High Risk Extended, Blizzard Conditions
StormMatrix Stats Box (LIVE):
Below is my first attempt at a video blog; please accept my apologies if the video is dark, the sound is bad, or it doesn't work at all. More about the story behind this technology later tonight or tomorrow.
Here is a shot of the massive storm system from AccuWeather.com RadarPlus:
NOON:The SPC [JessePedia] has extended the high risk area to the east to cover most of Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. High risk areas from the SPC are rare in general (3-4 days per year?) and usually cover small areas.
Another Particularly Dangerous Situation Tornado Watch has been issued to the east of the earlier one. A total of 5 Tornado Watches are now in effect, as far north as Central Illinois, with a Severe Thunderstorm Watch to the north of that. Literally hundreds of storms have developed across the entire Southeast and Mississippi Valley; over 60 Severe Thunderstorm Warnings have been issued since sunrise.
One person was killed when two gas stations were damaged this morning in Howell County, Missouri (CNN). This after last night's damage in Blue Mound, KS, shown below. Since then, the tornado reports have been eerily calm.
Neighbors Amy Todd, right, and David Eastwood salvage items from the wreckage of the home of David and Claudia Matthes near Blue Mound, Kan. Thursday, March 1, 2007. David Matthes was not injured after a tornado destroyed his home and out buildings Wednesday night. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Meanwhile in Iowa: Blizzard conditions. Clarinda, Iowa (thanks Henry) was gusting to 60 knots (69 mph) with snow at noon. Up to a foot of snow had fallen in Iowa , Nebraska and South Dakota by this morning. There is lightning with the snow and sleet in northeast Iowa and southeast Wisconsin. In the images below, lightning strikes over the last 2 hours are shown as yellow and white dots or squares.
Here are some of those high dewpoints that are helping to fuel the storms northward:
