Topic: Mid West Outbreak 11th June 2008

[nmoir]

over 30 tornadoes , 4 dead , scores injured

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/reports/yesterday.html

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gvHC7Zr5kiY-lOpqndPZvOVefx8QD918NVJO0

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/12/us/13tornado.html?em&ex=1213416000&en=5fa2cc5128691eb8&ei=5087%0A

video of tornado hitting kansas state uni

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVtsI60ZqJE

and chasers footage of storm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXr2mdaWKC0

chasers go through weak tornado
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJBAfdsJHmw

[Harley Pearman]

I have been following this event too 11/6/08 to 13/6/08. The final Storm Prediction Centre report for 11/6/08 contained one hail report worth mentioning here being:-

Ellsworth County Kansas. 4 Miles north of Ellsworth, livestock, mainly cows killed by baseball to softball size hail.

Also a tornado in western Iowa now rated an EF3 with winds of 165 miles per hour (Winds of 267 km/h) struck a large camp ground where boy scouts were on camp. It appears that two radars in the region were down and a warning siren was only issued once a tornado was on the ground. The campers had no chance and four lost their lives when the tornado went right through the camp. There was no storm shelter available in the area.

(Summary - From CNN).

A small town in Kansas - Chapman suffered heavy damage when a tornado razed 65 homes. Appears to be rated EF3.

Up to 39 tornado reports on 11/6/08 (SPC).
Up to 22 tornado reports on 12/6/08 (SPC)

Actual tornadoes need to be verified.

The storms have also left significant flooding in cities such as Des Moine, Cedar Falls and Waterloo. Some of the worst flooding on the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers expected since 1993 in some areas.

Less common, the state of Michigan was under Tornado Watch Box 517 for a while 12/6/08 as thunderstorms moving across the state had potential to produce tornadoes. It appears from reading through CNN that the storms did cause disruption in the affected areas.

Harley Pearman

[Richary]

I had already seen the video from the chasers who got caught in one. Does anyone know what strength the one that hit the scout camp was rated?

I ask because a few years ago I was camping in SA (the same night that Karoonda got hit there) though further SE near Naracoorte and the next day found an obvious tornado path about 20km north with the council doing a cleanup. About a 100m wide trail where tree branches were down/trees ripped out. Branches up to a foot or so in diameter ripped off gums. Not sure what strength that would make it, but I had thought life might have got rather interesting if it had decided to come over Naracoorte caves where we had about 10 tents and 5 camper trailers between the group that was there.

That was actually a June long weekend, so one of the cold season tornadoes that has been talked about in other threads.

[Harley Pearman]

Richary

The strength of the tornado that struck the boy scout camp at Little Sioux Scout Camp has been rated EF3 by the National Weather Service. It was originally rated EF2 but damage reports has now suggested a stronger EF3 with winds of between 136 miles and 165 miles per hour. That is 220 to 267 km / h.

CNN Storey "Camp Victims still hospitalised, Storm power upgraded"

CNN.com
KETV 7 Omaha or KETV.com

There is comprehensive coverage of this on these websites including I reports, video etc.

From smh.com.au - Storey "Twister kills four in boy scout camp"

At least 20 injured. There were 90 children at the camp and 25 adults. This is a real tragedy of the USA tornado season judging by the storeys coming from Omaha, regional and international headlines that it has gained.

In addition, the storms and tornadoes that occurred in this region has battered the local economy. Initial damage bills of $735 million from flooding alone but costs expected to rise. There is significant damage to cropping lands as well.

"No sign of floods receding" at smh.com.au 15/6/08. The same storm system that spawned the tornadoes has resulted in incredible flooding. Iowa's second largest city has been in flood for 10 days.. Up to 9 major rivers at record flood peak and authorities are calling it a 1 in 500 year flood.

In Des Moine, a city of 200,000, residents living in the 1 in 500 year flood zone have been asked to leave.

10 Iowa counties under flood evacuation orders plus 83 of 99 Iowa Counties declared disaster zones.

River at Cedar Rapids peaked at 9.5 metres.

Flooding and tornadoes have resulted in 15 fatalities so far.

Today in Des Moine, a levee broke sending flood waters into a suburb.

Harley Pearman

[Peter J]

I think the most tragic part of this event (the Little Sioux tornado), was that the kids in the scout camp had very little warning of the approaching twister.

If they had more warning, maybe the 4 lives could have been saved.

Also none of the buildings at the camp site had any storm-shelters.

Big Pete

[Harley Pearman]

Midwest Outbreak 11 June - The aftermath in Iowa 16/6/2008

This is certainly worth additional posts because the aftermath of the tornado and thunderstorm outbreak of 11 June 2008 is enormous.

Go to http://www.kccl.com/news/16606402/detail.html
Also KCCL 8 News and or kccl.com (From Des Moine - Iowa)

There are various photo galleries, video links. Too many to post here but the web sites shows the true scale of this tornado and flood event.

CNN.com has comprehensive coverage via the heading:-

Floodwaters Breach Sandbags in Iowa College Town

Critical points are:-

Iowa River in Iowa City crested at 31.5 feet (Around 9.5 metres).
Severe weather from tornadoes and thunderstorms has wrecked towns from North Dakota to Indiana with 11,000,000 residents affected in various ways. (To put this into perspective, that is the equivalent of about 52% of Australia's population) affected by this weather event.

In Cedar Rapids 20,000 residents displaced earlier could return to their homes and up to 36,000 Iowan's mostly in Cedar Rapids evacuated.

Starting Tuesday, kitchens will be set up to serve 100,000 meals daily.

Damage well over $1 Billion and rising.

There is talk that this event could have global consequences in which food prices already high will rise further due to further shortages following heavy crop losses.

Harley Pearman