Some Thoughts on Carolinas' Tornadoes

My goal in covering tornadoes on the blog is not to blog in real time about every tornado situation. I try to blog about unusual situations so that people will not be caught unaware.

Given that goal, since the Carolinas are well outside of "tornado alley" and since I thought this would be a fierce tornado situation, I thought I would live blog it. It is clearly the worst tornado outbreak in the region since at least 1984.

This map is a very preliminary look at where the tornadoes (red) and funnel clouds (tornado aloft, orange) have occurred:

There are more than 100,000 homes and businesses without power. Damage is widespread.

Since my goal of raising awareness has been met (more than 2,000 people have visited the blog today) I'm going to sign off with the coverage. But, before I do, I want to salute WRAL TV in Raleigh. The weather team there did as good a job with severe weather coverage as I have seen anywhere, anytime. They continued to broadcast even when the local National Weather Service took shelter along with the non-essential people at the station. This was television meteorology at its finest and I am sure they saved lives.

Combine the WRAL TV work with the complementary work from the Storm Prediction Center ("particularly dangerous situation" tornado watch) and the warnings from the local NWS and the meteorological profession can be very proud today.