By Ryan Dernick
GCN Live.com
The seasons is in extremes and this 2011 Spring is staying true to being just that. Parts of Minnesota reported straight line winds equivalent to that of an EF-3 tornado or 125 m.p.h. or greater last Sunday with minor to moderate structural damage to houses and one death. Concurrently, most news outlets are reporting only 130 deaths on the May 23 severe weather outbreak, which spawned a now confirmed EF-5 which utterly decimated parts of Joplin, Missouri. Actually, 1,300 are still reported missing as families have taken it upon themselves to search for their lost loved ones. Then on May 25 a plethora of tornadoes tore through Oklahoma, Kansas and Arkansas. From those storms the death toll is at 16 so far.
The unprecedented rash of tornado outbreaks this Spring 2011 has proven to be more than usual. This is due to a strong jet stream aloft being so far south this time of year and a warmer than normal Gulf of Mexico (two degrees above normal). The “jet stream” is a horizontal swiftly-moving river of air in the upper levels of the atmosphere which undulates north and south due to the interaction of disturbances as they
move along it from west to east. When there are strong enough low pressure systems, they pull warm moist air up from the Gulf of Mexico. This clashes with colder air to north.
Where that collision occurs, the winds turn or blow at different directions as they work their way from southeast (surface flow) to a northerly (upper level flow). This helicity or spinning with height are the catalysts which have led to such a prolonged severe weather season. From Tuscaloosa, Alabama (the death toll there is at 40) to the more recent destruction in Joplin, Missouri, this season is far from over.
It should be noted, due to the extreme nature of the tornado activity this month, that it will take several months for the count of tornadoes and tornado-related fatalities/injuries to be finalized. Numbers reported here will likely change in the coming months. A special report on all of the extreme weather and climate conditions of April 2011 will be released by early summer 2011, according to the National Weather Service.)
Now more than ever, people need to be prepared for the onslaught of natural disasters. A family disaster planning check list, nonperishable items, flashlights, weather radio,water, safe room/shelter and vitamin supplements are the basics needed to ensure safety from any possible disaster that may threaten you or your family.
Ryan Dernick is a freelance reporter from Delray Beach, Florida. He has a focus on journalism and telecommunications and a background in environmental science, geology and meteorology.