Ramblings of a Graduate Student

Below is from the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Jackson, MS. I thought it important enough for it to be it’s own blog post.  EF4 tornado with a maximum width of 1.75 miles.  Simply amazing…

000
NOUS44 KJAN 260230
PNSJAN

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
930 PM CDT SUN APR 25 2010

...PRELIMINARY INFORMATION FROM STORM DAMAGE SURVEYS
TODAY...

FOUR NWS STORM DAMAGE SURVEY TEAMS HAVE BEEN SURVEYING DAMAGE
FROM AROUND THE REGION CAUSED BY THE DEVASTATING STORMS OF
SATURDAY. THE FOLLOWING IS PRELIMINARY INFORMATION REGARDING
THE MAJOR STORM THAT MOVED FROM NORTHEAST LOUISIANA ACROSS
CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI.

NWS SURVEY TEAMS SURVEYED THE PATH OF THE STORM FROM ITS
START WEST OF TALLULAH, LOUISIANA TO AS FAR AS DURANT,
MISSISSIPPI. TORNADO DAMAGE...MUCH OF IT STRONG...WAS FOUND
ALONG THIS ENTIRE PATH...AT LEAST IN THOSE AREAS ACCESSIBLE
BY ROAD.  BASED ON THESE SURVEYS...THIS IS A SUMMARY OF
THE INFORMATION SO FAR:

PATH LENGTH: 97 MILES...THIS LENGTH WILL INCREASE AS MORE
DAMAGE IS SURVEYED EAST OF TODAY`S SURVEY
MAXIMUM WIDTH:  1.75 MILES
RATING: EF4, WITH MAXIMUM WINDS OF 170 MPH
CASUALTIES: 10 TOTAL FATALITIES WITH DOZENS OF INJURIES

A NUMBER OF AREAS OF EF3 DAMAGE WITH ESTIMATED WINDS OF 150 TO 165
MPH WERE FOUND ALONG THE PATH. TWO AREAS OF EF4 DAMAGE WITH MAXIMUM
WINDS OF 170 MPH WERE FOUND...ONE IN YAZOO CITY...AND THE OTHER IN
HOLMES COUNTY.

ANOTHER SURVEY TEAM IS STILL SURVEYING DAMAGE IN CHOCTAW COUNTY
CAUSED BY THE SAME STORM. THIS DAMAGE HAS BEEN DETERMINED TO BE
AT LEAST HIGH END EF3. WHETHER OR NOT THIS IS A PART OF A
CONTINUOUS TORNADO PATH ALL THE WAY BACK TO ITS START IN
NORTHEAST LOUISIANA HAS YET TO BE DETERMINED. NWS SURVEY TEAMS
WILL BE IN HOLMES...ATTALA...AND CHOCTAW COUNTIES AGAIN MONDAY
TO TRY TO DETERMINE THIS...AND WILL ALSO BE ATTEMPTING TO
OBTAIN AERIAL DATA TO HELP CONFIRM A CONTINUOUS PATH.

IT MUST BE STRESSED THAT ALL OF THIS INFORMATION IS PRELIMINARY
AND SUBJECT TO LATER ADJUSTMENT. A TORNADO OF THIS STRENGTH AND
MAGNITUDE REQUIRES A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF DAMAGE SURVEYS AND DATA
ANALYSIS. THE NWS WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE UPDATES AS ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION IS OBTAINED...AND IS PLANNING TO HOLD A MEDIA BRIEFING
LATER THIS WEEK TO PROVIDE A FULL ANALYSIS OF THE STORM AND THE
DAMAGE SURVEY RESULTS.

THE NWS WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL OF OUR PARTNERS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT
AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT FOR THEIR INVALUABLE ASSISTANCE IN
PERFORMING OUR DAMAGE SURVEYS.

$$

AEG/GRG/SCW/BK