Parkersburg tornado an EF-5; major flooding in Central America likely from 90E
The tornado that devastated Parkersburg, Iowa on Sunday has now been rated an EF-5 by the National Weather Service. An EF-5 is the strongest possible classification a tornado can receive, and is only given to those tornadoes with estimated winds over 200 mph. The winds in the Parkersburg tornado were estimated at 205 mph. At those wind speeds, total destruction of homes occurs. Even those sheltering in basements are not safe--several of the six deaths from the Parkersburg tornado were from people sheltering in basements.
The Parkersburg tornado cut a path 43 miles long and between 3/4 miles and 1.2 miles wide across Iowa, killing six people, completely destroying 350 buildings in Parkersburg, and injuring 70 people. It was only the second EF-5 tornado this decade in the U.S. The other EF-5 occurred in May 2007, when much of Greensburg, Kansas got leveled. The Parkersburg tornado was the first F5 or EF5 tornado in Iowa since the Jordan, Iowa tornado of June 13, 1976, and was the second deadliest in Iowa since official record-keeping began in 1950. Iowa's deadliest tornado hit Charles City on May 15, 1968, killing 13 while producing F5 damage.
Figure 1. EF-5 damage from the May 25, 2008 Parkersburg tornado. At EF-5 winds speeds (over 200mph), homes are completely destroyed or removed from their foundations. Image credit: Iowa Helicopter. The NWS Des Moines office has posted ground damage photos from their damage survey.
Major flooding likely in Central America from 90E
An area of low pressure (90E) in the Eastern Pacific off the coast of Costa Rica, near 10N 88W, is steadily organizing and appears likely to develop into a tropical depression later today or tomorrow. The National Hurricane Center is currently assigning a "High" probability (>50% chance) that this will be a tropical depression, in its new experimental Tropical Weather Outlook. Satellite loops show that the low has developed a very large and expanding circulation. This circulation is likely to expand across Central America into the Western Caribbean, allowing the storm to tap moisture from the Atlantic and Pacific. Storms that are able to tap the moisture sources of both oceans can be extremely dangerous rainmakers, even if they are weak tropical depressions. Already, 90E is generating very heavy rains in excess of six inches per day near its center. The storm is expected to move northeastward over Costa Rica or Nicaragua by Thursday or Friday, and should being dangerous flooding rains of 5-10 inches to those nations and Panama. Most of the computer model guidance suggests that the storm will then track to the north, spreading very heavy rains across Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Belize, and southern Mexico by Saturday. These heavy rains will cause life-threatening flash flooding, particularly in mountainous regions.
Since 90E is beginning to dominate the circulation pattern of the region, it appears unlikely that a tropical depression will form in the Western Caribbean in the coming week, as some computer models have been predicting. It is possible that 90E could cross Central America and pop out in the Western Caribbean near the Yucatan Peninsula, or in the Gulf of Mexico's Bay of Campeche. However, the crossing of Central America will severely disrupt the storm, and the odds of 90E becoming a depression in the Atlantic basin are low.
Figure 2. Observed precipitation for the 24 hours ending at 12Z (8am EDT) Wednesday May 28, 2008. Rainfall amounts in excess of 2000mm (eight inches, yellow colors) occurred near the center of disturbance 90E off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Image credit: U.S. Navy Monterey.
I'll have an update Thursday morning.
Jeff Masters
Reader Comments
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good morning all
Wondering if you can tell me what you think will happen over the course of today with our TD...
Figure 1 - First Visible Shot of ALMA (Source: NASA Satellites at weather.msfc.nasa.gov)
Very impressive structure indeed with intense and well-organized CDO over the system with obvious banding to the south. Based upon satellite imagery, I would guess this has reached moderate tropical storm strength (between 50 and 60 mph winds).
I know of a wave that emerged around 48 hrs ago if that is what u mean.
CPC/TAFB 72hrs. I see the GFS is back to sniffing today. Glue maybe?
I can't stop the rains, I can't fly down to help after the rains. All I CAN do is send my prayers, keep them in my thoughts and move on. Big tragedy taking shape down there and it is sad to see yet another this year.
Were gonna fix dat right now.
GOES-12 (3 Channel) Gulf and Tropics (Updated every ~1/2 hour) Link
The High that was over Costa Rica has now moved back overhead of Alma thus providing the environment for the strengthening we have been seeing. The high stretches over the Caribbean South of about 14N and shear there has fallen to 10 knots.
Although shear is till high in the NW Caribbean that may well slacken over time. We are also seeing a seperation of vorticity between Alma and the Southern and Central Caribbean which means the two ares of weather are finally going their own way. If the Caribbean area of disturbed weather hangs around long enough we may see some type of development over the next 48 hrs or so as Alma moves away
Here is the 850mb map
Link
The Navy site has TD1E as Alma which means it will be officially upgraded to a TS shortly
thanks for all the updates. Looks like we have Alma???
busy at work but will check in as I can throughout the day. Thanks for keeping the info flowing!
Gams
Ok, we'll try! How's that global warming feel in the NE!?
GM all,TD1E looks impressive,but doesn't look like it has much time left.Cold up here in northeast this morning,Florida send some of your heat up here.
Ok, we'll try! How's that global warming feel in the NE!?
Guess we aren't part of the globe,no warming up here 36 deg this morning
I know. Beggers can't be choosers.
Too funny! They'll be back!
Link
"Managua, NK (Airport)
Updated: 14 min 24 sec ago
Heavy Rain
73 °F
Heavy Rain
Humidity: 94%
Dew Point: 72 °F
Wind: 12 mph from the East
Pressure: 29.74 in (Steady)
Visibility: 0.6 miles
UV: 1 out of 16
Clouds:
Scattered Clouds 1600 ft
Mostly Cloudy 7000 ft
(Above Ground Level)
Elevation: 164 ft"
Ok, that link brought back some memories!
Good Morning Folks.....Still here and "kicking"....Will be heading to the Destin beaches for the weekend tommorow and may do a "live" report from the Gulf on June 1st (competing with Cantore on South Beach)...But, all in all, looks like we will have a pretty active season and I hope that calmness and courtesy preveils on the Blog (certainly from the regulars) so we don't set a bad emample for the newer participants and lurkers...I'm here to learn and I suspect that we will learn a lot this particularl season....Good Day
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