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This is Just Wrong

Missouri state officials are going to have a statewide tornado drill today - as if Missourians didn't get enough practice/reminders this past weekend.

Tornado Story

Here is a story from the Columbia Daily Tribune about the storms that smashed through the area on March 12th.  It describes, among other things, how one of the victims, 84 year-old Margaret Everhart of Renick (about 25 miles north of Columbia and just south of Moberly), died when her house was destroyed as she sat in her favorite recliner.  Very sad.

Another Missouri Hail Picture

This one taken by Pam and sent to me by my friend Chris who, along with son Ethan and her husband and my friend Aaron, rode out all 4 waves storms in their home in Columbia.

These stones fell near the town of Hallsville, which is 10 miles northeast of Columbia, and only a couple of miles from where the Powerwife, the Powerkids, the Powerpets, and I made our home.

March 12th, 2006 Storm Reports

No words are needed.

Round 4

The 4th round of an incredible severe weather outbreak is marching across Missouri late this evening.  Here's the local Doppler Radar from Kansas City, Mo.

Incredible.  Absolutely incredible.

Storm Pictures from Columbia, Mo.

A couple of severe storms recently passed through Boone County, Missouri - Columbia's county.  A fellow who goes by the handle kctgrs on Tigerboard posted the following three pictures there.

That cloud tail trailing from the upper left to the center is very odd.

The fellow wrote in one of his posts that he lives in the north part of the city.  According to the national weather service, a tornado touched down for a brief period in the east central part of the city late this afternoon.

Update:  A third round of severe storms have popped up again around Kansas City.  This is the radar from 7:03 PM CDT, and more tornado warnings have been issued.  This looks like a weekend that will be talked about for ages.

Here's a National Weather Service summary of today's action in Missouri.

Hook Echo

Hook echoes are radar signatures of tornadoes.  If you've ever wondered what a hook echo looks like, here's a picture of the current Kansas City Nexrad Radar:

The storm at the top right has the classic hook echo shape, indicating a tornado in the southwestern portion of the storm, about 60 miles to the east of the Kansas City metro area in Carroll County, Mo..

A Chamber of Commerce Day

The Powerkids didn't even want to go outside today:  it's currently 10 below zero F, the winds are roaring out of the north at 30 MPH (gusts up to 40), and the wind chill is 40 below.  At least it's sunny.

Hooooooo Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!  That's-a spicy meatball!

I think I'll hang with the Powercat and do my work from home this morning.

A New and Improved Fujita Scale

F1 up to F5 - the Fujita Scale that rates the strength of tornadoes (in terms of wind speed) based on the damage they cause.   The  National Weather Service has developed a new and improved rating system based on the Fujita scale:

The NOAA National Weather Service today announced plans to           implement the Enhanced Fujita           (EF) Scale to rate tornadoes to replace the original Fujita           (F) Scale. The EF Scale will continue to rate tornadoes on a scale           from zero to five, but ranges in wind speed will be more accurate with           the improved rating scale. The NOAA National Weather Service has approved           the EF Scale and expects it to be fully implemented by February 2007.           (Click NOAA illustration for larger view of tornado. Click           here for high resolution version. Please credit “NOAA.”)                  

"The           EF Scale takes into account additional variables which will provide           a more accurate indication of tornado strength," said retired Air           Force Brig. Gen. David           L. Johnson, director of the NOAA           National Weather Service. "The EF Scale will provide more detailed           guidelines that will allow the National Weather Service to more accurately           rate tornadoes that strike in the United States."

Global Warming

While we here in southern Minnesota keeps tabs on another warm winter, let's remind ourselves that other places on this earth are pretty dadgummed cold right now.

The former Soviet republic of Georgia was among the most heavily affected areas of Europe, suffering not only temperatures as low as 22 below but also struggling with inadequate gas supplies after explosions blamed on sabotage cut off shipments of Russian gas early Sunday. Georgia scrambled for alternative supplies from neighboring Azerbaijan, which began reaching the country late Sunday, but service remained spotty Monday.

Moscow’s health directorate said 27 people had frozen to death in the capital since the cold wave hit last week. The Health Ministry could not be reached for a nationwide tally of cold deaths, but figures compiled from news reports show at least 53 people dying because of the cold.