My folks are fine, but...

[vakkotaur]

Many places I knew are no longer there. There was a tornado (I'll take my folks word over the official non-reports of a "probable tornado" - they saw the thing.)

Their home property was, evidently, unaffected beyond the power outage and they're running a generator for now. Not that far away, the old Highway 51 Truckstop (it had ceased truckstop operation years ago when a bypass was built) is damaged if not gone. The auto dealer I bought my first car from is gone. Many buildings are damaged if they are still there at all. The area is a mess and likely will be for quite a while.

All this was just this evening. Last night there were storms in my area. From the reports I've heard (some from the spotters themselves) various bits of Iowa also aren't there any more. This morning I got an e-mail from my folks asking if things were OK here. This evening I got a call letting me know that they were OK. Not everything is OK, of course. I expect there will be more (bad) news.

Comments

[willowisp.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry.

[rdfox.livejournal.com]

It's completely unscientific, but based on the damage description in the paper there, I'd estimate EF1 or EF2 strength. (The only information from the local NWS office yet is 6:16 PM, Tornado, 3 S Merrill, reported by local emergency management, at Highway 51 and the Lincoln-Marathon county line.)

I can't really offer anything in solace other than knowing that it could have been--and was expected to be--far, far worse today, but the "cap" never broke, stalling out storm development.

[vakkotaur.livejournal.com]

That is interesting, but this occurred north of Merrill, so either it travelled a ways or it was two different, yet related, events.

[rdfox.livejournal.com]

Thus far, the Green Bay NWS office is useless, but here's a link to the best info I've yet found: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLdWXr5b0dI

Yeah, that's pretty bad.

[vakkotaur.livejournal.com]

the Green Bay NWS office is useless

Alas, that seems about normal. If some twit with a clipboard didn't see it, it isn't real. Reminds of the DNR folks who repeat "There are no $ANIMAL in Wisconsin" despite multiple reports from reputable people.. and then one guy finally trips over the animal and then it's, "Oh, I guess there is _one_."

I saw that video this morning. Glad to not be there for it.

[rdfox.livejournal.com]

I meant how they're terrible at posting information about storm damage surveys and such. Anyhow, here's the latest from them, cut and pasted directly from their site at http://www.crh.noaa.gov/product.php?site=grb&product=pns&issuedby=GRB&format=CI&version=1&glossary=0 :

AT LEAST SEVEN TORNADOES AFFECTED THE NWS GREEN BAY SERVICE AREA SUNDAY
EVENING.

HERE IS SOME PRELIMINARY INFORMATION ON FOUR OF THE TORNADOES. THIS
INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AFTER ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE IS REVIEWED.

...MERRILL...
TIME: AFTER 600 PM CDT /EXACT TIME TO BE DETERMINED/
AREA AFFECTED: APPROX 1 MILE NORTH OF HAMBURG TO NEAR GLEASON
STRENGTH: TO BE DETERMINED--AT LEAST EF2, POSSIBLY EF3
PATH LENGTH: UP TO 22 MILES
PATH WIDTH: UP TO 1/2 MILE WIDE
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: THE WORST DAMAGE...POSSIBLY EF3...OCCURRED
APPROXIMATELY AT 618 PM JUST NORTH OF THE MERRILL AIRPORT.

[pharwarner.livejournal.com]

I'm glad your folks are okay. The details are still not being fully given out here but it seems particularly bad.

I know from my own experience that what's said in these situations and what actually happens are two very different things. I track the damage on my way to work every morning from something that happened five years ago which "wasn't a tornado".

[vakkotaur.livejournal.com]

I recall hearing about "straight-line winds" years ago. My father flew over the affected area and figured that a lot of nonsense... how would straight-line winds set a swath of trees in a spiral pattern?

[temperlj.livejournal.com]

Glad your parents are okay but sad that some memories are now just that.

[vakkotaur.livejournal.com]

Many of those memories were already "just memories" so that part isn't a big deal, for me anyway.

[nefaria.livejournal.com]

I had a close call a few weeks ago, tornado touched down about 10 miles away from my house. My house got marble-sized hail and high winds, but I was on the way home from work and missed the worst of it.

I hope everyone was insured and that not many of the things that were lost are irreplaceable.

[vakkotaur.livejournal.com]

There are reports of damaged house and farm buildings, and Northern Wire is evidently not going to be going for a bit, which is bad. That, like the damage to farms, messes up people who actually make things who do more good for the economy than many seem willing to realize.

[rdfox.livejournal.com]

Finally getting some good updates. http://www.crh.noaa.gov/grb/?n=110410_tornadoes and http://www.webcitation.org/5xtA0CbT6 and http://www.webcitation.org/5xtQRuflM and http://www.webcitation.org/5xtAGayUv