Posted on 05/24/2025 3:55:03 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Heh, an interesting topic, especially as I made a slight detour on a trip back home, today, to view the spot where the EF-4 Marion, IL tornado of May 16 crossed I-57. (It was (actually a strong EF-3, NWS says, where it crossed I-57 — the EF-4 phase occurred shortly thereafter.)
This one was “different” as it was very intense damage in a quite narrow path - I’d estimate a width well under 500 ft. Usually the strong tornadoes are bigger. Earlier I also followed the tornado’s path west of IL-148, where for several miles where it was mostly an EF-2 or so, paralleling “Grassy Road, luckily missing most of the scattered buildings. Not so lucky were people on the East side of I-57, esp. where the tornado did get larger and even stronger (EF-4, briefly).
Another unusual facet of this tornado was it’s forward speed, reportedly 80 mph at some points. Yikes!
The article / researchers hypothesis is that the smoothness of the Gulf’s surface allows the winds to form more potently, I suppose one could say, than if the Gulf were a hilly or even a forested region. They then point to potential changes due to reforestation efforts in the Eastern USA as having possible effects. Which I find “interesting”, as these reforestation efforts have been going on a long time, and “tornado alley” has moved... East...
I forgot to mention in my last post that the article fails to state what sort of land was modelled as replacing the Gulf of America. (eye roll)
The reason is the mountain ranges with the Rockies in the west and the Appalachians in the east and the Mississippi valley and cold air from Canada and warm air from the gulf.
Whirlwind eddies occurs and tornadoes are a result and also straight line winds, example is the boundary waters canoe area in Minnesota in 2009 where over 1 million trees were blown down over nearly 500,000 acres.
You’re entitled to your opinion.
Woo.
Glad to hear you weren’t there at the time. I enjoy watching the vids the funnel chasers take, but I’m not a joiner. :^)
Well the article does support that as well, because all the data they claim they got through the models involved flattening the landscape.
The articles is just looking for attention by claiming that something new was discovered.
It wasn’t. Flat, unimpeded geography and a mixing of very warm, moist air from the south with very cold, dry polar air, WILL result in much atmospheric instability that takes little to kickstart it into severe thunderstorms.= which is why the spring is peak tornado season. There’s the greatest temperature and humidity variation.
Having been in the basement of a fairly sturdy brick home that was damaged by a tornado to the point of needing a complete above-ground-level rebuild (back when I was 10 y/o)...
Weather fascinates me, but I don’t go chasing after twisters!
Except... As a teen I’d have bizarre dreams of a tornado passing our rebuilt house (which we no longer lived at) and I’d get on a TRICYCLE to chase the storm!
(I try not to analyze it too much!)
Thank you!
First thing I noticed.
Made all else written to be bad pudding. (Reading all of the john Gould collection)
They are comparing apples and oranges. Europe and the United States have different geography and most of Europe is at a higher longitudes then the US.
I think the warm air from the south and the cold air from the north flowing over wide open plain would be the ideal condition to create tornados. Those conditions don’t exist in Europe (to the scale they do in the US).
As with any computer program, garbage in gets garbage out. They need to look at all the variables they used in the model.
This is series, what should I do?
—
Keep your eyes closed so they cannot escape!
I’d wager a lot of the moisture comes from the Pacific - no idea why taking the Gulf away would move them eastward though.
But - who trusts their “models”.....
This is a pretty prophetic nation, so some sowing the wind and reaping the whirlwind can be expected.
Meteorologists have hypothesized
Mountains on the west coast and mountains on the east coast and warm air moist air from the gulf yep that would do it.
Duh
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