March 2, 2012: Largest Tornado Outbreak on Record?

I am praying for those in the paths of these storms.

The Weather Channel is already asking in their headline...

Largest Outbreak on Record?

Video from Henryville, Ind., after the tornado struck.

One of the most destructive tornado outbreaks for early March raked across the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys Friday March 2.

According to our Tornado Expert Dr. Greg Forbes, Friday's outbreak has the potential to be the largest on record for the month of March. The existing record for this month is 74 tornadoes in the outbreak of March 11-13, 2006.

As of Saturday morning, there were around 95 reports of tornadoes in at least 10 states from Mississippi to Ohio. Keep in mind tornado reports will be consolidated when damage surveys are done, so these numbers will likely be revised downward.

Alabama



West Liberty



Henryville, Ind.





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More pics from local coverage of the destruction in southern Indiana/northern Kentucky.



Henryville High School area...

Thankfully, all of the students were accounted for.

"Praise the Lord. Nobody had a scratch."

You can't say that about the school, though. Most of the building was ripped to shreds just like the countless homes in the twister’s path.

Wow. All students accounted for.

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Video out of Pekin, Indiana

I believe it scores as the top in my living memory for sheer area affected, if nothing else. No one in Missouri here is a stranger to tornadoes, of course.. We get our share, as Joplin showed..but these poor people across HOW many states?? They have a few Joplins to deal with at once. I can't imagine.......

I sure hope everyone isn't entirely tapped out for the giving and helping our fellow Americans will desperately need in the coming weeks and more. I still see Joplin people running ads in Craigslist here for family clothes..basic kitchen items..anything and everything a house needs to exist. It's been how long now?? These folks will sure need whatever can be given for help, for quite some time..I'm thinking.

My prayers sure include them.

Wow... how traumatizing this must be to be caught up in the middle of all that

The scary part is that it's only March. The peak for tornadoes is May.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Actually, my Mom called last night from Joplin, and she said a lot of people from Joplin had already arrived in Indiana to help! I guess after all the wonderful outpouring they received, they were eager to return the favor.

Sadly, the list of fatalities and injuries continues to grow and there are reports of lost communication is several hard-hit areas, for which news is still not available.

The storms have resulted in at least 31 fatalities.[1] It is the deadliest US tornado outbreak in March since at least the 1994 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak, which killed 40.

Tornadoes began early; shortly after 10:00 am CST, an intense tornado north of Huntsville, Alabama resulted in severe damage to houses and heavily damaged a high school. A long-lived tornadic supercell also formed just north of the Ohio River that afternoon, resulting in extreme damage to numerous communities in southern Indiana, including Marysville and Henryville.[4] At around 6:00 pm EDT, a likely violent tornado slammed into West Liberty, Kentucky with catastrophic damage reported. By 8:20 pm EDT, the Weather Channel was posting that 76 tornadoes had been reported, and the outbreak was not yet over.

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i think it's just the largest for March. here's the data for all the outbreaks:

en.wikipedia.org...

even if it isn't the largest it's still a warning for a bumpy spring. i'm nervous already!!!

Originally posted by getreadyalready
reply to post by Wrabbit2000

 

Actually, my Mom called last night from Joplin, and she said a lot of people from Joplin had already arrived in Indiana to help! I guess after all the wonderful outpouring they received, they were eager to return the favor.

That is touching to hear. Joplin is still a long way from anything like normal. Isn't that just what makes America so great though? Politicians may fight like it's a sport...but normal folk seem to find a way to pull together without asking party affiliation first...when it counts.

I'm no fearmonger and I'm pretty damn rational but.....somethings up! Things are ramping up this year in most natural disaster categories, actually it's been ramping up the past couple of years. Is there anything to the 2012 deal? Probably not, but regardless I'm buckling myself in for a wild ride!!!

reply to post by DancedWithWolves


If the unusually warm winter is any indication I think that storms in general are only going to get more and more severe.

reply to post by DancedWithWolves


Prayers for ALL those affected by this.

Too many Tornadoes to fathom actually....

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Nevermind.