January 2008 tornado outbreak sequence

January 2008 tornado outbreak sequence

Extensive tornado damage in Southeastern Wisconsin
Date of tornado outbreak:	January 7 – January 11, 2008
Duration1:	3 days, 11 hours, 48 minutes
Maximum rated tornado2:	EF3 tornado
Tornadoes caused:	75 confirmed
Damages:	$88 million (+ $41 million non–tornadic)[1]
Fatalities:	4
Areas affected:	Parts of the Central and Southern United States
1Time from first tornado to last tornado 2Most severe tornado damage; see Enhanced Fujita Scale

The January 2008 tornado outbreak sequence was an unseasonably strong tornado outbreak that began on January 7, 2008 and continued for nearly four days, with the hardest hit area being southwestern Missouri, northwestern Arkansas and the surrounding area. In addition, a strong supercell in northern Illinois and southeastern Wisconsin produced that region's first January tornadoes since 1967.^[2]

More tornadoes occurred across the Mississippi Valley on January 8 and after a break in the activity on January 9, another round of severe weather took place in the Southern United States (primarily Alabama and Mississippi) on January 10. Several damaging tornadoes were reported that day, although no one was killed. In total, over the four–day period, at least 74 tornadoes were confirmed and four people were killed.

Meteorological synopsis

An unseasonably warm air mass was entrenched over much of central and eastern North America with record highs for much of the region. Several record high temperatures were broken across several states and Canadian provinces from January 7 to January 9 as temperatures rose into the 70s (21-25°C) as far north as the Ohio Valley with dewpoints in the high 50s and low 60s (14-17°C) providing additional fuel for storm development.

In addition, many areas near the Great Lakes region reached the mid to upper 60s (17-20°C) which allowed the northern cells to form, while several areas in southern Ontario and Quebec near the Canada-US border reached near 60°F (16°C).^[3][4]

Tornado tracks across Southern Missouri on January 7–8 (Courtesy of NWS Springfield, Missouri)

A strong low pressure area over the central Great Lakes and its associated cold front combined with intense wind shear to provide a favorable environment for supercell development.^[5] Despite only moderate instability (which meant only a slight risk of severe weather was issued by the Storm Prediction Center, and only modest probabilities for severe weather at first^[6]), supercells developed throughout the day over much of the central US and continued throughout the evening and overnight hours, continuing into the morning of January 8. The hardest-hit area was in the Ozarks, around Springfield, Missouri, where nearly continuous supercells developed throughout the evening, resulting in numerous tornado touchdowns. In addition to the tornadoes, hail larger than baseballs and damaging straight-line downburst winds as strong as 100 mph (160 km/h) were reported. At least three people were killed in Missouri as a result of the tornadoes. Two of these deaths occurred near Marshfield and there were also six injuries.^[7]

Strong tornadoes also touched down further north near Chicago and Milwaukee causing extensive damage along the Wisconsin/Illinois border as well as several injuries. Strong cells and lines also formed in Michigan prompting rare tornado warnings across central parts of Lower Michigan.^[8] Scattered thunderstorms were reported in Northern, Central and Southern Ontario on the evening of January 7.^[9] Tornado watches extended from eastern Oklahoma to southwestern Ontario on January 7.^[10]

SPC Severe Weather Forecast for January 10, 2008 showing the moderate risk area. (Courtesy of NWS Birmingham, Alabama)

Activity shifted across the Mid-Mississippi Valley on January 8 where tornado watches were issued across Arkansas and Tennessee and later extended across the Ohio Valley to near Columbus, Ohio and Dayton, Ohio until the early morning hours on January 9. A strong tornado in Pope County, Arkansas killed at least one person and additional tornadoes were reported just west of Memphis. During the day, most of the activity was formed into a line that extended from the Ohio Valley to Alabama although thunderstorm-related wind damage was reported as far north as upstate New York and western Pennsylvania.

After a lull in activity on January 9, a separate system across the Southern United States led to more severe weather, including tornadoes, on January 10. A moderate risk of severe weather was issued by the Storm Prediction Center.

NEXRAD view of a supercell near Caledonia, Mississippi, displaying relative velocity on the left, and base reflectivity on the right. (Courtesy of NWS Jackson, Mississippi)

Storms developed across Louisiana and Mississippi during the morning and noon periods moving into Alabama with additional storms developing as far north as central and eastern Kentucky where a tornado watch was issued stretching down towards eastern Louisiana and later into Georgia. One particular storm produced several tornado reports across Attala County and near Starkville with some structural damage.

At around 2:20 PM CDT, a tornado warning was issued for Lamar County, Alabama after a report of significant structural damage was received in Caledonia, Mississippi in Lowndes County; a tornado was later spotted by the emergency management in the downtown Vernon, Alabama area. Additional tornadoes were reported from a storm that moved from southeastern Mississippi to north of Tuscaloosa later in the afternoon causing extensive damage in northeastern portion of Tuscaloosa County. More stable air farther east reduced the severe weather potential. Wintry weather including snow, sleet and freezing rain on the northern side of the storm was reported from Wisconsin to Maine on January 10–11.

Tornadoes confirmed

The Enhanced Fujita Scale

Confirmed Total	Confirmed EF0	Confirmed EF1	Confirmed EF2	Confirmed EF3	Confirmed EF4	Confirmed EF5
75	32	28	7	8	0	0

January 7 event

List of reported tornadoes - Monday, January 7, 2008
EF#	Location	County	Time (UTC)	Path length	Damage
Missouri
EF0	SW of Lowry City	St. Clair	2022	unknown	Brief tornado touchdown by spotter with damage to a few trees.
EF0	SE of Lincoln	Benton	2054	unknown	Report from a local newspaper. Photographs revealed that a pole barn was heavily damaged.
EF0	NE of Auxvasse	Audrain	2155	0.5 mile (800 m)
EF2	N of Purdy	Barry	2306	12 miles (19.2 km)	Damage reported by Monett Police at the corner of Route BB and Route 37. Tornado destroyed a barn and part of a mobile home park.
EF0	E of Pineville	McDonald	2350	0.1 mile (160 m)	Minimal damage, primarily to trees.
EF2	SW of Republic	Greene	2357	6 miles (9.6 km)	A pole barn was destroyed. Numerous homes, as well as an elementary school, were badly damaged. Previously were two separate tornado tracks before being combined into a single track.
EF0	W of Purdy (1st tornado)	Barry	0020	0.1 mile (160 m)	Brief tornado destroyed a mobile home.
EF0	W of Purdy (2nd tornado)	Barry	0020	0.1 mile (160 m)	Another brief tornado touchdown destroyed a pole barn.
EF0	W of Purdy (3rd tornado)	Barry	0020	0.5 mile (800 m)	Third tornado in the same area destroyed a barn.
EF3	Strafford area (1st tornado)	Greene, Webster, Laclede	0029	26 miles (42 km)	3 deaths - Over 50 houses were damaged or destroyed, along with many barns and outbuildings. Fatalities occurred near Strafford and Sampson. Six others were injured.
EF0	NE of Aurora	Lawrence, Christian	0128	6 miles (9.6 km)	Heavy damage to a barn where a cow was killed. Farm houses and outbuildings were also damaged.
EF2	Strafford area (2nd tornado)	Greene, Webster	0132	17 miles (29 km)	Power flashes reported. Several houses and outbuildings were damaged or destroyed.
EF0	S of Mount Sterling	Gasconade	0150	0.25 mile (400 m)	Brief tornado touchdown with some tree damage.
EF3	Jerome area	Pulaski, Phelps	0206	7 miles (11 km)	Significant damage reported in the area with numerous buildings destroyed, including several houses. Extensive tree damage in the area. Three people were injured.
EF1	NW of Mayflower	McDonald, Barry	0215	7 miles (11.2 km)	A few structures were heavily damaged or destroyed. Several trees were damaged.
EF0	W of Clarksville	Pike	0230	5 miles (8 km)	Intermittent tornado touchdown with some tree damage.
EF1	NE of Marshfield	Webster, Dallas	0242	6 miles (9.6 km)	One house was damaged along with a few outbuildings.
EF2	NW of Phillipsburg	Laclede	0300	5 miles (8 km)	Several outbuildings were destroyed and one house was heavily damaged. Numerous trees were uprooted.
EF0	W of Seligman	Barry	0312	20 yds (18 m)	Very short-lived tornado knocked a few trees down.
EF1	NW of Highlandville	Christian	0336	1.5 miles (2.4 km)	Two mobile homes were destroyed and several houses were damaged. One person was injured.
EF1	Vichy area	Phelps, Maries	0340	13 miles (21 km)	10 houses were damaged, along with an unoccupied school building. Over 20 outbuildings were damaged or destroyed, and a mobile home was also destroyed. The Vichy recording station reported wind gusts of 97 mph (155 km/h). One person was injured.
EF0	E of Marshfield	Webster	0357	11 miles (17 km)	A mobile home lost its roof and a barn was destroyed.
EF1	W of Washburn	McDonald, Barry	0421	9 miles (15 km)	Damage limited to trees.
Illinois
EF3	Lawrence area	Boone, McHenry	2130	13.2 miles (21 km)	Seventeen homes, and several barns were destroyed and many other buildings were damaged. live stock were killed and several injured, The tornado also derailed a train on the Union Pacific Railroad carrying hazardous materials, forcing a local evacuation. Five people were injured. It was the first tornado in northeastern Illinois in the month of January since 1950.[11] The derailment of the train was recorded by the trains on-board surveillance box camera.[12]
EF1	S of Mackinaw	Tazewell	2322	3 miles (4.8 km)	A pole barn was destroyed and a home and a few outbuildings were damaged. A chain link fence and tree limbs were blown down.
EF0	SE of Pleasant Hill	Pike	0240	2.75 miles (4.4 km)	Intermittent tornado touchdown with some tree damage.
Wisconsin
EF3	New Munster area	Walworth, Kenosha	2202	10.8 miles (17 km)	The northernmost January tornado in the US since 1967 damaged over 150 houses, including 27 houses completely destroyed, with a few weaker structures flattened, and 32 others heavily damaged. 15 people were injured but no injuries were serious.
EF1	Kenosha	Kenosha	2239	2.4 miles (3.9 km)	Tornado damaged an apartment building in the northern fringes of the city, in which the second story suffered damage. Several houses suffered minor to moderate damage and some trees damaged.[13]
Arkansas
EF0	S of Hiwasse	Benton	0205	unknown
EF0	E of Centerton	Benton	0250	unknown
EF1	SW of Decatur	Benton	0509	2.6 miles (4.2 km)	Several trees heavily damaged, but no buildings impacted.
Oklahoma
EF0	SW of Watts	Adair	0208	unknown
EF0	N of Moodys	Cherokee	0428	unknown	Brief touchdown resulted in minor damage to one house and two barns.
EF0	NE of Porter	Wagoner	0538	1 miles (1.6 km)	Extensive tree damage.
EF0	NE of Wagoner	Wagoner	0554	2.7 miles (4.4 km)	Damage limited to a few trees.
Sources: Storm reports of January 7, 2008, NWS Milwaukee, NWS Springfield, KY3 News, NWS Chicago, NWS St. Louis, NWS Tulsa

January 8 event

List of reported tornadoes - Tuesday, January 8, 2008
EF#	Location	County	Time (UTC)	Path length	Damage
Missouri
EF1	NE of Washburn	Barry	0822	7 miles (11 km)	Several structures and trees damaged.
EF1	E of Cassville	Barry, Stone	0831	14 miles (22 km)	Several poultry barns were damaged, along with numerous sheds and outbuildings.
EF1	Springfield	Greene	0837	1 mile (1.6 km)	Spotter reported tornado on the ground in central Springfield that moved across the northern part of the downtown area near Chestnut Expressway and Sherman Avenue. A warehouse owned by the Harry S. Cooper Supply Company collapsed.
EF1	Highlandville	Christian	0850	5 miles (8 km)	Tornado tracked through town damaging several roofs and destroying numerous outbuildings.
EF0	S of Branson	Taney	0901	100 yds (90 m)	Brief tornado touchdown in the Thousand Hills Resort. Three condominiums were damaged.
EF0	SW of Bracken to SW of Susanna	Webster	0916	7 miles (11.2 km)	Weak tree and structure damage
EF0	SW of Tigris to SE of Mount Zion	Douglas	0917	10 miles (16 km)	Barns and outbuildings were damaged or destroyed
EF2	S of Niangua	Webster	0918	5 miles (8 km)	Several homes and outbuildings were destroyed
EF1	SW of Mountain Grove	Douglas	0943	1.5 miles (2.4 km)	One mobile home was torn from its foundation. A barn and some outbuildings were damaged. Significant tree damage.
EF1	SE of Dawson to SE of Bado	Wright, Texas	0945	12 miles (19.2 km)	A few barns and outbuildings were damaged
EF0	W of West Plains	Howell	1020	unknown	Brief tornado touchdown reported.
EF1	SW of Eminence	Shannon	1027	1.5 miles (2.4 km)	Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted, but no structures impacted.
EF1	NE of Eminence	Shannon	1038	10 miles (16 km)	Two barns and a garage were destroyed, and another barn was damaged. Widespread tree damage. Initially were two separate tornado tracks
EF0	SW of Alton	Oregon	1059	1 mile (1.6 km)	Significant damage reported to three industrial buildings along Route 19.
EF1	NE of Essex	Stoddard	1840	4.2 miles (6.8 km)	A shed and three outbuildings destroyed and a house was damaged. About 10 power poles snapped.
Arkansas
EF2	Appleton area	Pope, Conway, Van Buren	1440	20.5 miles (33 km)	1 death - Major structural damage reported in the area, with 10 houses destroyed and about 40 others damaged. Many other buildings were damaged or destroyed, including a church. Significant tree damage also reported. Two others were injured by the tornado.[14][15]
EF0	SE of Princedale to SE of Twist	Cross	1926	11 miles (17.6 km)	A mobile home lost its roof, farm water rig pivots were blown over and trees and power lines were knocked down
EF1	S of Deckerville	Poinsett	1952	250 yds (225 m)	Brief touchdown damaged two houses and destroyed a shed.
EF1	S of Osceola	Mississippi	2020	3.5 miles (5.6 km)	Several houses sustained roof damaged. Several people were trapped but rescued.
Tennessee
EF1	Poplar Grove area	Lauderdale, Dyer	2058	7 miles (11 km)	Several houses were severely damaged and one mobile home was destroyed. Extensive tree damage.
Mississippi
EF0	S of Church Hill	Jefferson	2130	4 miles (6.4 km)	Tornado remained in a rural area but tree damage reported along the Natchez Trace Parkway.
EF1	Harrisville area	Simpson	2337	20 miles (32 km)	Long-track tornado damaged several houses, including roofs blown off at least two houses. Widespread tree damage along the track.
EF0	SE of Puckett	Rankin	0011	unknown	One house suffered shingle damage and some tree damage reported.
Sources: Storm reports of January 8, 2008, NWS Little Rock, NWS Paducah, NWS Jackson (MS), NWS Memphis

January 10 event

List of reported tornadoes - Thursday, January 10, 2008
EF#	Location	County/ Parish	Time (UTC)	Path length	Damage
Mississippi
EF1	SE of Rocky Springs	Claiborne	1727	4 miles (6.4 km)	Tornado remained in a rural area with heavy tree damage but no buildings impacted.
EF3	Goodman area	Attala, Holmes	1751	10 miles (16 km)	Damage reported to some homes in Goodman according to ABC 33/40 coverage. Numerous houses damaged or destroyed, and hundreds of trees and powerlines down including high-tension towers by a 3/4 mile (1.2 km) wide wedge tornado. One person was injured.
EF3	S of Ackerman	Attala, Choctaw	1828	24 miles (38 km)	Large wedge tornado destroyed one house, a cinder block structure, a dairy barn and several other structures. A trailer was lifted and flipped onto the roof of a farm building. Three people were injured.
EF0	N of Fannin	Rankin	1839	1.5 miles (2.4 km)	Tornado damaged some pine trees.
EF0	SW of Pearl River Resort	Neshoba	1942	2 miles (3.2 km)	Two homes were damaged, one with porch damage and one with roof damage.
EF1	S of Iuka	Tishomingo	1954	3.5 miles (5.6 km)	Tornado touched down at a landfill site, then damaged two houses and two outbuildings and knocked down many trees.
EF3	Caledonia to NE of Malloy (AL)	Lowndes, Lamar (AL)	2013	14 miles (22.4 km)	Major damage reported in Caledonia according to ABC 33/40 coverage. A middle school gymnasium was destroyed, as well as several school buses and nearby houses. 10 people were injured. In Alabama, the tornado destroyed two barns, moved the foundations of two mobile homes and damaged two other homes. Initially was two separate tornado tracks with the other being a 5-mile EF2 north of Vernon in Lamar County.
EF1	NW of Prairie Point	Noxubee	2058	1.5 mile (2.4 km)	Damage limited to downed power poles
EF0	N of Prairie Point	Noxubee	2102	1 mile (1.6 km)	Damage to a few trees
Alabama
EF0	Dixons Mills	Marengo	1908	800 yds (750 m)	Minor damage reported to four houses, and some trees knocked down.
EF0	Pickensville	Pickens	2140	unknown	Brief tornado damaged the roof of a barn.
EF1	E of Gordo	Pickens, Tuscaloosa	2145	1.76 miles (2.8 km)	One barn was destroyed and numerous chicken houses were damaged.
EF3	E of Windham Springs	Jefferson, Walker	2220	4.9 miles (7.8 km)	Tornado reported on the ground according to ABC 33/40 coverage. It touched down west of Oak Grove. Significant damage to trees, homes, a grocery store and a church.
Louisiana
EF1	W of New Roads	Pointe Coupee	1910	0.25 mile (400 m)	Brief tornado with minor to moderate damage at several industrial buildings at the intersection of Highways 1 and 3131.
Kentucky
EF1	SW of Park City	Barren	2002	1.8 miles (3 km)	Tornado sighted just outside the town.
Tennessee
EF2	E of Waynesboro	Wayne	2055	1.29 miles (2.1 km)	A metal barn was completely destroyed and several others suffered heavy damage. Minor damage to a few houses.
Sources: Storm reports of January 10, 2008 NWS Birmingham, NWS New Orleans, NWS Jackson (MS), NWS Jackson (MS) Preliminary Storm Report, NWS Nashville, NWS Louisvlle

January 11 event

List of reported tornadoes - Friday, January 11, 2008
EF#	Location	County/ Parish	Time (UTC)	Path length	Damage
Alabama
EF1	S of Blue Springs	Barbour	0700	3.5 miles (5.6 km)	Late report found in surveys on February 19 while repairs were underway. Four houses and a mobile home were damaged, and trees were damaged in the area.
Sources: NWS Birmingham

Non-tornadic events

An image of a snowman taken three weeks prior to the melt.

The storm system was also responsible for heavy flooding rains across much of the Midwest from Michigan to Missouri as well as dense fog across Wisconsin, Ontario and Quebec which was caused by rapid snow melt stemming from the January thaw.^[16] flooding was reported across several towns and roads which forced the evacuation of some residents. Record-breaking temperatures were reported all across Southern Ontario and surrounding areas.^{[17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]} The thick fog lead to numerous accidents including two pile-ups involving in total 100 vehicles on Interstate 90 near Madison, Wisconsin which killed at least two and injured dozens more while additional fatal accidents occurred elsewhere.^[28] It also disrupted air travel across several airports.^[29] Rainfall had exceeded locally 4 inches (100 mm) of rain from Missouri to Indiana and Michigan.

High winds and rain have battered Central, southern and eastern Ontario and southern and central Quebec on January 8, and 9. Power outages and wind damages were reported in some areas. As much as 140,000 Hydro One customers were without power in Ontario and at least 100,000 Hydro-Québec customers in Quebec. Winds were gusting in near on in excess of 100 km/h in some localities including the Greater Toronto Area while the highest peak being 133 km/h recorded near Sandbanks Provincial Park in Prince Edward County. One tractor trailer was overturned and nearly fell into the Saint Lawrence River on the Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge^{[30][31][32][33][34]}

See also

• 1967 St. Louis tornado outbreak - Similar rare tornado outbreak in January in the Midwest
• List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
• List of tornadoes striking downtown areas
• Tornadoes of 2008

References

1. ^ "Storm Events". Storm Event Database. National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). January 10, 2008. http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~storms. Retrieved 2008-06-19. 
2. ^ "January Twisters Hit Southeastern Wisconsin". Associated Press. January 7, 2008. http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/13507322.html. Retrieved 2008-06-19. 
3. ^ The Sudbury Star - Ontario, CA
4. ^ Timmins Daily Press - Ontario, CA
5. ^ Storm Prediction Center Jan 7, 2008 1300 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook
6. ^ Storm Prediction Center Jan 7, 2008 0600 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook
7. ^ http://www.kmbc.com/news/14998696/detail.html
8. ^ Mt. Pleasant Morning Sun
9. ^ The North Bay Nugget - Ontario, CA
10. ^ Tornado watch in effect for Windsor-Essex County
11. ^ Tornadoes of January 7, 2008
12. ^ Train vs. Tornado - Spectacular! Youtube video
13. ^ January Tornadoes Touch Down In Kenosha County - Milwaukee Weather News Story - WISN Milwaukee
14. ^ ArkansasMatters.com - One Man Dead, One Woman Injured in Pope County, Officials Say
15. ^ All Products by Site - NOAA's National Weather Service
16. ^ Highway 69 at Pointe Au Baril reopens, Highway 537 still closed
17. ^ "Winter flood forces evacuation of Quebec town". CBC News. January 8, 2008. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2008/01/08/qc-winterthaw0108.html. 
18. ^ The North Bay Nugget - Ontario, CA
19. ^ The North Bay Nugget - Ontario, CA
20. ^ Flooding causes closure of Hwy 537
21. ^ Wingrove, Josh (January 10, 2008). "Flooding forces evacuations in Huntsville". The Star (Toronto). http://www.thestar.com/News/article/292875. Retrieved May 5, 2010. 
22. ^ More flood threats across Quebec
23. ^ CTV Toronto | CTV News, Shows and Sports - Canadian Television
24. ^ Highway 69 at Pointe Au Baril reopens, Highway 537 still closed
25. ^ http://www.northernlife.ca/photogallery/01_10_08/photogallery.asp
26. ^ Localized flood emergency declared in Huntsville
27. ^ Severe weather hits Muskoka
28. ^ KHNL NBC 8 Honolulu Hawaii |Dozens of cars pile up in Wisconsin; 2 dead
29. ^ "Flights cancelled as fog rolls in with Ontario thaw". CBC News. January 7, 2008. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2008/01/07/ot-flood-080107.html. 
30. ^ "Hydro crews still dealing with windstorm damage". CBC News. January 11, 2008. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2008/01/11/hydro-repairs.html. 
31. ^ "Strong winds to blow away warm spell". CBC News. January 9, 2008. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2008/01/09/ont-weather.html. 
32. ^ "Gusts blow power out for thousands in Quebec". CBC News. January 9, 2008. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2008/01/09/qc-windgusts.html. 
33. ^ Rush, Curtis (January 10, 2008). "Streets reopen after storm". The Star (Toronto). http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/292697. Retrieved May 5, 2010. 
34. ^ Todd, Jeffrey (January 10, 2008). "Power still out for thousands in Muskoka". The Star (Toronto). http://www.thestar.com/News/Ontario/article/292820. Retrieved May 5, 2010. 

External links

• Rare January Tornado in Northern Illinois Monday Afternoon Rated EF3 (NWS Chicago)
• Pictures and Information For Rare January Tornadoes in Southeast Wisconsin (NWS Milwaukee)
• Severe Weather and Flooding of January 7-8, 2008 (NWS Lincoln IL)
• Summary of Severe Weather/Tornado Surveys January 7th-8th (NWS St. Louis)
• Unusually Early Severe Weather Outbreak Hits the Ozarks (NWS Springfield MO)
• Severe Weather on January 7-8, 2008 (NWS Little Rock)
• Jan 7-8 Severe Weather Event (NWS Tulsa)
• Overview of January 8 storms (NWS Paducah)
• Video of a train being derailed by a tornado near Harvard, IL (Youtube)