TN Tornado caught by one of our team members

DesotoCountyDawg

Well-known member
Nov 16, 2005
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The tornado that went through Aurora Missouri earlier just missed some friends of ours farm and home by about a mile.
 

IBleedMaroonDawg

Well-known member
Nov 12, 2007
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You guys, be careful over there. The weather is cranking up in Tennessee and northern Alabama. I think that is forecasted later tonight possibly in northern Mississippi.
 

OG Goat Holder

Well-known member
Sep 30, 2022
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Glad you guys are getting clicks off folks’ misery.

#shouldhavesaidthisyearsago
#giveitarest
#ifyougetblownawaydontcryhere

Don’t say you’re warning folks either, plenty of weathermen there to do that.

#isaiditmanyagreebutwontsayit
 

Hugh's Burner Phone

Well-known member
Aug 3, 2017
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Glad you guys are getting clicks off folks’ misery.

#shouldhavesaidthisyearsago
#giveitarest
#ifyougetblownawaydontcryhere

Don’t say you’re warning folks either, plenty of weathermen there to do that.

#isaiditmanyagreebutwontsayit
It's not possible for this post to be any more wrong or just plane ******* stupid.
 

retire the banner

Well-known member
Dec 29, 2022
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Glad you guys are getting clicks off folks’ misery.

#shouldhavesaidthisyearsago
#giveitarest
#ifyougetblownawaydontcryhere

Don’t say you’re warning folks either, plenty of weathermen there to do that.

#isaiditmanyagreebutwontsayit
Kobe Bryant GIF
 

DesotoCountyDawg

Well-known member
Nov 16, 2005
20,963
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Glad you guys are getting clicks off folks’ misery.

#shouldhavesaidthisyearsago
#giveitarest
#ifyougetblownawaydontcryhere

Don’t say you’re warning folks either, plenty of weathermen there to do that.

#isaiditmanyagreebutwontsayit
Heres an idea. SHUT THE 17 UP

Take a few days off *******.
 
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57stratdawg

Well-known member
Mar 24, 2010
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I think we’re good. Monte Sano might have gotten hit, but not seeing much photos of damage yet. I think it tripped up the circulation too. Sounds weaker going into east Madison County / Gurley area.
 

57stratdawg

Well-known member
Mar 24, 2010
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I think this is from Jones Valley looking up at Monte Sano:

Image-1.png
 
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Arnept

Well-known member
Nov 26, 2023
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Glad you guys are getting clicks off folks’ misery.

#shouldhavesaidthisyearsago
#giveitarest
#ifyougetblownawaydontcryhere

Don’t say you’re warning folks either, plenty of weathermen there to do that.

#isaiditmanyagreebutwontsayit
I wonder how the NWS gives out tornado warnings that are confirmed then...

Idiotic post.
 

horshack.sixpack

Well-known member
Oct 30, 2012
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I think we’re good. Monte Sano might have gotten hit, but not seeing much photos of damage yet. I think it tripped up the circulation too. Sounds weaker going into east Madison County / Gurley area.
Good thing I moved away from Huntsville. I'm sure I'd have a house on top of Monte Santo by now.***
 

horshack.sixpack

Well-known member
Oct 30, 2012
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It's not possible for this post to be any more wrong or just plane ******* stupid.
Just for those of us not close enough to storm chasing to know, what is the value to the general public of having teams like yours out there?

Goat's post got me to thinking, that I've mostly just seen storm chasing as something some people like to do so they do it, but I've never connected a line between that and my safety. I never thought to rant about it tho...

Does advanced radar make the storm chasing contribution any less valuable to the public? I know in the 70's we didn't get a "warning" unless one had been seen on the ground by someone. Seems like HAM radio guys played a role in relaying information then.
 

DesotoCountyDawg

Well-known member
Nov 16, 2005
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Just for those of us not close enough to storm chasing to know, what is the value to the general public of having teams like yours out there?

Goat's post got me to thinking, that I've mostly just seen storm chasing as something some people like to do so they do it, but I've never connected a line between that and my safety. I never thought to rant about it tho...

Does advanced radar make the storm chasing contribution any less valuable to the public? I know in the 70's we didn't get a "warning" unless one had been seen on the ground by someone. Seems like HAM radio guys played a role in relaying information then.
Storm chasers can give valuable information to confirm what’s happening.

For example last night with the tornado in Huntsville. The initial tornado warning was radar indicated (as it usually is 90 percent of the time). They can see the rotation in the cloud with radar but cannot confirm if it’s on the ground or not. The storm chaser that was following the storm was able to identify that the tornado was in fact on the ground and the weather service issued a tornado emergency with a confirmed touchdown.
 

DawgInThe256

Active member
Feb 18, 2011
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I live in Madison (Huntsville suburb) and I'm pretty sure we had a small spin up tornado come through. It was reasonably calm, and then suddenly the wind got really loud for about 30 seconds and the power went out. We had some trees down in our neighborhood, and trash everywhere because Thursday is garbage and once a month recycling day.

I also realized that TV weathermen are getting a little bit too clever with their precise locations, because every location he mentioned when tracking the tornado was several miles north of us.
 

Hugh's Burner Phone

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Aug 3, 2017
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Storm chasers can give valuable information to confirm what’s happening.

For example last night with the tornado in Huntsville. The initial tornado warning was radar indicated (as it usually is 90 percent of the time). They can see the rotation in the cloud with radar but cannot confirm if it’s on the ground or not. The storm chaser that was following the storm was able to identify that the tornado was in fact on the ground and the weather service issued a tornado emergency with a confirmed touchdown.
To follow up on Desoto's reply with a little more weather nerd added in. Radar can't, and never will, be able to tell you what is happening in real time. Best case scenario it lags reality by 3-5 minutes. That is due to the fact that each radar image is a composite of 4 different radar scans at different elevations. It then has to process that and the computer has to send it out in the readable radar image we are all familiar with. With a tornado on the ground possibly moving 60-70mph, 3-5 minutes can make a big difference.

Also, the further you get from a radar site the higher the beam is due to it being set at a 0.5 degree tilt at the lowest level. That, combined with the curvature of the earth means the beam is steadily getting higher off of the ground. By 80 miles the beam is 7,000ft off the ground. That means it is completely blind to what is happening below that height. For EF-0 and EF-1 tornadoes that can mean that it can be on the ground and causing damage, but the NWS has no way of confirming that because it can't see the debris signature on radar which means the warning is not upgraded. Research has shown people are 75% more likely to take shelter when they know a tornado has been confirmed.

So that is where we come in. We try to position ourselves with a view of the storm to see if it is producing a tornado or not. We can also report back on hail and straight line winds. Additionally, we are often one of the first on the scene after a tornado hits and can assist in search and rescue which I have done twice and why I carry a decent supply of medical supplies.

However, we can't be everywhere at once. That is why our chase team nonprofit wing is working to get a camera network set up on towers across the state so that NWS and local media can see what a storm is producing. It has been an extremely uphill climb with a lot of obstacles but we are starting to make progress. Just yesterday we finally got sites to post some cameras. Now we just have to have the funds to buy them.
 

MaxwellSmart

Active member
May 28, 2007
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Just for those of us not close enough to storm chasing to know, what is the value to the general public of having teams like yours out there?

Goat's post got me to thinking, that I've mostly just seen storm chasing as something some people like to do so they do it, but I've never connected a line between that and my safety. I never thought to rant about it tho...

Does advanced radar make the storm chasing contribution any less valuable to the public? I know in the 70's we didn't get a "warning" unless one had been seen on the ground by someone. Seems like HAM radio guys played a role in relaying information then.

It's been several years since I did the skywarn thing with the weather service. The radar is much better now but the actual visual of what's happening at the moment is still very important for the people issuing the warnings. Back in 2008 I was able to chase the storm out of Memphis that did damage in Hickory Hill before it eventually hit Union University in Jackson TN. I was able to give them exact location and movement south of I-40 until I became blocked by downed trees.
 

DerHntr

Well-known member
Sep 18, 2007
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To add, having X during an event like yesterday in Huntsville is very powerful for the average person if chasers and other weather folks are posting. I searched Huntsville as that storm was moving toward town last night and posts were happening every few seconds from random people on the ground, spotters, and people with access to better radar than me. My brother lives there and I was able to tell him where the tornado was minutes before his news station would report it. Luckily it passed a mile or so north of him, but instant information during the tornado could have been a game changer had it turned just slightly south. The chasers make a huge difference for instant info.

That being said, there is an element of thrill seeking BS where they are trying to make a buck by getting as close as possible to the tornado while screaming like a Dude Perfect episode. I don’t find those folks particularly helpful and they probably encourage the uniformed to follow a tornado in their cars if they see one.