Historic 3-day tornado outbreak kills at least 40

[phantom power]

In a stunning display of violence, close to 200 tornadoes rampaged across the Midwestern and Southeast U.S. April 14 - 16 in one of the largest tornado outbreaks in history. At least 40 people died in the tornadoes, making it the deadliest tornado outbreak since the Super Tuesday tornado outbreak of February 5 - 6, 2008, which killed 57 people. Severe thunderstorms and flash floods killed at least seven more people in this April's severe weather outbreak. Hardest hit was Bertie Country in northeast North Carolina, where an EF-3 tornado carved a path of destruction 18.8 miles long and 1/2 - 3/4 miles wide, killing 11 people in the town of Colerain. It was the deadliest single tornado in the United States since May 10, 2008 in Picher, Oklahoma and Neosho, Missouri, which killed 21. Also hard-hit Saturday was the Raleigh area, where a 3/10 mile-wide tornado carved a 63-mile long path of destruction through downtown. Damage was rated EF-2 in downtown Raleigh, but was EF-3 along other portions of its path, and the tornado killed five people. The 23 tornado deaths in North Carolina made Saturday's outbreak the deadliest day for tornadoes in the state since 1984, when the infamous March 28 tornado outbreak killed 57 people and injured 1248. The 1984 outbreak had more violent tornadoes--seven F4 twisters in all. None of the tornadoes in this year's outbreak have been rated above EF-3, as of yet.

...

NOAA's Storm Prediction Center logged 120 preliminary tornado reports on Saturday, 120 on Friday, and 27 on Thursday, bringing the 3-day total to 267 twisters. In past years, these preliminary tornado reports typically were an over-count of the actual confirmed tornado totals by about 15%. However, this year the Storm Prediction Center stopped trying to filter out preliminary reports they thought were from the same tornado, so the over-count may be higher. Even so, the 3-day April 14 - 16 2011 tornado outbreak will likely will end up with close to 200 confirmed tornadoes, making it the largest tornado outbreak since the 235 tornadoes recorded in the May 22 - 31, 2008 outbreak. According to a list of tornado outbreaks maintained by Wikipedia, only two other tornado outbreaks have had as many as 150 twisters--the May 2004 outbreak (385), and the May 2003 outbreak (401). An average April typically has 150 - 160 tornadoes across the entire U.S.

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=1784

[Bragi]

1. No climate change evidence here

This really just confirms selected biblical passages.

[damntexdem]

2. Soon will no longer be "historic."

That is, except for being the first of many. Global climate change will bite the butts of deniers and reasonable people both.

[txlibdem]

3. We should shut down nuclear power plants and rely more on coal and oil

I've got my eye on some future beach front property in Nevada. I can buy it cheap now and build a resort hotel there when the ocean rises enough. Hooray for coal and oil.

:sarcasm:

[stuntcat]

4. my people are all over NC

Some in Sanford, I've seen the photos and videos they posted, the town is torn up.

The news photos from a lot of NC towns are terrible, I can hardly believe the mess it is :(((((