The New SuperOutbreak

Tuscaloosa-Birmingham Tornado   Source:Meterology News

From the time I was a small child, I was always fascinated by weather.  To this day, it's still one of my passions.   While I am not a meteorologist, I have done extensive study of it during my undergraduate studies at Southern Illinois University and also in my own personal time through valid resources.   Currently, I am a trained weather spotter with the National Weather Service, and am proud of the service that I provide to my community.

For one of my senior theses, I extensively studied the Super Outbreak that occured April 3-4, 1974.  In that outbreak, 148 confirmed tornadoes tore through 13 states in the midwest, mid-south, and eastern United States.   In that outbreak, there were an unprecedented number of F4 and F5 tornadoes.   The death toll was 315.  Injuries totaled more than 5,000 people.   Damage was strewn across 900 square miles.   Cities and towns such as Brandenburg, KY, Xenia, OH, and Guin, AL have scars that have faded but not completely disappeared.  Amazing stuff from a scientific standpoint.  Horrific from a human standpoint.

Fast forward 37 years, 23 days.  A possibly even bigger Super Outbreak of tornadoes unleashed terror across the midwest and mid-south.   So far, there are 157 reports of tornadoes.  The death toll as of 1 pm CDT is currently 249, injury count over 600 and still rising.   This details of this event are far from over, but I predict yesterday's outbreak will be even larger than the original Super Outbreak.

My prayers go out to all those affected by the Super Outbreak of 2011.

For more information on the Super Outbreak of 1974, go to the Super Outbreak 1974 website for stories, pics, and even audio of tornadoes from that event.

Update:  Pic of Tuscaloosa-Birmingham EF4 tornado.