Category: Posts EN

Mid-South Tornadoes Kill Dozens, Worst Outbreak In Years!

Written by Team Morecast

 

Numerous tornadoes roared across portions of Alabama, the Florida panhandle, Georgia, and South Carolina on Sunday, March 3rd. Almost two dozen people lost their lives to one of the twisters alone, more deaths than were attributed to all tornadoes across the country throughout 2018. The outbreak ended a years-long stretch of relatively harmless tornado activity.

 

 

Seventy-five tornado reports were tallied by the Storm Prediction Center. Based on these reports, National Weather Service survey teams found 34 individual twisters had developed. By far the most significant mowed a path stretching almost 70 miles through parts of Alabama and Georgia. This tornado was at one point nearly a mile wide, boasting winds of 170 mph. It was the first EF4-rated tornado anywhere in the U.S. since one struck the town of Canton, Texas in April 2017. The death toll of 23 made it the deadliest single tornado since the EF5 that devastated Moore, Oklahoma in May 2013.

 

 

 

 

Officials blame the unusually high death toll in part on the prevalence of vulnerable mobile homes in the tornado’s path. Residents had ample warning of the approaching twister, but many had no sufficient sheltering options available. Other factors include the lack of emergency communication channels for some in the poverty-stricken community, and a sense of complacency due to previous unrealized tornado warnings. Lead photo courtesy Wikipedia contributor Matt Putzel.

More Heavy Rain and Mountain Snow for Oregon and Northern California!

Written by Team Morecast

 

A deep Pacific moisture tap continues to slam portions of the west coast. Heavy rain is flooding the lower elevations with crippling snow in the mountains. Rivers have surged to levels not reached in decades, while ski resorts face the unhappy prospect of having too much snow to operate.

The latest storm system dropped heavy snows even in the relatively low-lying Willamette Valley of central Oregon. An Amtrak train was stopped for 37 hours with 183 passengers on board by a downed tree due to the heavy snow just outside Oakridge, OR. Up to 18 inches of snow was reported in Eugene, one of the biggest storms on record. The storm then moved south into the northern half of California. Mt. Shasta reported upwards of 70 inches of accumulation in a 48-hour period. The snow was enough to bury ski lifts, shutting the popular ski resort there down. Similar accumulations pounded portions of the Sierra Nevada range. Squaw Valley ski resort has recorded 300 inches in the month of February, the snowiest month on record. For the season, they’ve seen 557 inches, or more than 46 feet!

 

 

 

The issue for lower elevations has been persistent heavy rain. West-facing foothills and coastal areas of northern California and southwest Oregon saw widespread 6-12 inch rainfall amounts since last week, locally higher (see map above). The Russian River at Guerneville rose from near 10 feet on Monday afternoon to more than 45 feet by Wednesday evening (see graphic below), flooding much of the town and forcing thousands to evacuate. Indeed, all roads in and out of Guerneville and nearby Monte Rio are now impassable, totally stranding any residents who stayed behind. Fortunately, the region will enjoy a few days of dry weather to begin to recover. Lead photo courtesy flickr contributor Peter Stevens.

 

 

 

Major Flooding Inundates Towns Along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers!

Written by Team Morecast

 

Torrential rains have slammed portions of the Midwest and Tennessee Valley through much of February. Runoff from this excess rainfall has pushed local streams and rivers well above flood limits. These floodwaters are now starting to feed into the major rivers of the region. Gauges all long the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers are entering the major flood stage!

 

 

The graphic above shows rainfall has been two to four times normal values since February 1st across the region. Nashville, Tennessee has seen 13.47 inches of rain through February 23rd, the most ever recorded in the month of February. Likewise, Huntsville, Mississippi set a new record for the month with 12.6 inches. Memphis has reported measurable rain on fifteen days so far in February.

 

 

 

 

The excess water has been straining local dams and tributaries for the past few weeks. It’s now entering the major rivers, including the Ohio and Mississippi. Eight gauge sites are reporting major flooding in the region as of Tuesday evening, including three on the Ohio and one on the Mississippi. Seven more gauges further south along the Mississippi could join that list in the next few weeks as the floodwaters surge downstream. Many of the sites that are already seeing major flooding will not begin to recede until this weekend or beyond. Officials in Paducah, Kentucky have added flood gates to the wall protecting the downtown from the Ohio River (top tweet above). Sandbags are helping reinforce the wall at key points. Unfortunately, rural areas nearby often can’t be afforded the same protective measures and face inundation (see tweets above). Lead photo courtesy Isaac Pacheco, US Coast Guard.

 

 

Damaging Winds Sunday and Monday Across the Midwest, Great Lakes and Northeast!

Written by Team Morecast

 

A large, strong area of low pressure moving across eastern Canada produced very strong winds from this weekend into Monday. Areas of the Great Lakes, Midwest, and Northeast as well as southeast Ontario were hardest hit. Gusts exceeding 60 mph (100 kph) were common across the region with some areas seeing gusts of 80-100 mph or higher!

 

 

 

 

Mt. Washington, typically the windy spot in the Northeast U.S. saw a gust to 171 mph (275 kph), setting a new record for the month of February. Gusty winds toppled numerous trees, powerlines, street lights, and semi-trailer trucks. Strong westerly winds pushed chunks of ice onshore over portions of the Great Lakes (see video above). Already fallen snow was whipped around by the winds, leading to dangerous whiteout conditions that in some places rivaled the March 1993 Superstorm. Fortunately, winds have begun to subside as of Monday evening. Lead photo courtesy Wikipedia contributor James Marvin Phelps.