Typhoon SONGDA Targets Ryukyu Islands, Okinawa

SONGDA Downgraded to Cat 3B on FEWW New Hurricane Scale

Typhoon SONGDA could make a direct hit on the tiny volcanic island [and popular holiday resort] of Miyakojima (Pop: 56,000; area: ~ 160 km²; position: 24°46′N 125°19′E.)

Current Details

• Date and Time   May 28, 2011 at 05:50UTC
• Position:  Near 24.1N 124.4E
• Location: About 530 km SW of Kadena, Okinawa
• Movement over the past 6 hours:  NNE
• Forward Speed: 28km/hr (15 KTS)

Current Wind Distribution:

• Max sustained winds: ~ 193 km/hr (104 KTS) – [Cat 3B storm on FEWW New Hurricane Scale]
• Max wind gusts: 235 km/hr (127 KT)
• Max significant wave height: 11.3m (37feet)
• Source: FIRE-EARTH estimates based on data provided by JTWC and others.

Typhoon SONGDA – VIS/IR satellite image – 4km res. Source: CIMSS. [NOTE: locations show on the map are approximate, and used for reference only.]

Typhoon SONGDA – IR satellite image  (BD  Enhancement) – 2km res. Source: CIMSS. Click images to enlarge.

Map of Miyakojima Island with the position of Typhoon SONGDA shown at 04:00UTC on May 28, 2011. Source: Digital Typhoon. Map enhanced by FIRE-EARTH.

Related Links

• Super Typhoon SONGDA Saunters NW
• Super Typhoon SONGDA
• Satellite Imagery
• 2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season: AAA
• FEWW New Hurricane Scale

Loops/Animations (MTSAT/NOAA/SSD)

• Northwest Pacific – Water Vapor
• Northwest Pacific – Visible
• Northwest Pacific – Visible (Colorized)
• Northwest Pacific – Infrared
• Northwest Pacific IR (Aviation Color Enhancement)

Digital Typhoon Animations

• Last 24 Hours : MPEG / WMV
• Last 120 Hours : MPEG / WMV
• Last 240 Hours : MPEG / WMV

Joplin Tornado – May 28 Update

Joplin tornado death toll climbs to 132

Death toll from the devastating EF-5 tornado that struck Joplin on May 22 has risen to 132, after the remains of 6 more victims were identified, according to Joplin City Manager.

The twister, the deadliest single tornado to strike in the United States in 64 years, has also injured about 1,000 people.

Meanwhile, the officials said the number of people uncounted for had dropped to 156 [the number of missing was previously stated at about 1,500.]

Official  also said the remains of only 19 of the victims had so far been identified and released to families, a report said.

“Many of the bodies are in such poor condition that officials said they are using fingerprints, medical records, distinctive tattoos, DNA and other methods to identify them.”

Joplin Tornado Radar Animation

A supercell thunderstorm tracked from extreme southeast Kansas into far southwest Missouri (NWS Springfield, County Warning Area) late Sunday afternoon and evening (May 22nd).  This storm produced an EF-5 tornado over Joplin, Missouri resulting in devastating damage. This storm generated other tornadoes and wind damage along its path as it moved southeast across far southwest Missouri.  Spotty wind damage also occurred across the remainder of far southern Missouri as the storms moved east.  Additionally, these storms produced flash flooding across far southwest Missouri.  Image and caption: National Weather Service (NWS)

Frame by Frame Radar Sequence 

Selected frame shown at 22:39UTC on May 22, 2011. (L ) Radar Reflectivity  (R) Storm Relative Velocity. Source: NWS. Click image to enlarge.

Joplin tornado store receipt flew 525 miles to Indiana

Meanwhile a Purdue University storm researcher reported that “a receipt from a tire store in Joplin, Mo., turned up 525 miles away on a front porch in north-central Indiana, a record distance for apparent tornado debris to travel,” according to a report.

“This paper traveled more than twice as far as the longest distance recorded for debris from a storm,” according to a professor of earth and atmospheric sciences and tornado expert. “The previous record was a canceled check that traveled 210 miles after the 1915 tornado in Great Bend, Kan.” Said the report.

Joplin Tornado Satellite Images

Joplin, Missouri satellite image shows a small section of the city after it was devastated by a tornado on May 22, 2011. Source: NOAA. Cropped by FIRE-EARTH.

Joplin, Missouri satellite image after the city was devastated by a tornado on May 22, 2011. Source: NOAA. For high resolution image click HERE.

Tornado Fatalities in Georgia

At least three people were killed when a tornado with winds of up to 140 kilometers per hour touched down in Atlanta, Georgia, reports said.

 

Latest Weather Hazard Reports

• Red Flag Warning
• Severe Thunderstorm Warning
• River flooding returns to central Plains; expands on northern Missouri River
• Memorial Day holiday weekend forecasts for central United States

Related Links

• Severe Weather Update – May 27
• One Large Tornado Patch
• Major tornado outbreak forecast for southern Plains on Wednesday

• Tornado Death Toll in Joplin Reaches 116
• Tornado Death Toll Rises to 89 in Joplin, Missouri
• 2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season: AAA
• Mega Tornadoes to Bombard U-S Tornado Alley

2011 Disasters

• 2011 Much More Disastrous
• 2010 Disasters [Includes Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters: 2011 SIX TIMES MORE DISASTROUS THAN 2010
• 2011 Disaster Calendar

Other Tornado News

• NWS Confirms Tornado In Greensburg
• Tornado near Cressona is 2nd in Schuylkill County in 3 days  
• Possible tornado activity reported in Huntingdon County
• Wolf Creek nuke plant faulted for tornado preparedness  
• Tornado Confirmed In Franklin County