Palm Sunday Tornadic Outbreak
Assignment 4 Geography 101
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Image of a tornado touching the ground in LaPorte, Indiana, during the tornado outbreak
The devasting tornado outbreak occurred on April 10-12, 1965. The previous March was an unusually cold and snowy month. Once April came around, warm weather started to slide its way into the forecast. April 11th marked the official day for above-average temperatures in the year 1965.
Map from National Weather Service of the jet stream over the Central Plains
An extratropical cyclone centered over the Northeastern High Plains, North and South Dakota. The following day there was a quick change in temperature due to a forceful jet stream in the upper two-thirds of the troposphere. This jet stream traveled through the Southern Great Plains. The jet stream and low-pressure belt with pressures of 990 MB were the root cause of the appalling tornadic outbreak.
Map from 13WTHR of where tornados touched ground during the 1965 Palm Sunday Outbreak
The Timeline of the Tornadic Outbreak
An example of tornadic suction vortices
After the Palm Sunday Tornadic Outbreak, citizens who were in the affected areas began protesting for civil defense sirens. A majority of people claimed that they were outside during these conditions and did not hear or see the news about the tornado watch. The terms "tornado watch" and "tornado warning" were invented in 1966 to distinguish the severity of the storm and allow people to properly prepare for the weather conditions.
Photo from NASA Earth Observation of Hurricane Emily
On July 6th, 2005, a tropical wave moved off of the coast of Africa. The disturbance of the wave gradually came together until July 10th. This evening marks when the hurricane first started to form and was known as the Tropical Storm Emily. On July 11th, Emily moved west towards the Windward Islands.
Hurricane Emily traversed through Guyana, Lesser Antilles, Venezuela, Columbia, Greater Antilles, Honduras, Belize, Mexico, and Texas and maintained a category rank of 3-5 throughout the entirety of the storm. The lowest atmospheric pressure experienced during the storm was 929 mbar
Map for NOAA of the wind speeds of Hurricane Emily
When Emily first traveled through the Central Atlantic Ocean and made landfall in Granada on July 14th wind speeds were 86 mph.
On July 16th, Emily became the strongest hurricane ever on record to form in July with wind speeds of 160 mph and peaked as a category 5 hurricane. When Emily made landfall on July 16th in Yucatan Peninsula, it was ranked as a category 4 hurricane.
On July 17th, Hurricane Emily passes through Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.
On July 18th, Hurricane Emily was still categorized as a category 4 hurricane with wind speeds of 130 mph. Later in the afternoon on July 18th, the wind speeds had weakened to 75 mph.
Due to the warm waters in the Caribbean Sea, the wind was able to pick back up to 125 mph and the pressure dropped 30 mbars on the following day, July 19th.
When Hurricane Emily hit Tamaulipas on July 20th, the hurricane was ranked a category 3 hurricane with wind speeds of 125 mph. The hurricane rapidly dissipated within 24 hours over the Sierra Madre Oriental on July 21st.
Precipitation Totals
Fatalities and Damages
Photo from China News of shelters during Hurricane Emily
Countries started sheltering and evacuating residents as soon as the storm was mentioned. Over 1,200 shelters were opened throughout all the affected areas and donations were being made to these shelters to help with food and medical supplies. Countries were making their best attempt to evaluate residents from the coastal communities. All airlines in these affected areas were canceled. Grenada, the Eastern Caribbean Islands of Barbados, and regions of Jamicia were all issued a curfew during this threatening time.
Photo from CBS News of women checking out at grocery store in anticipation on Hurricane Emily
Many residents were found in grocery stores and pharmacies days before Hurricane Emily made an appearance. Residents were stocking up on food and medical supplies anticipating the multiple-day setback that Hurricane Emily was expected to bring. Countries reported bringing in response teams and having 100+ personnel on standby to help with any medical attention necessary.
Hurricane Emily highlighted the need for improved accuracy in predicting hurricane tracks and intensities. This led to improvements in modeling techniques and data assimilation methods. The improvements would allow residents to prepare for future storms and hurricanes to come promptly.