Weather Photos gallery
Tornadoes kill hundreds in southeast U.S. April 28, 2011
Dozens of tornadoes spawned by a powerful storm system wiped out entire towns across a wide swath of the South, killing hundreds in the deadliest outbreak in nearly 40 years, and officials said Thursday they expected the death toll to rise. The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., said it received 137 tornado reports around the regions into Wednesday night.
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A tornado moves through Tuscaloosa, Ala., Wednesday, April 27, 2011.
People walk down Magnolia Lane after a tornado touched down in Concord, Ala., outside of Hueytown late Wednesday, April 27, 2011. The damage in the area is extensive with homes and businesses destroyed and people injured.
Faye Hyde, right, sits on a mattress in what was her yard as she comforts her granddaughter Sierra Goldsmith, 2, in Conord Ala. Wednesday, April 27, 2011. Their home was completely destroyed. A wave of tornado-spawning storms strafed the South on Wednesday, splintering buildings across hard-hit Alabama and killing 72 people in four states. At least 58 people died in Alabama alone.
Extensive damage is seen after what appeared to be a tornado ripped through parts of Concord, Ala., Wednesday, April 27, 2011. A wave of tornado-spawning storms strafed the South on Wednesday, splintering buildings across hard-hit Alabama and killing 72 people in four states. At least 58 people died in Alabama alone.
A car lies overturns and buildings destroyed in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Wednesday, April 27, 2011. A wave of severe storms laced with tornadoes strafed the South on Wednesday; buildings across swaths of the university town were damaged or destroyed.
Lightning streaks above Cornith Baptist Church in Athens, Ga., as a line of severe thunderstorms sweep across Georgia in the early morning on Thursday, April 28, 2011. At least 77 people have been killed in the outbreak severe weather across the south. (AP Photo/ Athens Banner-Herald, David Manning)
A large tornado sweeps through Limestone County, south of Athens, Ala., near Stewart Road, Wednesday afternoon, April 27, 2011.
Michael Dunn is hugged by his mother Patricia Dunn as they stand in the road that lead to his house which was completely destroyed after a tornado touched down, Wednesday, April 27, 2011 in Concord, Ala.
Concord Fire and Rescue personel run toward a large down tree that was blocking Warrior River Road after a tornado touched down, Wednesday, April 27, 2011 in Concord, Ala.
Devastation is left Thursday, April 28, 2011 after a tornado hit Pleasant Grove, Ala., just west of downtown Birmingham Wednesday afternoon.
Debris is littered after a tornado hit, Wednesday, April 27, 2011 Tuscaloosa, Ala. A wave of severe storms laced with tornadoes strafed the South on Wednesday, killing at least 16 people around the region and splintering buildings across swaths of an Alabama university town.
Trees are sheared off as debris scatters Alabama 13 after a tornado struck Wednesday, April 27, 2011 in Phil Campbell, Ala.
Birmingham Rescue search from house to house looking for victims after a tornado hits Pratt City just north of downtown Birmingham on Wednesday, April 27, 2011, in Birmingham, Ala. A wave of thunderstorms with near hurricane-force winds pushed across Alabama on Wednesday, killing at least five people including a woman in a mobile home and sending snapped tree limbs onto cars and homes.
An injured man is carried away after a tornado touched down, Wednesday, April 27, 2011 in Birmingham, Ala.,
A car lays among the wreckage of a home flattened by a tornado in Smithville, Mississippi on Wednesday, April 27, 2011.
Storm damage surrounds the Cullman County Courthouse in downtown Cullman, Ala. after a tornado touched down on Wednesday afternoon, April 27, 2011.
A group of unidentified emergency volunteers move a body recovered among the devastation in Smithville, Mississippi after a tornado destroyed much of the small town on Wednesday, April 27, 2011.
Destruction lines a street in downtown Cullman, Ala. after a tornado touched down on Wednesday afternoon, April 27, 2011.
A utility pole hangs from wires in front of a church in downtown Cullman, Ala. after a tornado touched down on Wednesday afternoon, April 27, 2011.
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Comments
Randall Uhrich 2 years, 7 months ago
This unprecedented episode of violent and extreme weather is a product of climate change. Do you believe in man-made global warming now?
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 2 years, 7 months ago
In some respects they are interchangeable, in other respects, not.
Global warming causes climate change.
gphawk89 2 years, 7 months ago
It is? Prove it. Scientifically. I dare ya.
Flap Doodle 2 years, 7 months ago
It's never too early for the weasel-grabbers to start trying to score political points from a tragedy.
geekin_topekan 2 years, 7 months ago
Like once candidate Pat Robertson (Republican) on the earthquake in Haiti?
scott3460 2 years, 7 months ago
Exactly!
But I have been appreciating God's obvious hatred of the South.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 2 years, 7 months ago
This wasn't "caused" by global warming/climate change. The climatic conditions that create such storms in N. America have existed for millennia.
But what almost certainly is true is that global warming/climate change will mean that that such storms will become more frequent and more severe. And just to make it extra fun, in many areas they'll be interspersed with longer periods of drought and extreme heat waves.
Talk about boom and bust cycles (and leaving an unpayable debt to future generations.)
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 2 years, 7 months ago
Noting the reality of the future that awaits us is not "using" the tragedy.
And it's just as inaccurate to say that global warming/climate change had no effect on the severity of this storm as it is to say that it caused it.
What can be said is that such storms are caused by a confluence of a large number of factors, and global warming/climate change can significantly affect many of those factors.
parrothead8 2 years, 7 months ago
Don't let this devolve into an argument about science or politics. At times like these, our humanity should render our politics moot. When I talked to my parents last night while they were huddled in their bathroom hoping tornadoes wouldn't hit their house in Tennessee, none of us cared about politics or why the tornadoes formed. I just wanted them to be okay.
Cait McKnelly 2 years, 7 months ago
My 76 yo mother in law lives in Tiftonia, TN, a suburb of Chattanooga. There are a tremendous number of mountains that surround the city and the MIL lives in a part called Lookout Valley. There were actually three storms that rolled through there yesterday, one right after the other. The first one spawned a tornado that caused extensive damage in and knocked out power to the entire valley. I was on the phone with the MIL at least 6 times when I finally convinced her to go to a hotel for safety. She called me after she got to the hotel and told me that she was stopped by emergency personnel three times driving up the valley because of downed power lines and trees blocking the road.
Ken Lassman 2 years, 7 months ago
Very intense, with all of the suffering, destruction and power of the storms. Consider giving to the Red Cross today, and help out in any way that you can.
As a total aside, individual storm outbreaks like we've seen this spring are weather events, not climate trends, so both ksfbcoach and bozo are correct on this not being attributable to climate change of either the warming or cooling variety. Increased severity of weather events, whether it be hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts, blizzards and the like are predicted to increase in frequency as part of the climate trending, but individual weather episodes are by definition not attributable directly to a climate trend.
In the meantime, it's time to be in awe of the display of human heroism, of strange quirks of fate, of a reminder of what is truly important, and how we are part of something much bigger than ourselves.
Olympics 2 years, 7 months ago
Why does God hate Alabama, the most conservative state in the USA? I await Pat Robertson's sagely words on the subject.
RoeDapple 2 years, 7 months ago
So . . . only what, four comments so far that even remotely show concern for the reported HUNDREDS of deaths this article mentions in the headline? Another great reason to love Lawrence. From a distance.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 2 years, 7 months ago
So, you think somebody out there is keeping score as to how many displays of great concern get posted here?
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 2 years, 7 months ago
Well, to answer my own question, I guess there's at least one.
How many Displays of Concern do you think are necessary, Roe, to prevent a blackspot on Lawrence's reputation? (We're already the most business unfriendly town the whole danged uneeverse. We wouldn't want a double whammy of bad PR.)
RoeDapple 2 years, 7 months ago
Yeah I know about business friendly Lawrence. When I had mine there they told me I needed $60,000 in out of pocket fire upgrades while giving them away downtown. Never happened.
Not keeping score bozo. Guess I'm just more concerned about real loss of life than fantasizing about the real or imagined reasons for one particular storm front. You have a nice evening now.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 2 years, 7 months ago
I'm sure they'll all be much relieved to know of your great concern.
Olympics 2 years, 7 months ago
Roe, I assume my comment was counted as one of the four comments regarding the loss of hundreds of lives. Fyi...It was heartfelt.
Flap Doodle 2 years, 7 months ago
Whenever you cease to encumber this world, I hope to make similar heartfelt comments about you.
Olympics 2 years, 7 months ago
Here you go snap....http://i.imgur.com/gLJJs.png
jhawkinsf 2 years, 7 months ago
Back when I was young, we had these great big sheets of ice coming down from the north, they went half-way down the continent. Man it was cold back then. Nowadays, you call those days the ice ages. Anyway, we were sitting around a campfire one day when we figured that if we multiplied a billion fold and we all lit campfires, maybe these sheets of ice would go back to where they were in the days of our ancestors. Worked pretty good. Too good. Maybe it's time to cut back on all that multiplying and let some of that ice come back. Seriously, these tornados with the loss of life and destruction of property is very sad. Global warming it's not.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 2 years, 7 months ago
"Global warming it's not."
You're right-- it's potentially catastrophic, and tragic. It'll only be sad if anyone survives it.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 2 years, 7 months ago
I may have misunderstand what you meant, but perhaps that's because you probably miswrote it.
jhawkinsf 2 years, 7 months ago
There have been several times when you paraphrase what I write, and pat yourself on the back for doing such a good job, despite the fact that you frequently come to the wrong conclusion. For some reason, you find it impossible to agree with anything I write, even when our positions are very close. Just to be clear, my above post was just a funny way of saying that over-population is causing harm to the environment.
Now I'll go ahead and put words in your mouth (again, something you do a lot), it wasn't funny.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 2 years, 7 months ago
"do you have any idea what the point I was trying to make?"
I got the point alright. You've nominated and elected yourself hall monitor.
begin60 2 years, 7 months ago
Scary and overwhelming!
cj123 2 years, 7 months ago
My uncle and aunt live in Cullman. They said their electricity will be out for 7-10 days and they will run out of water in about a day. Said a most of Alabama has no electricty.
Ron Holzwarth 2 years, 7 months ago
It's so easy to think, "Well, it's over there, and it does not affect me, since I don't know anyone that lives there."
But for the people who are living through this nighmare, it will never, ever be over, even after it is no longer "news". We need to be thinking about them, instead of simply being glad it didn't happen here.
Because one day, it may very well happen to us!
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 2 years, 7 months ago
"We need to be thinking about them, instead of simply being glad it didn't happen here."
Who is saying or thinking that?
BTW, I have several relatives in Alabama, though I don't believe any of them have been directly affected by these storms.
yourworstnightmare 2 years, 7 months ago
The loss of life is sad of course, but tornadoes are awesome.
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