Midwest Chasing

We’re currently under yet another Winter Storm Warning for 6-8 inches of heavy snow. Chicago initially had the snow starting this evening but it’s been snowing heavily since noon. Here’s the current NAM snowfall total run; the black dot is where I’m at:

I just drove home from Glen Ellyn; the trip usually takes me around 15 minutes, but tonight it was around 45. Total whiteout conditions here; at times I could barely see in front of me. I’ve got a couple photos uploaded into the gallery and am uploading video now.

What a crazy winter…

Here’s some footage from earlier:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE IL  
941 PM CST MON JAN 28 2008  

…STRONG WINTER STORM DEVELOPING OVER PLAINS WILL HIT NORTHERN  
ILLINOIS AND NORTHWESTERN INDIANA TOMORROW…  

A STRONG WINTER STORM IS DEVELOPING OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS. A  
STRONG COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THE STORM WILL MOVE INTO  
NORTHERN ILLINOIS BY LATE MORNING TUESDAY. AHEAD OF THE FRONT…  
LINGERING RAIN SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE OVERNIGHT AND INTO THE  
MORNING HOURS TUESDAY. AS THE FRONT SWEEPS ACROSS THE  
REGION…WINDS WILL QUICKLY STRENGTHEN TO 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS  
TO 45 MPH. WITH THE FRONTAL PASSAGE… TEMPERATURES WILL DROP  
SHARPLY AND RAIN WILL QUICKLY CHANGE OVER TO SNOW. ANY RESIDUAL  
PONDING OF WATER AND SLUSHY SNOW WILL FREEZE IN PLACE…CREATING  
TREACHEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS. THE STRONG WINDS COMBINED WITH  
ONGOING SNOWFALL WILL CAUSE OCCASIONAL BRIEF WHITEOUT CONDITIONS  
AT TIMES…PARTICULARLY DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING  
HOURS. THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED TO OCCUR OVER NORTH  
CENTRAL ILLINOIS WITH 2 TO 4 INCHES TOTAL ACCUMULATION…AND  
LESSER AMOUNTS TO THE SOUTH AND EAST. MUCH OF THE SNOW SHOULD END  
BY LATE TUESDAY EVENING AND THE CONCERN WILL TRANSITION OVER TO  
DANGEROUSLY LOW WIND CHILLS. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO DROP  
BELOW ZERO OVER NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS  
ELSEWHERE. COMBINED WITH CONTINUED STRONG WINDS…WIND CHILL  
READINGS WILL DROP TO AROUND 20 BELOW ZERO LATE TUESDAY NIGHT AND  
EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WILL ALSO COVER  
PORTIONS OF THE REGION…PARTICULARLY NORTH OF THE INTERSTATE 80  
CORRIDOR WHERE THE HEAVIER SNOW IS EXPECTED. 

THE POTENTIAL IS THERE FOR AN INTENSE COLD SPELL WITH HIGHS IN THE
SINGLE DIGITS AND LOWS BELOW ZERO. THESE TEMPS COULD BE ACCOMPANIED
BY STRONG WINDS DEPENDING ON HOW DEEP THE EAST COAST BOMB GETS.
THE MEX GUIDANCE…WHICH IS STILL OBVIOUSLY BEING HEAVILY
INFLUENCED BY CLIMO…STILL SUPPORTS WIND CHILLS TO 20 BELOW ZERO
FRIDAY NIGHT. TOO SOON TO GO THAT COLD BUT DECIDED TO TREND TEMPS
DOWNWARD IN THE GRIDS SOME AND WILL CARRY A MENTION OF THE WIND
CHILLS IN THE HWO THIS MORNING TO HIGHLIGHT THIS POTENTIAL
UPCOMING COLD SPELL. IRONICALLY THIS COLD SNAP APPEARS TO BE
PERFECTLY TIMED FOR THE BOAT SHOW NEXT WEEKEND…NOTHING LIKE 20F
BELOW WIND CHILLS TO GET YOU IN THE MOOD FOR RECREATIONAL BOATING!

..DAMAGE SURVEYS FOR TORNADOES IN HOLMES…ATTALA
AND CHOCTAW
COUNTIES…

..HOLMES AND ATTALA COUNTIES

BEGINNING POINT: 2 MI WNW OF PICKENS AT 1151 AM CST
ENDING POINT: 2 MI ENE OF GOODMAN AT 1204 PM CST
RATING: EF-3 WITH MAXIMUM WINDS OF 140 MPH
PATH LENGTH: 10 MI
MAXIMUM WIDTH: 0.75 MI
CASUALTIES: 3 INJURIES
SUMMARY OF DAMAGE: THE TORNADO STARTED WITH A NARROW PATH OF
SCATTERED DOWNED TREES. THE DAMAGE INTENSIFIED AS IT APPROACHED
HIGHWAY 17. HERE TREE DAMAGE BECAME MUCH MORE INTENSE WITH HUNDREDS
OF TREES SNAPPED AND UPROOTED. ONE HOME HAD A PORTION OF ITS ROOF
RIPPED OFF. THE TORNADO INTENSIFIED AND REACHED ITS MAXIMUM
INTENSITY AND WIDTH BETWEEN HIGHWAY 17 AND US HIGHWAY 51. HUNDREDS
OF TREES WERE SNAPPED AND UPROOTED…SOME OF THEM HARDWOODS THAT
WERE SNAPPED OFF EXCEPT FOR A FEW LARGE LIMBS AND PARTIALLY
DEBARKED. SEVERAL MOBILE HOMES WERE OBLITERATED AND TWO HOMES OF
WOOD FRAME AND CONCRETE BLOCK CONSTRUCTION HAD NEARLY ALL OF THE
OUTER WALLS COLLAPSED ALONG WITH TOTAL ROOF REMOVAL. LARGE MISSILES
WERE GENERATED…INCLUDING A PICKUP TRUCK THAT WAS THROWN NEARLY 150
YARDS. ON THE EAST SIDE OF US HIGHWAY 51…THREE HIGH TENSION STEEL
POWER POLES WERE SNAPPED OFF NEAR THE BASE. AS THE TORNADO CONTINUED
EAST NORTHEAST AND MOVED INTO ATTALA COUNTY…THE PATH NARROWED AND
DAMAGE BECAME LIMITED TO TREE DAMAGE BEFORE DISSIPATION JUST INSIDE
THE ATTALA COUNTY LINE.
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Here’s an image that was on Fox News of a school bus that was thrown onto the school gym in Caledonia:

ABC 33/40 has a bunch of pictures of the damage from today’s tornado on their site.  You can check them out here.

From the Portland WFO:

..PRELIMINARY STORM REPORT FOR VANCOUVER TORNADO

A STRONG THUNDERSTORM MOVED THROUGH CLARK COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST
WASHINGTON EARLIER TODAY. THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN SHORTLY AFTER
NOON NEAR VANCOUVER LAKE THEN MOVED NORTHEAST INTO HAZEL DELL WA.
PRELIMINARY ESTIMATES PLACE THE STRENGTH OF THIS TORNADO AS AN EF-1
ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE WITH ESTIMATED PEAK WIND SPEEDS OF 90
TO 110 MPH. THE TORNADO WAS APPROXIMATELY 1/4 MILE WIDE WITH AN
INITIAL PATH LENGTH OF TWO MILES. IT APPEARS THAT THE TORNADO
LIFTED UP AND TOUCHED DOWN MULTIPLE TIMES…WITH THE LAST REPORT OF
TOUCHDOWN NEAR HOCKINSON WA AROUND 1240 PM.
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Here’s a picture of the Vancouver tornado that I found on the King5.com website:

From some of the damage pictures I’ve seen so far it looks like EF0 to low end EF1.

Here’s the latest LSR from Jackson on the school tornado:

0213 PM TORNADO CALEDONIA 33.68N 88.33W
01/10/2008 LOWNDES MS EMERGENCY MNGR

*** 10 INJ *** ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GYM DESTROYED, SEVERAL
HOMES DAMAGED SCHOOL BUSES DAMGED AND OTHER VEHICLES
THROWN. NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES ALSO DOWN. AT THIS
TIME, 10 TOTAL INJURIES WITH 2 SERIOUS.