2011 Stormchase Chat & Banter

[Paul]

Hi Kim, the team usually get to the airport at around 12-1pm and will be there until around 4pm - they may be able to come and grab you though so best bet is to give them a call or drop paul sherman a pm on here to see what the best course of action is

[Roger J Smith]

Here's the DFW radar for those following the thread.

http://radar.weather.gov/radar.php?rid=fws&product=N0R&overlay=11101111&loop=no

[cloudsabove]

Thanks, will message nearer the time, for some reason I thought it would be a very early start so that time is just fine.

[D-J-V]

Good Evening!

Just checked in at the Best Western DFW, had a very eventful flight from Atlanta, we could not land due to line of cells blowing over the DFW area, so we were going to go around them via Houston. We were then informed that we could sneak in and land. This was then again retracted so we made a move to land in Abaline (not sure how you spell it v tired) we were then told we did not have the fuel to make it so we had to land........

We came around and decended the cell, things got incredibly bumpy and went very dark, sick bags, crying childen and the pastor i was sitting next to saying her prayers! Things cleared out to reveal the retreating cell with CG and CC strikes and some mamatus to boot. We landed and then had to sit on the stand as it was unsafe due to the CGs for ground crew to come out to the plane!

Off to grab a mountain dew and shower will upload pictures later!!!

[ian cameron]

on way to Irving for last night stay before flying home tomorrow been a long day

[Ross B]

Alison and I have arrived as well, just landed afer the storms but got to see a wee bit of lightning and mammatus. The immigration guy at DFW showed me his computer screen - he was looking at the radar! Skivers

[John Hanrahan]

Watcing Mr Vicary wolf down a "Medium pizza" in the Best Western Irving. Man vs food. Medium Pizza in TX = Xtra large UK. We are in room 241 if ye are coming to Irving tonight,

[Cookie]

the fun bit waiting at Dallas for my plane home, had a brilliant trip

[dallas]

Discovery channel tonight at 2100...............Tornado rampage, pretty sure its about the large amount of tornados that have occured this year

[Coast]

Tornado kills dozens, leaves 'total devastation' in Missouri town

In Joplin, Mo., at least 30 people are reportedly killed and damage is widespread. Officials fear the death toll could climb much higher. Severe weather hits other parts of the Midwest, including Minneapolis, where one person is killed. A series of turbulent storms swept through the Midwest on Sunday as a powerful tornado slammed into Joplin, Mo., ripping the top off a hospital, shearing parts of the roof off a high school and turning major retail stores into heaps of rubble and twisted metal.

A coroner's official reported at least 30 people dead in Joplin, according to Reuters news agency, but the tornado's rampage through the middle of the southwestern Missouri town of 50,000 left officials concerned that the number could be much higher. "It's total devastation," Gov. Jay Nixon said as he dispatched the National Guard and emergency rescue teams in a race to find survivors. Search-and-rescue efforts were expected to continue throughout the uneasy night.

"We are responding aggressively, quickly. We want to make sure as the night goes on that we're saving lives between now and dawn," the governor told CNN. "There are a number of injuries. It's going to be a long night and a difficult recovery." President Obama said the Federal Emergency Management Agency was responding. "We commend the heroic efforts by those who have responded and who are working to help their friends and neighbors at this very difficult time," he said. Phone service in and out of the city was largely cut off.

Missouri State Highway Patrol spokesman Lt. John Hotz said the state had dispatched 50 state troopers and a mobile communications unit in an attempt to learn the extent of the damage and injuries. Another 19 officers would be en route in the morning, he said. "It's a serious situation, but I can't give you an assessment of the damage or the injuries until we get reports," he said. "Certainly, we are doing everything we can to get help to the folks in the affected areas as soon as possible." Hotz said there were reports of "a number" of tornados across Missouri.

In Minneapolis, a tornado tore through the northern end of the city Sunday afternoon, killing one person and injuring at least 30 others. The same turbulent weather spawned a tornado in Reading, Kan., Saturday night that killed one person and destroyed about 20 homes as parts of the town were pelted with hail the size of golf balls. Violent thunderstorms, including lighting, hail and powerful winds, were threats throughout the evening Sunday across at least six Midwestern states as a cold front moved in to confront a moisture-rich, low-level air mass, the National Weather Service warned.

The tornado that struck Joplin at 5:45 p.m. threatened to rival the devastating twisters that plowed through the South on April 27, leaving more than 330 people dead, including 45 in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Joplin residents said the twister slammed through a town already keeping a close eye on the boiling, dark clouds blustering overhead, blowing over 18-wheel tractor-trailers on Interstate 44 and ripping directly into St. John's Regional Medical Center, blasting medical debris for miles. "It sounds like they got a direct hit," said Laurie Duff, spokeswoman for a hospital in Springfield, Mo., where patients from Joplin were being evacuated. "The second hospital in town also sustained some damage."

Triage centers and shelters were set up around Joplin. At Memorial Hall, a downtown entertainment venue, nurses and other emergency workers from area hospitals were treating critically injured patients. The storm spread debris about 60 miles away, with medical records, X-rays, insulation and other items landing in Greene County, said Larry Woods, assistant director of the Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management.

"It looks like a war zone," said Donald Davis, a chemotherapy nurse who was dining 35 miles away in Kansas when the tornado struck in Joplin, where he has lived much of his life. He said he contended with closed roads and downed power lines for nearly two hours to return home, where he found a scene of devastation in the center of the city. It looked as if the tornado had traveled directly down 20th Street, Joplin's main east-west thoroughfare, and at least 13 blocks to the east, he said in a telephone interview. "Just up and down 20th Street, it's just building after building. Houses destroyed. One of our largest grocery stores, destroyed. And there's a big apartment complex right next to it, probably had 150 apartments in it, it's flattened. Several churches gone. And big, nice homes — all just gone," he said.

Davis said the roof appeared to have collapsed at Joplin High School, and a large real estate office across the street was leveled. But his own home, in the southeast part of town, was untouched except for some downed tree limbs, though like much of the city, it's without electricity.

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2011-05/61806702.jpg

[John Hanrahan]

OMG! Its Karl from Discovery Stormchasers.

[Tom Lynch]

I came across this today and like Jo feel very sad about what happened to joplin . We spent a couple of nights there and shopped at the Wal Mart featured in this article. In fact if memory serves me well we had fun making farting noises on the hand held radios and think i bought a web cam there too.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1389737/Joplin-MO-tornado-At-89-dead-twister-cuts-4-mile-swathe-Missouri-town.html

I have seen the photos of the I Hop where we dinned on two occassions again very sad. I will not go into great detail but Claire & Richie bought one or two items at the shop next door to the I Hop.

tom

OMG! Its Karl from Discovery Stormchasers.

John it looks like you have got your hand linked on his arm you two timer you

[duckeyh]

I came across this today and like Jo feel very sad about what happened to joplin . We spent a couple of nights there and shopped at the Wal Mart featured in this article. In fact if memory serves me well we had fun making farting noises on the hand held radios and think i bought a web cam there too.

http://www.dailymail...souri-town.html

Hi Tom, my sentiments exactly, We don't generally get to stay in the same place for more than one night, so the two nights made Joplin more memorable, especially so, with the early morning chase, the crazy golf and people I chatted to on the coffee run to Starbucks.

The thing that I have ringing in my head is the waitress in Outback who said nothing ever happens in Joplin and she wanted to move to Arizona.

All we can hope is the people we met and their families are safe and sound. On the positive side, I've been chatting with an FB friend who as it turns out lives in Joplin and its sounds as though they have a very strong community spirit and cannot believe the amount of support they are getting worldwide.

Edited May 28, 2011 by duckeyh

[Supercell]

It's inconceivable. Just checked my bank statement eariler and noticed a cash withdrawal made at Joplin Walmart on the 6th May. That place is now in ruins. Hard to take in exactly what has happened.

I went out there with quite a naive view. Being somewhere and seeing people going about living their as normal, completely unaware of what would happen later that month. The pictures make it very real and hard hitting. An otherwise fairly uneventful day quickly became embedded in my memory.

So sad to hear news of death and destruction. A freakish storm season.

[Kris T]

Too damn excited now, time is dragging on as the day of departure gets closer.... Might settle down this evening and watch 'Twister'

I've been reading up on how to take lightning photos, so I hope I get some good opportunities and get shots as good as the ones I've seen from you guys so far!

All I've got to do now is pack! (that'll probably be tomorrow night - haha)

[dogs32]

my first vid for this year

[dogs32]

my first vid for this year

[Tom Lynch]

the fun bit waiting at Dallas for my plane home, had a brilliant trip

Cookie

you know you are not too bad for a Blackpool fan

you are welcome in my car anytime.

Tom

[Cookie]

Cookie

you know you are not too bad for a Blackpool fan

you are welcome in my car anytime.

Tom

thank you mate and you're not to bad for a Preston fan!

many people at work have gotten great amusement from your comment about tying me to the flag pole in Missouri during the thunderstorm

[Ben Passmore]

I was channel hopping last night, as you do, and I came across what I thought was Paul Sherman on an ITV 4 show about chasing tornado's. I can't remember what the programme was called but I managed to watch the last 20-25 mins. It all looked pretty hairy in parts, getting struck by a large tornado at a gas station at one point. Some other bloke (English) opened the door of his car with the 100+ winds outside.....school girl error. It was always going to end it tears. It looked like it was filmed in 2008.

Anyways, what I saw was fantastic. Does anyone know what the show was called? I might be able to catch it next time around.

Ben

[Paul]

Yep, it was natures fury - you can watch it online here:

http://www.itv.com/itvplayer/video/?Filter=247228

[Ben Passmore]

Thanks Paul

[ian cameron]

I was channel hopping last night, as you do, and I came across what I thought was Paul Sherman on an ITV 4 show about chasing tornado's. I can't remember what the programme was called but I managed to watch the last 20-25 mins. It all looked pretty hairy in parts, getting struck by a large tornado at a gas station at one point. Some other bloke (English) opened the door of his car with the 100+ winds outside.....school girl error. It was always going to end it tears. It looked like it was filmed in 2008.

Anyways, what I saw was fantastic. Does anyone know what the show was called? I might be able to catch it next time around.

Ben

Hi Ben the docu is called natures fury and yes it was us with him was a mental few days was sitting behind Chris who opened the door there was a def draft in the van after that I believe it is being shown again on ITV on the 29th of this month though will have to check

Ian

[Arron]

Some great footage from yesterdays tornadoes in north dakota

[John Hanrahan]

Cheers Arron.

So pretty!