Before moving into the content of the blog, let me first start by giving you a short introduction as this is the first blog I have written. I am currently a junior at Iowa State University in Ames, IA where I am studying meteorology. I was born and raised in the nearby suburb of Olathe, KS and returned home for the summer after being given the opportunity to intern here at Fox 4. I am now a couple weeks into my internship and have truly enjoyed every minute that I have been here. I am anticipating the rest of my internship here at Fox 4 to be just as rewarding as my first few weeks.  

Now, onto the content of this blog.  

June 21, 2011, the official first day of summer has come and gone. Now, as the days gradually decrease in length, the summer heat finally presents itself to us here in Kansas City. Forecasts for today show temperatures exceeding 97ºF. Although these forecasted temperatures would be the warmest we have seen in the metro to date, it isn’t July 1st’s 98ºF high temperature we will remember when looking back to late spring and summer of 2011. The temperature may frustrate us in the present, but will certainly not impact us like that of the Joplin tornado of May 22, 2011, or the ongoing flooding communities near the swelling Missouri river have been experiencing.

Joplin, MO after a tornado ravaged the city. Photo courtesy of Fox News.

One month after the devastating tornado tore through the streets of Joplin, MO, clean-up efforts are well under way. Support from around the country in terms of donations and volunteer physical labor has certainly been crucial in the rebuilding process to date.

The Joplin tornado has been classified as an EF5, the highest rating on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. The Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF Scale) rates tornadoes based on their strength and the damage they cause. In the case of an EF5 tornado, wind speeds can be expected to be greater than 200mph but damage is significant and intense. The EF Scale became operational in February of 2007 replacing the Fujita scale that was introduced by Ted Fujita in 1971. Since the scale became operational in 2007, there have only been eight tornadoes classified as such; six of these EF5 tornadoes have occurred in 2011. Yes, six out of eight. 75%. Granted, the EF Scale has only been around for four years, but six EF5 tornadoes in the same season?!  Four of these EF5 tornadoes occurred during the April 25-28, 2011 tornado outbreak in Mississippi and Alabama. The following is a picture of the radar imagery from the tornado that hit Hackleburg, Al.

Hackleburg, AL EF5 tornado radar imagery. Photo courtesy of Weather Underground.

Pictures similar to those above have been all over the news following the devastating tornadoes we have experienced this season. The next couple pictures have not seen the same media time. These are pictures of the storm before it produced the tornado that has gone down in the record books as one of the worst tornadoes in US history.

Leading edge

Wall Cloud just west of Joplin, MO

Another wall cloud beginning to form

Rain-wrapped Joplin tornado

I took these pictures while out chasing this storm. On the morning of May 22, 2011, I definitely would not have guessed that before the day was over I would bear witness to one of the worst tornados the plains have ever seen. It wasn’t until early afternoon that I really even considered let alone, actually left Olathe, KS to pursue the potential locations the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, OK had forecasted to see strong storms. Leaving Olathe, I was in the car with two others and a couple hours down the road later, we found ourselves northwest of Joplin. To this point, we had no idea what the storm system near us was capable of. We kept on the move fighting the hail and rain until we were just west of Joplin and at one point in time, could see twelve rotating wall clouds at the same time, definitely an eerie sense when you’re directly in the middle of them. Driving south to let the storm pass over us, we finally came back north and then turned east towards Joplin. From our angle, every time you would start to see something starting to form, it would become rain-wrapped. It wasn’t until after the tornado had moved through Joplin, Mo that we realized exactly what we were in the middle of, without actually being in the middle of it.

The formation of this storm was definitely unique. While out in the field, especially during that time we were in the middle of so many wall clouds, despite having radar, it was very difficult to predict where exactly a tornado would form.

What did come out of this storm system was devastating, you don’t need someone one else to tell you that. The pictures like first one in this blog are heartbreaking to see. As someone who loves weather and really enjoys chasing storms like this one, the tornado itself would have been just as impressive in an empty field, and a lot less people would have been hurt. I emphasize to all of those whose lives have been severely impacted by this storm.

The Joplin tornado was probably the most impressive weather event I have experienced; the memories from it will go with me as I make my way into my own weather career.

Have a Safe and Happy 4^th of July!