Southern Tornadoe

[Lizardqing]

I am sure y'all have seen the scenes of devastation from down around the southern US from not only the other night but just the recent weeks in general. We are used to getting nasty storms this time of year, just a way of life like snow is to folks that live way up north. This year though it has been especially super sized in the number and strength. The night of April 27th though was one not soon to be forgotten. The last number I have heard is around 300 people lost their lives and still many missing. This was a storm system that I think affected someone that almost all of us down here know personally. I have several family members that had an F4 tornado ravage the area where they live in Cleveland, TN. Fortunately they still have their homes even though many of their neighbors were leveled.

Here where I live we had possibly 3 of them come through one after another. We were blessed in that most of the damage was all trees down since it mostly went through the part of the county that is national forest. While we were standing by at the station though I had my camera out trying to catch some shot of the most impressive lightning I had ever seen. I also caught the first tornadoe forming by chance. I really wish the photo quality was better but I was fighting the camera telling me it was to dark and not wanting to take photos and I was standing in front of the bright lights in front of the station. But sometimes though quality can be over shadowed by contents.

This one caught it starting to come out of the clouds.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5104/5663575201_37117825e2_b.jpg

Starting to get the funnel shape.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5229/5664144506_d7ba0b8785_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5026/5663575425_6d9bf04c74_b.jpg

This is one I really wish was clearer.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5301/5664144782_b9f7d0a69b_b.jpg

Last one I could get before it started pouring down rain and lightning got a bit to close for comfort.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5185/5664144910_402b565c38_b.jpg

Here is a news story from our town. (http://www.thedahloneganugget.com/articles/2011/04/29/news/01%20funnel.txt)


Folks down here can for sure use any thoughts and prayers that can be sent their way!

[asnow]

Nice lightning pictures. I especially like the last one with two bolts.

[Mad Aussie]

That 2nd shot really is frightening. We get tornado's here in Aussie also, but few are destructive and when they are they are rarely anything like what you guys get over there.
Ever since our floods were such big news I've seen so many other disasters so much more serious, and causing so much more death. Over 300 people dead from this belt of tornado's ... our thoughts are with you who live and die there.

[Hillbillygirl]

Cool captures, but sad story. Our hearts go out to those affected by this devastating phenomena.

[Iguanasan]

Just what everyone else said. I concur though that the content is often more important than the technical aspects some times.

[Mad Aussie]

We get tornado's here in Aussie also, but few are destructive and when they are they are rarely anything like what you guys get over there.
Just got news of a large tornado in Auckland, NZ. That's unusual. I don't ever remember hearing of a tornado there before, even when I lived there for 14 years. A few dead but nothing like the numbers in the USA thankfully.