GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVALS: Sinkholes Keep Popping Up Across The United States - Massive Sinkhole Swallows Up Front Yard In Des Moines, Iowa!

April 12, 2016 - IOWA, UNITED STATES - A sinkhole appeared overnight in the front yard of a south side Des Moines home and it keeps growing.

The homeowner at 4103 SW 5th Street was awakened by neighbors who noticed the sinkhole around 12:30 a.m.

Tuesday when it began swallowing a hedge.

By 7:00 a.m. the hole had expanded dramatically, even sucking down a tree.

Officials say it is about 40 feet deep and still expanding.

The area around the sinkhole has been cordoned off.

Southwest 5th Street has been blocked off in the area.


WATCH: Sinkhole swallows tree, continuing to expand in front yard.

- WHO.

 

EXTREME WEATHER: Tornado Activity In Illinois WELL ABOVE AVERAGE For 2015 - Had 69 Twisters, Above The 25-Year Average Of 53!

Photo: William T. Reid

February 23, 2016 - ILLINOIS, UNITED STATES - Illinois was hit hard by tornadoes in 2015, well above its average and the fourth-most in the nation, according to the National Weather Service.

Based on preliminary data, Illinois had a total of 69 twisters, well above the state's 25-year average of 53.

By August, the Chicago area had set a record for the number of tornadoes in 2015.

Only Texas (239), Kansas (125) and Oklahoma (110) had more, and all three states were well above their state's average.

Illinois' neighbors to the west, Iowa (58) and Missouri (48), were slightly above their average.

Interestingly, another Plains state, Nebraska, was well below its average, with only 26 reported tornadoes.

Aerial view of tornado damage in Coal City, Illinois, the morning after a storm on June 22, 2015.© CBS

In total, the United States reported 1,152 tornadoes in 2015, with the overwhelming majority (1,069) reported as relatively weaker EF-0 or EF-1 storms. There were no EF-5 tornadoes reported, and three EF-4s.

One of those EF-4s hit in northwest Illinois on April 9, killing two people in the town of Fairdale. The weather service reported a total of 11 tornadoes in the state that day alone.

Prelim 2015 tornado count from @NWSSPC. IL had 69 tornadoes, 4th most of any state. IN had 18. #ilwx #inwx
Twitter: NWS Chicago

The tornado that tore through the towns of Coal City and Braidwood on June 22 was the strongest such storm to hit the Chicago metro area in 25 years.

The National Weather Service classified the tornado as an EF-3, with winds up to 160 miles per hour.

That ranked as the strongest Chicago metro area tornado since the deadly EF-5 that devastated the town of Plainfield in 1990. - CBS.

INFRASTRUCTURE COLLAPSE: The Effects Of Magnetic Polar Migration - The Latest Incidents Of Plane Crashes Across The Globe! [PHOTOS + VIDEO]

Remains of the plane that crashed into a building in downtown Anchorage early Tuesday morning.

December 30, 2015 - EARTH - Here are the latest incidents of plane crashes across the planet over the last few days.

Plane crashes into building in downtown Anchorage, 1 reported dead

A small plane has flown into a commercial building in Anchorage, Alaska. Although the building appeared to be unoccupied at the time of the crash, at least one person has been killed, the fire department reported.

The pilot’s death has been confirmed, but authorities do not know how many people were on board the craft when it crashed into the Brady Building, a 9,000-square-foot office building. The plane struck about four stories from the ground, the Alaska Dispatch News reported.

The Brady Building contains the Alaska Departments of Law and Corrections and the District Attorney's Office.Pieces from the plane then hit an electrical transformer on the outside of a second building, Anchorage Fire Department Battalion Chief Alex Boyd told KTUU. Authorities were forced to shut off power to the area.

The crash occurred at 6:19 a.m. local time on Tuesday, and the Brady Building was fully engulfed in flames within three minutes, Anchorage Police spokeswoman Anita Shell told the Alaska Dispatch News.

The fire was quickly contained, KTVA reported."I seen the plane coming in and it did a total complete turn and then boom" Thomas Connell, who witnessed the crash, told the Anchorage-based newspaper.

A chaotic and scary scene in downtown Anchorage.

"Obviously we have high winds in the area, but we're also looking beyond that," says NTSB's Clint Johnson

At least 1 dead in fiery plane crash with downtown building Tuesday

"It flew over us twice and then crashed," Connell said. "It was just way low, and then it started sinking on in."

Mike Coumbe, who lives a few blocks away, also witnessed the plane going down. He said it appeared to have Civil Air Patrol markings.

"I heard it circling and I knew it was having problems," Coumbe told the Alaska Dispatch News. "I heard the plane and tried to see the plane and I heard it hit it just stopped."

The National Transportation Safety Board’s Clint Johnson confirmed that the plane was a Civil Air Patrol flight, but told reporters that the flight appeared to be unsanctioned.

The Civilian Air Patrol is the official auxiliary of the US Air Force, with three primary missions, aerospace education, cadet programs, and emergency services, according to its website.

The plane is believed to be a Cessna 172 or 180 with a single occupant, Johnson said. A flight plan hadn’t been filed.

Anchorage police “made contact with Civil Air Patrol management," Johnson said. "There were no sanctioned flights scheduled at this time."

The crash occurred approximately two miles from Merrill Field, a municipal commercial airport just east of downtown Anchorage. It is also about halfway between Ted Stevens International Airport and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, which is home to both an Air Force base and an Army post.

The Alaska Wing of the Civil Air Patrol has three units based in the Anchorage area, one of which ‒ the Polaris Composite Squadron ‒ is out of Merrill Field, according to its website. - RT.

Man dies in hospital after small plane crashes in Mascouche, Canada

Police responded to the crash at the side of Highway 640 near the Mascouche Airport Monday evening. (Radio-Canada)

Provincial police say the 40-year-old man who died from injuries sustained in the crash of a small plane at Mascouche on Monday is a resident of Laval.

Police would not identify the man or the nine-year-old boy who was accompanying him.

The boy survived the crash and is expected to recover.

Transportation Safety Board spokeswoman Julie Leroux said the Mooney M20K plane crashed at 5:27 p.m. Monday at the side of Highway 640 by the Mascouche Airport, located about 20 kilometres northeast of Montreal.

The plane's flight path originated in the United States, but Leroux could not confirm where.

She said TSB investigators are looking at data from the flight and factors like weather, maintenance and pilot training.

More details are expected Wednesday. - CBC.

One dead in Tiger Moth crash in Gold Coast, Australia

The pilot of a vintage light plane that crashed on the Gold Coast survived the impact that killed his 58-year-old passenger on Monday morning.

Ryan Campbell, 21, has been taken to Princess Alexandra Hospital in a critical condition after being trapped by the legs in the wreckage of the bi-plane.

Passenger, Gary Turnbull, died at the scene.

His daughter is believed to have watched on from the airport hangar as the tragedy unfolded.

Senior Sergeant Greg Brakes told ABC News at the airfield the plane was believed to have crashed shortly after it took off from an airstrip at Norwell, near Pimpama on the Gold Coast just before 9.30am.

Emergency services work to free a person trapped in the wreckage of a light plane crash on the Gold Coast. Photo: Nine News

Emergency services at the scene of a fatal plane crash on the Gold Coast. Photo: RACQ Care Flight Rescue

"I know that the plane does some joy flights - I'm not sure if this was a paid-for joy flight or something else," he told the broadcaster.

He said the pilot was believed to have alerted emergency services to the crash.

"As a result, a short search was conducted before we located the plane," he said.

"Police, fire officers and [Queensland Ambulance Service] attended and located one male person deceased in the plane, and an injured person."

He said the pilot was semi-conscious when authorities arrived. - Brisbane Times.

Coal County plane crash in Des Moines, Iowa

A plane traveling from Des Moines, Iowa to the Dallas metroplex crashed in Coal County Tuesday night.

It happened around 9 p.m. near Highway 3 between Tupelo and Coalgate.





We're the SR 22 Cirrus lost power and the pilot tried to land at the Coalgate Airport, but lost altitude and crashed into a pasture.

The planes parachute deployed and the pilot on board wasn't injured. The sheriff's office says the FAA is investigating. - KXII.

Small plane crashes in Watertown, Wisconsin - pilot taken to the hospital

Small plane crashes in Watertown

Jefferson County sheriff’s officials on Sunday, December 27th were called out to the scene of a plane crash in Watertown.

Sheriff’s officials say the small plane landed on Aliceton Drive near Caesar Road around 5:00 p.m.

We’re told the pilot, a 67-year-old man from Lake Forest, Illinois, was taken to the hospital for treatment of his injuries.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office says it appears the aircraft left the Watertown Airport shortly before 5 p.m., heading to Kenosha airport. Shortly after takeoff the aircraft was experiencing engine problems.

Officials say the pilot was able to make contact with Air Traffic Control and advise that he was having engine failure and had to make an emergency landing.

After the crash, the pilot was able to get out of the aircraft on his own. He sustained an injury to one of his ankles and did not appear to have any life threatening injuries. He was transported to Aurora Hospital in Waukesha for treatment.

No one on the ground was hurt.

We’re told the plane suffered substantial damage. - Fox6Now.

FIRE IN THE SKY: The Mystery Light - Meteor Fireball Lights Up Midwestern U.S. Morning Sky!

© WOWT

December 26, 2015 - UNITED STATES - Nobody is sure what it was, but plenty of people saw it. Twas the Light Before Christmas and it lit up the night sky across a long stretch of the Midwest early Thursday morning.

Jay Poppe sent us the video he captured near Denton, Iowa.

That was just one of the locations between northern Kansas, through Nebraska and Iowa and into Illinois where sightings were reported.

It happened around 1:30 a.m. in the Omaha, Nebraska area.

What do you think? A meteor? Santa taking a few warm-up laps? - WOWT.


WATCH: The Mystery Light.

INFRASTRUCTURE COLLAPSE: The Effects Of Magnetic Polar Migration - The Latest Incidents Of Plane Crashes Across The Globe!

Plane crashes in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

December 11, 2015 - EARTH - Here are the latest incidents of plane crashes across the planet over the last few days.

One person killed in plane crash along I-29, Council Bluffs, Iowa

A small plane crashed along Interstate 29 Thursday in Council Bluffs, killing one person inside it, authorities said.

The plane landed in the median, just east of Eppley Airfield.

Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeff Danker says it appears the plane was trying to make it to Eppley Airfield. He said the plane took off from the airfield at 11:51 a.m. and turned back.

One witness told investigators the plane clipped a power line.

Investigators say the pilot was headed to Colorado in a 2003 Piper PA-46. His identity has not been released.

The NTSB and FAA are investigating the crash. - KETV.

2 killed in plane crash near Hurricane, Utah

Photo: The Spectrum

A plane crashed Thursday afternoon and police confirmed two people were killed.

The accident occurred around 1:30 p.m. near 1365 S. 3325 West, according to Hurricane City police. The St. George Consolidated Dispatch Center received a call about a single-engine plane that was seen traveling very low before it crashed in a remote area between Sullivan Knoll and Floratech Road, police said. A resident who lives in the area called in the crash and officials from Hurricane City police and the Hurricane City Fire Department were dispatched to the scene.

"It took a little bit to find exactly where the plane had gone down," Hurricane City Police Sgt. Brandon Buell said. "But they were able to locate a plane that had crashed."

Officials said a man and woman were killed in the collision, but details about what caused the accident were not immediately known. The victims have not yet been identified, pending family notification.

The area of the crash is a fairly remote area that has a lot of undeveloped private property, Buell said. - KSL.

No plane debris found in suspected crash in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, West Texas

Officials from Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Eddy County Emergency Services and Texas Department of Public Safety consult about next steps in assessing the debris
field on Guadalupe Peak possibly caused by a downed plane.(Photo: JESSICA ONSUREZ CURRENT-ARGUS)

Officials believe a plane crashed in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park on Tuesday night.

Fire could be seen at the top of the mountain and there was a debris field. Officials could not determine if it was caused by a plane or by something else.

A group of park personnel were able to hike to a point where they could monitor the flames to make sure they did not spread. Due to the night and the cold weather they had to suspend all other efforts at about 9 p.m., but would remain on the mountain overnight.

The Carlsbad Police Department, Eddy County Fire Services and Texas State Troopers were also on hand.

The first report of a fire and crash was called in before 6:30 p.m.

John Montoya with Guadalupe Mountains National Park said the Texas Department of Public Safety had deployed a Life Flight helicopter to attempt to get pictures of the elevated scene and potential debris field.

Montoya hoped that the pictures could determine whether or not a plane crash had taken place. The pilot of the helicopter inspecting the scene saw several fields of small debris, but still could not confirm if it was from a plane.

Jackson said that one of the park's main concerns with the fire is that it could potentially spread into a large wildfire.Elizabeth Jackson, a spokeswoman for the park, said they had been reviewing flight plans and had not been able to determine if there were any missing flights. - Current Argus.

Pilot, 81, walks away from Aberdeenshire plane crash uninjured

Druine Condor: Plane similar to Insch-crash aircraft. William Murphy

An 81-year-old pilot walked away from a plane crash uninjured after his aircraft dropped out of the sky and hit a fence.

The man was flying solo between Inverness and Aberdeenshire when he got into difficulty.

His plane stalled as it approached Insch Airfield and plummeted towards the ground, striking a fence and flipping over.

Airfield staff helped free the pilot from the wreckage of the 52-year-old Druine D.62A Condor.

An inquiry by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) reported that the pilot had lowered the aircraft's full flap earlier than usual, causing the stall.

AAIB investigators said: "On arrival at Insch, the pilot descended from 1500ft and lowered full flap.

"As the aircraft turned, it stalled, the left wing dropped and [the aircraft] descended rapidly to the left.

"There was insufficient height to recover and the aircraft struck a stock fence, coming to rest inverted.

"Personnel from the airfield quickly attended the scene and helped the pilot to free himself from the wreckage." - STV.

ICE AGE NOW: Another Snowfall Record For Sioux Falls, South Dakota - The SECOND TIME In November!

Gabrielle Spangler, owner of Man Code, shovels the sidewalk in front of the neighboring business, Engage Paperie,
during a winter storm Monday, Nov. 30, 2015, in Sioux Falls.   © Joe Ahlquist / Argus Leader

December 1, 2015 - SOUTH DAKOTA, UNITED STATES - Sioux Falls set a snowfall record for the second time this month Monday.

The National Weather Service reported that 8 inches of snow had fallen at the Sioux Falls airport by 9 p.m., beating the old record of 7.4 inches set in 1954.

The NWS said more than 3 inches were possible to fall in the city by noon Tuesday.

A city of Sioux Falls truck clears 14th Street during a winter storm Monday, Nov. 30, 2015, in Sioux Falls.  © Joe Ahlquist / Argus Leader

A winter storm warning remains in effect until Tuesday night.

Parts of Sioux Falls shattered the previous record at the airport on Nov. 20 when 14 inches fell in the southern part of the city.

Tea reported 18 inches that day. 

WATCH: Snowing in Sioux Falls.

- Argus Leader.

 

ICE AGE NOW: Winter Storm Bella Brings Record Breaking Snowfall To Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota - 18 Inches Of Snowfall Pummels Sioux Falls, South Dakota! [PHOTOS + MAPS + VIDEO]

Harvey Wollman, of Sioux Falls, uses a snow blower to clear the sidewalk near his house during the first snow of the season
Friday, Nov. 20, 2015, in Sioux Falls, S.D. (Joe Ahlquist/The Argus Leader via AP) 

November 22, 2015 - UNITED STATES - Winter Storm Bella not only brought the first, not to mention locally heavy, accumulating snow of the season for some in the Great Lakes and Midwest, but also was one of the heaviest November snowstorms of record for some.

Scroll down to the "snowtables" section for a list of records set during this storm.

Snowplow in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. © AP Photo/Argus Leader,Elisha PageAdd caption

Parts of the Sioux City, South Dakota metro area picked up over a foot of snow in an intense snowband Friday. Snow has since ended, there, but has now spread into the Great Lakes, with some totals over 10 inches already coming in from parts of Wisconsin and northern Illinois.

Winter storm warnings continue from parts of northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin, northern Indiana and southern Lower Michigan, including the Quad Cities, Rockford, Milwaukee, Chicago, South Bend and the north and west Detroit suburbs. In the much of the Upper Midwest, this means a likelihood for at least 6 inches of snow in 12 hours, or 8 inches of snow in 24 hours.

WATCH: Record snowfall in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Winter weather advisories are posted for other parts of Illinois, Indiana, northwest Ohio and Lower Michigan, where somewhat lower snowfall totals are expected. Despite lacking strong surface low pressure, these systems are notorious heavy snow generators in the Midwest.

Snowfall Forecast - Additional snowfall forecast to fall on top of what is already on the ground.

Snowfall Totals So Far

As of Saturday midday, numerous locations from southeastern South Dakota to southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois have reported a foot or more of snow from the storm.

Here is a sampling of official snowfall totals around the area, by state:

• South Dakota: Tea (18 inches), Sioux Falls Regional Airport (7.2 inches)
• Iowa: George (17 inches), Waterloo (12.7 inches), Dubuque (10.2 inches), Des Moines (6.9 inches)
• Nebraska: Near Bloomfield (16 inches), South Sioux City (6.5 inches), Valentine (4 inches)
• Minnesota: Worthington (8 inches)
• Illinois: Grays

• lake (16 inches), Chicago O'Hare (11.1 inches), Moline (9.9 inches), Rockford (8.6 inches),
• Wisconsin: Near Footville (17 inches), Janesville (11.5 inches), Milwaukee (6.7 inches), Madison (4.1 inches)
• Michigan: Rives Junction (8 inches), Kalamazoo (5.3 inches), Flint (3.2 inches), Detroit Metro Airport (1 inch)
• Indiana: Crown Point (5 inches), Lafayette (3.5 inches), near South Bend (3 inches), Tipton (2 inches)

Bella also produced the season's first flakes as far south as northwest Arkansas Saturday morning, and left a dusting of snow in Springfield, Missouri, as well.


Winter Storm Bella Snow Forecast

Latest Winter Weather Radar - Areas of snow show up in shades of blue. Possible frozen precipitation (sleet, freezing rain) shows up in pink.
Rain shows up in shades of green, with heavier rain showing up in yellow, orange and red shadings.

The relative lack of moisture and quick-moving nature of Winter Storm Bella should mitigate this from becoming a crippling storm for many.

However, a swath of moderate to heavy snow is still expected Saturday from southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois to Michigan. Where smaller-scale, more intense snowbands temporarily set up, snowfall rates from 1-2 inches per hour are possible, for a time.

Saturday's heaviest additional snow will be from the northwest Indiana suburbs of Chicago to the "thumb" of Lower Michigan, with 6 inches or a bit more of snow possible in that swath, including South Bend, Indiana, Lansing, Flint, and the northern suburbs of Detroit.

Surface low pressure is expected to strengthen a bit once it reaches the Great Lakes. The pressure gradient between this developing low and high pressure building in the Rockies and High Plains will produce increasing winds in the snow area Saturday, leading to some reduced visibilities in blowing snow, and some minor drifting, but we are not anticipating blizzard conditions with Winter Storm Bella.

However, downed tree limbs and power outages are possible in areas of the heaviest Bella accumulations as winds add stress to trees and power lines.

Once the surface low wraps up in eastern Canada, some bands of lake-effect snow are possible off Lakes Ontario and Erie, and a little wrap-around snow may blanket the Allegheny Plateau, Appalachians, Adirondacks and high country of northern New England.

Given this first snow of the season in some of these areas may be locally heavy, slow down, leave extra time if you must travel, or consider postponing your trip. Flight delays and cancellations have already been reported at Chicago-O'Hare Airport, and are possible out of smaller regional airports, as well. Check your flight status before leaving for the airport.

Sunday's Forecast - Blue areas indicate areas of forecast snow, pink indicates either rain or snow, and green indicates rain.

Winter Storm Bella Snow Timing

Snow continues in northern Illinois and southern to eastern Wisconsin, spreading and intensifying in much of Lower Michigan and northern Indiana. Some blowing and minor drifting snow is possible across portions of Iowa. Any rain may change to snow in northern Ohio, northwestern Pennsylvania and western New York Saturday night.

Increasing winds Saturday night may produce areas of reduced visibility in Michigan, and all the Great Lake snowbelts with the exception of the Lake Ontario snowbelt.

Season's first accumulating snow cities:

• Saturday: Chicago, Grand Rapids, South Bend, Detroit
• Saturday night: Erie, Pennsylvania

This fresh snowcover, clearing skies and lighter winds sets the stage for a cold Sunday morning in the Bella snow area. Lake-effect snow will linger in the Great Lakes snowbelts, south of Buffalo, New York, and north of Syracuse toward Oswego, New York, and the Tug Hill Plateau. A few snow showers are possible across northern New England, although moisture appears to be relatively limited. Gusty winds may persist around the eastern Great Lakes and New England. A few flakes may even fly across the central Appalachians from West Virginia into interior Pennsylvania, though little to no accumulation is anticipated.

November Heavy Snow: It's Been Awhile For Some

Despite the Upper Midwest's snowy reputation, heavy snow in November outside the Great Lakes snowbelts isn't as common as you might think.

Here are some November "snowtables" so far:

• Moline, Illinois: Record November snowstorm (9.9 inches total). A Nov. 29 - Dec. 1, 1974 snowstorm produced 10.7 inches of snow, but only 9.8 inches of that was in those final two November days.
• Rockford, Illinois: Second heaviest November snowstorm (8.6 inches); existing record is 9.5 inches from Nov. 6-7, 1951.
• Dubuque, Iowa: Second heaviest November snowstorm (11.7 inches); existing record is 13.4 inches from Nov. 17-20, 1986.
• Waterloo, Iowa: Snowiest November calendar day on record (10.5 inches Friday) topping the old record of 8.5 inches from Nov. 13, 1972. (records since 1895)
• Mason City, Iowa: Tied their snowiest November calendar day on record (8 inches Friday); 8 inches of snow also was measured, there, on Nov. 18, 1957.
• Des Moines, Iowa: Already the snowiest November since 1992 (6.9 inches total snow).
• Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Second heaviest snowstorm so early in the season. Only the Nov. 5-6, 1896 was heavier so early (14.6 inches).
• Chicago: Second heaviest November snowstorm (11.1 inches at O'Hare Airport as of 2 p.m. CST); Record is 12 inches from Nov. 25-26, 1895.
• Sioux Falls, South Dakota: Snowiest November day (7.2 inches Friday) since Nov. 26, 2001.

Chicago's O'Hare Airport had its first November with 6 inches or more of snow since 1978. Average November snow in the Windy City is only 1.4 inches, just under 4 percent of their average seasonal snow. Their average date of the season's first 1 inch-plus snow is December 7. Last season, it took the Windy City until January 5 to accumulate a season total of 6 inches. In fact, their first 6-inch-plus snow event of last season was Winter Storm Linus just before Groundhog Day.

Similarly, Milwaukee had its first 6-inch-plus November snow total in 20 years. In terms of snowfall so early in the season, Milwaukee only recorded four 2-day snowfall totals of greater than 6 inches before Nov. 22, dating back to the late 1800s, prior to Winter Storm Bella. Five of the past nine Novembers in the Brew City haven't even produced one-half inch of snow, total.

The photo above shows snowfall caused by Winter Storm Bella in Marion, South Dakota.  (Eric Lechtenburg)

The photo above shows snowfall from Winter Storm Bella approaching 15" in Marion, South Dakota.  (Eric Lechtenburg)

Sandra Read walks through the freshly fallen snow in downtown Sioux Falls, S.D., Friday, Nov. 20, 2015. (Jay Pickthorn/The Argus Leader via AP) 

Kim Hoag shovels snow out of her driveway as snow falls, Friday, Nov. 20, 2015, in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Colder temperatures will follow the snow, with highs Saturday only in the mid-20s. (Jay Pickthorn/The Argus Leader via AP) 

Across the lake, however, Grand Rapids, Michigan, has had a break so far this November, lacking measurable snow prior to this weekend system. November 2014 was their record snowiest November, with 31 inches of snow during the month.

Also of interest is the tendency for less snowy seasons during strong El Niños, which we are currently in.

In five previous strong El Niño seasons (1997-98, 1982-83, 1972-73, 1965-66, 1957-58), Chicago has picked up an average of only 23 inches of seasonal snow, which is 15.4 inches below the 1950-2015 average of 38.4 inches. - Weather Channel.

 

EXTREME WEATHER: Severe Weather System Sweeps Through The U.S. Plains And Midwest - Spawning Multiple Tornadoes, Power Outages And Wildfires!

Storm damage to a home in southern Monroe County south of Melrose.  © Twitter/KIIC

November 13, 2015 - UNITED STATES - A powerful low-pressure system swept through the Midwest, spawning severe thunderstorms and high winds. Several tornadoes were reported in Iowa, which was among numerous states reporting damage from the fast-moving system.

The Wednesday evening event qualified as a derecho, according to Stu Ostro, Senior Director of Weather Communications at The Weather Channel.

The storms "met the criteria for length and concentration of the swath of wind damage reports," said Ostro. "This fit more into the 'serial' derecho type of classification than a 'progressive' derecho."

Here are the latest impacts from each state affected by this round of severe weather.

Update: the driver of this semi is okay. He didn't go to the hospital. #breaking #severewx @WOWT6News
Twitter: Brandon Scott

Illinois

One tornado has been confirmed in Illinois by the National Weather Service as of Friday morning. That tornado hit the town of Geneseo.

A barn was thrown into a roadway in Jo Daviess County Wednesday evening as severe weather moved through the area, law enforcement officials reported. One home near Menominee had its roof blown off and rescues were performed, the National Weather Service reports, but no injuries were reported.

The NWS in Lincoln reported a semi blown over on Interstate 74 near mile marker 125 Wednesday evening.

Officials in Hancock County reported numerous instances of structural damage on the east side of La Harpe, where a wall was reportedly blown out of a car dealership and a home shifted off its foundation.

The NWS office in Davenport is estimating wind gusts of 60 mph blew a tree 4 feet in diameter down onto a house in Industry Wednesday evening. Knox County emergency officials said a portion of the roof was blown off a church in East Galesburg and a semi was blown over on I-74 near mile marker 49.

More than 5,000 customers remain without power Thursday morning in northern and central Illinois, Ameren Energy reported.

One school district released students early Wednesday to prepare for the severe weather, according to WGEM.com.

Iowa

The National Weather Service has confirmed six tornadoes in Iowa, and survey crews will head back out on Friday to investigate a few other areas where damage was reported.

One of those twisters, an EF1 tornado with an estimated peak wind speed of 110 mph, touched down in a cornfield 2 miles west of Avoca on Wednesday. The storm traveled northeast, damaging a grain bin and spreading debris toward Interstate 80. The tornado crossed the highway, where it tossed an eastbound tractor trailer across the median into the ditch on the westbound side.

"Being through one before and knowing the devastating stuff before ... it was scary," Mike Poorker, who was working at a nearby truck stop when the tornado hit, told WOWT.com.

A trained spotter in Scott County reported that high winds destroyed a cinder block shed at Glendale Cemetery in Le Claire, throwing individual blocks up to 30 yards. Several trees were sheared off at the base, and a house southeast of the city had its roof completely blown off.

That damage was late confirmed to be from an EF1 tornado that had peak wind speeds of 100 mph, according to the NWS.

Emergency officials in Appanoose County reported that a tornado destroyed a home near Iconium on the north side of Lake Rabun. That tornado was the strongest confirmed from this event, and was rated EF2 with maximum winds of 125 mph.

A tornado reported near Barnes City in Mahaska County caused extensive tree damage and destroyed several farm buildings. Damage to telephone poles was reported along Barnes City Road along with damage to trees and buildings on the west side of the town.

Near Adel, a southwest to northeast damage track was reported just after 3 p.m. local time, including a barn that was partially destroyed. The NWS also reported a large limb through the roof of a house.

Injuries have been reported in connection with an overturned semi truck on Highway 14 south of Knoxville. The NWS reported a tornado in the area around 3:45 p.m. Damage to the Walmart in town forced everyone out of the store in the wake of the storms, according to the Des Moines Register.

The NWS confirmed the damage in Knoxville was from an EF1 tornado with maximum winds of 110 mph.

Airport tower controllers at the Des Moines airport reported seeing the funnel cloud with a circulation on the ground, at 3:30 p.m. The NWS in Des Moines reported damage to National Guard trailers at the airport and trailers at a building across the street.

A tornado was reported 5 miles east of Winterset moving northeast at 40 mph Wednesday afternoon. There were no immediate reports of damage.

Emergency management personnel in Ringgold County reported several instances of damage Wednesday afternoon that may or may not be associated with multiple tornadoes near Benton. Officials indicated there was debris and power lines downed near a farm.

A second tornado reported southeast of Kent flattened two barns, broke several windows and possibly damaged several roofs.

According to the NWS in Des Moines, Corning emergency personnel reported a tornado touched down at 2 p.m. local time Wednesday, estimated by radar. The storm caused damage to several buildings in the industrial park on the west side of town. The tornado was spotted by building employees, the report says, and trees were blown down; several roofs and oxygen tanks were also damaged. A trained spotter reported a semi truck blown over by high winds on Highway 34.

Our team in Jackson, Iowa captured this photo of a home's roof blown off when a suspected tornado hit the area
Twitter: CBS Evening News

Kansas

The Kansas City Board of Public Utilities reported that more than 1,600 customers were without power Wednesday. Westar Energy reported 3,550 customers without power in central and eastern Kansas, while the utility company Empire reported nearly 1,500 customers without power.

By Thursday morning, only a few hundred of those outages remained.

The National Weather Service office in Springfield, Missouri, reported several grass fires across southeastern Kansas due to strong winds. There were also numerous reports from law enforcement of power lines down due to strong winds across Crawford, Bourbon, and Cherokee Counties, the NWS reports.

One particular blaze threatened several homes as it was whipped by strong winds, according to KWCH.com. It took more than a dozen firefighting crews to push the flames away from the residences, which was believed to have been started by arcing power lines, the Atlanta Fire Chief in Cowley County told KWCH.com.

Officials do not believe there were any injuries caused by the inferno.

Missouri

The severe weather in Missouri caused a chlorine gas leak Wednesday evening at a water treatment plant in Parkville, outside Kansas City, KMBC reports. Tanks of chlorine at the site are fitted with special caps that tighten when the power goes off and reopen when the power comes back on. One of the caps failed after the power flickered on and off numerous times due to the heavy weather in the area.

"Northwesterly winds were still gusting over 40 mph near Parkville Wednesday evening, and in a way that would have been good because all that air rushing by would have diluted any cloud of chlorine gas that may have tried to form," said weather.com senior meteorologist Nick Wiltgen.

According to KMBC, crews contained the leak just before 8 p.m, and no evacuations or injuries were reported.

Kansas City Power & Light reported that nearly 18,000 customers were without power late Wednesday afternoon across its territory in western Missouri and far eastern Kansas. The vast majority of those outages were on the Missouri side of the line, including 6,000 customers in Kansas City proper. The outages were primarily the result of strong winds behind the cold front as skies cleared, and not from thunderstorms.

KCP&L showed 11,000 customers still in the dark as of 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Most of those outages were restored by Thursday morning.

Ameren reported a smattering of outages across the northern half of the state, amounting to about 2,000 customers at one point Wednesday evening.

The NWS in Kansas City reported a tree down on a house and multiple carports destroyed in Putnam County, with multiple reports of damage on the east side of Unionville. The NWS has also reported a large portion of shingled roof blown off in Grundy County around 2:45 p.m. local time.

Sky News 6 captures what appears to be a hay barn & house near Lenapah. Wind still gusting at 40mph #okwx #wildfire
Twitter: Brandi Ball

Oklahoma

At least one house and one barn in Lenepah went up in flames due to a large wildfire that broke out Wednesday afternoon, Osage Sky News reports. The fire was one of several burning across the state, fanned by high winds that followed severe weather earlier in the day.

The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management requested the evacuation of Lenepah and Delaware in Nowata County earlier that afternoon. The Oklahoma Forestry Services issued a red flag warning for most of the state lasting until 6 p.m. Wednesday due to high winds across the region.

"Wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph have been reported throughout that region due to the strong low-pressure system moving by to the north," said Wiltgen. "Nowata County missed out on precipitation from this storm system, so conditions were also dry."

According to a KFOR.com report, Jones Middle School outside of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma was evacuated after a power pole snapped near the school, likely due to high winds. No injuries were reported immediately following the incident. - Weather Underground.

 

INFRASTRUCTURE COLLAPSE: Train Hits Road Grader, Causes Derailment In Des Moines County, Iowa - Third Freight Train Derailment In 3 Days!

Photo Courtesy: Eastern Iowa Fire Grounds Photo

November 9, 2015 - IOWA, UNITED STATES - Crews were called to the scene of a train derailment Monday morning, November 9, 2015.

The Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office says it happened at Hwy 34 and 210th Ave. west of Danville, Iowa where a road grader was struck by a train.

The collision caused 2 engines and 19 rail cars to jump the track. Train traffic in that area has been shut down. The derailed cars were carrying coal.

Photo Courtesy: Eastern Iowa Fire Grounds Photo

Photo Courtesy: Eastern Iowa Fire Grounds Photo

Photo Courtesy: Eastern Iowa Fire Grounds Photo

The driver of the road grader, 39-year-old Brian Rhan of Ferguson, Iowa was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Burlington.

His condition is not known. The road grader was owned by Cessford Construction Company.

On Saturday, a freight train with 32 cars, belonging to Warren Buffett's BNSF, had derailed north of Alma, Wisconsin prompting several road closures and a voluntary evacuation of the affected area.

Then on Sunday, barely 24 hours later, in another Wisconsin derailment incident, a train, this time with 100-car, carrying crude oil, derailed near the intersection of S. Montgomery St. and West St. in Watertown on Sunday afternoon.

The Mayor said the derailment happened around 2:00 p.m. - KWQC.

 

EXTREME WEATHER: Tornadoes Reported In At Least Nine American States - 28 Reports Of Twisters; Severe Weather Continues Sunday!

May 17, 2015 - UNITED STATES - Severe thunderstorms with damaging wind gusts, large hail and a few tornadoes will flare up once again in the central states on Sunday. The threat area includes a swath from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Iowa and Illinois to portions of Missouri, Arkansas, southeastern Oklahoma and east Texas.


WATCH: Tornado outbreak across the United States.

Saturday afternoon through early Sunday morning, there were 28 reports of tornadoes across nine states, including Minnesota, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Iowa and Louisiana.

Sunday's Forecast - Severe weather is possible on Sunday in the red shaded areas.

Current Radar with Watches and Warning.

Current Radar with Watches and Warnings.

Below are the most notable storm reports so far from Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning.

Sunday's Reports:

• Johnson County, Texas, EMA reported multiple swift water rescues Sunday morning from homes and vehicles in the Alvarado and Lillian areas. This is just south of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area.
• A tornado was reported near Ogden, Iowa at 4:01 a.m. CDT.
• Several mobile homes were damaged near Independence, Louisiana at 3:46 a.m. CDT. This was due to a possible tornado.
• 80 train cars were knocked over near Osceola, Iowa at 2:10 a.m. CDT.

Saturday's Reports:

• A tornado struck Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, around 11:30 p.m. CDT Saturday. There are reports of structural damage and power outages in the area. The storm also damaged homes near Inola, Oklahoma, and that damage may also have been from a tornado.
• The same circulation that affected Broken Arrow later produced a reported tornado near Fairland in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, damaging homes. There are early reports of damage from the same storm just to the east in Newton County, Missouri.
• Earlier, a large tornado was reported in southwest Oklahoma around 6 p.m. CDT on Saturday. It tracked from south of Elmer to near Tipton to north of Manitou; it briefly crossed a bend in the Red River into extreme northern Texas along its path. Sporadic damage was reported along its path, though the twister did not hit any towns directly.
• Police in Lyon County, Kansas, report storm damage across the county, including a stopped train that was blown over. Homes and barns were also damaged by the suspected tornado. The National Weather Service in Topeka plans to survey the damage Sunday.
• Elsewhere in Oklahoma, tornadoes were reported 9 miles south of Anadarko; near Meers; and near Elk City along Interstate 80.
• A multi-vortex tornado was reported 3 miles west-southwest of Murdock in west-central Minnesota at 5:51 p.m. CDT. Another brief tornado was reported northwest of Murdock Saturday afternoon.
• A brief tornado touchdown was reported near Rosen, Minnesota, around 4:25 p.m. CDT. Ten minutes later, a tornado hit a farmstead north of Montevideo in Chippewa County, taking part of the roof off a building. Both locations are in west-central Minnesota.
• A tornado was reported in the Texas Panhandle just after 2:30 p.m. CDT. Reports say it crossed U.S. Highway 287 near Lelia Lake, according to storm chasers in the area. Earlier, the day's first tornado report came in about 10 miles north of Silverton, Texas, at 1:12 p.m. CDT.
• Law enforcement reported a tornado near Highway 14/16/20 in eastern Park County of northwest Wyoming around 1:30 p.m. MDT.
• Baseball-size hail was reported just south of Goodlett, Texas, at 4:47 p.m. CDT. The same cell dropped baseball-size hail in Quanah, Texas, a few minutes later. Baseball-size hail also fell in Castle, Oklahoma, around 10 p.m. CDT.

Residents survey damage near an elementary school, caused by severe weather, Monday, May 11, 2015, in Van, Texas. (AP Photo/Todd Yates) 

Residents survey damage to an elementary school caused by severe weather, Monday, May 11, 2015, in Van, Texas. (AP Photo/Todd Yates) 

A home is seen after suffering major damage from a tornado in Van, Texas, in this image taken on Monday, May 11, 2015. (The Weather Channel)

Tornado damage is seen in Delmont, South Dakota, on Sunday, May 10, 2015. (Anthony Quintano/NBC News) 

Tornado damage is seen in Delmont, South Dakota, on Sunday, May 10, 2015. (Anthony Quintano/NBC News) 

Tornado damage is seen in Delmont, South Dakota, on Sunday, May 10, 2015. (Anthony Quintano/NBC News) 

- The Weather Channel.