeast.  This storm was not atypical for this time of year and not record setting, but it was potent and had a variety of ways of causing mayhem across the country. 

When I began talking about this system a week ago, it looked like heavy snow was going to be the big story.  It turns out that I was wrong.  We had some good snow totals, but really just a normal snowstorm.  The really big impacts came in other packages.



Rain was a large story as many places were seeing rainfall amounts in excess of 3 inches.  Flash flooding and small creeks and streams overflowing were seen from Indiana to the gulf coast and from west of the Mississippi to the Appalachians.


Severe storms and tornadoes threatened the southern states.  There were a few confirmed tornadoes, but many of the storms packed winds in excess of 70mph and cause quite a bit of damage.  Downed trees helped knock out power lines all through the south.  Reed Timmer Tornado Chase

This storm also had an ice component that has knocked out power to hundreds of thousands in Canada and the northeast USA.  Lesser amounts caused numerous small accidents throughout the Midwest and great lakes regions.


The weather looks to be quieting down for the week ahead with no major systems across the country.  There will be a little clipper system that will bring some Christmas eve and day snows across the upper Midwest into the Great Lakes region, but that is about it for the next week ahead.  Temperatures should remain mostly in a seasonal range, maybe a little under average most locations. 

Tornado Outbreak Nov. 17th, 2013

This was the lead story last weekend.  A tornado outbreak strikes the midwest and Great Lakes region.  81 reports of tornadoes in 6 states damaging dozens of town and leveling several. Also hundreds of reports of severe wind and hail we recieved causing sporadic damage and power outages over hundreds of miles.  In Illinois there were 2 F4 tornadoes, the first time such large tornadoes had struck the state in November since records have been kept. 



As early as the previous Wednesday and Thursday, there was talk of a severe weather event coming together in that region.  The storm prediction center even put out a graphic 4 days in advance for severe potential.  As we got into Friday and Saturday, the potential for severe weather became more and more sure, and also more and more ominous.  All the ingredients seemed to be coming together for a major tornado outbreak.  It became so sure by Saturday that a High risk area was posted, which is a rare event.  On Sunday morning they expanded the risk areas a bit. Anybody who was into weather knew...  this was a seriously dangerous situation about to unfold.



All the ingredients were there, a strong low pressure system creating lots of wind,  moisture flowing in from the south, a strong jet stream flying overhead from the west creating crosswinds at different heights in the air.  Along with the moisture you had enough warmth at the surface and cold air aloft.  The cold front coming off the low was bowed a bit forward rather than dragging behind with a sharp contrast in temperatures and wind direction.  It wasn't a matter of if, but when would they begin to fire.

By 9am the storms had already begun to fire.  There was a line in N IL near Rockford, and SW of Peoria some more storms had just formed.  There were a couple of tornado warnings on the north storms for spotted funnel clouds, but they were soon robbed of energy by the southern storms as they developed.  At 11:55am the first confirmed tornado was spotted by Pekin IL, just south of Peoria.  It did some damage and moved on to East Peoria by 12:00pm and damaged up to 80 homes there.  The storm intensified more before it moved into Washington by 12:05, a full blown F4 tornado that you saw at the open of the blog.  As time moved on, more storms developed and more tornadoes formed and towns hit.  It was truly a scary afternoon.



I was already on the road by the time the first torndao reports started coming in.  The first tornado was on the ground for 46 miles and lasted 41 minutes (notice the speed?  over 60mph).  It lifted at about 12:36 or shortly thereafter.  Very shortly after that I was arriving at Morris on the NE corner of the storm.  All kinds of debris was raining down from the sky.  Mostly it was construction material; insulation, shingles, little bits of wood.  I knew something bad had happened, and that also I was not in a good location.  It seemed to take forever to get out of there as there was traffic lights to work through and I got them all red and thinking, there is a tornado coming at me and I am stuck at this light.

I proceeded east to stay ahead of the storm, also hoping I could work into a good location.  Then the storm began dropping new tornadoes.  Braidwood, Coal City, Wilmington, Manhattan, then Frankfort.  Each time the reports were moving  NE and I was on a direct collision course with the tornado.  I knew I was in the slot, with rains to my north and ominous steep rising clouds to my SW.  The tornado I knew was just behind the feature to my SW, being abscured by rain from my view.  The whole time I heard the sound of tornado sirens blaring into the afternoon sky.  I just couldn't make any progress against this fast moving storm.  I finally had to bail as traffic had become too slow to outrun the storm and I did not want to be stuck in my car if it hit.  Good thing too.  The map I am looking at shows the last report only 2 km to my south.  How many miles is a km? That was at 2pm in Frankfort.



Upon my return home, I stopped back and checked out some of the debris that had fallen.  Mostly it was construction material.  I found a fragment of a hand written note and a piece of a bill from 1991.  About 40 miles from Washington I found a piece of wall board about 3ft square.  Hard to imagine that frisbeeing for 40 miles, but there it was.  There was also a lot of sporadic damage from non tornadic winds; trees down, power poles snapped, garbage cans and such strewn about.  It was also on my way home I began to hear the reports of what I already had known from the falling debris.  Towns had been hit and severely damaged by tornadoes.







One of the oddities of the tornadoes that day was there seemingly targeting places named Washington.  There was the town of Washington IL that was severely damaged by an F4, and further downstate another F4 struck Washington county.  AND, the town of Washington Indiana was hit by a tornado also.  



My prayers go out to those affected, and calls go out again for assistance to anyone within my reach.  If you give cash to the Red Cross, you can designate it to be for tornado relief.  I have to hand it to the communities though.  They have very quickly sprung into action with their emergency plans they had in place and the relief efforts so far have been very organized and quick.  Kudos to the communities, and the surrounding communities and businesses who have all pitched in to help. I hope it has been like that in all the communities hit Sunday.  There were many.

Early Winter Storm

Friday, October 4^th 2013:  This last week we have been experiencing one of the strongest early fall storms on record in the US.  From violent wedge tornadoes to feet of snow driven by tropical storm force winds, this storm runs the gambit of weather.  What makes this particular storm all that more devastating is that it is barely moving.  Temps on the front side are into the 80s, whole on the backside, wind chills are below zero.

Late last weekend, this storm plowed into the NW coast with high winds, record rainfall totals, and even a rare tornado near Seattle WA.   High winds throughout the western mountain ranges  were experienced, as well as severe storms.  As usually happens, the mountains kind of broke up the storm to some degree.



The Low then reorganized itself in the Colorado/Wyoming border areas and quickly strengthened.  Ample amounts of moisture from the gulf of Mexico began feeding into the low pressure and throwing it onto the back cold side of the low.  With ample juice from the gulf, and strong winds aloft, the ingredients were in place for severe weather.  On the backside, the rising landscape approaching the rockies is wringing out the moisture on the cold side where snow is being measured in feet, not inches.  Places from Bismark ND to Cheyenne WY are completely shut down by feet of snow with drifts two stories high.  Some towns in Nebraska and now NW Iowa have been devastated by tornadoes with a number of injuries.



As of the writing of this, we still have not come close to the end of the storm.  As the low slides ENE, severe weather is expected in places like IL, IN. WI, KY, TN and MO with OH and MI to follow.  I have not even mentioned the flooding in MN and WI either.



Sat Oct 5^th:  The Low pressure system, having not moved much, was still snowing in areas of the western plains leaving totals as high as 4 feet.  The cold front, having pushed well out ahead of the low did not have the same energy as Friday and thus there were only sporadic reports of severe weather.  Heavy rains and flooding have been the main issues Saturday.  We do have frost advisories as far south as Lubbock Texas, which is highly unusual for early October.




Meanwhile we have had Tropical Storm Karen out in the Gulf making its way toward the coast.  The inland low is the dominant feature though.  Karen has weakened to a tropical depression and is getting caught up in the cold front generated by the inland low I have been talking about, causing it t make a sharp right, hugging the coast heading back towards Florida and could make landfall anywhere from Tallahassee, to  Tampa.  Ample moisture and lift from the front will allow for copious amounts of rain to fall along the gulf and into Florida, but the wind shear should keep Karen at bay.





Sunday the system is expected to continue moving east, bringing the possibility for severe weather to the Detroit area and Ohio.  There is also a small chance for severe storms where Karen interacts with the cold front along the gulf coast.  It is not unusual to see tornadoes with tropical systems also, but Karen would have to pick up a little strength I think.  We may finally be rid of this system by Tuesday.

With this system, many have been without power in freezing conditions, have had their homes damaged or destroyed by tornaodes, winds, and flooding, been delayed and stranded.  We should always be prepared for major weather systems to strike and send us back into the 1800s without all the modern conveniences we take for granted today.  Having a plan and having made preparations can make quite a difference in surviving weather related disasters.

Update Oct 6, 5:30am:  A nearly stationary line of heavy rains has formed as gulf moisture is meeting up with the slow moving cold front causing flash flooding to occur.  The current main areas of the flash flooding appears to be in Kentucky where Lousiville and Owensboro areas are under flash flood warnings.  As of midnight over 5 inches of rain had fallen in Louisville, and that total has only increased, and the next slow moving line of heavy rain is at the doorstep.  Reports have come out of people stranded on the roofs of their cars.  Southern Indiana is experiencing flooding as well and rain totals are piling up in other states also.

How God Saved America

The year was 1814.  The United States was once again at war with Great Britain.  While the early years of the war had gone fairly well for the US, they had not gotten a victory over the British.  Most of Britians focus had been on the war with Napoleon at the beginning, but with Napoleon’s defeat, thousands of troops, already battle hardened, were coming ashore in the States and things had taken a turn for the worse for the fledgling nation.


By August, British forces had landed 5,000 strong and were making their way towards the capital.  On the 24^th of August they met up with the American forces that were 7000 strong.  Despite being outnumbered, the Americans were not very well organized and were quickly defeated and the road to the capital lay uncontested.    


By august 25^th, 1814, the British had set out to make an example of the city and was burning all the government buildings.  The capital, library of congress, treasury, state department, etc, were all set ablaze. The fires began burning out of control, and threatened to burn the entire city to the ground.  With the capital gone and the British in control, the new nation would once again be subjects of the King of Britian.  But, God had other plans.


Unknown to everyone around, and well in advance of the conquering troops even arriving, God was preparing a storm;  a Hurricane to be precise.  While the British had stormed in from the north, God was about to hit them with a real storm from the south, on the very same day, August 25^th, 1814.


As described by http://historicaldigression.com



The driving rain put out most of the fires threatening the city.  The storm was so fierce that it tore buildings apart, literally lifting them off their foundations. The winds uprooted trees and knocked men to the ground. A number of houses collapsed, killing the British soldiers taking shelter therein. One British officer reported seeing cannons lifted off the ground and thrown through the air. Redcoats out on the streets of Washington, trying to enforce a curfew, were forced to lie prostrate in the mud.


Based on the first hand accounts, weather historians generally agree that the storm that struck Washington on August 25, 1814 sparked one or more tornadoes. I can’t possibly imagine being one of these soldiers, completely exposed, with no choice but to cling to mother earth in the midst of a tornado.


As the storm began to subside, one of the British officers in command of the invasion emerged from his shelter and said to one of the inhabitants of Washington, “Great God, Madam, is this the kind of storm to which you are accustomed in this infernal country?!”


She responded, “No, sir, this is a special interposition of Providence to drive our enemies from the city.”

Three tornadoes struck near Washington that day. It was later reported that one landed to the northwest, another in the high country [which is now called Georgetown], and the one that struck the Capitol Hill area. Whether there was a single tornado taking a southeasterly course or a tornado swarm, it will never be known. What can be said for certain is that a powerful tornado with destructive winds did hit downtown Washington at a crucial time; forcing the British out of the city, and saving what was left of our Capitol.

And drive them from the city it did.  Troops had been scattered, injured, and killed.  Their equipment scattered to the winds like children’s toys rendered unusable.  Many British had already fled and what remained scampered off utterly demoralized and defeated without an American shot being fired.  The next day when American troops arrived in DC to fight for their city, they found no British to fight and simply walked back in unabated.  This was the true story of how God saved our nation.

Central Il Chase 5/28/13

Headed out when I saw some storms firing up Near Galseburg IL.  I figured I would intercept them along I39 south of I80.  That I did as I Caught up with them at about the Il river.  I managed to cut my way through the core and out on the south side at about Wenona.  Had some interesting circulations there.  At that point the storms were just organizing themselves into a line of severe storms so I did not really experience anything too severe, but I did get, a Good shelf cloud, maybe wall, some lightning, and some areas of flash flooding. 

This was my first serious run for my new Canon HF G10 camcorder and it seemed to operate rather well.  The manual focus was great to keep shots in focus.  The manual white balance as well was very handy for keeping high contrast shots from being too light or dark.  I am sure as I learn the manual functions better, I will be able to capture much better video than I had been.

Part 1


part two