Atkins, AK Tornado Coverage From NBC News:
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10:00 PM CST
Ben is on his way to Rolla, MO to get some sleep. He says most of Highland, AR, a town of 1,000, is destroyed with possible EF-2 or EF-3 damage.
9:24 PM CST
A tornadic supercell is closing in on Nashville, TN at this hour!
See Radar Capture
8:11 PM CST
Live ChaseCam is having technical difficulties. Services and utilities are down due to damage. Ben will attempt to upload video from Highland soon.
7:55 PM CST
Ben is reporting Damage in Highland, AR... houses damaged and power lines down.
Ben has left the vehicle to check on people and help. State police are reporting a lot of damage at Highland. There are some injuries and people trapped. The Highland fire station has been destroyed.
7:19 PM CST
Ben was about 1/4 mile from a large tornado that moved off into the night. He's on his way to check out damage near Ash Flat, AR.
7:07 PM CST
Tornado on the ground east of Hardy, AR....
6:44 PM CST
Ben is intercepting a Tornado-Warned cell in northern Arkansas: Sharp County, near Hardy. Cell has produced damage in Atkins, Clinton, and Mountain View, AR.
5:28 PM CST
As of 5:25 PM, over 25 counties in MO, AR, TN, and MS are under Tornado Warnings. Confirmed tornado reports are starting to pour in from areas near Little Rock, AR and Memphis, TN.
5:07 PM CST
Tornado-Warned cell northwest of Little Rock, AR (near Atkins) is producing amazing shear "couplets" on radar:
Click for larger image
Last report was 139 knots gate-to-gate (inbound/outbound). Ben is heading into northern Arkansas to let the storms come to him. This may not be until after dark, however.
4:57 PM CST
Ben is near Poplar Bluff, MO. Had a new cell form but it seems to be crossing a boundary and dying.
4:16 PM CST
A PDS (Particularly Dangerous Situation) Tornado Watch has been issued for Ben's location. LIVE VIDEO BACK UP!
Today's Severe Outlook |
2:39 PM CST
Chase Team is now in Charleston, MO (just west of Paducah, KY). Sunny skies and 72 degrees with 63 dewpoint.
1:06 PM CST
Ben is in Mt. Vernon, IL, stopping for quick food and gas. Storms are firing in south-central MO, so will continue southward. Live ChaseCam is down for a few minutes while some equipment cools off.
11:07 AM CST
The Paducah National Weather Service has a good outline for the severe weather chances today:
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/wxstory.php?site=pah
10:33 AM CST
The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has enlarged/extended the HIGH Risk of severe weather toward the MO/IL/KY border area. Ben is nearing Terre Haute, IN at this time.
10:00 AM CST
The SPC will be upgrading our target area to HIGH Risk at the next update! Stay tuned...
9:48 AM CST
Ben is in Indianapolis, IN, heading west on I-70. Will make further decision on target when near Paducah, KY.
7:06 AM CST
The Storm Prediction Center is predicting a SIGNIFICANT AND DANGEROUS severe weather outbreak today from Southern Indiana down to the gulf coast. Stay tuned for more updates and the Live ChaseCam feed. Please take all precautions to stay safe if you live in these areas. Please stay tuned to local media and make sure your weather radio is working properly.
Stay tuned to SevereStudios.com all day on Today for live video, blog updates, and position updates throughout the day!
Feb Tor - Outbreak
This was a nightmare for lots of folks. Our Prayers are with all those effected by these storms.
Thank you Ben & Kenny. Severe Studios reporting and passing important information on to the weather service & emergency services as you tracked and kept up with some of these severe storms. Ben, as you became part of "rescuing" and checking on people in damaged houses and areas around Highland ...As bad as this destruction has been, your Professionalism saved lives as well in getting the information needed to the right folks in a time of crisis.
Thank you and I know I speak for everyone at IowaStorms, our Prayers are with everyone touched by these horrific storms.
Tom
You are in our prayers
Heidi,
Our thoughts are with you and your neigbors, family and friends. Ben did only what he thought he could do to help. We never want to see storms like this, especially when it takes innocent lives.
I am praying for you and everyone that was affected by these horrible storms today. Take care.
Sincerely,
Kenny Allen
www.SevereStudios.com
Kenny@SevereStudios.com
Guys, I live about 15 miles
Guys, I live about 15 miles from Ash Flat & we do all our "business" in Ash Flat/Highland - shopping, vet's office, etc. I caught a glimpse of the tornado when it was between Myron & Zion. It was a large stove-pipe about 3/4 of the way to the ground at that point. There is heavy damage about 2.5 miles from my house. People cannot reach their family members because the roads are completely sealed with large trees. Reports of homes "blown away" and trailers "disintegrated". The town of Zion was apparently hard hit too, but no one could get into the town the last I knew, because of the tree situation.
Nice work chasing & assisting tonight. I heard Ben on KAIT (they had me on there later - I'm a WeatherWatcher for the storm team).
Take Care - time to rest. (I apologize for spelling errors :)