News:

Thanks to everyone for the feedback on what errors you encountered from the forum database changes made in Fall 2023. Let us know if you discover anymore.

Main Menu

5 years ago today...

Started by freebrickproductions, April 27, 2016, 11:09:31 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

freebrickproductions

...one of the deadliest super outbreaks occurred here in the Southern United States, with 252 people killed in Alabama alone. 219 tornadoes tornadoes were confirmed to touch down within this day.
http://www.al.com/news/tuscaloosa/index.ssf/2016/04/james_spann_remembers_april_27.html
https://weather.com/storms/tornado/news/april-2011-superoutbreak-tornadoes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Super_Outbreak
http://whnt.com/2016/04/26/phil-campbell-tornado-survivor-shares-his-story/
http://whnt.com/2016/04/26/madison-church-marks-5th-anniversary-of-tornadoes-with-a-community-invitation/
http://whnt.com/2016/04/22/interactive-map-5-year-anniversary-of-april-2011-tornadoes/
http://whnt.com/2016/04/26/april-27th-before-after-and-five-years-later/

I can honestly say it was a rather interesting time here in Huntsville after the tornadoes. There was absolutely no power anywhere in the city (except for the places that had back-up generators, like my grandparent's house), so we had to go over to Decatur to get our clothes washed at a laundromat. There was also a curfew from dusk to dawn to prevent looting as well.
During the day, I was either reading a book by a window in my house, riding my bike around my neighborhood and the surrounding ones, or hanging out at my grandparent's house.

Anyone else have any stories from that day?
It's all fun & games until someone summons Cthulhu and brings about the end of the world.

I also collect traffic lights, road signs, fans, and railroad crossing equipment.

(They/Them)


froggie

No school?  Or were they shut down?

freebrickproductions

Quote from: froggie on April 27, 2016, 11:26:22 AM
No school?  Or were they shut down?
Schools were closed after the storms came through until power here was restored.
If your asking about today, I posted this in my spare time in one of my classes.
It's all fun & games until someone summons Cthulhu and brings about the end of the world.

I also collect traffic lights, road signs, fans, and railroad crossing equipment.

(They/Them)

Zeffy

Yikes. Living in the Northeast, one tornado is shocking, but 219 in a single day? Unreal.
Life would be boring if we didn't take an offramp every once in a while

A weird combination of a weather geek, roadgeek, car enthusiast and furry mixed with many anxiety related disorders

freebrickproductions

Quote from: Zeffy on April 27, 2016, 06:54:06 PM
Yikes. Living in the Northeast, one tornado is shocking, but 219 in a single day? Unreal.
I can honestly say it was rather scary. In fact, here's a map on Wikipedia showing all of the warnings (with tornado in red, thunderstorm in yellow, and flash flood in green) issued on April 27, 2011:

You can't even see where Huntsville's supposed to be on there!
It's all fun & games until someone summons Cthulhu and brings about the end of the world.

I also collect traffic lights, road signs, fans, and railroad crossing equipment.

(They/Them)

hotdogPi

So, as long as you're inside I-285 in Georgia, you're safe, right?
Clinched, minus I-93 (I'm missing a few miles and my file is incorrect)

Traveled, plus US 13, 44, and 50, and several state routes

I will be in Burlington VT for the eclipse.

Big John

Quote from: 1 on April 27, 2016, 09:48:15 PM
So, as long as you're inside I-285 in Georgia, you're safe, right?
Downtown Atlanta was hit by a tornado in 2008.

Scott5114

Quote from: Big John on April 27, 2016, 09:56:46 PM
Quote from: 1 on April 27, 2016, 09:48:15 PM
So, as long as you're inside I-285 in Georgia, you're safe, right?
Downtown Atlanta was hit by a tornado in 2008.

How did that go? I've always been morbidly curious as to what would happen if downtown OKC took a direct hit. I can't recall seeing examples of tornado damage to skyscrapers.
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

GaryV

#8
Quote from: Scott5114 on April 29, 2016, 06:09:13 AM
Quote from: Big John on April 27, 2016, 09:56:46 PM
Quote from: 1 on April 27, 2016, 09:48:15 PM
So, as long as you're inside I-285 in Georgia, you're safe, right?
Downtown Atlanta was hit by a tornado in 2008.

How did that go? I've always been morbidly curious as to what would happen if downtown OKC took a direct hit. I can't recall seeing examples of tornado damage to skyscrapers.
Parts of the convention center were damaged and could not be used.  Several of the big downtown hotels had windows blown out; maybe some of the office buildings as well.  I believe the Omni and CNN Center were spared, indicating the fickle nature of tornadoes hitting and missing.

Downtown Kalamazoo was also hit by a tornado several years ago: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_Kalamazoo_tornado

Edit:  I stand corrected about the Omni and CNN: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Atlanta_tornado_outbreak

ModernDayWarrior

That 2008 Atlanta tornado also hit the Georgia Dome, as the SEC men's basketball tournament was being played there.

Somebody recorded the TV coverage of the game and posted it to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9zM70jnRSc

ModernDayWarrior

Something else that might be of interest to fellow weather geeks: ABC 33/40 (the ABC affiliate in Birmingham, AL) has posted their coverage of the 4/27/11 tornado outbreak to YouTube. I've watched this whole thing more than once now; it's quite long, but I found it enthralling (and heartbreaking at the same time). It includes SkyCam shots of tornadoes tearing through Cullman, Tuscaloosa, and Birmingham.

Here is the coverage of the main outbreak, beginning in the early afternoon and lasting until nearly midnight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElZZNvNdhks

And this is the coverage of the line of storms that went through earlier that morning, which didn't get as much attention but was horrible by itself, killing five people and knocking out power to 250,000 people: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ftz5UL8S2Ms

paulthemapguy

I frequent the Storm Prediction Center's site to keep up with the latest on severe weather.  You will always see these storm report maps for the current day, and if you type any day into the URL below (YYMMDD), you can check out any day in their records.  This is absolutely insanely ridiculous how much red is on this map.

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/reports/110427_rpts.html
Avatar is the last interesting highway I clinched.
My website! http://www.paulacrossamerica.com Now featuring all of Ohio!
My USA Shield Gallery https://flic.kr/s/aHsmHwJRZk
TM Clinches https://bit.ly/2UwRs4O

National collection status: 361/425. Only 64 route markers remain

Zeffy

This video, combined with the music, is both absolutely stunning as well as devastatingly heartbreaking:
Life would be boring if we didn't take an offramp every once in a while

A weird combination of a weather geek, roadgeek, car enthusiast and furry mixed with many anxiety related disorders



Opinions expressed here on belong solely to the poster and do not represent or reflect the opinions or beliefs of AARoads, its creators and/or associates.