V-Blog: MB/IA Tornado Photos, Flooding

This photo, taken yesterday by the Associated Press,* is the most beautiful Canadian tornado photo I've ever seen.

A tornado touches down near Elie, Manitoba [Google Map] on Friday June 22, 2007. At least four homes were destroyed and several others damaged Friday night after tornado hit a small town west of Winnipeg. There were no reports of injuries, but a ground search was underway to make sure everyone was accounted for. Environment Canada meteorologist David Wray said the weather office received three reports of tornadoes touching down on Friday night - one west of Portage La Prairie, another in Elie, and a third in the Carman area. (AP PHOTO/Wayne Hanna)

Meanwhile here in the U.S., two tornado reports were submitted by citizens in Norwalk [Google Map] and Cumming, Iowa, near Des Moines. Tune in to my video blog below for an analysis of the radars. The radar loops are really interesting, especially the storm-relative velocity which is shown below. You can download hi-resolution versions of the radar loops from this address.

Here's a photo of the damage:

A storm-damaged house sits in rural Norwalk, Iowa, Friday, June 22, 2007. A tornado was spotted in the town earlier in the afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. No major injuries were reported by early Friday evening, officials said. (AP Photo/Kevin Sanders)

Two-inch-diameter hail and winds to 73 mph were also reported in North Dakota and Nebraska. Flooding was reported across the eastern part of the state and some roads were closed due to both the tornado and the heavy rains. The DesMoinesRegister has more information and a couple of photos. Some parts of eastern Iowa and western Illinois reported over 6 inches of rain according to Doppler estimates.

The United States gets a break today, with no severe thunderstorm risk issued by The SPC [JessePedia]. That's the first time I've seen that for a while. [They do say], however, "CONVECTIVE INITIATION [WILL BE LIMITED] TO A SMALL AREA IMMEDIATELY E/NE OF THE SURFACE LOW IN SERN SASKATCHEWAN AND SWRN MANITOBA THROUGH MUCH OF THE AFTERNOON...WHERE TORNADIC SUPERCELLS WILL BE POSSIBLE. THE NRN ND AREA WILL CONTINUE TO BE MONITORED FOR A POSSIBLE UPGRADE LATER TODAY."

*Displayed through exclusive agreement with Associated Press, not for redistribution. Did you know? AccuWeather helps the AP sell the AP Photo Archive to schools and universities worldwide.