Snow starts to pour into the Metrodome as the roof collapses. Watch the amazing video below. (FOX Sports)
The upper Midwest has been pounded my a major winter storm in the past 36 hours that has brought bone chilling cold and heavy snow to the region. One casualty of the snow was the roof of the home of the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings as the roof collapsed early this morning under the weight of 17 inches of snow.
Some areas in the region have seen more than 20 inches of snow and blizzard conditions have persisted as strong winds make things treacherous for travel. Winter weather warnings and advisories of one sort or another stretch across more than a dozen states from Wisconsin and Michigan down to Alabama and Georgia.
The Minnesota Vikings were originally scheduled to take on the New York Giants today in Minneapolis. The game was first pushed back to Monday after Minneapolis – St. Paul International Airport was closed yesterday stranding the Giants in Kansas City.
This morning the inflated roof of the Metrodome collapsed for the third time in its history. The fabric of the dome shredded and snow came pouring onto the field. Amazing new video released by FOX Sports (see below) shows the sights and sound of the collapse as it happened.
As for the game between the Giants and Vikings, it will be played tomorrow night at 5:20pm MST at Ford Field in Detroit.
The Denver Broncos don’t have this problem – of course we don’t have a roof on our stadium and for that matter we don’t have any snow either.
"Tornado tourism" is becoming a quickly growing industry as folks look for alternatives to a trip to the beach. Check out the slideshow below to see what a one week tour yielded this past summer. (ThorntonWeather.com)
While many might view a tornado something to flee from, an increasing number of vacationers are flocking to the Great Plains for the chance to get up close and personal with a twister. A new study shows that storm chasing tours are becoming a vacation of choice for not only many Americans but also visitors from overseas.
A University of Missouri research team found that interest in tornado chasing is being fed by popular television shows like the Discovery Channel’s Storm Chasers. Further, thanks to the power of the Internet, live video streams by storm chasers showing tornadoes as they rip across the landscape have skyrocketed in popularity.
Tornado Alley stretches across the nation’s midsection and is a unique location as most of the world’s tornadoes occur in this broad swath from South Dakota to Texas. Tour operators like Silver Lining Tours have capitalized on tourists seeking something more adventurous than a day at the beach.
Researchers Sonja Wilhelm Stanis and Carla Barbieri said that while the majority of participants in these tours were American, there was an international flavor to them as well. “While more than half of the surveyed travelers lived in North America, 11 percent came from Australia and nearly a third traveled from Europe to get a close encounter with a tornado.”
Demographics for the group ran the entire gamut from married couples to singles aged from 25 to 55. Their backgrounds were as varied as one would expect at any vacation destination with blue collar workers and urban professionals all among the participants.
The study found that most that chose this high-risk activity were satisfied with the experience, even if they did not see a tornado. One-third of them saw a tornado while 50% saw funnel clouds. The vast majority, 95%, at least saw a “significant atmospheric event.”
Colorado storm chaser Roger Hill was shown on the Drudge report and that led to appearances on most major TV networks.
Roger Hill is considered quite famous among storm chasers as he has a proven, uncanny ability to place himself right where severe weather will strike. A recent headline on the Drudge Report featuring Hill has now shined the national media spotlight on him and his profession as co-owner of a storm chasing tour company.
Hill is no stranger to the media as his amazing videos and photos have been featured on the Weather Channel, Discovery Channel, National Geographic and all major news networks. For nearly a decade Hill and his company Silver Lining Tours have been showing thrill seekers what it is like to experience severe weather at closer range than what may be possible otherwise. Interest in “storm chasing tours” however has hit a fevered pitch in recent weeks.
Crews from Inside Edition and Nightline then followed by riding along with Hill and Silver Lining Tours as they crisscrossed the Great Plains on the hunt for tornadoes.
The Nightline piece aired this past Friday and gave a good idea of what it is like to be on tour with Hill (watch the video below). From the frenzied pace to the seemingly endless ingestion of fast food and of course the thrill of the tornado chase, reporter Eric Hong experienced it all.
The Big Thompson Flood in 1976 claimed the lives of 143 Coloradoans in what is Colorado's deadliest natural disaster.
July 31, 1976 started like most other summer days in Colorado. It was 1976 and the nation was celebrating its bicentennial and Colorado was celebrating its centennial. What should have been a quiet summer day quickly turned disastrous as the Big Thompson Flood killed more than 100 people in Colorado’s deadliest natural disaster.
In terms of weather, the day started out much like one would expect but by late afternoon storm clouds loomed over the mountains. Mountain thunderstorms are an almost daily occurrence in Colorado but the storm that struck in the early evening that day was unlike any other.
With light winds aloft, the storm stalled over the upper portion of the Big Thompson basin where it sat dumping tremendous amounts of rain – nearly 8 inches in one hour and 12 inches over four hours. The rain came so fast that the water didn’t have time to be absorbed into the ground.
I’m stuck, I’m right in the middle of it, I can’t get out…about a half mile east of Drake on the highway. Get the cars out of the low area down below…
~ Radio transmission by Sergeant Willis Hugh Purdy, Colorado State Patrol. Purdy was never heard from again.
In the mid-sections of the canyon and lower, there was little indication of what was to come. The flash flood that resulted from the rain further up rushed down the canyon creating a wall of water that was 20 feet high in places. The flood scoured the canyon of everything – cars, homes, buildings and people.
The following day the Rocky Mountain News ran with the headline “Scores dead, hundreds hurt in Big Thompson flash flood.” A subheading said, “U.S. 34 west of Loveland is no more.”
When the flood was over, 143 people had lost their lives, more than in any other natural disaster in state history. 418 homes, 52 businesses and 400 cars were destroyed at a cost of over $40 million.
A massive hailstone with a diameter of 8 inches will likely set the record as the largest hailstone in terms of diameter and weight. (NWS)
Hail is one of the most damaging weather events capable of doing thousands of dollars worth of damage to homes and vehicles and utterly shredding crops. Last week in South Dakota the mother of all hail stones appears to have fallen – a beast weighing nearly two pounds and measuring 8 inches in diameter.
On the evening of July 23rd severe weather rolled through the northeastern corner of South Dakota bringing with it a great deal of hail and some tornadoes. Near Vivian in Faulk County, the hail grew to proportions likely not seen anywhere else.
Ranch hand Les Scott watched the drama unfold as the hail pummeled the surrounding land. The stones were large enough that holes the size of coffee cans were left in the ground.
One particular hailstone caught Scott’s eye due to its sheer size. After retrieving it, he stuck it in his freezer. Word soon traveled about the massive chunk of ice and National Weather Service personnel made preliminary measurements placing the diameter at 8 inches with a circumference over 18 ½ inches.
Yesterday, the service returned to Vivian to transport the stone to the closest certified scale at the local post office to have it weighed. The scale tipped at an amazing 1.9375 pounds. It also had lost a bit in size dropping to 17 inches around.
Scott said the hailstone was quite a bit larger when he first found it, possibly as large as 11 inches in diameter. However, power was out in the area for six hours Friday and after he pulled it out to show various people, it lost some of its mass.
A tornado that struck the Bronx in New York was rated an EF-1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. (ThorntonWeather.com)
A common myth is that tornadoes don’t strike cities. That myth was dispelled again this past Sunday when a twister packing 100 mph struck the Bronx in New York.
The tornado, rated an EF-1 by the National Weather Service (NWS), struck at 2:55pm. The service said that at its biggest the twister was 100 yards wide.
Initially touching down on the grounds of the Hebrew Home for the Aged on the east bank of the Hudson River, the tornado tore a path one half mile long. Seven people were injured by the storm and a variety of damage was documented by survey teams.
A flagpole was toppled as were numerous trees. Some large trees were stripped of their leaves.On West 254th Street across Netherlands and Arlington Streets “significant damage occurred.” One residential home sustained roof damage.
The National Weather Service this was only the second tornado to strike the Bronx since 1950. The first occurred on September 2, 1974.
From the National Weather Service:
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY
216 PM EDT TUE JUL 27 2010
…TORNADO CONFIRMED NEAR NORTH RIVERDALE IN BRONX COUNTY NY…
LOCATION…NORTH RIVERDALE IN BRONX COUNTY NY
DATE…JULY 25 2010
ESTIMATED TIME…255 PM TO 300 PM EDT
MAXIMUM EF- SCALE RATING…EF1
ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED…100 MPH
MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH…100 YARDS
PATH LENGTH…0.6 MILES
BEGINNING LAT/LON…40.91N / 73.91W
ENDING LAT/LON…40.90N / 73.90W
* FATALITIES…0
* INJURIES…7
A shelf cloud moves across Nebraska farmland. (Tony Hake / ThorntonWeather.com)
Certainly the highlight of storm chasing is tornadoes and ThorntonWeather.com’s Storm Chase 2010 had plenty of those – five in one day in fact. However, as great of satisfaction can be derived from simpler, less violent storms. The images from a week of chasing on the Great Plains show the fury and the beauty of Mother Nature.
Storm chasing is as much an art as a science – there are no guarantees that tornadoes will appear as forecast. Other types of severe weather and the amazing structure they display can bu just as impressive.
Scud clouds hovering over a coal train in Nebraska, egg sized hail pummeling storm chaser vehicles, the sun setting on the Oklahoma plains and the now infamous Baca County, Colorado tornado ripping through ranchland all were highlights of Storm Chase 2010.
The images in the slideshow below represent some of the most stunning and beautiful images captured during the week.
ThorntonWeather.com is ready to begin the hunt for tornadoes!
Storm Chase 2010 is making final preparations to take to the Great Plains on Saturday. With severe weather forecast for the northern plains, the opportunity is too good to resist so the hunt begins a day early.
The Storm Prediction Center has placed a slight risk for severe weather on an area from northeastern Colorado into Nebraska and then north from there. The risk for tornadoes is relatively small but even if we don’t see a twister, there is a good chance to witness some great storm structure as well as strong winds and hail.
The tour we are a part of isn’t officially supposed to start until tomorrow and we must be in Denver this evening to meet with the rest of the group. As such, today’s chase will be relatively short and won’t cover too much of a distance.
Roger Hill, famed storm chaser and tour leader, will outline the plans for the chase later today but we are anticipating we will hunt northeastern Colorado and western Nebraska. If all goes according to plan, we should be on the road by noon (MDT) and on our way to the target area.
We will be bringing along Examiner and ThorntonWeather.com readers on this great chase. There are no guarantees because as we all know, Mother Nature is far from reliable – six days on the plains could yield little more than rain. However, confidence is high that you will be taken on a virtual ride unlike any other with videos, photos and more from the road.
To keep things simple, ThorntonWeather.com’s chief amateur meteorologist will be primarily posting things to the Storm Chase 2010 Examiner’s home page. To be sure you don’t miss a thing, check the Storm Chase 2010 Examiner’s home page regularly. Be sure to click the “Subscribe” link at the top of the page and you will be emailed whenever a new story is posted.
Hail covers the road at 104th Avenue and Chambers Road on Wednesday afternoon. (Chelsea Kovach)
Colorado’s severe weather season is upon us and it paid a visit to the north Denver metro area in spades on Wednesday. Brief, heavy rain, large hail and a few tornadoes were reported with the fast moving storms.
Isolated thunderstorms began popping up along the Front Range after lunchtime, quickly turning severe in nature.
Hail nearly three inches in diameter pounded vehicles and homes in north Denver, Commerce City, Thornton and unincorporated Adams County. Enough hail fell in the Reunion development area of Commerce City to cover the ground like snow. Residents used snow blowers and state highway crews used snowplows to clear the frozen water.
An untold number of vehicles sustained heavy damage in the area northeast of downtown Denver. Reports of broken windows, roofs with damage and trees stripped of leaves were commonplace. In the central part of Thornton there were reports of hail up to 1.75 inches in diameter.
Operations at Denver International Airport were affected as flights were delayed while the severe weather passed. Delays of 30 to 60 minutes were experienced and those inside the airport were instructed to go to designated tornado shelters for a time.
Brief, weak tornadoes were reported in some areas and strong winds caused damage further northeast of the area. In Larimer County, multiple structures were reportedly destroyed and a 15 foot silo was knocked down.
The severe weather was enough to draw the attention of the VORTEX 2 tornado study. The research study is the largest field study of tornadoes with hundreds of scientists and dozens of vehicles roaming the plains to learn more about the severe weather. The teams tracked the storms as they moved from near DIA to the plains further to the northeast.
Are you ready for severe weather? Do you know what to do to keep you and your family safe? Review our Severe Weather 101 series to learn more:
What is the best way to get information about severe weather? A weather radio. (File photo)
No matter whether it is a blizzard in the winter or tornadoes and hail in the summer, it is important that everyone knows where to turn for information about developing weather conditions. Keeping an eye on the sky is fine but oftentimes there is dangerous weather brewing that you may not see.
How dangerous is the weather? Consider this: In 2008, 566 people across the United States were killed by weather-related causes and 2,899 were injured – and that was a below average year. Of those, 12 were Coloradoans that were killed with 100 Coloradoans injured. Over $29 billion was paid out in property and crop losses across the nation, $166 million in Colorado alone.
The danger is real and with the severe weather we have seen recently, residents are wondering how best to keep themselves and their families safe. Tuning in the TV or radio or checking your favorite weather website is one way but what if you aren’t near your computer or don’t have your TV on? What if severe weather strikes in the middle of the night?
It is important to note that there is only one official source for weather related alerts and warnings – the National Weather Service (NWS). All watches, warnings and alerts you see and hear about originate with the NWS and by far the best way to be proactively warned of severe weather is what is commonly referred to as a “weather radio.”
NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards (NWR) is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information directly from the nearest National Weather Service office. NWR broadcasts official Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When a weather watch or warning is issued, it is immediately broadcast on NWR. The system is also used to broadcast information about other civil and weather hazard information like earthquakes, avalanches, chemical spills, terrorist attacks and even AMBER alerts.
This weather radio from Midland (model WR-300) includes SAME area encoding and an AM / FM radio.
It is highly recommended that any weather radio purchased include the SAME feature – Specific Area Message Encoding. Using the SAME feature, users can program a code into the radio for the area in which they live and the radio can then be set to automatically turn on and sound an alert when a weather watch or warning is issued for their area. Users of weather radios with SAME coding can be assured they will be immediately notified in an emergency.
Price and features of weather radios can vary but a good one with the SAME feature can be found for about $30.00. More expensive models may add clock, AM/FM radio and even weather forecasts retrieved from the Internet. There are portable handheld models as well that you can take with you wherever you go.
Finding a weather radio locally may be difficult as there aren’t many stores that carry them. Some Denver area King Soopers and Radio Shack stores have had them so you may call your local store to check. Alternatively, there are many good, trustworthy sites online where they can be purchased including Amazon.com, New Egg and Ambient Weather.
Weather radios provide essential information when severe weather is ready to strike. With a small investment, these units are an essential tool to protecting you and your family.
Do you have questions about weather radios? Post them in the comments section below and ThorntonWeather.com will answer them.
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