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Super Tuesday Tornado Outbreak
Presented by: Catherine Smith, Colleen Smith, Trevor Smith, Andrew Smith
Overview
• February 5-6, 2008• 87 tornadoes, 9 states, 15 hrs.• 57 fatalities in 4 states (AR, TN, KY, AL)• Largest fatal outbreak since May 31, 1985.
Meteorological SynopsisFebruary 3, 2008• Favorable tornado conditions began
developing• Low surface & air pressure system
consolidated over Rockies, and a surface high pressure moved toward east coast.
• southerly flow off of Gulf of Mexico• Dew pt. near 65°F• unstable air mass• Midday• low-level jet stream• Gulf of Mexico and MS Valley
February 4, 2008• Surface low pressure and cold front over
Rockies• moved to E. Oklahoma by February 5
afternoon
February 5, 2008• Unstable atmosphere
• isolated supercell T-storms formed ahead of cold front
• Southerly low-level jet stream• ~ 70 mph
• Westerly winds• ~ 90 mph
• Strong vertical wind shear conducive to tornado development• Surface low-pressure and cold front = warm sector
• area between cold front and warm front• great distance storms, long track tornadoes, multiple tornadoes along path.
Notable Tornadoes
North-Central Arkansas
• EF4 tornado, 122 mile track• 13 fatalities, 139 injuries• Longest single tornado track in Arkansas since tornado records began (1950).• ~200 homes and businesses destroyed
Memphis Metropolitan Area
• EF2 tornado from 5:30 pm and 6:00 pm• Warehouse collapsed killing 3 people
Jackson, Tennessee • EF4 tornado• Directly hit Union Campus
– 51 injuries– 2009 NOAA assessment of tornado credited the National Weather Service
with a timely warning, and the university’s “detail, practiced plan” for preventing any loss of life.
Damage
• Damaged estimated to be around $520 million.• All fatalities occurred within a 12-hr period.• All tornadoes producing fatalities were preceded by
tornado warnings with a mean lead time of 17 minutes.
• 55 mph forward motion presented challenges for warning forecasters.
• 126 reports of large hail & 267 reports of wind damage• Union University• Oakdale Dam