March 2006 Tornado Outbreak Sequence

Infobox tornado outbreak|name=March 2006 Tornado Outbreak Sequence
date=March 9-13, 2006
image location=Sprilltor.jpg


duration=4 days, 14 hours, 45 minutes
fujitascale=F4
tornadoes=105 confirmed
total damages (USD)=>$1 billion [http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/reports/billionz.html NCDC: Billion Dollar U.S. Weather Disasters ] ]
total fatalities=11 + 2 non-tornadic
areas affected=Most of the Central United StatesThe March 2006 Tornado Outbreak Sequence was an early season and long lasting tornado outbreak sequence in the central United States that started on the morning of March 9 and continued for over four days until the evening of March 13. The outbreak produced 105 confirmed tornadoes, making it one of the largest outbreaks in recent history. At least 13 deaths were blamed on the severe weather, 11 of them by tornadoes. The total damage by the severe weather was in excess of $1 billion.

Meteorological synopsis

The period of active weather started with a major derecho event on March 9 across the South Central United States, that also included several tornadoes, although straight-line winds did most of the damage. Numerous injuries and at least two fatalities were reported, but mostly due to the thunderstorm winds. The two fatalities were as a result of a weather-related automobile accident and a fire started by lightning. [ [http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060310/ap/d8g8gbuo1.html Two Killed in Violent Southern Storms ] ] Tens of thousands of people also lost electricity throughout the region. [ [http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20060309-2043-southernstorms.html SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Nation - One dead in lightning fire, school damaged as storms sweep South ] ]

Activity calmed down on March 10 with little severe weather reported, but picked up again the next day.

On the evening of March 11, 18 tornadoes developed across the region. One of them flattened a mobile home park and left many people injured and at least 2 dead in Perry County, Missouri. Several other tornadoes left heavy damage in Missouri, Illinois and Arkansas. The tornadoes were accompanied by very large hail, some as large as softballs.

More severe weather developed in the morning of March 12. The Kansas City Metropolitan Area was hardest hit, with significant wind and hail damage to many homes and businesses, but only two tornadoes in the far northwestern part of the area. [http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/14082566.htm] Significant damage was also reported at the University of Kansas in Lawrence and at the Great Wolf Lodge Indoor Water Park. Numerous airplanes also flipped over at the Kansas City Downtown Airport. [http://www.kctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4620142]

March 12 would be the most prolific day of the outbreak, and one of the most active days in recent history, with at least 62 confirmed tornado touchdowns. In addition, microburst winds exceeding 90 mph (145 km/h) and hail as large as softballs have been reported. Several major tornadoes were reported in Missouri (along Interstate 70 near Columbia MO-there was also an F4 tornado to the north/northeast of Columbia and just to the north of the St. Louis Viewing Area. Pike County Missouri (to the north of St. Louis) also had a tornado as well as central Illinois, leaving significant destruction along their paths.

One supercell thunderstorm produced many of the tornadoes of the day, tracking from northern Oklahoma and southeastern Kansas in the morning, across Missouri during the afternoon and early evening, across Illinois during the mid to late evening, into Indiana during the late evening, before finally losing severe characteristics in Michigan nearly 800 miles (1290 km) and more than 17.5 hours after it first formed. This is the longest path and duration supercell on record. The city of Springfield, Illinois saw two strong tornadoes track directly through the city from this storm. It also did damage near Sedalia, Columbia, and Mexico, Missouri. The strongest tornado, spawned by a different supercell, was a rare double tornado rated F4, but fortunately it remained in rural countryside.

Fifteen more tornadoes - all of them weak - were reported on March 13 in Alabama and Mississippi before the system finally weakened and the severe weather came to an end.

Confirmed tornadoes

March 9 event

March 13 event

pringfield, Illinois tornadoes

shipping containers

I-72, west of Veterans Parkway, Springfield, Illinois.]
Veterans Parkway, Springfield, Illinois] The longest-lasting series of tornadoes in the outbreak formed at about 7:30 p.m. CST (0130 UTC) near Winchester. The system lasted for several hours and left an unusually long trail of damage according to the National Weather Service.

The tornadic system was reported as a large wedge tornado and was first spotted in southeastern Pike County, Illinois. Some of the communities affected in the first phase include Manchester, Murrayville, Franklin, New Berlin and Curran before approaching Springfield. Damage was reported all along its convert|70|mi|km|sing=on path.

The tornado then tracked into the south end of Springfield and dissipated in the city, only to be replaced by a second tornado before exiting the city. The hardest hit areas were in the commercial area around White Oaks Mall and along Veterans Parkway, a major arterial road in southwest Springfield. On other evenings, the area would be heavily crowded, but fortunately there were few people around as it was Sunday evening and most businesses were closed at the time. The hardest hit residential areas were roughly along and about 1/2 mile (800 m) on either side of a diagonal line from the Veterans Parkway / I-72 interchange (Exit 93) to the I-55 / I-72 / Clear Lake Avenue cloverleaf (I-55 Exit 98).

Some of the damage include many trees and power lines down, plus many buildings have suffered damage of unknown degree, such as windows being blown out of many buildings and roofs collapsed in a commercial area, including several retail stores being destroyed. Part of the roof was peeled at the Illinois Department of Transportation building. [http://www.kbcitv.com/x51828.xml?URL=http://localhost/APWIREFEED/d8gaqjto0.xml&NewsSection=NationalHeadlines]

The historic buildings of downtown, including the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, were spared damage as the tornadoes' track passed through neighborhoods and suburbs on the south side of the city.

WTAX-AM and WDBR-FM were knocked off the air after the tornado toppled the main signal tower. Some localized looting was reported in the damaged area after the tornado hit. It has been described by Mayor Timothy Davlin as the worst damage ever seen in the city. More than 1,000 buildings in the Springfield area were damaged or destroyed incurring an estimated $150 million in damages.

The system continued on well east and north through central Illinois, touching down many times. It then affected communities such as Clear Lake, Dawson (those areas as separate F2 tornadoes), Latham, Maroa, Weldon, Farmer City (all of them had touchdowns by F1 tornadoes) and Paxton (where an F0 tornado touched down) before finally lifting for the final time close to the Indiana state line. A grain elevator was thrown onto I-72 near Dawson. Both Springfield tornadoes were just over 0.5 mile (0.8 km) wide at their maximum and were rated F2.

It did miss Decatur and Champaign-Urbana.

There were at least 24 people reported to have been injured, although no fatalities have been reported. Damage in the Springfield area was estimated to be approximately $150 million.

It was later confirmed that they were multiple tornadoes within the same cell; two affected Springfield, both being F2.
* [http://www.sj-r.com/extras/storm06 State Journal-Register special section] on the tornado
* [http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ilx/?n=spi-tornado NWS Lincoln office] site for the tornado

outhwestern Missouri tornadoes

A significant tornado formed at about 10:08 p.m. CST (0408 UTC) just north of Verona in Southwest Missouri Lawrence County. It was confirmed to have tracked through three counties over the next hour, and it's highest damage over the length of the path was classified as F3 by the NWS.

The first community affected was Marionville, where the tornado's two fatalities occurred. Several houses there were reported to have been damaged, and to the West of Marionville, a mobile home was rolled across US Highway 60.

The tornado continued Northeastward, tracking just to the south of the small community of Billings, where one residential development was hit, resulting in 25 to 75 percent roof damage, as well as damage to exterior walls of some residences. F3 damage was observed between Billings and Nixa. Two public shelters were opened after the tornadoes hit. The destructive path continued across the southern fringe of Springfield, Missouri. All told, approximately 40 homes & structures sustained significant damage, and two homes to the North of Clever were destroyed.

The tornado lifted just west of the Webster County line, although a new tornado formed shortly thereafter. The path length of the Lawrence County to Greene County tornado was ~40 miles (64 km), with an observed damage path width between 1/4 & 1/2 miles wide, and it was on the ground for about 50 minutes. The new tornado spawned in Wright County where it touched down and was on the ground from the area of East Hartville into Grovespring, where it damaged a few homes, farm equipment, and garages. The tornadoes in Wright County were rated as F2 and F3 on the Fujita Scale.

Damage from the tornadoes was estimated at over $60 million in the region. [ [http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~storms NCDC Storm Events-Select State ] ]

Nontornadic events

Quad Cities Area

Extremely strong winds were recorded throughout northwestern Illinois and eastern Iowa. A record wind gust of 107 mph (172 km/h) was recorded at the Quad Cities Airport in Moline. The wind measurement was verified with backup equipment from the FAA after the main instrument failed.

The winds, which were equivalent to a strong Category 2 hurricane, caused severe damage to numerous houses, along with countless trees and power lines. The damage was reported to have been caused by a microburst.

Northern Illinois

A microburst containing winds between 85 mph (137 km/h) and 100 mph (162 km/h) was reported in Bridgeview, a south suburb of Chicago. The microburst hit the area just after midnight on March 13, and may have been part of a supercell to hit the southern suburbs just before the thunderstorm complex exited the area at 3:00 a.m. CST. Roofs were ripped off apartments along a three block length, and seven garages were damaged or destroyed, according to the Chicago Tribune. [ [http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/custom/newsroom/chi-060313chicagoweather,1,543036.story?coll=chi-news-hed Topic Galleries - chicagotribune.com ] ] Harlem Avenue in Bridgeview (Illinois Route 43) in the vicinity of 77th Street was closed for four hours while debris was cleared from the road.

Flash flooding closed U.S. Route 45 around U.S. Route 30, but major flooding was not reported on any of the area highways during the rush hour. 15,000 customers were left without power as the thunderstorms passed. The number had been reduced to 2,000 by daybreak, but strong winds knocked a total of 17,000 customers offline as of midday Monday. [ [http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/custom/newsroom/chi-060313highwinds,0,3682991.story?coll=chi-newsbreaking-hed Topic Galleries - chicagotribune.com ] ]

Strong winds also forced the closure of parts of downtown Evanston when building material blew off a 29-story building, slightly injuring a construction worker. Four more construction workers were injured, one seriously, in Antioch when a roof being constructed for a new church collapsed due to the wind. A Wind Advisory was issued by the National Weather Service, indicating sustained winds of at least 30 mph (50 km/h) and gusts of up to 50 mph (80 km/h).

Eastern Illinois

Both Ford County, Illinois and Iroquois County, Illinois recorded damage due to microbursts. In Ford County along Illinois Route 9, power poles were snapped and damage to vehicles was recorded and attributed to a microburst which had winds between 85 mph (137 km/h) and 100 mph (162 km/h). In Iroquois County, most of a cattle building was blown into a field just west of Illinois Route 1 near Milford. This microburst had reported winds of 90 mph (145 km/h).

Damage around Crescent City and Interstate 57 in Iroquois County was likely caused by straight-line winds. [ [http://www.crh.noaa.gov/crnews/display_story.php?wfo=lot&storyid=1821&source=0 Damage Survey for Storms on March 12 ] ]

ee also

*List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
*Tornadoes of 2006

References

External links

* [http://www.spc.noaa.gov/ Storm Prediction Center]