Severe
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Today is the sixth anniversary of one of the worst tornado outbreaks on record, rivalling the Super Outbreak of April 3-4, 1974. Many large and horrifically damaging tornadoes occurred from Mississippi to Tennessee, destroying homes and businesses and killing and injuring many. Here are some selected video remembrances of the storms. Weather Channel video: Anatomy…
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As I was browsing today, I ran across this really interesting article on how most people are killed or injured by lightning. Surprisingly, direct strikes only cause issues 3-5 percent of the time. The greatest cause of problems is ground current, where lightning hits the ground and travels along the surface (especially if the ground…
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Today is a big anniversary for me–it marks the 50th anniversary of the tornado that went two blocks from my house in Grand Rapids MI, kicking off my interest in studying the weather. The storms in Michigan were overshadowed by the Belvidere IL tornado and others that also happened that day. You can read more…
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The Weather Channel posted a story this week about which counties in the United States were most prone to tornadoes. Several of them are in Florida. You have to keep in mind that tornado statistics by county depend not only on the number of tornadoes, but the size of the county and the population density.…
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Growing Georgia produced an interesting video last month on a pecan producer whose farm was hit by a tornado and the aftermath on his trees and family. What would you do if you lost a good part of your crop in one bad weather event? You can view the video here.
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If you work outdoors, you know that you have to be aware of approaching thunderstorms, which can cause injuries no only from hail, strong winds and tornadoes, but also from lightning. You may know the National Weather Service saying “If thunder roars, go indoors” and the rule that you should stay inside for 30 minutes…
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According to the USDA’s Water and Climate Update for April 6, “The number of tornadoes touching down across the U.S. are at a near record pace for 2017. The NWS records starting in 2005 report the number of tornadoes are the second highest as of April 5. 486 tornadoes have touched down thus far, with…