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Discussion of April 27, 2011 Outbreak

KoD

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One of my favorite resources comes from the aforementioned Iowa mesonet website, where they have archived radar data from the mid 90s from a few specific radar sites (e.g. KHTX) and more numerous regional mosaics. They also have some archived model output, surface analysis and height maps. All of it very accessible in-browser.

Here is the southern mississippi valley for April 26th, 2011 at 3:30pm http://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/timemachine/#77.201104262030
Navigation is easy, and it supplements the live thread very well.


For later, here is KHTX April 27th @ 3am, prior to first QLCS: http://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/timemachine/#11.201104270800



For some of the more advanced users those who have and can use software that computes and displays raw data, level 2 nexrad for sites KBMX, KDGX, KFFC, KGWX and KHTX on 04/27/11 can be found here: http://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/cases/110427/nexrad_level2/
(Software can be found here: https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/data-access/radar-data/radar-display-tools )
 

Bama Ravens

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The infamous @Fred Gossage post just came up in the April 27 live thread. Still remember reading it that night. For those that don't know which post I am talking about:

Fred Gossage
Posted 26 April 2011 - 07:11 PM

This is going to seem like an alarmist type post... but folks that have followed me for a while know that I'm not the intentional hype-type... I try to just be straight and tell it like I think it is... and if I bust, I bust... and learn from it.....

With that said, tomorrow is quite easily the most dangerous setup I've seen in the state of Alabama in the 17 years I have been studying weather.
 

Mike S

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I remember Fox 6 streamed their newscast on 4/26 and JP Dice warned that there will be people who take every precaution tomorrow and still die.
 
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The infamous @Fred Gossage post just came up in the April 27 live thread. Still remember reading it that night. For those that don't know which post I am talking about:

Yep, I had already planned on chasing the next day, but when I read Fred's post I called all my family in Alabama and hit the alert button. Fred was my canary :)


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Richardjacks

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At this point, I remember being outside looking at the damage on my street in Ross Bridge. One of my chimneys lost a cap and my screened porch had some damage. While checking all of that out, I was amazed at how quickly skies were clearing as the sun was rising. It really started to hit me what we were in for later. I remember a neighbor seeing me and asking what my thoughts were for the rest of the day, I just replied that I was very concerned about what is coming. A few days later she saw me and said that she could see it in my face and knew something big about to happen.
 

Kory

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I was just a little bright eyed and bushy tailed freshman at Alabama. A kid from South Louisiana doesn't know much about tornadoes, so I sort of brushed it off. This was before I avidly started tracking weather, but still had some interest in it...

I remember the early round waking me up and being like "well that hit much sooner than they forecasted."
 

Richardjacks

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I was just a little bright eyed and bushy tailed freshman at Alabama. A kid from South Louisiana doesn't know much about tornadoes, so I sort of brushed it off. This was before I avidly started tracking weather, but still had some interest in it...

I remember the early round waking me up and being like "well that hit much sooner than they forecasted."

I think April 27 affected us all in some way...in some ways we do not even realize. I remained in TV for 4 years and while I had already planned on leaving at some point in the future, April 27 made my decision even easier. I can't say exactly why except I knew that seeing another day as impactful as April 27 in my lifetime was unlikely. There is a very high chance April 27 was the worst weather day of my career as far as number of people that died, number of tornadoes, amount of damage, ect...in some ways that seems selfish, but also it was like I was ready for another challenge. Obviously, I still love the weather but I am very grateful that my livelihood is not as directly effected by the weather. I am sure a psychologist would have a field day studying me lol.
 

Kory

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I think April 27 affected us all in some way...in some ways we do not even realize. I remained in TV for 4 years and while I had already planned on leaving at some point in the future, April 27 made my decision even easier. I can't say exactly why except I knew that seeing another day as impactful as April 27 in my lifetime was unlikely. There is a very high chance April 27 was the worst weather day of my career as far as number of people that died, number of tornadoes, amount of damage, ect...in some ways that seems selfish, but also it was like I was ready for another challenge. Obviously, I still love the weather but I am very grateful that my livelihood is not as directly effected by the weather. I am sure a psychologist would have a field day studying me lol.
It was surreal. I think Walt Maddox said it best, "We weren't ever expecting to get hit. We were expecting to have to send first responders to another town that was affected." I sort of had that same mentality. That thought of "oh well it'll never happen here." It's a dangerous one, but you never imagine the worse....at least I didn't and I still don't.

It gets easier with time, but the date 4/27 will never be normal again. And on 4/27, it should always serve as a reminder to the 252 mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, children, etc. that were lost that day. As someone who experienced Hurricane Katrina directly, I can tell you it'll never be normal again, and perhaps that is for the better....
 

ARCC

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April 27th was the only real time I actually had survivors guilt as my little corner of the state was completely unscathed.
 

Lori

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We took shelter two times in Shelby Co but watching all the horror unfold live, was terrifying. My step daughter gets a call that her boyfriends home is destroyed, I find out my Dad's hometown where many of our relatives live (Hackleburg) has been destroyed and as we take shelter in that storm cellar, I'm thinking "this thing isn't going to protect us against any tornado that resembles those monsters on TV.". I'd never been afraid for my life during an outbreak like that before.
Not one of my relatives or friends in Hackleburg were killed, injured nor had extensive damage..


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Equus

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The live thread is within three hours of starting to become terrifying. It's chilling reading posts and comments RIGHT before all hell broke loose. No one could've ever prepared for what was beginning to fire over east MS about now...
 

ARCC

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The live thread is within three hours of starting to become terrifying. It's chilling reading posts and comments RIGHT before all hell broke loose. No one could've ever prepared for what was beginning to fire over east MS about now...


It is amazing to read the SPC outlook and I remember how chilling it was when they put "several strong tornadoes with one or two violent tornadoes" and the 45% risk. In hindsight even then that was still very under forecasted.
 

Equus

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Yeah, the thought that even wording that strong was still nowhere near what happened (we had what, 11 or more violent tors overall across 4 states?) is hard to fathom. I mean from 2003 until March 2007 there weren't even any F3 tornadoes in AL; it was a shock to the system to have so many far stronger than that so quickly. Or even literally on the ground at the same time.
 

Mike S

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I have the you tube radar loop on one window tab with the thread on another...glad I have the time to do this today because there was so much I missed because of TV duties...can't see the "forest for the trees" situation.

I worked that day and by the time I got home power was out for several days, so I never really saw the day of stuff or the few days after. I've skimmed through the thread a time or two but this is the first time I'm actually reading the 4/27 posts.
 

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KoD

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Things are ramping up now.. I haven't missed a single post. It's making my heart race reading it all again play by play.
 
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