Links and Information from Tornado Day 2007 on Good Morning Cincinnati WKRC TV, Local 12 Cincinnati, Ohio Compiled by Steve Horstmeyer Updated by James Patterson (March 29, 2007)
Left:April 26, 1884, Garnet, Kansas, The first known tornado photograph. Photographer A.A. Adams. Right: August 28, 1884, near Forestburg, South Dakota, The second tornado photograph. Photographer F. N. Robinson.
SIX DANGEROUS TORNADO MYTHS
MYTH # 1 - TORNADOES CANNOT FORM IN OR CROSS MOUNTAINS. FALSE
TELL THAT TO SCOTT NEWTON WHO TOOK THE PHOTOGRAPH AT THE LINK BELOW – THE HIGHEST TORNADO KNOWN AT NEARLY 12,000 FT. IN THE SIERRA NEVADA. http://tornado.sfsu.edu/RockwellPassTornado/
MYTH # 2 - CITIES ARE PROTECTED FROM TORNADOES BECAUSE THE BUILDINGS DISRUPT WIND FLOW? FALSE
A LOOK AT THESE WILL CONVINCE YOU.
CINCINNATI 1915 http://www.shorstmeyer.com/tornadoes/1915/1915.html
NASHVILLE, 1998 http://www.cnn.com/WEATHER/9804/16/nashville.tornado.4/#2 http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/misc/980416.html
OKLAHOMA CITY – 1999 http://www.hprcc.unl.edu/nebraska/OKCDAMAGEPATH-lg.html http://www.hprcc.unl.edu/nebraska/may99plainstornadoes-photos.html
MIAMI, FLORIDA – 1997 http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mfl/newpage/tornpix.html
FORT WORTH – 2000 http://www.dallassky.com/fwtornado.htm http://www.kenkuhl.com/tornado/
SALT LAKE CITY - 1999 http://www.hprcc.unl.edu/nebraska/SLCtornado.html
MYTH # 3 - OPENING WINDOWS WILL PROTECT MY HOUSE FROM THE DAMAGING PRESSURE DROP THAT CAN CAUSE THE HOUSE TO EXPLODE FALSE
IT’S THE WIND (AND THE DEBRIS HURLED BY THE WIND) NOT THE PRESSURE DROP BECAUSE THE WINDS GET THERE FIRST – SO….DO NOT WASTE TIME OPENING YOUR WINDOWS.
MYTH # 4 - THE SAFEST SPOT IN MY HOUSE IS THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF THE BASEMENT FALSE
IT DEPENDS ON THE SITUATION. THE SOUTHWEST CORNER COULD BE THE SAFEST BUT IT COULD ALSO RECEIVE THE MOST DEBRIS. IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHAT SIDE OF YOU HOME THE TORBNADO GOES. IF IT IS A MULTIPLE FUNNEL TORNADO THE DEBRIS COULD BLOW IN ANY DIRECTION.
TAKE A LOOK AT THE SPENCER, SD TORNADO DAMAGE AND SEE WHY YOU SHOULD GET TO A SAFE SPOT ASAP.
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/misc/spencer/spendmg.htm
PLAN AHEAD – GET TO THE SAFE SPOT YOU DECIDE UPON – NOT THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF YOUR BASEMENT.
GO TO THIS SITE FOR TIPS ON TORNADO SAFETY.
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/safety.html
FOR STORM CHASERS, READ THIS ON SAFETY ISSUES:
http://www.cimms.ou.edu/~doswell/Chasing2.html
MYTH # 5 - I ONLY HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT TORNADOES DURING TORNADO SEASON. FALSE
TORNADOES HAVE OCCURRED IN ALL SEASONS OF THE YEAR IN OHIO, KENTUCKY AND INDIANA.
CHECK OUT THIS GREAT NOAA STORM PREDICTION CENTER WEBSITE. http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/hazard/
MYTH # 6 - ALONG AN EXPRESSWAY SAFE SHELTER CAN BE FOUND UNDER AN OVERPASS. FALSE
IN A DIRECT HIT WIND SPEEDS CAN BE EVEN HIGHER THERE BECAUSE OF THE VENTURI EFFECT AND
MOST TORNADO DEATHS ARE CAUSED BY FLYING DEBRIS NEAR GROUND LEVEL UP UNDER THE OVERPASS YOU MAY BE MORE EXPOSED TO DEBRIS.
DON’T MISS THIS PRESENTATION:
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/papers/overpass/slide01.html
TORNADOES AND SEVERE STORMS AROUND THE WORLD TORNADO FORMATION http://www.shorstmeyer.com/tornadoes/bubble1.html
SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS http://www.extremewinds.com/learn.html http://www.cimms.ou.edu/~doswell/Conference_papers/SELS96/Supercell.h tml http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/svr/type/spr/home.rxml
STRUCTURE OF SUPER CELLS http://www.theweatherprediction.com/severe/structure/
http://www.chaseday.com/identity-2.htm
STORM SPOTTER’S GUIDE http://spotterguides.us/
GENERAL INFO http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/users/brooks/public_html/worldfscale.html#world
EUROPE – GENERAL http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=126&article=16711&archive=tru e http://www.tordach.org/pdf/ecss02s.pdf http://www.essl.org/pdf/ESSL_PilotStudy.pdf
AUSTRALIA http://www.bom.gov.au/info/thunder/index.shtml http://australiasevereweather.com/ http://australiasevereweather.com/links/ozhome.htm http://www.nswstorms.com/ http://www.bsch.au.com/ http://www.downunderchase.com/ http://www.stormchasers.au.com/ http://www.stormfreak.net/ http://www.weatherchase.net/ http://www.electricskies.com.au/
ARGENTINA http://www.tornadoproject.com/alltorns/argentina.htm
AUSTRIA http://www.tordach.org/at/Tornado_climatology_of_Austria.html http://www.tordach.org/at/index_e.html BANGLADESH http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,6119,2-10- 1462_1679336,00.html http://bangladeshtornadoes.org/
BRAZIL http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?slug=Tornadoes+strike+ Brazil&id=66352
CANADA http://www.utoronto.ca/env/nh/pt2ch2-2-2.htm http://www.ontariostorms.com/
CHINA http://www.tornadoproject.com/alltorns/china.htm http://www.china.org.cn/english/2005/Apr/126552.htm
CYPRUS http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/feature/ne280103.htm
CZECH REPUBLIC http://www.chmi.cz/torn/publications/AtmRes-ECSS2002_Setvak-Salek- Munzar.pdf http://www.chmi.cz/torn/
GERMANY http://wetterchronik.de/english/tornadogeruecht.htm http://www.tordach.org/pdf/etss_1p.pdf http://www.eurotornado.ou.edu/Abstracts/Dotzek1.PDF http://www.tordach.org/de/ http://www.chasebase.de/ http://www.grenzwetter.de/
ITALY http://www.tornadoit.org/
NETHERLANDS http://www.stormchasing.nl/ http://www.weatherpictures.nl/ http://www.dutchweather.nl/ http://www.dandantheweatherman.com/Bereklauw/dutchtns.htm
NEW ZEALAND http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,6119,2-10- 1462_1674136,00.html
SOUTH AFRICA http://www.nwas.org/ej/heidelberg/ http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,6119,2-7- 1442_1656962,00.html http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,6119,2-7- 1442_1651419,00.html
SWEDEN http://www.svemet.org/tornado.html
SWITZERLAND http://www.tordach.org/ch/
UNITED KINGDOM http://www.torro.org.uk/research/whirlextreme.htm http://geography.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://news.bbc.c o.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3059663.stm
USA
CURRENT SEVERE WEATHER INFO http://www.spc.noaa.gov/
US TORNADO AND SEVERE STORM HAZARDS http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/hazard/
TORNADO FAQS FROM STORM PREDICTION CENTER http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/
HISTORICAL US TORNADO DATA http://www.spc.noaa.gov/archive/tornadoes/index.html
CLIMATOLOGY – TECHNICAL ARTICLE http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/users/brooks/public_html/concannon/
CINCINNATI AREA http://www.shorstmeyer.com/tornadoes/index.html
INDIANA http://www.tornadoproject.com/alltorns/intorn.htm
KENTUCKY http://www.tornadoproject.com/alltorns/kytorn.htm
OHIO http://www.tornadoproject.com/alltorns/ohtorn.htm
WISCONSIN http://www.wx-fx.com/
VIETNAM http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,6119,2-10- 1462_1679651,00.html
LIGHTNING http://www.lightningphotography.com/ http://www.electricskies.com.au/ http://www.atwillett.com/
STORM PHOTOGRAPHY – GENERAL http://www.weather-photography.com/index.php http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/torscans.htm
THE FUJITA SCALE & Tetsuya “Ted” Fujita http://www.msu.edu/~fujita/tornado/ttfujita/biography.html http://www.stormtrack.org/library/people/fujita.htm http://www.shorstmeyer.com/tornadoes/fpp.html http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/f-scale.html
DOPPLER RADAR http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/doppler.htm http://www.pirateisle.com/gatech2/sciviz/history.html
NWS DOPPLER SITES http://weather.noaa.gov/radar/national.html
PRECISION DOPPLER 12 RADAR .http://www.local12.com/content/weather/pd12/default.aspx
POP UP PRECISION DOPPLER 12 RADAR FOR YOUR DESKTOP http://www.local12.com/content/popup_doppler/default.aspx