Posted on 03/01/2012 5:44:38 PM PST by TSgt
The setup and aftermath on Friday for the Ohio and Tennessee valleys could be similar to the weather pattern during and following the 1974 Super Outbreak.
Spanning April 3-4, 1974, a swarm of tornadoes tore through areas from Illinois and southern Michigan to northern Alabama and Georgia.
The outbreak produced 148 confirmed tornadoes, six of which were F-5 intensity. The most powerful of these storms slammed into Xenia, Ohio.
Every weather pattern no matter how similar always has its differences, and this outbreak will have its own characteristics.
However, according to Severe Weather Expert Henry Margusity, "In the case of the end of this week and back in early April of 1974, it appears strong upper-level winds and cool air approaching from the west could hit a zone of advancing warm, moist air in just the right manner to produce monsters of thunderstorms."
This is not to say communities that were hit by the tornadoes in 1974 will be hit again, as the atmosphere is much more random than this.
"There will be a strengthening storm system tracking to the northeast from the southern Plains to the Great Lakes," Margusity said.
Former West Lafayette, Ind., resident Senior Meteorologist Jim Andrews recalls that outbreak.
"Having one of the super cell thunderstorms pass right over my town was the scariest moment of my life," Andrews said.
Fortunately, Andrews' town was spared any major damage.
This outbreak is not likely to extend as far north into the Great Lakes region as that of 1974.
We pray the storms are far less intense and hope they avoid places where people live.
We do urge that people take this threat seriously, as there is a risk of violent storms sweeping through population centers and rural communities.
Also similar to 1974, a sweep of cold air in the wake of the tornado outbreak will yield areas of snow.
Snow blanketed Xenia only hours after the devastating tornado swept through in early April of 1974.
Most of any snow that falls this weekend immediately in the wake of severe weather will tend to be focused near the Great Lakes into the central Appalachians.
The pattern could add to the misery of cleanup operations from the midweek event and, woefully, from Friday into Saturday.
It is possible some snow showers dip as far south and west as portions of the Ohio and Tennessee valleys by early Monday.
According to Severe Weather Expert Dan Kottlowski, "At least the weather pattern in the wake of the storms Friday into Saturday will be much less volatile in these areas and others for many days."
Drier, more stable air will settle over the region through much of next week.
Poor cows.
Moo ooo ooo ooo ooo
I remember the ‘74 storms. I was about to graduate from high school and for once I did not want the school to get blown away in a tornado.
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/mesoanalysis/
With auto update/reloads it beats anything else on the net and it is free.
Use it all the time, but especially when storm spotting.
I hope Reed Timmer is all over this in Dominator 2.
Has Dear Leader made any reponse yet to the affected areas?
Never mind, he probably has a party planned.
I also remember 1974 Outbreak. I spent the entire night in my parents’ basement in Indiana.
Super-nervous here in south-central Kentucky. It was pretty bad yesterday, but looks to be even worse tomorrow. Headin’ to my brother’s who has a basement cut into the side of a hill! Taking some “adult liquid” and poker chips to ride the storm out!! Be safe, my friends!
Are you a Skywarn participant?
I’ve been following Reed’s posts of Facebook today. He’s now in StL and will be heading east tomorrow. He’s kinda got me on edge with the Doom’s Day scenario he’s painted.
I think the radar and mapping functions are superior to NOAA.
I'll be watching both NOAA and Wunderground closely tonight and tomorrow. I already see some activity. Interesting the way these gulf things seem to come up out of no where. It was much the same two years ago during our Nashville flood.
I’m waiting for Larry the Cable Guy to go on tv and say
Baraq Obama don’t care about white people
LOL
Let’s hope it wipes out Detroit, or what is left of it. Then we can start all over again.
Detroit Denby, Class of 1967
WSMV in Nashville has a new RADAR that updates faster online than any product the NWS has. The interactive part is pretty neat.
Watch for sharp contrasts in dew points as well as temperature differences and wind speed differentials. If you are looking at detailed radar maps, look for a dryline east of the frontal boundary. Those are REAL serious things to look for.
Check it out here and make sure to use the full screen mode (click the upper left expander icon to go full screen). It also has wind, lightning and rotation info as well as outlook predictions available via the WEATHER and SEVER menu drop-downs.
Thanks, FRiend! Bookmarked.
We drove for miles and miles west on I-40 beside Reed and his crazy looking vehicle. A real diversion on an otherwise boring drive from Memphis to OKC.
I hate the kind that did the damage/killing in Harrisburg (Southern Illinois)...200 yard wide F4...deadly. Of course there are bigger ones - but those are big enough.
They are almost cruel in that they can totally destroy a house down to the ground and do relatively minor damage to the house next door...random and deadly.
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