Anniversary of Upper Midwest Derecho

[DetectiveWX]

Everybody in the weather enterprise was weary coming off the horrific Mid-South outbreak 5 days earlier when another monster storm targeted the Plains/Upper Midwest. Ended up being the 1st derecho in Dec. history.

2nd image was where the wildfires broke out in KS in the dry slot.

A shame this event isn't talked about as much given what happened 5 days earlier in the Mid-South, but historic nonetheless.

 

[buckeye05]

Even though this event is mainly remembered as a derecho, it was also the most prolific December tornado outbreak ever documented, with 120 confirmed tornadoes. None exceeded EF2 strength (though I feel a case for EF3 could be made for the first Neilsville, WI tornado), but 33 EF2s in one day is pretty remarkable. One of the most interesting and anomalous severe weather events ever, but is overshadowed by what happened a few days prior.

 

[Tennie]

Even though this event is mainly remembered as a derecho, it was also the most prolific December tornado outbreak ever documented, with 120 confirmed tornadoes. None exceeded EF2 strength (though I feel a case for EF3 could be made for the first Neilsville, WI tornado), but 33 EF2s in one day is pretty remarkable. One of the most interesting and anomalous severe weather events ever, but is overshadowed by what happened a few days prior.

Not to mention it also saw some of the fastest forward-moving tornado speeds ever seen (such as the Bayard, IA, EF2 tornado, which was found to have moved at around 102 MPH!).

 

[CheeselandSkies]

Not to mention it also saw some of the fastest forward-moving tornado speeds ever seen (such as the Bayard, IA, EF2 tornado, which was found to have moved at around 102 MPH!).

That is pretty remarkable for a tornado not roping out and being accelerated around the periphery of the next cycle's tornado cyclone (as happened at Pilger when one of the EF4s was clocked at around 90 MPH as it roped out and rotated around the next one).