String of deadly Tornadoes hits the United States

Setup for the tornado outbreak of March 2nd,2012

_{As I mentioned back on Friday morning there was going to be a possible tornado outbreak for today, that's exactly what happened. Through Friday a total of fifteen states were hammered by the worst Tornado Outbreak in Years! The day started off fairly vigorous for people in the states, at 6am a squall line of thunderstorms along the cold front marched eastward through the plains bringing intense frequent lightning, hail to the size of golf balls at times, and high winds in excess of 60+ miles/hr or 96 km/hr. That same line moved eastward with the cold front throughout the morning into the eastern states, where it entered the warm moist gulf air mass and high shear environment. As a result it transformed into a line of tornado producing super cells at 9am.That is when the first few Tornadoes started. At around 9 am a Tornado hit North of Huntsville Alabama. The Tornado Apparently severely damaged houses and heavily damaged a high school.}

(Left: Truck on it's side in front of a gas station, in Henryville,IN)

_{Later On in the afternoon a long lived Tornadic Supercell Formed just north of the Ohio river dropping tornadoes in communities of southern Indiana including Marysville and Henryville.The Community of 1000 people in Marysville was completely destroyed, the nearby town of henrysville was also destroyed. One resident describes the scene like a war zone! "Cars were thrown across the road,street signs were down, homes were decimated, the metal in the ground, the railings for the roads were completely ripped out of the ground and some were in cars. As well Semis and Trucks were overturned." Many other communities were affected by the tornadoes in Indiana during the afternoon hours.}

Radar Image of the tornado entering West Liberty,Kentucky

Tornado Damage in West Liberty,Kentucky

_{Once the evening hours came around (approx 5pm CDT) another Tornado extensively damaged the downtown region of West Liberty,Kentucky.This Time it was affected by an EF3 Tornado, with winds in excess of 220 km/h.}

 

 Data Courtesy of Accuweather.Weathermatrix.com

Satellite Image of the tornado outbreak as it was occurring

Tornado Stats

Death Toll: 31 and rising*
States Affected: 15*
Total Warnings: 660
Area Covered: 38,000 sq. mi.
Tornado Warnings: 281
Severe Thunderstorm: 356
Lightning Strikes: 156,399
Total Spotter Rpts: 809
Tornado Reports: 95
Funnel Cloud: 51*
Wind Reports: 246
Hail Reports: 417

Overall It was a significant Tornado Outbreak, one we will not forget for a long time! there were many stories of survival, courage, and miracles during the recovery efforts, yet they still continue. I can guarantee you those stories will be featured on the news over the next few days. To find out how you can help please visit: http://www.redcross.org/contactus/