Tornados: RED states getting more smackdowns today.
Psalm 110
In KOCH-Sucking Bloody Kansas...
http://www.cjonline.com/stories/050803/bre_weather.shtml
Strong storms could pack hail, tornadoes
Forecasters began assembling a list of severe weather reports today
long before sunrise.
Storms moved through northeast Kansas in the darkness, packing strong
winds and dropping golf ball-size hail in several locations. Curt
Holderbach, meteorologist in charge at the weather service office in
Topeka, said he expects the list of storm reports to lengthen through
the evening.
"This looks like a very active severe weather day with the possibility
of tornadoes and also large hail and damaging winds," he said.
A tornado warning was issued at about 5 a.m. for Riley and Geary
counties after radar indicated a storm capable of producing a tornado.
The National Weather Service couldn't confirm any tornadoes this
morning, although forecasters said they would look for signs of
tornadic activity in the sunlight.
A severe thunderstorm watch expired for Topeka at 7 a.m. today.
Another severe thunderstorm watch remains in effect through 11 a.m.
for the following area counties: Nemaha, Doniphan, Riley, Jefferson,
Marshall, Atchison, Pottawatomie, Wyandotte, Brown, Jackson and
Leavenworth.
Severe thunderstorm warnings were issued in several area counties. The
weather service received reports of 60 mph winds and golf ball-size
hail in locations near Manhattan.
Sheriff's department dispatchers throughout northeast Kansas said they
hadn't received any reports of major damage this morning.
Holderbach said the greatest chance for tornadoes in the Topeka area
will be late this afternoon and early this evening. He said strong
winds and hail are possible throughout the day.
"It's just one of these situations where it could develop almost
anytime," he said.
The high temperature is expected to reach the mid-80s today in Topeka.
Conditions are expected to be mostly sunny on Friday with another
chance of storms on Saturday.
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http://www.azdailysun.com/non_sec/nav_includes/story.cfm?storyID=65607
Tornadoes return to Midwest, South
05/08/2003
DE SOTO, Mo. (AP) -- Tornadoes swept across the Midwest and South
overnight and early Wednesday, killing two people in Illinois and
battering a region still trying to recover from deadly twisters that
struck over the weekend.
At least four tornadoes hit southern Illinois overnight, killing two
people, injuring at least 20 and destroying or damaging scores of
homes. In Mermet, the trailer of Mariam Houchins, 65, was wrapped
around tree trunks; her body was found in a ravine. Steve Kohn, 53,
was killed in nearby Grand Chain.
Brenda Crockett of Mermet had climbed out of her basement after the
first tornado struck and was surveying the rubble of her house when
she saw a second twister bearing down on her.
"There was nothing for me to do except lie down and grab the grass,"
said Crockett, who spent Wednesday looking for family photographs and
other treasures to save.
Tornadoes also damaged more than a dozen trailer homes northeast
Mississippi and Downsville, La., but no serious injuries were
reported. High wind and heavy rain also hit parts of Arkansas and
Alabama, where officials closed schools and some churches canceled
midweek services.
In eastern Tennessee, which has been drenched by rain since Sunday,
flooding forced Chattanooga residents to take emergency shelter as the
Tennessee River rose toward its highest level in nearly 30 years. The
Tennessee Valley Authority said some 300 homes and other structures
could be flooded and damages could reach $7 million.
"We've been through this before," said Liz Foster, manager of a
complex that emptied 64 downstairs apartments because of the high
water. "Can I cry?"
The heavy rain and wind had many in Pierce City, Mo., hit hard by
Sunday's tornadoes, fearing damaged historic buildings would simply
collapse.
"This we didn't need," Lawrence County Sheriff Doug Seneker said of
the latest stormy weather. "With all of the damaged buildings, the
wind can easily knock some of them down."
The last people listed as missing in Pierce City turned up safe
Wednesday. The death toll from the weekend's storms stood at 40 -- 18
in Missouri, 15 in Tennessee and seven in Kansas. In Franklin, Kan.,
friends and family buried 87-year-old Josephine Maghe, one of those
killed Sunday.
Across from the rubble of what had been the Stockton, Mo., post
office, 87-year-old T.M. Montgomery looked at the shambles of the auto
dealership he has owned for about three decades. Windows were
shattered on more than two dozen new Chevrolet and Oldsmobile cars and
pickup trucks.
Montgomery estimated his losses at $800,000 to $1 million. When
offered good luck by a reporter, he replied: "We're going to need it."
In De Soto, virtually every street was littered with broken trees and
snapped utility poles. The storm picked up the Crawford family home on
North Second Street and planted it in the middle of the street. No one
was hurt.
"As you're driving down Second Street, you now come to the front door
of a house," Police Chief Don Kraher said. "But for the grace of God,
we could have had many, many injuries."
Residents credited warning sirens that sounded 15 minutes before the
tornado arrived. David Tetrault, ambulance district director in St.
Francois County, said only one person in the region was hospitalized.
"It's a miracle, isn't it?" Tetrault said.