69 Years Ago at This Time......

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....My family was closely following the weather. A supercell thunderstorm had moved near Emporia, Kansas -- where it produced large hail -- on its way toward Williamsburg and Ottawa where it produced an F-5 intensity that began killing people at Ottawa, moved through densely populated south Kansas City, and then lifted near the suburb of Raytown, MO. Forty-four people were killed and as many as 500 were injured. 

Charles LeMaster via The Ottawa Herald. Used with permission. 

This tornado was historic because it was the first time the federal government's Weather Bureau issued what we could call today a "tornado warning." Those warnings have saved lives! The number is likely in the tens of thousands. Here's another story, just published today, of how a tornado warning and a tornado safe room allowed a young woman to graduate from high school this week. 

Members of the AccuWeather team on a storm warning client "field trip"

It was this storm, known at the Ruskin Heights Tornado, that kindled my life-long interest in weather. This storm actually played a role in the wonderful woman I married. I've been incredibly blessed to have a wonderful family and career. I was one of three meteorologists that came out of this storm. 

With my just-published book, Warnings: The True Story of How Science Tamed the Weather.
I am standing in front of the original memorial before it was destroyed by a
careless driver in 2024. The Ruskin Heights story is one of many told in the book.
Photo: Kansas City Star
Congratulations to my colleagues at the television stations where I worked, at WeatherData, Inc. and AccuWeather Enterprise Solutions, and the National Weather Service for nearly 70 years of saving lives and mitigating property losses. 

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