VIDEO: F-5 Tornado Amazingly Hovered In One Spot For Nearly An Hour!

 

 

Nature has the endless capacity to continuously serve up surprises. Scientists and meteorologists are speechless about the F-5 tornado that basically stay in one spot for almost an hour near Bennington, Kansas. The Capital Weather Gang Reports:

“I have never seen such a stationary tornado, especially not for so long and for such a violent tornado,” said Joshua Wurman, a meteorologist at the Center for Severe Weather Research. “The tornado is moving less than 2 mph for a while, and changes direction, dwelling over the same areas for a long time.”

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Given its non-movement, it’s extraordinarily fortunate the Bennington tornado formed and remained over farmland during its life cycle.

Wurman and his team, who were chasing the storm, clocked a wind gust of 247 mph using their mobile doppler radar unit, known as Doppler on Wheels (DOW).

“There was about a 2.5 km region (1.5 mile diameter) with winds of 100 mph or more,” Wurman said. “If this were moving, say, 2 mph, it would mean 45 minutes of 100 mph winds.”

VIDEO: Extraordinary Video Of Flash Flood In Illinois!

 

 

 

In Galesburg, Illinois an amazing three inches plus of rain fell in less than hour. It created a massive flash flood within minutes. Take a look at this video taken at Carl Sandburg College and experience what it must have been like for the people in this town. (The action starts about 35 seconds into it)!

Dr Jeff Masters: Why This Is Going To Be A Brutal Hurricane Season

 

 

 

Severe weather expert Dr. Jeff Master's in his "Wunderblog" explains why this is going to be one of the roughest hurricane seasons since perhaps 2005. Other experts are saying that there is a 50% chance that the East Coast (including Florida) will have a major hurricane this year with sustained winds (higher gusts) of over 111 mph!

In fact they are predicting that this year there will be four to five 'intense hurricanes' with winds above Cat 3 status!

Dr Masters says these conditions are why this season will be a brutal one:

1) Above-average sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are expected in the hurricane Main Development Region (MDR), from the Caribbean to the coast of Africa between between 10°N and 20°N. SSTs in the MDR during April were 0.4°C above average, and were 0.33°C above the oceans in the remainder of the global tropics. Long-range seasonal computer model forecasts predict a continuation of above-average SSTs in the MDR during much of hurricane season.

2) We are in an active period of hurricane activity that began in 1995, thanks to a natural decades-long cycle in hurricane activity called the Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation (AMO).

3) No El Niño event is expected this year. El Niño events tend to suppress Atlantic hurricane activity. Neutral conditions have been present since last summer, and are predicted to remain neutral through hurricane season by most of the El Niño computer forecast models.

NOAA said, "This combination of climate factors historically produces above-normal Atlantic hurricane seasons. The 2013 hurricane season could see activity comparable to some of the very active seasons since 1995."

America Has Had Nine Tornados With A Billion In Damage; Oklahoma Is At Number 3!

 

 

The statistics keep rolling in with the Moore, Oklahoma tornado. The F-5 storm is one of the strongest to have hit the nation. Dr. Jeff Master's says that the nation has had nine tornados that have caused a billion dollars in damage. Ironically, two of them were in Moore.

1) Joplin, Missouri, May 22, 2011, $2.9 billion

2) Tuscaloosa, Alabama, April 27, 2011, $2.3 billion (not in SPC's list)

3) Moore, Oklahoma, May 20, 2013, $2 billion

4) Topeka, Kansas, June 8, 1966, $1.8 billion

5) Lubbock, Texas, May 11, 1970, $1.5 billion

6) Bridge Creek-Moore, Oklahoma, May 3, 1999, $1.4 billion

7) Hackleburg, Alabama, April 27, 2011, $1.3 billion (not in SPC's list)

8) Xenia, Ohio, April 3, 1974, $1.1 billion

9) Omaha, Nebraska, May 6, 1975, $1 billion

PHOTOJOURNALISM: Incredible Photographs From Oklahoma

 

 

As always, brave photojournalist act as our eyes into the world. Dozens of extraordinary photographs are on Boston.com's Big Picture of the Oklahoma tornado disaster. This site carries the works of the best photojournalist in the business. The photograph above is an American Gothic for disasters.  Some of the works below find beauty in the middle of devastation.  Here are some of their best work.

YOU CAN SEE MORE, GET THE ALL IMPORTANT PHOTOGRAPHER CREDITS AND DESCRIPTIONS BY CLICKING HERE>>>>>

PHOTOJOURNALISM: The Horror Of Oklahoma Shown Through Photography

 

 

 

There really isn't much anyone can say anymore about the horror. As always, hard working photojournalists have captured this moment as a nation mourns and rallies to help its neighbors in Oklahoma. Click here for more photographs and photographer credits.

VIDEO: Joyful Moment Amid The Devastation As Elderly Woman Finds Her Dog

 

 

A CBS reporter was interviewing an elderly lady who lives alone with her dog. The tornado tore the dog out of her hands and she thought she had lost him for ever. This is a moving tape in the mist of utter devastation.

Terrifying NEW Video Of Oklahoma Tornado; Over 50 Dead

 

 

Plaza Tower Elementary School

Thousands of homes have been totally destroyed and the death toll has risen to over 50 people including some children at an elementary school. The tornado by size, distance and destructive power is one of the worst to hit the United States. Above is the picture of the Plaza Towers elementary school.

VIDEO: Two Videos Of Mile Wide, F-4 Oklahoma Tornado

 

 

 

The damage from this mile wide monster tornado is massive. Some long time observers describe it as the worse they have seen. Here is the first clear video of the tornado. It was hard to get clear shots because it was so massive and rain-wrapped.

Warning in second video you can hear people cry for help.  Just click on the second one to start it.

VIDEO: Jim Cantore and Reed Timmer In Close Encounter With A Massive Tornado!

 

 

Yesterday saw well over two dozen tornado's hit across five states. Some towns, like Shawnee (Oklahoma), saw massive damage. Two of the weather communities most famous personalities and icons, the Weather Channel's Jim Cantore and Storm Chaser Reed Timmer, were in Oklahoma following the storm.

What resulted was this both terrifying and exciting video.