Wild Weather, Tornadoes Hit Mid-Atlantic States

Few Tornadoes, Record Low Number of Deaths Over Past Year

May 102013

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NORMAN, Okla.) — Just two years after the worst 12 month period for EF1 or stronger tornados in U.S. history, the country got a big break, as new research from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows that last year saw a record low number of severe twisters.

From May 2010 to April 2011, the United States was hit by over 1,000 big tornados, causing more than 535 deaths. The most recent period, from May of last year until this past April, saw only seven tornado fatalities, and less than 200 tornadoes recorded.

According to Harold Brooks, a scientist with the National Severe Storm Lab in Norman, Oklah., it’s “the fewest number of tornado fatalities in a 12 month period since the 19th century.”

Scientists have data about tornados and tornado-related deaths going back to 1954.

Why has the nation been so lucky on this front compared to two years ago? Experts say that a hot summer and a cold winter are factors.

“In the summer-time, when it’s very hot, what we tend to have is the jet-stream is located far north into Canada, and it tends to be very dry at the surface, that’s why we have droughts,” explained Brooks. “When the jet-stream is that far north, the change in the winds with height is weak over the middle part of the country and so none of the ingredients come together to produce the kinds of environments we want to have for tornadoes.”

Severe Weather Spawns over 30 Tornado Reports Across South

Dec 262012

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Severe Christmas Day weather tore across the deep South, creating 34 possible tornadoes and killing at least three people.

The storm first pounded Texas, then touched down in Louisiana and blasted through homes in Mississippi. In Mobile, Ala., a wide funnel cloud barreled across the city as lightning flashed inside.

Bill Bunting with the National Weather Service’s Severe Storms Prediction Center said that the damage may not yet be done.

“Conditions don’t look quite as volatile over a large area as we saw on Christmas Day but there will be a risk of tornadoes, some of them could be rather strong, across eastern portions of North Carolina and the northeastern part of South Carolina,” he said.

Across the Gulf region, from Texas to Florida, over 280,000 customers are still without power, with 100,000 without power in Little Rock, Ark., alone.

Meanwhile, at least eight states were also placed under blizzard warnings on Tuesday, as the storms made highways dangerously slick heading into one of the busiest travel days of the year.

Tuesday’s extreme weather even caused an eight-foot-deep sinkhole in Vicksburg, Miss.

Alma Jackson told ABC News that a concrete tank that was in her backyard fell into the sinkhole. “It’s really very disturbing,” she said. “Because it’s on Christmas day, and then to see this big hole in the ground and not have any explanation, and not be able to cover it. And the rain is pouring down.”

The last time a number of tornadoes hit the Gulf Coast area around Christmas Day was in 2009, when 22 tornadoes struck on Christmas Eve morning, National Weather Service spokesman Chris Vaccaro told ABC News in an email.

The deadliest Christmastime tornado outbreak on record was Dec. 24 through 26, 1982, when 29 tornadoes in Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi killed three people and injured 32.

The last killer tornado around Christmas, Vaccaro said, was a Christmas Eve EF4 in Tennessee in 1988, which killed one person and injured seven. EF4 tornadoes can produce winds up to 200 mph.

Snow Storm Threatens Post-Christmas Travel

Dec 242012

ABC News(NEW YORK) — A huge storm that dumped heavy snow and rain on the West Coast is expected to move east and could spoil travel plans for people looking to return home the day after Christmas, which is considered one of the busiest travel days.

The storm is forecast to move east over the next few days and drop snow in Oklahoma starting Monday before finishing up in the Northeast sometime Wednesday.

The Midwest will be covered with snow by Wednesday, likely causing delays at major airports in cities including Cleveland, Detroit, St. Louis and Chicago just in time for post-Christmas travel, when millions of Americans will be on the move.

Snow could arrive in the Northeast by Thursday, dropping 1-3 inches over parts of New England.

In Syracuse, N.Y., plows are working overtime, dealing with two consecutive days of snow this weekend during the city’s first snowstorm of the season. As the city continues to dig out, all eyes are watching the storm roll in from the west.

Torrential rain and heavy winds have also caused trouble for California’s Bay Area over the weekend, which has seen severe flooding, power outages and delays for those planning to fly out for the holidays.

More than 400 flights were canceled on Sunday at San Francisco International Airport. Travelers had to deal with more than 200 cancellations on Saturday.

So far this month, San Francisco has gotten almost five inches of rain — almost twice as much as the area gets for the entire month of December.

Severe snow and rain are not the only issues facing Americans looking to get home before the New Year. Several states in the Gulf of Mexico, all the way from Houston to Raleigh, N.C., are bracing for possible tornadoes starting on Monday and lasting until Wednesday.

The biggest chance for tornadoes will be Tuesday from Houston to New Orleans to Birmingham, Ala., and Atlanta.

AAA predicts 93.3 million people will travel more than 50 miles this holiday season, from Saturday, Dec. 22, through New Year’s Day. That’s a 1.6 percent increase from last year.

Christmas is the third-busiest holiday for travelers, after Memorial Day and Thanksgiving. AAA is urging drivers to leave earlier or later to dodge bad weather.

Severe Winter Weather Upends Holiday Travel Plans

Dec 212012

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Snow, wind and rain have disrupted holiday travel plans across the Midwest, South and Northeast over the past two days, prompting reports of 200 severe weather incidents and four tornadoes.

Lashing winds and blowing snow stretched from Nebraska to Michigan overnight, shutting down major highways across the region as drivers struggled to stay on the road. At least 1,000 accidents have been reported, with one north of Des Moines, Iowa, where at least 25 vehicles slammed into each other. There were so many accidents in Iowa that the National Guard was called in to help motorists, including pre-teen Isaac Wilson.

“The U.S. Army came and put us in this really fancy truck, and we got blankets and snacks and drove all the way here,” Wilson of Millard, Iowa, told ABC News.

Two tornadoes reportedly touched down in Arkansas, while one was reported in Alabama and another in Florida. The most significant damage was from a tornado in Mobile, Ala., with winds of 86 to 110 mph and a path length of 7 miles.

Severe storms have moved off shore on Friday and the Southeast and the Gulf Coast are expected to dry out.

Up to 20 inches of snow fell in Madison, Wis., while up to 14 inches fell in Iowa. Madison, Dubuque, Iowa, and Des Moines all had daily record snowfall on Thursday. The University of Wisconsin cancelled some final exams.

In Chicago, the rain finally changed to snow, but the precipitation has almost ended, so less than a half an inch of snow has accumulated at O’Hare Airport. Still, there were 600 flight cancellations reported on Thursday, as people struggle with pre-Christmas travel.

Snow is coming to an end in Chicago, and most of the Midwest. A few more inches are still possible for Indianapolis, Detroit, Cleveland and Pittsburgh.

Thirteen states from Iowa to Maine are under winter weather watches, warnings and advisories.

In the Northeast, high-wind warnings have been posted for major cities, from Washington, D.C., to New York and Boston, with some minor damage and power outages possible.

Wild Weather, Tornadoes Hit Mid-Atlantic States

Jun 012012

Hemera/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Rare Tornado warnings were up most of Friday in and around Washington, D.C., with heavy winds and rain pounding the mid-Atlantic states for most of the day.

A possible tornado has touched down in Fallston, Md., a senior Maryland state official tells ABC News. Except for reports that one building has collapsed, the official says damage from the tornado was not particularly devasting.

Harford County had seen the most significant weather, but a total of six Maryland counties reported possible tornadic activity. There have also been reports of tornadoes in Raleigh Terrace, Va., at Baltimore-Washington International Airport, as well as storm damage in Merrimac Shores, Va.

The Harford County Fire EMS told ABC News affiliate WJLA that two dozen buildings, both residential and commercial, were severely damaged in Friday’s wild storms. Tree tops were wiped out, and at least two people were injured when the roof of a car dealership collapsed. One of the injured was taken to the local hospital, the other was taken to a Baltimore shock trauma unit.

Tornado watches remain in effect through midnight ET from Pennsylvania through Maryland. Damaging winds are likely from around Pittsburg to Washington, D.C. to Richmond, Va., and Raleigh and Charlotte in North Carolina. Saturday those areas can expect possible flash flooding after the rain subsides.

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