Massive tornado hits Joplin, MO.

[Ksyrup]

Looks like stuff is starting to build just west of OKC and headed that way, too.

[duckman]

Several large wedge tornadoes on the ground in western and central Oklahoma. One of the tornadoes is heading toward the town my son lives.

[duckman]

One of the tornadoes is causing a large "debris ball" on the radar. This is May 3, 1999 all over again.

[Scoobz0202]

Some deaths already confirmed in Oklahoma. Come on summertime already.

[Scarecrow]

Local news just reported that they are evacuating all the volunteers in Reading, KS (the other town flattened by a tornado) due to the potential of additional tornadoes tonight.

[MizzouCowboy]

Best of thoughts to those in Oklahoma and Kansas tonight, it looks like we are in for a long one.

It's been a couple of days here in Joplin and I think the shock of it all is finally starting to wear off for me. It's gonna be one helluva long road to recovery but it has began.

My daughter's house is within a block of the high school. You cannot imagine the fear I had seeing that devastation and trying to make my way to their house. I have no idea how anyone survived, every house in the area is flattened. Luckily my daughter was at work at the hospital that did not get hit, so she didn't have to go through that hell. Her husband jumped into the bathtub when he heard it coming, and walked out without a scratch. Basically the only walls standing on their house are the 4 bathroom walls. Simply amazing.

My mother in laws house is within 6 or 8 blocks north east of the high school. After reinspecting the damage I think it may be salvageable. 1/2 the roof gone, windows and doors blown in/out. Looks like the north wall is bowing in some. It is a brick house with half a basement, although she didn't have time to get to it. There is about 60 million trees down in her yard. Half her back yard was like a forest before the tornado.

Last I heard the death toll is at 122, with countless people still missing. The response to this storm has been amazing, rescue teams from KC, St. Louis, Arkansas, Kansas, and all throughout Missouri are here. Pretty awesome to see total strangers helping out so much.

[kcchief19]

The Joplin tornado is sounding like it may go down in history in more ways than one. It's now been upgraded to an EF-5, and they now also believe it was a multi-vortex tornado. Those are extremely rare. Several of the videos I've seen definitely make it appear that there were multiple vortices in Joplin.

Here's hoping the devastating storms forecast tonight and tomorrow don't materialize ... but so far it's not looking good. Oklahoma and Kansas look like they are going to get blistered with tornadoes during the next 12 to 24 hours.

[Ragone]

the okla city tornados look like they might be heading towards joplin.. dear lord this could be bad

[Lathum]

A girl my wife works with is from there. She told my wife a story today about a friend of a friend who was caught in his car with his son in the back seat. The tornado apparently came through and the father tried to grab the kid and the kid was sucked out of the seatbelt and through the sunroof and lost.

Horrific stuff.

[DeToxRox]

Apparently a tornado is heading towards Arlington Field. There's a Rangers game there tonight.

[DeToxRox]

[DeToxRox]

They're putting the people underneath the stadium. The Rangers VP of Communications say they have plenty of room to fit everyone.

[MizzouCowboy]

Tornado sirens going off in Joplin... taking cover now.

[DeToxRox]

[JPhillips]

Weather Channel just u[dated the radar and it looks like it's going to go north of Joplin.

[Lathum]

TWC reporting a tornado spotted just outside of Joplin

[JeeberDMack]

Looks like Carl Junction, where the in-laws live, is in the middle of it tonight...

[JeeberDMack]

Originally Posted by Lathum

A girl my wife works with is from there. She told my wife a story today about a friend of a friend who was caught in his car with his son in the back seat. The tornado apparently came through and the father tried to grab the kid and the kid was sucked out of the seatbelt and through the sunroof and lost.

Horrific stuff.

God, I can't imagine. I so hope it's not true...

[Autumn]

I saw a news article about the son and the sunroof. Some horrifying, horrifying stories coming out of this. I cannot fathom it.

[DeToxRox]

That is apparently hail from Norman.

It looks fake to me but with the way these storms have been, I can believe it being legit.

[JeeberD]

Originally Posted by Autumn

I saw a news article about the son and the sunroof. Some horrifying, horrifying stories coming out of this. I cannot fathom it.

Fuck, I can't get this out of my head. I'm not going to be able to sleep at all tonight...

Edit:

The family has been desperately struggling to find him ever since. They received news that he may have been alive at a hospital in Joplin, but that he was later moved.

"We heard that he was checked into the hospital, he was alive," Presslor told Anderson Cooper on CNN, adding that he was later transferred and they had received no word about him since.

Hopefully there's a happy ending to this story...

[CrimsonFox]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQnvxJZucds

and the guy went back the next day to film the aftermath in daylight....

Beerwall FTW!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-P4P68YyNM

[DeToxRox]

Weather reports are saying Denning, Arkansas was just leveled by a tornado.

[BillyPilgrim]

I work for the 911 center in Newton County (our center is about 20 miles south of Joplin) and the thing that is hardest is taking calls from people who can't find family members. People were being sent to Tulsa, to Parsons Kansas and a few others, and there are 12 triage centers set up holding injured people. Finding family is such a logistical nightmare, but the Red Cross is working on getting everyone accounted for. If anyone is looking or knows someone looking for a lost person, they can go to safeandwell.org, the Red Cross is entering names on there as they get them. They aren't all listed by a long shot, but we are getting there.

I don't want to get to personal with this, and I obviously can't disclose any details from work, but I wanted to tell somebody that when I moved away from Joplin when I was 19, I thought I would never come back, and after I came back I hated being here. After seeing the massive response of volunteers from all over the area (and the country) and seeing the men and women in public safety I work with every day spend 16-18 hours a day doing rescue and everything else, I don't think I'll ever leave here. I'm 30 years old and this is the first time I've ever realized what it means to have a sense of community. It's been terrible, but it's been amazing as well.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by Lathum

TWC reporting a tornado spotted just outside of Joplin

I was watching WC when this happened, and I thought it was interesting to see the difference between the "news people" and the "science guy" on this report. The anchors were all over this, as if they were hoping it would happen for the story of it all, and when they threw it to Dr. Forbes to show on radar, he basically said it was 10 miles north and the storm was going NE and it wasn't particularly close and wouldn't hit Joplin. Kinda threw cold water on the storyline.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Really nice gesture by the new Mizzou basketball staff. A game like this would be a huge boost to that community.

Mizzou’s Haith wants to play benefit exhibition in Joplin - KansasCity.com

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Goodness. Tornado on the ground in a heavily populated area of KC. No word on size yet.

[DeToxRox]

Pic from Joplin. Unreal.

[molson]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

The anchors were all over this, as if they were hoping it would happen for the story of it all

I'm getting that vibe a lot from the news and some the commentary.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

That was a bit exciting. Just spend the last 1.5 hours in a basement hallway. Tornado touched down briefly about a 1/2 mile from where I was. Needless to say, people paid a bit more attention to this round of tornadoes after the Joplin situation.

[Ksyrup]

Not looking forward to tonight. We are just on the eastern edge of the PDS Tornado Watch issued for western KY, meaning that some form of a watch will be issued further east and it's going to carry well into the night/morning. We are almost certain to see severe weather, and likely after dark.

[JediKooter]

Don't have much to add other than, stay safe and I hope that everything passes with minimal to no damage to people and property.

[Ragone]

I know i'm pretty close to mbbf.. and we barely got any rain at all.. and 0 wind.. very odd storm indeed.. it seems it split in half and rejoined to the north.. kearney got a bad tornado touchdown as well

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Holy geez. This truck driver likely needed a change of pants after this encounter with a tornado.

Tractor-Trailer Destroyed By Tornado

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Lots of damage in Sedalia, Missouri from a tornado. Police chief asking citizens to stay off the roads to allow emergency personnel into affected areas.

Edit: Tornado cut a path of damage nearly 1,000 feet wide.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Lots of damage in Sedalia, Missouri from a tornado. Police chief asking citizens to stay off the roads to allow emergency personnel into affected areas.

My mother grew up 60 miles to the southwest in Clinton and has mentioned going to Sedalia several times in her youth. So scary stuff for me to see it hit. Hope no one died.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

My mother grew up 60 miles to the southwest in Clinton and has mentioned going to Sedalia several times in her youth. So scary stuff for me to see it hit. Hope no one died.

No deaths thus far, but around 20 injured and in the hospital. Lots more basements in that town, but a trailer park was hit hard. That's going to be the bad spot obviously.

[RainMaker]

Watch the power lines.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7FE96PpAjY

[tarcone]

Im SW of St Louis. Lots of stuff happening. We are in a Tornado watch. The urban area is under a warning.
A storm will hit us shortly. Waiting for it now.

[CrimsonFox]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Watch the power lines.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7FE96PpAjY

That guy's crazy! And when he keeps calling it a maxitornado, I'm somewhat less scared of it. Makes me think "maxipads".

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

St. Louis area currently getting up to 4" hail. That's a big-ass piece of ice! It's even worse when it falls from 30,000 feet.

Pictures: St. Louis May 25 Storms - KTVI

[rowech]

Luckily no touchdown of anything but we just were in our tub with matress ready for the 1st time in 8 years at this house. Wish we had a basement right at that moment. 3" hail like crazy but somehow no tornado. Scary crap.

[tarcone]

Everything fired up east and south of me. Did see a little rotation above my house, but it didnt take. No hail. Mostly turned out to be a rain with some lightning event. Thanks goodness.

[MizzouRah]

They let the kids out an hour early.. thankfully just some rain.

[Butter]

My house, we got tiny hail. My boss, about 7 miles south or so, got hail so bad it cracked his windshield and dented the roof of his car. Luckily no major tornadoes here, but last night it looked like one might hit Xenia which has been the target of the 2 largest tornadoes in the area in the last 40 years.

Tornado sirens did go off, but I think it ended up being just due to what the radar looked like, but there was no touchdown or anything. I am glad we don't live in tornado alley.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Before and after panorama around Mercy Hospital........

http://beta.weather.com/outlook/weat...lin_2011-05-23

[rowech]

Originally Posted by Butter_of_69

My house, we got tiny hail. My boss, about 7 miles south or so, got hail so bad it cracked his windshield and dented the roof of his car. Luckily no major tornadoes here, but last night it looked like one might hit Xenia which has been the target of the 2 largest tornadoes in the area in the last 40 years.

Tornado sirens did go off, but I think it ended up being just due to what the radar looked like, but there was no touchdown or anything. I am glad we don't live in tornado alley.

That storm that was towards Xenia was the one that went through where we live. Wasn't a pretty one at all.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by Butter_of_69

My house, we got tiny hail. My boss, about 7 miles south or so, got hail so bad it cracked his windshield and dented the roof of his car. Luckily no major tornadoes here, but last night it looked like one might hit Xenia which has been the target of the 2 largest tornadoes in the area in the last 40 years.

Tornado sirens did go off, but I think it ended up being just due to what the radar looked like, but there was no touchdown or anything. I am glad we don't live in tornado alley.

Weather Service has declared a Tornado in Centerville.

Two things about Xenia...

Not sure whether you watch a local channel during weather but Brian Davis last night, as the strom was heading for Xenia, said "you folks in Xenia know what to do at this point" and I thought to myself how unreal it is that they always get hit by the tornadoes.

Second thing...have you ever heard the legend of how the Indians would not settle in the Xenia area, and instead called it "the land of the Devil's Wind?" Never ceases to amaze me.

[Butter]

A tornado touchdown for 200 yards with max. winds of 65 mph. Pretty wimpy tornado, but a tornado nonetheless.

Luckily it was not at the hospital, just very nearby. I drive that section of I-675 every day.

I was talking with someone about why Xenia always seems to get hit, and I was wondering if it has anything to do with how tornadoes usually form over flatter land, and how the area in Montgomery County is pretty densely populated and hilly, but it gets a bit flatter and the land more open towards Xenia so that it makes it more likely for one to form.

I know, I'm pretty much talking out of my ass there, but I'm with you. I am amazed how Xenia specifically seems to take the brunt of the severe storms. I am glad I don't live there... but I am in Kettering on the very Eastern edge... about a mile from the county line with Greene County, so I guess I like living on the edge.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by Butter_of_69

A tornado touchdown for 200 yards with max. winds of 65 mph. Pretty wimpy tornado, but a tornado nonetheless.

Luckily it was not at the hospital, just very nearby. I drive that section of I-675 every day.

I was talking with someone about why Xenia always seems to get hit, and I was wondering if it has anything to do with how tornadoes usually form over flatter land, and how the area in Montgomery County is pretty densely populated and hilly, but it gets a bit flatter and the land more open towards Xenia so that it makes it more likely for one to form.

I know, I'm pretty much talking out of my ass there, but I'm with you. I am amazed how Xenia specifically seems to take the brunt of the severe storms. I am glad I don't live there... but I am in Kettering on the very Eastern edge... about a mile from the county line with Greene County, so I guess I like living on the edge.

Wow...that really is a wimpy tornado. It was pretty close to where my wife's parents live. They had a broken window, two ripped out trees, and their siding pelted with hail so that it looks like Al Capone went to town on it with a Tommy Gun.