The Joplin tornado began to move into the city around 22:41 UTC or 5:41 pm local time ( Visible/Infrared image toggle). The corresponding GOES-13 Infrared (10.7 µm) images are shown below. According to the National Weather Service Springfield MO damage survey, the Joplin tornado produced EF-5 damage with a path width of 3/4 mile and a path length of 6 miles, and was responsible for 132 deaths and 750 injuries. Tornados most frequently occur between March and July, with May being the most active month. Approximately 1,200 tornados hit the United States every year. The destruction from the Joplin Tornado was captured by a member of the Ozarks Red Cross a few days after the tornado hit the town. Very distinct overshooting tops could be seen with this large thunderstorm as it developed in extreme southeastern Kansas and moved eastward ahead of an advancing cold frontal boundary. A View from Above: The Aftermath of a Tornado. The GOES-13 satellite had been placed into Rapid Scan Operations (RSO), providing images as frequently as every 5-10 minutes. ON TV: Witness: Tornado Swarm 2011 airs Sunday, May 29, 9 p.m.GOES-13 Visible (0.63 µm) images McIDAS images of GOES-13 Visible (0.63 µm) data (above) showed the rapid development of a supercell thunderstorm that produced the deadly tornado which struck Joplin, Missouri (station identifier JLN) on. tornado season-Minnesota and the Dakotas usually see their own tornado surge. (See pictures of a monster tornado in Alabama this past April.)Īs spring progresses, the hot-cold air clashes move north, making the Midwest a May tornado hot spot. In Tornado Alley-where warm moist air from the Gulf meets cooler, dry air sweeping down from Canada-twisters often form first in the Deep South in April. In fact, the weekend's midwestern tornadoes fit into the typical tornado-season pattern. history, according to the National Severe Storms Laboratory, the Associated Press reported. In terms of tornado fatalities, 2011, with more than 450, ranks as the ninth deadliest in U.S. "There's no evidence of a change in violent tornadoes in the last 60 years," he said. (See "Monster Alabama Tornado Spawned by Rare 'Perfect Storm.'") South, intense tornadoes are not becoming more common, Masters said. An F5 twister has winds from 261 to 318 miles (420 to 511 kilometers) an hour.ĭespite the Joplin disaster and a record-setting outburst of tornadoes in April, which devastated parts of the U.S. "A tornado can't rip up pavement unless it's at least an F4, and that kind of damage is most commonly associated with an F5 storm," he said.Īn F4 tornado has winds from 207 to 260 miles (333 to 418 kilometers) an hour. Joplin, Missouri, Tornado Among Strongestįlattening buildings, tossing cars like toys, and even ripping up pavement, the tornado that tore through Joplin Sunday may have been an F5-the highest level on the Fujita scale, which ranks tornadoes based on wind speed and damage potential-Masters said. Making matters worse this spring, surface water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico are currently about two degrees Fahrenheit (just under one degree Celsius) above normal in some areas-which might help explain why dozens of tornadoes struck Missouri and other midwestern U.S. Commemoration of Joplin, Missouri EF-5 Tornado. But a continuous supply of warm air is needed to keep the tornado going-which is where the Gulf of Mexico comes in.įlowing north into the United States' Tornado Alley region-between the Rocky and Appalachian Mountains-the Gulf's warm, moist air is generally a major factor in tornado formation each spring, said Masters, meteorological director for the Weather Underground website. (AP) A massive tornado that tore a 6-mile path across southwestern Missouri killed at least 89 people as it slammed into the city of Joplin, ripping into a hospital and. On May 22, 2011, one of the deadliest tornadoes in the history of the United States struck Joplin killing 158 and injuring over 1000. The mesocyclone can eventually form a stormy funnel cloud, which becomes a tornado when it touches down. The warm air ascends through the colder layers, and given the right wind conditions, the updraft may begin spinning, creating a so-called mesocyclone. Tornadoes can spin into being when warm, moist air masses and cold, dry air masses collide, forming storms. The devastating tornado that killed at least 116 people in Joplin, Missouri (map), Sunday may have been spawned in part by warmer-than-normal water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico, according to meteorologist Jeff Masters.
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