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Subscribe to RSSAfter sweeping through the Midwest with blinding snow, a major winter storm brought a rare white Christmas to parts of the South and set off damaging tornadoes. The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore reports.
Crews scrambled to restore power Wednesday after a string of Christmas tornadoes tore across the South, toppling trees, ripping off roofs, and dropping one-inch hailstones.
The National Weather Service said there were a record 34 tornadoes reported in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama on Tuesday.
A state of emergency was declared in Mississippi, where homes, roads and businesses were damaged in at least nine counties. Eight people were injured but expected to survive, officials said.
A tornado watch was issued Wednesday for the eastern Carolinas until 5:00 p.m. ET.
At one point late Tuesday, holiday celebrations went dark for at least 150,000 customers in Alabama; electricity had been restored to all but 8,500 by the next morning, according to Alabama Power.
The worst of the tornadoes hit Tuesday afternoon in Mobile, Ala.
Rick Cauley, who was hosting relatives for Christmas, got everyone in the house to a shelter at the high school down the block.
"As luck would have it, that's where the tornado hit," Cauley told The Associated Press. "The pressure dropped and the ears started popping and it got crazy for a second."
The school was damaged, but the family was fine.
Mobile Press-Register reporter John Sharp wrote that he hunkered down in his bathtub in the fetal position while the power flickered off and the twister roared around his building.
When he walked outside, he was stunned. The roof of a small shopping center had caved in, and several cars in a restaurant parking lot were destroyed.
Hundreds more flights canceled as Christmas storm moves east
“Visibly, it was like a bomb has gone off at The Loop,” he wrote. “A one-way street sign was literally sawed into half. The Dauphin Island Parkway/Airport Boulevard sign was flattened. Power lines were lying on the ground.
“It's a Christmas miracle no one was killed,” he added.
Mobile’s Trinity Episcopal Church lost a large section of its roof and a wall, but officials were looking on the bright side. Hours before the tornado touched down, there were 500 people in the church for Christmas Eve services.
"Thank God this didn't happen last night," senior warden Scott Rye said.
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley released a statement thanking first responders for their holiday efforts.
Christmas storms spread snow, tornadoes across US, snarling travel
"The people of Alabama are strong," he said. "We will recover together.”
Yuletide twisters are unusual, but they happen. Ten storm systems in the last 50 years have spawned a holiday tornado, National Weather Service spokesman Chris Vaccaro told the AP.
In 1982, 29 tornadoes in Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi killed three people and injured 32 over Christmas.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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great attitude....more of this is needed .
Don't be fooled! The ONLY thing that Alabamians do "together" is respond to emergency natural disasters. They do that quite well, as in the case of the major tornadoes, with the help of Federal Government aid.
Then the next day politicians like Bentley go back to discriminating against and trying to disadvantage the poor [regressive taxes on food and clothing], those needing health care [Bentley refuses to set up state affordable health care insurance exchange in state with most monopolized health insurance industry] children needing educational resources [education budgets repeatedly cut] and especially those persons of color and who speak a language other than English [HB 56]. In addition, the same group of politicians rant constantly about federal government "interference" in their local affairs.
Wondered how long it would be before a fool posted something negative about the South. Sure didn't take long!
You mean just like those in the Northeast after "Sandy"? And isn't that what AMERICANS should be doing: responding together? The only difference between each locale after a disaster is the size of the aid they seek and somehow I doubt this will approach $60B like NYC wants which includes a staggering $800M for a subway station.
Nothing wrong with federal aid. As long as it's not abused, then that's what FEMA was created for.
One of these days I am willing to bet that wherever Underground Insanity lives they'll be something needed a federal paycheck.
Sure hope your not looking for FEMA,your sh**t outa luck
The South has electricity?
Good thing they never successfully seceded in the 19th century or the 21st century.
They would be lost without Modern, Blue States.
mikehawtawney - comment 1.2 - I notice though, that you don't try to refute anything that Underground said!
@NeverStop.....Are you truly that ignorant or are you just trying to impress a woman? Because she won't be very impressed that's for damn sure.
While I live in the north, I gripe about local politicians when they don't do their jobs, and that is what Underground sounds like: a local who is griping. It isn't a north vs south thing, but a corrupt politician thing.
I am very sorry to hear of the losses in the south during Christmas. We have blowing snow here in Ohio.
Everybody who has lost a home in the winter suffers, and I hope they receive aid quickly. I hate to hear about people who have lost their homes living in freezing temperatures in the winter. Let us pray that the new year doesn't have as many disasters! We will need some focus on global warming, at least to prevent the extreme drought we have had, and also so that we don't have as many powerful storms hurting people!
Unfortunately it s a stupid uniformed voter thing. the same people get re elected time after time, city,county,state and fed. throw in a heap of sound bytes from a sensationalising media and this is the end result.
i mean really how many debates or commercials did you see where the candidates in question ran on their record rather then attack adds, mass hysteria, or a race, party, religious, etc. line?
I lived in Tornado Alley for most of my youth and I cant ever remember hearing about a tornado in winter around Christmas. This is beyond weird and "they" aren't talking about.
Agreed. I am still amazed at the number of people (mostly Democrats) who pretend it's a red state/blue state thing, as though the states are monolithic voting blocks. In fact, the reddest of the red states (Wyoming) went 68.6% Romney and 27.8% Obama. The bluest of the blue states (Hawaii) went 70.5% Obama and 27.8% Romney. Only fifteen states had a winning percentage over 60 --- 8 for Romney and 7 for Obama. Only fourteen states had a winning percentage over 55 --- 8 for Romney and 6 for Obama.
Obama won 50.1% of the popular vote. Romney won 48.4%. Our country is not as divided as certain people (on both sides) would like you to believe.
With the weather like that line repair technicians make good money and have excellent job security! Good for them...
just don't get blown on, er... i means off, the pole.
Before anyone blames global warming or climate change.
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/12/26/tornadoes-at-chritmastime-note-to-mckibben-and-romm-not-that-uncommon/
As far as we know, tornadoes have nothing to do with climate change, economykiller.
It might help if you actually read the research and IPCC reports, instead of simply posting knee-jerk reactions whenever any weather reports are published.
Please go to the sites that show the arctic ice over the last 30 years. Sure, that shouldn't tell us anything, but there are other studies, such as by the Koch brothers, that say global warming is real. The right-wing billionaires believe it, because they now ship goods over the arctic oceans in the fall.
My concern is that the jet stream turns into doldrums in the summer, not moving to bring rain, and that is turning the Great Plains into a desert.
Big storms have happened through history, but never a storm like Sandy or some of the others recently. In 300 years, New York City has never flooded like that.
But whether you are a climate change believer or denier, these storms are terrible, and your heart should be with those who suffer through them.
The jet stream is indeed slowing, Elizabeth - not only in the summer, but during the entire year. And that means that whatever weather you have will be hanging around longer, whether it's heavy rain, hot sunny days, drought, or anything else.
And yes, that is absolutely due to climate change - especially the decline in Arctic ice. Your concerns are well-founded.
Elizabeth has it right.
Our local paper also had an article that talked about the jet stream slowing. The article stated that the jet-stream had a larger North and South directional component as it travels west to east. What they described sounded a lot like a larger amplitude sinusoidal wave. This is due to Climate Change's effect on the arctic ice. Last year Ohio had a drought that effected 88 counties. This change in the Jet-stream will cause more severe weather.
Our local newspaper was getting information from NASA. My heart goes out to all Americans being effected by Climate Change.
There isn't anyone being effected by climate change! It is just a means to get money from the West (developed) countries to the undeveloped ones. The UN set the monetary bidding at $100 Billion a year. There has been no increase in temps for the past 16 years, yet CO2 concentrations have continued to climb? How is that possible?
Yes, there has been less ice in the Artic, but there has been more in the Antartic - both to record levels. It was warmer 1000 years ago, and it was warmer 2000 years ago. Its climate. Its not a room with a thermostat.
I hope you are kidding. This has not occured. It is not even ice free in the summer. If the alarmist are correct, it would not happen until the end of this century, at the earliest. Get your facts straight, please.
And BTW, the Koch bros are supposed to be supporting research that disproves global warming, not the other way around. They are industrialists, they want that to continue.
They're called Rossby Waves, Gossamer - and they're getting much 'deeper', just as you describe. Since the jet stream has a much longer pathway when those ridges are deeper (as opposed to a straight line), it also slows down the west-to-east movement of the stream. The end result is weather phenomena like the drought in Ohio, that just linger on and on.
I'm quite impessed with your local paper for writing about that. The research is relatively new. You must have a great science reporter.
Physicist retired
Thank you for the information I greatly appreciate it.
I was wondering who would be the first on this thread to mention climate change. Everything these days is caused by climate change, hurricanes, cyclones, too much rain, not enough rain, drought, earthquakes and snow storms LOL. People who point to historical data and use it for comparison are labeled deniers. A few days ago I read an article in which a “reputable” Richard Parncutt (Austria’s University of Graz) talked about executing deniers, for causing the deaths of hundreds of millions of future people. The fact that the climate changes all the time is conveniently ignored, because it does not fit their computer models and deprives the “alarmist” elite of the never ending stream of funds. That’s how far down the road of lunacy we have progressed.
Climate changes all the time, it’s natural. The only thing that’s different compared to a hundred, five hundred or a thousand years ago is the increase in population throughout the world. So now, there are many more of us to feel and report on the impact and damage caused by these weather events.
What we would all benefit from is a bit of foresight in infrastructure planning, building codes legislation and preventative work to minimize severe weather damage and guarantee essential services availability.
Sending prayers your way from up North
Tis the season soon to roll the dice. Of all weather, tornadoes worry me the most. It's like a crap-shoot. And the ones that come like a thief in the night...bad stuff man. Heck, we're two months out from the bad times.
obama said what about this....nothing????....oh that's right they're mainly republican states.
I wonder if these disasters are some sort of divine providence? The worst always hits the South, exactly where many do not believe in "global warming"? Maybe it's because the majority of the South are largely hateful, selfish, intolerant, and racist people? Even if the storms aren't so strong they do a lot of damage because the standards for everything are so much less and lower than just about everywhere else! Building codes, utility standards, sewage standards - everything. Along with that attitude of smaller government and less regulation comes a lower standard of living.
Obama doesn't have to say anything as the South brags about itself enough. They criticize Obama on just about everything he does but when something happens to them (South) they claim he doesn't care or help fast enough? Seems to me that for people so great, mighty, and strong as the South claims, they shouldn't need help from the Federal Government that they hate so much and think is so tyrannical!
On the other hand, if the South does need help, perhaps it would be in their best interest to just shut the hell up? The South needs to learn most of all that God is probably tired of being used on both sides of an argument. What would the South do if they seceded?
@Kennyfreethrinker....Yeah that's some "free thinking" there. When someone doesn't agree you just say "shut up". How about educating yourself about the south with some truth instead of what msnbc spoon feeds you so you can see what the south is really like. Or would that take the blinders off too much?
Hey Kenny,
Read your comment and see where the hatred lies. Look in the mirror, dumbazz.
If you live in a forest, don't build a house with flammable shingles. If you live where there are serious wind storms, build for that, no matter what your local building codes allow. If local contractors won't build better than code, find out what you need to do and do it yourself, or don't hire general contractors, but people you can supervise and tell what to do. When we see TV shows about tornado hunters, they have a vehicle that can anchor to the ground and can withstand very high winds and pressure changes. Americans can build large industrial buildings that can withstand winds and pressures. Why don't people build residential buildings like that? Why does everybody build something that looks like a quaint European cottage, when America gets entirely different weather than Europe? We should have learned by now.
If people are too poor to build something to withstand the actual weather, then please at least dig a storm shelter. Most of America, not just the south, is too poor to build something that could withstand such storms, because building labor and materials are so inflated. It would take real ingenuity, of the kind that designs i-pods and games, to build homes that actually work at a reasonable cost. Some could be pre-fabricated; that doesn't mean badly made, but more precisely made. Any building, even a bunker, can be designed so it is pleasing to look at.
As to the politics: things are getting done. I hope that people calm down in this season of peace on earth.
kennyfreethinker, you sound like anything but a free thinker. Your post indicates bias, ignorance, and stereotyping.
Elizabeth,
Thanks for caring so much. This statement is very important."If people are too poor to build something to withstand the actual weather, then please at least dig a storm shelter. Most of America, not just the south, is too poor to build something that could withstand such storms, because building labor and materials are so inflated. It would take real ingenuity, of the kind that designs i-pods and games, to build homes that actually work at a reasonable cost. Some could be pre-fabricated; that doesn't mean badly made, but more precisely made. Any building, even a bunker, can be designed so it is pleasing to look at."
There are new designs being looked at that have a smaller surface area. Think a circular building instead of what we build. This is less force acted upon the house due to less surface area.
Why are the prices of things that people NEED so high?
Not sure what your comment has to do with this seed but guaranteed revenue and greed.
And if, at this point, he HAD something, you'd be whining about what he said.
whoops - this was supposed to be a reply to comment 6
I am NOT an Obama supporter, in fact I criticize most of his decisions, or lack thereof, but you are correct on this one. It was a natural disaster, does anyone actually think that the President does not feel bad when American lives are disrupted in this way? What can he do about it?
I'm so glad no one was killed!
The video said that somebody was killed by a tree falling on their truck, but there weren't many deaths, thank God.
It's a Christmas Miracle!
I wonder how many NYC and NJ lineman are on their way to help? ....any?.....or wont their union allow them to?
Anybody Know?
They are probably still in the process of restoring NYC and NJ; if you've seen pictures. However, people from the north do help out in the south after storms. America is an amazing country that is helpful to others.
Who'd want union linemen when there's work to be done? There's enough people in the South to sit around drinking coffee and watching other people work...it'd take at least 15 union workers to operate 1 chainsaw...
Yes, and forget about those damn union teachers and first responders in Newtown, right? You do realize that the stories about non-union workers being refused in New Jersey were FALSE, right? They arrived at a staging area and left on their own because they didn't like waiting to be deployed to where they could do the most good. Even the company bosses of the utility company said they were not SENT back. Only an idiot would refuse help in a disaster base on the politics or union affiliation of the person volunteering to help. Your post says more about the south than anyone who puts you down here.
Science -
"Yes, and forget about those damn union teachers and first responders in Newtown, right?"
Yeah right...they don't seem to have done a very good job with 26 bodies to bury...
Great, Dee Ten... I notice you made a hateful, despicable comment about people in Newtown who acted heroically, even giving their lives to save their students. I'd love to see what you would have done. Probably gone down in a blaze of Smith and Wesson glory, missing the shooter and taking even more innocent kids with you. No thanks. Meanwhile, you completely ignored my truth regarding the the "poor, non-union' lineman who left of their own accord after Sandy. Only Limbaugh blowhards and Fox "News" idiots don't know the real truth about that story. Which are you?
yes, it was very, very windy yesterday!
glad santa could make it ok, even though all i got was this sac of coal.
It's funny you should mention it; at one time coal was considered a good thing because you could heat your home with it. Have a Merry Christmas anyway, and I hope things go better for you.
You mean Michelle Bachman, Pat Robertson and Rush Limbaugh haven't come out from under their rocks to proclaim that this is God's wrath for the sins of the South? Hmmm...I wonder why? They haven't shown any compassion for anyone not amongst their constituents or supporters, so I guess we just chalk this one up to good, old fashioned political expediency. Merry Christmas, America.
Never hide in a school or church when a tornado is coming. Seems like every time a tornado hits, churches and schools are demolished. I've always thought that strange.
Tornadoes in the south in December, could it be that fake science thing about "climate change" think its not so fake?
Sorry for those folks in such misery.
skyparrot -
"Tornadoes in the south in December, could it be that fake science thing about "climate change" think its not so fake?"
The weather is always changing...my home is at the center of where a glacier used to be...it melted...if you don't like the weather hang around a few days it'll change...
God quit giving a damn a long time ago. He retired to Naples, Florida and loves it.
This is true. The wife and I we were walking the beach on the west coast many years ago and there he was. It turns out, it was the rum.
Now would be a good time to honor all those secessionist petitions...save the country a lot of $$$.
Praying that everyone is safe and thankful that we are ok.
Gotta love the use of the word "record".
But let's put this into perspective.
July of 2012 set a new record FOR THE FEWEST tornadoes for any July.
And 2012 will end with ABOUT 400 FEWER tornadoes than an average year.
In fact the number of violent tornadoes (F3 and above) have been trending down since the 1970s.
Take the scooter ax iron challenge.
What happened to storm cellars?
I know. Greedy people and inflation.
All they needed was a Bushmaster .322 Semi-Automatic firearm purchased at a Gun Show. This way they'd have all the firepower they need to shoot at the Evil Tornado.
There DO seem to be a lot of Bushmaster .223's in the news lately...but not in this article. No, this one has absolutely nothing to do with gun control, nothing at all...IT'S A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!
MANY IN THE SOUTH IN THE DARK. The South has been in the dark since we became a country.
John -
Sh1t floats to the top don't you know...Rocky Mountain hiiiiiiiigggggggggggh...
Call her what you want. Mother Nature is an Awesome Bitch.
Isn't this part of the country known as the "Bible" belt. Well, I guess God is sending a message.
He is "Pissed".
It's what Catastrophic Climatic Destabilization DOES.
Its call the magnetic poles of the Earth are changing positions this occurs about every 500,000 years...we are into a change cycle now (climate Change) you will understand when you look out your door at 10am and its still dark. I've studied this stuff... I'm an electrical engineer laws of physics people