It was another year of incredible weather extremes unparalleled in American history during 2012. Eleven billion-dollar weather disasters hit the U.S., a figure exceeded only by the fourteen such disasters during the equally insane weather year of 2011. I present for you now the top ten weather stories of 2012, chosen for their meteorological significance and human and economic impact.
Video 1. Hour-by-hour animation of infrared satellite images for 2012. The loop goes in slow-motion to feature such events as Hurricane Sandy, the June Derecho, Summer in March, and other top weather events of 2012. The date stamp is at lower left; you will want to make the animation full screen to see the date. Special thanks to wunderground's Deb Mitchell for putting this together!
1) Superstorm Sandy Hurricane Sandy was truly astounding in its size and power. At its peak size, twenty hours before landfall, Sandy had tropical storm-force winds that covered an area nearly one-fifth the area of the contiguous United States. Sandy's area of ocean with twelve-foot seas peaked at 1.4 million square miles--nearly one-half the area of the contiguous United States, or 1% of Earth's total ocean area. Most incredibly, ten hours before landfall (9:30 am EDT October 29), the total energy of Sandy's winds of tropical storm-force and higher peaked at 329 terajoules--the highest value for any Atlantic hurricane since at least 1969, and equivalent to five Hiroshima-sized atomic bombs. At landfall, Sandy's tropical storm-force winds spanned 943 miles of the the U.S. coast. No hurricane on record has been larger. Sandy's huge size prompted high wind warnings to be posted from Chicago to Eastern Maine, and from Michigan's Upper Peninsula to Florida's Lake Okeechobee--an area home to 120 million people. Sandy's winds simultaneously caused damage to buildings on the shores of Lake Michigan at Indiana Dunes National Lake Shore, and toppled power lines in Nova Scotia, Canada--locations 1200 miles apart! Sandy made landfall near Atlantic City, NJ on October 29, with sustained winds of 80 mph and a central minimum pressure of 946 mb--the lowest pressure on record along the Northeast coast. The Battery, in New York City Harbor, had an observed water level of 13.88 feet, besting the previous record set by Hurricane Donna in 1960 by 3 feet. Sandy also brought torrential rainfall to the Mid-Atlantic, with over 12 inches of rain observed in parts of Maryland. In addition, Sandy generated blizzard conditions for the central and southern Appalachians with more than a foot of snow falling in six states from North Carolina to Pennsylvania, shattering October snow records. Over 130 fatalities were reported and over 8.5 million customers lost power--the second largest weather-related power outage in U.S. history, behind the 10 million that lost power during the Blizzard of 1993. Damage from Sandy is estimated at $62 billion.
Figure 1. Cabs lie flooded on October 30, 2012, in Hoboken, NJ, in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. AP photo: Charles Sykes.
2) Warmest Year on Record Spring, March, July, and the annual temperature were all warmest on record in the contiguous U.S. July was the warmest month of any month in the 1,400+ months of the U.S. data record, going back to 1895. The spring temperature departure from average was the largest on record for any season, and March temperatures had the second largest warm departure from average of any month in U.S. history. All-time hottest temperature records were set over approximately 7% of the area of the contiguous U.S., according to a database of 298 major U.S. cities maintained by wunderground's weather historian, Christopher C. Burt. Given the very warm December temperatures so far, the final 2012 annual temperature is likely to break the previous warmest year on record (1998) by at least 0.7°F--a colossal margin to break an annual record by. It is likely that 15 states will end up with their warmest year on record in 2012, and 42 states will have a top-ten warmest year.
Figure 2. One of 2012's incredibly hot days: high temperatures on August 1 in Oklahoma from the Oklahoma Mesonet. It was the hottest day in Oklahoma since August 1936, with more than half of the state recording temperatures of 110° or higher. Oklahoma City hit 112°, tied for the city's 3nd highest temperature since record keeping began in 1890. The only hotter days occurred two days later--on August 3, 2012--and back on August 11, 1936 (113°.)
3) The Great Drought of 2012 The Great U.S. Drought of 2012 may well turn out to be the biggest weather story of 2012, since its full impacts have not yet been realized. The area of the contiguous U.S. in moderate or greater drought peaked at 61.8% in July--the largest such area since the Dust Bowl drought of December 1939. The heat and dryness resulted in record or near-record evaporation rates, causing major impact on corn, soybean and wheat belts in addition to livestock production. Drought upstream of the Lower Mississippi River caused record and near-record low stream flows along the river in Mississippi and Louisiana, resulting in limited river transportation and commerce. Crop damages alone from the great drought are estimated at $35 billion. As the total scope of losses is realized across all lines of business in coming months, this number will climb significantly.
Figure 3. Corn in Colby, Kansas withers in the Great Drought of 2012 on May 27. Image credit: Wunderphotographer treeman.
4) Wildfire Season of 2012 The 2012 U.S. fire season was the 3rd worst in U.S. history, with 9.2 million acres burned--an area larger than the state of Maryland. Since the National Interagency Fire Center began keeping records in 1960, only two years have seen more area burned--2006, when 9.9 million acres burned, and 2007, when 9.3 million acres burned. New Mexico had its largest fire in state history, Colorado its most destructive and 2nd largest in state history, and Oregon had its largest fire since the 1860s. More than 3.6 million acres burned in the U.S. during August--the most on record for any August in recorded history.
Figure 4. Wunderphoto of Whitewater-Baldy Complex Fire of 2012, the largest fire in New Mexico history. Wunderphoto submitted by AZMountaineer21.
5) March 2 - 3 Tornado Outbreak A massive tornado outbreak of stunning violence swept through the nation's midsection March 2 - 3, spawning deadly tornadoes that killed 41 people. Hardest hit were Kentucky and Southern Indiana, which suffered 22 and 13 dead, respectively. The scale of the outbreak was exceptional, with 70 tornadoes touching down in eleven states, from southern Ohio to southern Georgia. At one point, 31 separate tornado warnings were in effect during the outbreak. An area larger than Nebraska--81,000 square miles--received tornado warnings, and tornado watches were posted for 300,000 square miles--an area larger than Texas. The outbreak spawned two EF-4 tornadoes, one which devastated Henryville, Indiana, and another that plowed through Crittenden, Kentucky. Total damage was estimated at $4 billion.
Figure 5. A school bus mangled by the EF-4 Henryville, Indiana tornado of March 2, 2012. Image credit: NWS Louisville, Kentucky.
6) June 29 Multi-State Derecho A violent line of organized severe thunderstorms called a derecho swept across the U.S. from Illinois to Virginia on June 29, damaging houses, toppling trees, bringing down power lines. The storms killed 22 people, and left at least 3.4 million customers without power. The thunderstorms in a derecho (from the Spanish phrase for "straight ahead") create violent winds that blow in a straight line. The derecho was unusually intense due to extreme heat that set all-time records at ten major cities on the south side of the derecho. This heat helped create an unstable atmosphere with plenty of energy to fuel severe thunderstorms. At least 38 thunderstorms in the derecho generated wind gusts in excess of hurricane force, making the derecho one of the most severe derechoes on record. Total damage was estimated at $3.75 billion.
Figure 6. Turbulent clouds gather over Mettawa, Illinois on June 29, 2012, as the historic 2012 derecho begins to organize. Image credit: Wunderphotographer LarrySmit.
7) Hurricane Isaac Hurricane Isaac slowly lumbered ashore near the mouth of the Mississippi River on August 28 as a Category 1 Hurricane with 80 mph winds. Isaac's large size and slow motion caused a storm surge more characteristic of a Category 2 hurricane--up to eleven feet--but New Orleans' new $14.5 billion levee upgrade held against Isaac's surge. The surge moved up the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish near Port Sulphur, causing overtopping of the levees and flooding of homes in the mandatory evacuation areas behind the levees. These levees were not part of the $14.5 billion levee upgrade. Isaac brought torrential rainfall, with more than twenty inches observed in some areas of New Orleans. Isaac also provided some drought relief to the Lower Mississippi and Ohio Valleys. Isaac dumped up to 18" of rain in Florida, and disrupted the 2012 Republican Convention in Tampa. Isaac did $2 billion in damage.
Figure 7. Tropical Storm Isaac on August 28, a few hours before it intensified into a hurricane.
8) The Non-Winter of 2011-2012 "Flowers are sprouting in January in New Hampshire, the Sierra Mountains in California are nearly snow-free, and lakes in much of Michigan still have not frozen. It's 2012, and the new year is ringing in another ridiculously wacky winter for the U.S. In Fargo, North Dakota yesterday, the mercury soared to 55°F, breaking a 1908 record for warmest January day in recorded history. More than 99% of North Dakota had no snow on the ground this morning, and over 95% of the country that normally has snow at this time of year had below-average snow cover." That was the opening of my January 6, 2012 blog post, called "Remarkably dry and warm winter due to record extreme jet stream configuration." The contiguous U.S. saw its 3rd lowest snow cover on record during both winter and spring, and the winter of 2011 - 2012 was the 4th warmest and 24th driest winter in U.S. history, going back to 1895. A primary cause of this warm and snowless winter was the most extreme configuration of the jet stream ever recorded, as measured by the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The NAO index was +2.52 in December 2011, which was the most extreme difference in pressure between Iceland and the Azores ever observed in December (records of the NAO go back to 1865.) The positive NAO conditions caused the Icelandic Low to draw a strong south-westerly flow of air over eastern North America, preventing Arctic air from plunging southward over the U.S.
Figure 8. Flowers sprouting on January 1, 2012 in Keene, New Hampshire, thanks to unusually warm December temperatures and lack of snow. Image credit: Wunderphotographer lovne32.
9) April 30 - May 1 Severe Weather Outbreak A severe weather outbreak in the Ohio Valley April 30 - May 1 caused 38 tornadoes and $4 billion in damage.
10) Late-Spring Freeze: Northeast/Midwest After the record-warm "Summer in March" weather in the Great Lakes and Northeast, an April freeze damaged crops across the region. New York's fruit production was the lowest since 1948, and it was the worst fruit season for Michigan since 1945. Damage in Michigan alone was estimated at $500 million.
Honorable Mentions (text courtesy of NOAA's National Climatic Data Center, with damage estimates from AON Benfield):
Severe Weather Outbreak (May): A strong cold front moving through the country on May 25 - 30 spawned 27 tornadoes from Texas to the Northeast. Damage was estimated at $2.5 billion, much of it from hail.
Severe Weather Outbreak (April): A tornado outbreak on April 13 - 14 in the Plains spawned 98 tornadoes and caused at least 6 fatalities. Damage was estimated at $1.75 billion.
Severe Weather Outbreak (June): Several days of severe storms across the Southwest spawned 25 tornadoes from June 6 - 12. Significant hail damage occurred across the Rocky Mountain Front Range, with total damage estimated at $1.75 billion.
Tropical Storm Debby/Wet Florida (June): Heavy rains from Tropical Storm Debby in early June caused damage estimated at $310 million, but Debby's rains helped break a drought in Northern Florida. Florida had its wettest summer on record, partially due to Debby.
Duluth Flooding (June): Training thunderstorms caused record flooding in and around Duluth Minnesota on June 20, with over 8 inches of rainfall observed in 24 hours in parts of the city. Two rivers in the Duluth area, the Nemadji and St. Louis, reported their highest flood heights on record. Damage was estimated at $175 million.
Pacific Northwest Winter Storm (January): A massive winter storm impacted the Pacific Northwest on January 18 - 23. Huge amounts of rain and snow fell, and hurricane-force wind gusts knocked out power to 250,000 customers. Damage was estimated at $100 million.
Hawaiian Hail Storm (March): On March 9, a cut-off low pressure system impacted the Hawaiian Islands, bringing heavy rainfall and severe thunderstorms. A rare EF-0 tornado hit the towns of Lanikai and Kailua on Oahu, causing minor damage. Another storm dropped a hailstone measuring 4.25 inches long, 2.25 inches tall, and 2 inches wide--the largest hailstone on record for Hawaii. Damage from the storms was estimated at $37 million.
Near-Record Low Great Lakes Levels (by end of 2012): Record warm temperatures throughout 2012 combined with low precipitation and low winter ice cover created high evaporation rates across the Great Lakes. In December, Lakes Michigan and Huron had fallen to within inches of the all-time record low lake levels set back in 1964. Low lake levels have a significant impact on recreational and commercial boating as well as tourism.
Slow Tornado Year (annual): Despite an active March, 2012 saw relatively low tornado numbers compared to recent history.
Mount Evans Tornado (July): A high elevation tornado was observed along the slope of Mount Evans at 11,900 feet--the second highest observed tornado in the U.S.
Alaska Cold Winter/Snow Record (winter): Several Alaskan locations had their coldest January on record. The monthly average temperature at Bettles, AK was -35.6°F. The statewide average January temperature was record cold--14°F below average. Record snow (134.5 inches) fell in Anchorage during the winter season, breaking the previous record set in 1954 - 55.
Alaskan Storms and Flooding (September): Several large extratropical cyclones impacted Alaska during September. Significant flooding occurred along the Sustina River and along its tributaries, causing the worse flooding in 30 years. Over 800 structures and dozens of homes were damaged or destroyed. The storms also brought early snowfall to southern portions of the state.
Death Valley sets world record for highest minimum temperature On Thursday morning, July 12, 2012 the low temperature at Death Valley, California dropped to just 107°F (41.7°C), after hitting a high of 128° (53.3°C) the previous day. Not only did the morning low temperature tie a record for the world's warmest low temperature ever recorded, the average temperature of 117.5°F was the world's warmest 24-hour temperature on record. According to weather records researcher Maximiliano Herrera, the only other place in the world to record a 107°F low temperature was Khasab Airport in the desert nation of Oman on June 27, 2012.
NOAA's National Climatic Data Center will release their top-ten list of U.S. weather events of 2012 on Tuesday, January 8, 2013.
Have a great holiday, everyone! I'll be back on December 26 with a new post.
...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 430 PM CST FOR CRENSHAW COUNTY...
AT 354 PM CST...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO WAS LOCATED 15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF LUVERNE...OR 3 MILES NORTHWEST OF DOZIER...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.
...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 430 PM CST FOR CRENSHAW COUNTY...
AT 354 PM CST...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO WAS LOCATED 15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF LUVERNE...OR 3 MILES NORTHWEST OF DOZIER...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.
Quoting GeorgiaStormz: TWC Breaking @TWCBreaking Vol. FD reports #tornado in progress north of Wiggins, MS with "debris in the air!" TAKE COVER in srn Perry Co.
AT 408 PM CST...A CONFIRMED TORNADO WAS NOW LOCATED 9 MILES NORTH OF WIGGINS...OR 14 MILES NORTH OF PERKINSTON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.
Member Since: March 16, 2012 Posts: 87 Comments: 6802
Update: A dozen homes damaged in Pearl River County Posted: Dec 25, 2012 5:16 PM EST Updated: Dec 25, 2012 5:16 PM EST By WLOX Staff - email
STONE COUNTY, MS (WLOX) -
WLOX News has just confirmed about a dozen homes in Pearl River County have been damaged by a line of severe weather that is racing across the coast. There are injuries reported. But, according to Pearl River County's emergency management director, none of those injuries are life-threatening.
The homes are near White Chapel Road, Joe Smith Road, and Highway 11. There all south of McNeill.
A Stone County fire chief just contacted WLOX News to share information about storm damage off Highway 26 near Wiggins. A roof has apparently been torn off a home near the Magnolia community. And power lines are down.
First responders are on their way to the western end of Stone County to survey the damage.
This damage is associated with a line of severe weather that has spawned tornado warnings across much of South Mississippi.
The six coastal counties are under a tornado watch until 8:00 tonight.
WLOX 24/7 meteorologist Tommy Richards is monitoring the storm as it crosses through Mississippi. Whenever severe weather warnings are issued, he'll share them with you on WLOX ABC, WLOX CBS, WLOX.com and the WLOX 24/7 weather app.
Copyright 2012 WLOX. All rights reserved.
Member Since: August 19, 2006 Posts: 7 Comments: 8434
boy you got that right, a very dangerous night ahead too...look what i just found for my area for tomorrow .....Severe Storms Possible Across West Central Florida Wednesday. Set Your NOAA Weather Radio to Alert Mode Tonight!
Member Since: August 6, 2011 Posts: 0 Comments: 22426
...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 515 PM CST FOR NORTHWESTERN CLARKE AND SOUTHEASTERN LAUDERDALE COUNTIES...
AT 429 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS CONTINUE TO TRACK A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR STONEWALL MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.
THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR... MIDDLETON BY 435 PM CST... INCREASE AND ZERO BY 440 PM CST... ALAMUCHA AND TOOMSUBA BY 450 PM CST... KEWANEE BY 455 PM CST...
Member Since: August 6, 2011 Posts: 0 Comments: 22426
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST ALABAMA... SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA...AND THE FLORIDA BIG BEND AND PANHANDLE...AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS.
.DAY ONE...REST OF THIS AND TONIGHT...
...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM CST FOR ALL OF SE AL... THE FL PANHANDLE AND THE ADJACENT WATERS...
THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE DURING REST OF TODAY AND ESPECIALLY INTO TONIGHT. TORNADO`S HAVE ALREADY OCCURRED THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE WESTERN WATERS AND ADJACENT COUNTIES IN DISCRETE CELLS WELL AHEAD OF THE MAIN SQUALL LINE. THE GREATEST THREAT FOR SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES IN THE LOCAL AREA IS EXPECTED TO BE ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST ALABAMA AND ADJACENT SECTIONS OF THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE, SOUTHWEST GEORGIA AND ADJACENT WATERS AS THE SQUALL LINE MOVES ACROSS. CURRENT ANALYSIS HAS THIS SQUALL LINE MOVING ACROSS SE AL AND THE FL PANHANDLE FROM 10 PM- MIDNIGHT CST. ALTHOUGH THE THREAT DECREASE SOMEWHAT AS THE SQUALL LINE MOVE EAST OF THE APALACHICOLA RIVER, SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES COULD OCCUR ANYWHERE IN THE FORECAST AREA. THE SQUALL LINE WILL MOVE ACROSS TALLAHASSEE 3-4 AM AND VALDOSTA 6-7 AM EST.
Member Since: August 6, 2011 Posts: 0 Comments: 22426
Showers and thunderstorms starting later tonight and continuing through Wednesday afternoon as a cold front makes its way across the peninsula of Florida. The Storm Prediction Center has outlined a large portion of West Central Florida for the potential of a few strong to severe storms to develop...with the best chances for areas north of Tampa Bay. Winds and seas will reach advisory levels with the cold front passage before subsiding starting early Thursday morning. Spotters should monitor the weather and self activate if needed. Please continue to monitor the latest forecasts for updates on this event!
Member Since: August 6, 2011 Posts: 0 Comments: 22426
...THUNDERSTORM IMPACT... A COLD FRONT WILL BRING A BAND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS STARTING EARLY WEDNESDAY AND CONTINUING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AS THE FRONT MAKES ITS WAY SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE PENINSULA. THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS OUTLINED A LARGE PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA FOR A SLIGHT RISK AND THE POTENTIAL REMAINS FOR A FEW STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS TO DEVELOP...WITH THE BEST CHANCES FOR AREAS NORTH OF TAMPA BAY. PLEASE CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS FOR UPDATES ON THIS EVENT.
...WIND AND SEA IMPACT... WINDS AND SEAS WILL REACH ADVISORY LEVELS WITH THE COLD FRONT PASSAGE BEFORE SUBSIDING STARTING EARLY THURSDAY MORNING.
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Member Since: July 21, 2011 Posts: 60 Comments: 3897
2039. charlottefl10:53 PM GMT on December 25, 2012
Quoting 1900hurricane: It's kinda hard to see since it is so noisy that near the radar site, but there is a fairly intense couplet just south of I-10 to the SW of Mobile.
It's much clearer on radar scope super hi resolution velocity...
Member Since: December 18, 2006 Posts: 7 Comments: 2672
2040. charlottefl10:55 PM GMT on December 25, 2012
Warnings are now starting to pop up in the FL panhandle. Everyone please stay safe, and if you know someone with a basement, I'd consider staying with them during the worst of this..
Member Since: December 18, 2006 Posts: 7 Comments: 2672
Not only will you be able to leave comments on this blog, but you'll also have the ability to upload and share your photos in our Wunder Photos section.
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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NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
401 PM CST TUE DEC 25 2012
ALC041-252230-
/O.CON.KMOB.TO.W.0110.000000T0000Z-121225T2230Z/
CRENSHAW AL-
401 PM CST TUE DEC 25 2012
...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 430 PM CST FOR CRENSHAW
COUNTY...
AT 354 PM CST...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO
WAS LOCATED 15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF LUVERNE...OR 3 MILES NORTHWEST OF
DOZIER...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
RUTLEDGE... PETREY... LUVERNE...
GLENWOOD... DOZIER... BRANTLEY...
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM CST TUESDAY EVENING
FOR SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA.
&&
Gonna be a long night for alot of folks..
Vol. FD reports #tornado in progress north of Wiggins, MS with "debris in the air!" TAKE COVER in srn Perry Co.
Looks like they need to adjust the warning with that one as it is outside the warning box. Also looks rain wrapped now.
AT 408 PM CST...A CONFIRMED TORNADO WAS NOW LOCATED 9 MILES NORTH
OF WIGGINS...OR 14 MILES NORTH OF PERKINSTON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT
40 MPH.
Update: A dozen homes damaged in Pearl River County
Posted: Dec 25, 2012 5:16 PM EST Updated: Dec 25, 2012 5:16 PM EST
By WLOX Staff - email
STONE COUNTY, MS (WLOX) -
WLOX News has just confirmed about a dozen homes in Pearl River County have been damaged by a line of severe weather that is racing across the coast. There are injuries reported. But, according to Pearl River County's emergency management director, none of those injuries are life-threatening.
The homes are near White Chapel Road, Joe Smith Road, and Highway 11. There all south of McNeill.
A Stone County fire chief just contacted WLOX News to share information about storm damage off Highway 26 near Wiggins. A roof has apparently been torn off a home near the Magnolia community. And power lines are down.
First responders are on their way to the western end of Stone County to survey the damage.
This damage is associated with a line of severe weather that has spawned tornado warnings across much of South Mississippi.
The six coastal counties are under a tornado watch until 8:00 tonight.
WLOX 24/7 meteorologist Tommy Richards is monitoring the storm as it crosses through Mississippi. Whenever severe weather warnings are issued, he'll share them with you on WLOX ABC, WLOX CBS, WLOX.com and the WLOX 24/7 weather app.
Copyright 2012 WLOX. All rights reserved.
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
429 PM CST TUE DEC 25 2012
MSC023-075-252315-
/O.CON.KJAN.TO.W.0102.000000T0000Z-121225T2315Z/
LAUDERDALE MS-CLARKE MS-
429 PM CST TUE DEC 25 2012
...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 515 PM CST FOR
NORTHWESTERN CLARKE AND SOUTHEASTERN LAUDERDALE COUNTIES...
AT 429 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS CONTINUE TO
TRACK A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS
TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR STONEWALL MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.
THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
MIDDLETON BY 435 PM CST...
INCREASE AND ZERO BY 440 PM CST...
ALAMUCHA AND TOOMSUBA BY 450 PM CST...
KEWANEE BY 455 PM CST...
5mi Sw Elba
Coffee, AL
TORNADO -
0431 PM EST 12/25/2012 (21:31 12/25/2012 UTC)
EMERGENCY MNGR
POSSIBLE TORNADO REPORTED TO COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. BRIEF TOUCHDOWN NO REPORTS OF DAMAGE AT THIS TIME.
SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA...AND THE FLORIDA BIG BEND
AND PANHANDLE...AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS.
.DAY ONE...REST OF THIS AND TONIGHT...
...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM CST FOR ALL OF SE AL...
THE FL PANHANDLE AND THE ADJACENT WATERS...
THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE DURING REST OF
TODAY AND ESPECIALLY INTO TONIGHT. TORNADO`S HAVE ALREADY OCCURRED
THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE WESTERN WATERS AND ADJACENT COUNTIES IN
DISCRETE CELLS WELL AHEAD OF THE MAIN SQUALL LINE. THE GREATEST
THREAT FOR SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES IN THE LOCAL AREA IS
EXPECTED TO BE ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST ALABAMA AND ADJACENT
SECTIONS OF THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE, SOUTHWEST GEORGIA AND ADJACENT
WATERS AS THE SQUALL LINE MOVES ACROSS. CURRENT ANALYSIS HAS THIS
SQUALL LINE MOVING ACROSS SE AL AND THE FL PANHANDLE FROM 10 PM-
MIDNIGHT CST. ALTHOUGH THE THREAT DECREASE SOMEWHAT AS THE SQUALL
LINE MOVE EAST OF THE APALACHICOLA RIVER, SEVERE STORMS AND
TORNADOES COULD OCCUR ANYWHERE IN THE FORECAST AREA. THE SQUALL
LINE WILL MOVE ACROSS TALLAHASSEE 3-4 AM AND VALDOSTA 6-7 AM EST.
Beautiful day here in SE Utah, got about 4 inches of snow, a lot for us - more on the way tomorrow. At least no tornadoes.
...THUNDERSTORM IMPACT...
A COLD FRONT WILL BRING A BAND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
STARTING EARLY WEDNESDAY AND CONTINUING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AS
THE FRONT MAKES ITS WAY SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE PENINSULA. THE STORM
PREDICTION CENTER HAS OUTLINED A LARGE PORTION OF THE FORECAST
AREA FOR A SLIGHT RISK AND THE POTENTIAL REMAINS FOR A FEW STRONG
TO SEVERE STORMS TO DEVELOP...WITH THE BEST CHANCES FOR AREAS
NORTH OF TAMPA BAY. PLEASE CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST
FORECASTS FOR UPDATES ON THIS EVENT.
...WIND AND SEA IMPACT...
WINDS AND SEAS WILL REACH ADVISORY LEVELS WITH THE COLD FRONT
PASSAGE BEFORE SUBSIDING STARTING EARLY THURSDAY MORNING.
Dang this isn't good..
Yikes! I am heading there now
I'd suggest changing your mind.
It's kinda hard to see since it is so noisy that near the radar site, but there is a fairly intense couplet just south of I-10 to the SW of Mobile.
It's much clearer on radar scope super hi resolution velocity...
#Tornado currently near I-65 and I-10 interchange just west of Brookley Airport, heading toward Mobile/Prichard/Chickasaw.
Confirmed tornado headed for downtown Mobile, Alabama.
Link
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