Dr. Jeff Masters' WunderBlog

Wild weather rings out the old year: tornado kills three in Arkansas
Posted by: Dr. Jeff Masters, 4:31 PM GMT on December 31, 2010 +1
The wild weather year of 2010 is closing out in dramatic fashion in the U.S., where a powerful storm system moving through the center of the country has spawned a tornado that killed three people in Northwest Arkansas early this morning. According to media reports, the tornado swept through Washington County in Northwest Arkansas between 6am - 6:10am CST this morning, killing three, injuring many more, and causing significant damage throughout the western portion of the county. Emergency responders are having difficulty reaching the damaged areas due to downed power lines, and power is out over most of the county. The supercell thunderstorm responsible for the tornado has maintained its identify for more than four hours along a path more than 200 miles long this morning, a unusually long time for a thunderstorm to maintain its identity. As of 11am EST, the tornado warnings for the thunderstorm has been issued for eastern Missouri, and the storm is headed towards St. Louis. Visit our interactive tornado page and severe weather page to monitor this ongoing severe weather situation. Today's three tornado deaths brought this year's tornado death toll to 39. This is higher than last year's record-low total of 21 tornado deaths, but much lower the 3-year average of 76 tornado deaths per year.



Figure 1. Radar reflectivity (top) and Doppler velocity image (bottom) of the supercell thunderstorm that hit northwestern Arkansas this moring, killing three people in the town of Cincinnati.

Meanwhile, the storm responsible for the deadly tornado is also bringing a dangerous winter storm to the West and Midwest. Blizzard warnings are in effect for southeastern Wyoming, western Nebraska, the Dakotas, and western Minnesota. According to the latest NOAA Storm Summary, the storm has dumped over 30 inches of snow in Colorado at Coal Bank Pass and Skyway, and at Sage Creek Basin in Wyoming. Some other selected snowfall amounts as of 10am EST:

Idaho City, ID: 36.0"
Soda Springs, CA: 36.0"
Deer Valley Daly West, UT: 33.0"
Williams, AZ: 29.5"
Sheep Canyon, WA: 29.0"
Missoula, MT: 24.0"
Flagstaff, AZ: 22.0"
Boise, ID: 20.0"
Green Mountain, NV: 20.0"
Durango, CO: 20.1"
Jackson, WY: 17.3"
Los Alamos, NM: 17.0"
Creighton, SD: 12.0"
Fergus Fall, MN: 11.0"
Williston, ND: 7.1"

The storm also brought very heavy rains in excess of two inches to portions of Arizona, Missouri, and Arkansas, with amounts in excess of four inches reported in California and Oregon. The storm will intensify and move northeastwards into Canada north of Minnesota tonight, bringing an additional 6 - 12 inches of snow to the warned areas.

Have a Happy New Year's everyone, and I'm hoping 2011 brings us a little less in the way of wild weather!

Jeff Masters
Crashing down (Fotoguy77)
The owner of this car stands on the trunk of the 100 year old California Oak tree to take pictures of his damaged vehicle. The tree and others came down early this morning as fierce winds up to 75 MPH tore through the SoCal area, This pic was taken in the San Fernando Valley. The trees were no match for the heavy rains of last week the these winds.
Crashing down
Snow and Blue Sky (kippic)
So nice to see some sunshine. Taken on a FSR off the Mountain Loop Highway, Granite Falls, WA
Snow and Blue Sky
12-31-2010 Tornado (Susie77)
Tornado (Preliminary est. F3) damage, Sunset Hills Missouri.
12-31-2010 Tornado
Categories: Tornado
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403. IKE 10:46 PM GMT on January 01, 2011    
Wife comes home from work....and asks her husband how his day went?

Fine sweetie...I sat in my chair all afternoon playing multiple personalities on the computer, on a weather blog and talking to myself.
Member Since: June 9, 2005 Posts: 23 Comments: 37044
406. KEEPEROFTHEGATE (Mod) 10:50 PM GMT on January 01, 2011    
i just requested a strike yakuza is inbound waitin on the hammer to fall
Member Since: July 15, 2006 Posts: 143 Comments: 40497
408. KEEPEROFTHEGATE (Mod) 10:51 PM GMT on January 01, 2011    
ya all get ready to be replaced with empty space just like whats in you're head
Member Since: July 15, 2006 Posts: 143 Comments: 40497
409. IKE 10:52 PM GMT on January 01, 2011    
I've got a couple of good guesses as to who it is. Not sure it matters though.
Member Since: June 9, 2005 Posts: 23 Comments: 37044
413. KEEPEROFTHEGATE (Mod) 10:55 PM GMT on January 01, 2011    
Link

link to my blog no trolls allowed
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416. hydrus 10:57 PM GMT on January 01, 2011    
Quoting KEEPEROFTHEGATE:
Link

link to my blog no trolls allowed
Happy New Year Keep....And to all.!....(excluding trolls)....
Member Since: September 27, 2007 Posts: 1 Comments: 14287
421. KEEPEROFTHEGATE (Mod) 11:04 PM GMT on January 01, 2011    

recommend ignore ban and mailblock for following screen names below


Blocked
New Contact:
AntoineDodson
BanHandle
IBangedYourMomAGAIN
JeffMasterz
MayorMcCheese
NotCircumventing
SpiderTrolls
Streetz313
ToyotaTRD18
WhoIsLucifer

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426. Tazmanian 11:10 PM GMT on January 01, 2011    
wow is this a troll party LOL
Member Since: May 21, 2006 Posts: 5088 Comments: 111346
428. TampaFLUSA 11:16 PM GMT on January 01, 2011    
Quoting IKE:
I've got a couple of good guesses as to who it is. Not sure it matters though.
Please expose him.
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430. Tazmanian 11:17 PM GMT on January 01, 2011    
holy we cow where all the trolls come from
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431. Tazmanian 11:18 PM GMT on January 01, 2011    
all you trolls names have been report
Member Since: May 21, 2006 Posts: 5088 Comments: 111346
433. Tazmanian 11:20 PM GMT on January 01, 2011    
would the admin plzs baned all the trolls from this wounder full blog
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434. lightningbolt73 11:20 PM GMT on January 01, 2011    
Happy New Year Everyone! The weather is sure beautiful here and looks likes its going to stay this way all week!
Member Since: October 19, 2010 Posts: 0 Comments: 112
438. Tazmanian 11:23 PM GMT on January 01, 2011    
Quoting MichaelSTL:
The troll badly needs a spell checker... or has an I.Q. so low that they don't know what those are (spell checker or I.Q.). As in this:





Probably just ONE troll using multiple handles. At least, I hope it is.



i hop so too
Member Since: May 21, 2006 Posts: 5088 Comments: 111346
439. Tazmanian 11:24 PM GMT on January 01, 2011    
Quoting WhoIsLucifer:
holy we cow? what the hell does that mean? and i done been re ported? u mean reported?



happy re ported day too you oh ad you been re ported
Member Since: May 21, 2006 Posts: 5088 Comments: 111346
441. IKE 11:27 PM GMT on January 01, 2011    
1.22 inches of rain today at my location in Defuniak Springs,FL.
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442. GrillinInTheEye 11:28 PM GMT on January 01, 2011    
Quoting KEEPEROFTHEGATE:
corrected


Thanks Keep.
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446. IKE 11:35 PM GMT on January 01, 2011    
Quoting Neapolitan:

I highly doubt it's married; there's no way a loser so full of self-loathing would ever be able to get a partner that wasn't inflatable.


lol.
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450. Tazmanian 11:40 PM GMT on January 01, 2011    
.
Member Since: May 21, 2006 Posts: 5088 Comments: 111346

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About JeffMasters
Jeff co-founded the Weather Underground in 1995 while working on his Ph.D. He flew with the NOAA Hurricane Hunters from 1986-1990.

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