Massachusetts Tornadoes Kill at least 4

Deadly tornadoes spawned by extreme weather in western Massachusetts kill at least 4

Massachusetts Governor said one person was killed in Springfield (about 40 others were injured), two in Westfield and one in Brimfield, as he declared a state of emergency Wednesday evening and called for 1,000 National Guard to assist with cleanup.

The rare tornadoes left a trail of devastation across 24 towns, destroying roofs, damaging structure, uprooting trees and power lines.

At least 18 tornadoes were reported on Wednesday in Massachusetts, Kansas, Nebraska and California.

Tornado, Hail and Severe Weather Map for June 1 (Preliminary reports)

Some 364 severe weather reports received by SPC on June 1 included 17 tornado sightings in 4 states, as of posting.

A tornado watch is in effect in the Boston area until 11:00pm EDT June 1, with heavy showers and thunderstorms expected, NWS said, adding that the region was also under “threat of large hail and damaging wind.”

A child runs for cover  following a tornado touchdown in Springfield, Mass., Wednesday, June 1, 2011 (Photo Credit: Don Treeger/ via Springfield Republican)

GOES Eastern US SECTOR Infrared Image

Eastern Conus Sector (Infrared Channel).  Click image to enlarge.

Click image to enlarge. Animate this image (download size: about 3.5 MB). Source: SSEC.

Flooding News

North Dakota, Nebraska rivers reaching long-standing record stage levels

US Flood Map. Source: NWS

The Lower Mississippi River was still swollen on June 1, 2011, when MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this false-color image. Source: NASA-EO. Click image to enlarge. Download largest image (11 MB, JPEG)  

Weather Forecast Maps May 31 – June 2

Political Manipulation of Joplin Tornado Deaths Continue

Meanwhile, the Missouri Department of Public Safety, which has taken over the Joplin tornado deaths investigation, has once again diluted the fatality figures. The Department said on Wednesday that it had counted only 134 sets of human remains. “On Tuesday, the department reported that 146 sets of human remains, some from dismembered bodies, had been recovered.”

FIRE-EARTH believes that such heavy-handed political manipulation of the statistics by the government is a clear and desperate attempt to deny the human factor in the exponentially increasing impact of climate change by way of associating the worst disasters with the past.

However, looming Mega Disasters (forecasts are based on FIRE-EARTH and EDRO dynamic models) will shatter ALL historical records by such massive margins that the politicians could no longer fabricate or fiddle the stats.

Joplin Tornado Track. False-color Satellite image of the deadly EF-5 tornado track taken by ASTER on NASA’s Terra satellite on May 30, 2011. Click image to enlarge. Download largest image (2 MB, JPEG) 

Related Links

• Tornado Alley Maps for June

Update at 12:35UTC on June 2, 2011

Joplin Tornado Death Toll Mounting

State Authorities Have Trouble Counting?

Missouri state officials said they had positively identified 142 sets of human remains Saturday.

But that was early Saturday. Just a few hours later they changed their minds and revised the figure down to 139,  a report said.

A week has now passed since the deadly EF-5 tornado struck Joplin, Missouri, destroying much of the city.

Other Details

• The youngest victim:  aged 1
• The eldest victim:  92
• Total of 73 deceased persons from the Joplin tornado have been identified and their next-of-kin notified
• Still missing: 100 (down from 1,500), 9 victims confirmed deceased as reported by family.
• Names of deceased persons are listed HERE
• Will Norton: Sadly confirmed dead.
• Joplin Tornado is probably the deadliest single tornado in the US history.

The 25 Deadliest U.S. Tornadoes

Data Source: Storm Prediction Center. Tabulation: FIRE-EARTH. *Joplin tornado death toll is preliminary, many are still missing.
NOTES:
1. “Having happened before the era of comprehensive damage surveys, some of these events may have been composed of multiple tornadoes along a damage path. Death counts for events in the 1800s and early 1900s should be treated as estimates since recordkeeping of tornado deaths was erratic back then.” SPC said on its website.
2. Modern recordkeeping did NOT began until 1950.

Deadliest Tornado Years in US History
(Official NOAA-NWS Record: 1950 – present; Research by Grazulis: 1875-1949)
Year     Fatalities
1925     794
1936     552
1917     551
1927     540
1896     537
2011   519  (139  in Joplin, as of Saturday May 28, 2011)
1953     519
1920     499
1908     477
1909     404
1932     394
1942     384
1924     376
1974     366
1933     362
*Joplin information is preliminary.

Other Tornado Stats [Missourificated?]

• On May 24, 2011, deadly tornadoes claimed 18 lives in Oklahoma (10), Kansas (2), and Arkansas (6).
• On May 26, 2011, deadly storms/tornadoes killed 3 people in Atlanta, Georgia.
• The Marion County long-track EF5 of 27 April 2011 killed 78 people.
• So far an estimated 323 tornadoes have occurred during May 2011 (3-year average: 322; decadal average: 298).
• YTD total: 1,364 tornadoes (full year decadal average: 1,274).
• April 2011 set a new record for the month with 875 tornadoes.
• NWS records indicate 361 people were killed in April 2011, including 321 during the April 25-28 tornado outbreak, NOAA said.

Related Links

• Joplin Tornado – May 28 Update
• 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