OT: historic tornado devastates Kentucky and surrounding states
December 11th, 2021 at 11:48 AM ^
Never seen anything like this.
December 11th, 2021 at 12:21 PM ^
Also Southern Illinois, where a tornado destroyed part of an Amazon warehouse, killing at least two and injuring others. Last I saw, rescue operations were still going on.
December 11th, 2021 at 11:54 AM ^
Crazy that this happens the same day I visited the Twistex memorial in El Reno.
December 11th, 2021 at 12:07 PM ^
because of our farming i am probably much more in-tune than most with weather these last decades, and i have never seen anything like that tornado. unbelievable, and prayers truly to the families affected, especially those that lost family members and friends.
December 11th, 2021 at 12:45 PM ^
I spent a good part of my formative years in Oklahoma. I've been close enough to one to watch it in the distance. The destruction is horrific and while massive tornadoes just flatten everything smaller ones are almost capricious in terms of their destruction. They can level one building and leave the next one untouched. The sheer power of a tornado is frightening.
December 11th, 2021 at 1:21 PM ^
I lived in Enid for 4 years, moved a few years ago. Tornados are awesome to watch when they’re tearing through fields & open areas. Now living on the Illinois/Wisconsin border, it’s weird seeing how unprepared most places are with their warning systems up here in rural areas.
December 11th, 2021 at 2:59 PM ^
I've experienced two, with one being so close that it felt supernatural. As a kid, I watched the clouds circle above my house and not more than a minute or two after it pushed off down the road the sky turned dark green and for a while all you could see was debris and insulation floating and falling from as high as you could see with the cloud cover. It only destroyed one house which was the strange part. There wasn't any kind of warning, it came on so quickly.
Most recent was the EF4 tornado that went through Newnan, Georgia in March of this year. They had to shut the courthouse down for a while and the damage to the surrounding neighborhoods and historic homes was severe. They're still cleaning things up.
December 11th, 2021 at 12:08 PM ^
Mayfield tornado ripped the cement footing and 50 foot water tower out of the ground
December 11th, 2021 at 12:17 PM ^
We got hit here in Nashville, TN as well. Prayers to everyone effected.
December 11th, 2021 at 12:19 PM ^
Devastating. We’re just on the cusp of feeling these effects of climate change. It’s only going to get worse and that’s terrifying.
December 11th, 2021 at 1:12 PM ^
We've had severe weather since humanity began. How do you know that severe weather is "only going to get worse"? Do you also have winning lotto numbers? Stock picks for the future?
December 11th, 2021 at 1:29 PM ^
It's called 'science'. You should read about it someday. Big field, all the smartest people are talking about it. They tell me its great. I love it, it's fantastic.
December 11th, 2021 at 3:01 PM ^
Science is yuge.
December 11th, 2021 at 2:09 PM ^
Tornados are a tricky case. "Tornado Season" is becoming less reliable with increased outbreaks (clusters) and the geographic location of so-called "Tornado Alley" is shifting east (LINK), but unlike hurricanes, droughts, heat waves, and other severe weather events, it isn't as easy to show a trend to greater numbers/severity of tornados (they've doubled since the 1950s, but that might be attributable to increased observation).
But the big picture is that many severe storms represent the conversion of potential energy into kinetic energy. The more heat available in the climate, the more energy available for storms and severe events. Higher highs, lower lows in weird places (because the jet stream is getting disrupted), etc. Fighting that last point is really getting into flat-Earth territory. Yes, it's going to get worse.
December 12th, 2021 at 12:57 PM ^
The requirements to record a tornado as having happened has changed: used to be that it had to have an observer on the ground (and yes, having 330 million potential observers in the US in 2020 as opposed to 158 million in 1950 would probably have a lot to do with an increase in number of observed touchdowns.) However, now, rotations observed by radar are included as tornados (started approx two years ago.)
It is akin to the incidental masses we find on trauma victims via CT scans from head to pelvis. Can you imagine if we changed the definition of cancer to include all masses above 0.5cm observed with technological imaging as opposed to having to be confirmed by direct visual evidence provided to a Pathologist? Huge outbreak of cancer!
In football terms, I believe it is called 'moving the goalposts...'
December 11th, 2021 at 2:11 PM ^
There have been only 2 EF-5 tornadoes in December since 1950, the last one in 1957. December is the least active month. The average in December is usually two dozen for the entire country. Last night, there were 36 tornadoes reported alone and nearly for sure an EF-5, with a 230 mile quad state tornado, nearly unheard of.
Move along...nothing to see here regarding climate change.
December 11th, 2021 at 3:35 PM ^
If climate change is the reason for the EF-5 tornados last night, what was the cause of the ones in the 1950's?
December 11th, 2021 at 1:49 PM ^
Is it getting worse?
Michigan hasn't had an F5 tornado since 1953.
Michigan hasn't had an F4 tornado since 1967.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Michigan had one F5 and ten F4 tornadoes, but not a single F5 or F4 tornado since.
This tornado in Kentucky was the first F5 in the United States since 2013.
Based on the actual statistics, it seems like tornadoes are getting tamer, not worse.
December 11th, 2021 at 12:22 PM ^
The most horrifying part is that these happened at night, which seems to be pretty rare. You can hear them coming, of course, but cannot really see them. Just horrible. In Ann Arbor today we are getting 60 mph winds too, which I assume is part of the same weather system.
December 11th, 2021 at 1:06 PM ^
Yeah, I'm in Ann Arbor and I was out with our dog a little while ago and the strongest gusts of wind I've seen at this house in 22+ years roared through - had to be high 50's at least. Gonna be widespread power outages I'm guessing. Stay safe everyone.
December 11th, 2021 at 3:09 PM ^
We have had winds like this before. We had to replace our trampoline because the winds took it into the woods for the second time a few years ago. The new one is secured a lot better. The cleared part of my lawn from east to west is as long as a football field.
December 11th, 2021 at 9:31 PM ^
No kidding. I drove home NW from Virginia today from a business trip, pulled over multiple times as the rains and wind from that weather system made it un-driveable and it was frightening. I can't imagine what those poor folks in Kentucky experienced last night.
December 11th, 2021 at 12:27 PM ^
The lack of national disasters is one of the best things about living in Michigan. I am terrified of tornadoes.
December 11th, 2021 at 12:51 PM ^
The overall weather in Michigan is very underrated.
December 11th, 2021 at 12:52 PM ^
So you have no worries about Great Lakes tsunamis???
December 11th, 2021 at 12:33 PM ^
Even up here in Grand Rapids, winds have been 35 mph or more and trees and stuff are down all over the place.
December 11th, 2021 at 12:34 PM ^
The pictures out of Mayfield are insane. It looks like a bomb leveled the city.
December 11th, 2021 at 12:46 PM ^
:(
I know we aren’t supposed to bring up religion here, but God be with those families.
December 11th, 2021 at 12:54 PM ^
Well...if he was with them, he probably wouldn't have sent a tornado their way.
December 11th, 2021 at 3:03 PM ^
Poor form. Could you try not being a douche for one thread?
December 11th, 2021 at 3:07 PM ^
Read the room
December 11th, 2021 at 12:56 PM ^
Thoughts to those effected.
It seems as though we are having unheard of devastating storms with increasing frequency. I think it is probably going to continue to get worse.
December 11th, 2021 at 1:26 PM ^
The last EF5 was in 2013. So about 8 years ago. I'm interested to learn more about the plotted frequency of such storms. We've always, unfortunately, had tornado alley around Kansas and Oklahoma.
This tornado seems to be unprecedented in how long a path it cut. Over 200 miles.
December 11th, 2021 at 2:05 PM ^
More extensive warm weather periods, longer tornado season.
December 12th, 2021 at 9:09 AM ^
Not really. It’s been pretty cold for a while here in Illinois. These Late season tornadoes are always a concern. Cold all week then this system rolls through and increases the temp to 65. These types of systems are not common and don’t signify longer warmer weather seasons. Tornado alley has actually had weaker tornadoes in the past few years. Equating these types of weather events with global warming is silly to me. The storms that ripped through reminded me of the 1974 outbreak. Thankfully we are better prepared now, but these types of storms are always dangerous because of the nighttime factor
December 11th, 2021 at 2:13 PM ^
Are we though? Or have advances in technology and communication just increased our awareness of them? And have population growth and shifting demographics led to more people being affected by them?
Regardless, it is awful for all those who have been affected. I'm thankful for the Red Cross and other non-profits who can step in immediately to help. They're all in my thoughts and prayers.
December 11th, 2021 at 2:18 PM ^
Yes, no, and no.
Increasing atmospheric temperatures and their effects on the jet stream and convection are easy to measure and have been for some time.
Doubting serves no purpose when the effects are really starting to become crystal clear.
December 11th, 2021 at 3:11 PM ^
The earth and weather is constantly changing.
onviously the narrative pushed by some for their own profit is that we need to end all fossil fuels and switch to wind solar, that is not practical in all areas of the country and the complete farce that we should all drive electric cars is being pushed harder and harder each say regardless of the devastation effects of mining all the elements to make battery’s is causing in underdeveloped countries.
we in the US can sit on our high horse and tell the rest of the world what they should do, but out policies will change nothing when countries like China continue to destroy the environment and commit genocide while we all stand by and watch and do nothing. The current inept administration isn’t even going to boycot the Olympics during a pandemic at the same time China is burdening its own people and hiding that they are the source of the virus.
As far as the weather goes only Americans and Europeans are so full of themselves that they think they can control the weather that is ever evolving by driving electric cars.
December 11th, 2021 at 3:49 PM ^
Reply to Marcus Brooks: Kindergarten much? Didn't think so.
December 11th, 2021 at 3:52 PM ^
Do tell about who is "profiting" from climate change theories. I can tell you who is losing money and making money from the burning of fossil fuels, which is much more obvious.
And your comments about the current administration tell me your political bent, but I'm sure you're going to be wrong about mine.
My opinions are based on science, yours aren't.
December 11th, 2021 at 3:03 PM ^
Very sad anytime a tornado hits a populated area.
prayers are with all affected
December 11th, 2021 at 3:33 PM ^
Marked safe here in Lexington. We all slept in the basement last night
December 11th, 2021 at 7:29 PM ^
I live in Bowling Green, Ky and today has been really tough. Power outages and spotty cell phone reception have made checking in on people difficult. Most of my neighborhood was destroyed but for reasons I’ll never understand all that happened was I lost a shingle.
Emergency services put out a call asking for foster parents and social workers who were willing to come pick up kids from the local emergency rooms. If you pray please keep western Kentucky, the geographic location and/or the University in your prayers if you say them or your thoughts if you don’t. I’ll try to upload photos later if I can but it’ll have to be done with a phone since internet remains out.
Thank you for creating this post and bringing attention to this.
December 11th, 2021 at 7:34 PM ^
One of the most heavily impacted areas also has an Elementary school where teachers started reaching out to families and students at 3am during the storm but after the tornadoes. They are still having trouble tracking down all the kids and their families but have confirmed at least 8 kids are dead. This whole situation sucks. Please call the people you love and tell them you love them, go to the ones you can and give them a hug, and please show kindness as often as you can.
December 11th, 2021 at 9:28 PM ^
I live 40 minutes from Mayfield and have been here all day. The best way to describe it is that a 300 yard wide lawnmower entered the southwest corner and exited the northeast. It seems more like a movie set than reality.
December 11th, 2021 at 9:35 PM ^
There used to be 4-5 story buildings on the horizon
