Looking Back At Super Tuesday Tornado, 5 Years Later

It's always sobering to look back at huge weather events. Some of the most violent and impacting weather events for me are the Ice Storm of 2009, the Marmaduke/Caruthersville tornado, Hurricane Ivan (when in AL), and the Super Tuesday Tornado outbreak.

I archived the severe weather coverage from that event and posted it on YouTube. Overall, I think the team did a great job pinpointing where the threat was located. Radar has changed a lot in 5 years and we have had some improvements in our equipment. In addition, we've learned a lot from this day. Here's a look back:



The damage from this storm was incredible. I always go out to the areas that are hit hard to see how the storm impacted them. I do this for a few reasons. First, I want to send my condolences to the families. I think there is a perception that meteorologists love tornadoes. I can't speak for everyone, but I do not love tornadoes. I appreciate the power and science behind tornadoes, but I root for people, and not tornadoes. Secondly, I want to learn something from each storm. I want to know if the damage is where it was expected. I want to know if the damage was as bad as what was expected. I want to know if people got the warning. If they were watching KAIT, did we broadcast the threat well enough for them to know when to take cover and did they know what to expect. I want to know all of these answers, so that next time, we can do better. We can always do better.

One of the couples I met after the Super Tuesday tornado lived in Mountain View. I do not know their names or if they rebuilt, but they were an awesome couple. They took cover and lived. If you know this couple, please give me an update on them. Here's a clip from the next day:



You can search around online and find more news coverage from that day. One of the clips I found came from Heather Flanigan. She was live at the Crispy Cone in Highland. Here's a video clip:




We will be LIVE there again, tonight. We have crews in Zion, Mountain View, and Highland and we will see how the they are doing today. Join us tonight at 5:00, 6:00, and 10:00.

Have a great day,
Ryan