Heavy storms maul Midwest, leaving deaths, injuries, destruction

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A tornado flattened buildings, snapped trees and tossed tractor-trailers like toys as it touched down in Joplin, Missouri, on Sunday night, causing an unknown number of deaths and injuries.
"I would say 75% of the town is virtually gone," said Kathy Dennis of the American Red Cross.
The twister was part of a line of severe weather that swept across the Midwest on Sunday, prompting tornado watches and warnings that stretched from Wisconsin to Texas. High winds and possible tornadoes struck Minneapolis and other parts of Minnesota, leaving at least one person dead and injuring nearly two dozen others, police said.
Witness: "Lots of overturned trees" | Hospital damaged

Authorities in Joplin were contending with multiple reports of people trapped, as well as significant structural damage to St. John's Regional Medical Center, which was hit directly by the tornado, city officials said. CNN affiliate KSHB said there were reports of fires throughout the hospital.
One facade of the building made of glass was completely blown out, and authorities were evacuating the medical center, said Ray Foreman, a meteorologist with KODE in Joplin. Makeshift triage centers were being set up in tents outside, witness Bethany Scutti said.
Residents 70 miles away from Joplin in Dade County, Missouri, were finding X-rays from St. John's in their driveways, said Foreman, indicating the size and power of the twister.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/05/22/severe.weather/index.html?hpt=T1&iref=BN1

Based on the preliminary damage, one of the tornadoes in Joplin was at least an EF-3 tornado.

[NIKV69]

I drive riight through the Springfield, OKC and Witchita triange corridor and I have dodged some twisters. One night heading back to NY a bunch broke out in Springfield and were moving toward me. I was a rest stop and the weather channel had video of cars and trucks that had been tossed around and were upside down. It was either stop somewhere or keep moving. I kept moving. The footage is very sad. Parts of that town have been totally wiped out.

[Gerard]

Now they are saying it was an F4. So sad over 120 dead and more storms expected tomorrow. They showed a medevac helicopter that had been tossed off the roof of the hospital onto the ground below, lying upside down. Wasnt sure what kind it was.

[Gerard]

http://www.alecbuck.com/mediagallery/media.php?f=0&sort=0&s=20110523170054550

Picture of the MBB BK117 Medflight 1

[Gerard]

Intense video.......
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XT7CtF5ljxY

[NIKV69]

When I saw the destruction and they said F3 I couldn't see it. No way. Had to be much stronger.

[jerslice]

When I saw the destruction and they said F3 I couldn't see it. No way. Had to be much stronger.I agree. The pictures were just devastating.
It might sound crazy, but I've always wanted to join up with a storm chaser team for a summer and photograph this crazy stuff.

[Gerard]

It might sound crazy, but I've always wanted to join up with a storm chaser team for a summer and photograph this crazy stuff.

Not so crazy. Definitely an adrenaline rush but after watching that video I'm not so sure. :tongue: That was pretty scary. The guys doing the video sounded young. I would want to go
with more seasoned storm chasers.

[jerslice]

I would want to go with more seasoned storm chasersSame here. I figure that if I'm in a truck watching the storm I have a much higher chance of staying away from it then not having a visual on it and being in a house.

Definitely an adrenaline rushThat's what I like about it. Except at night. I would be peeing my pants terrified at night - can't see it. I was in central Illinois visiting my then girlfriend (now wife) at her college and a big system came through my first day. I didn't mind the sirens in the day at all - I could see around me so I wasn't too worried, my girl actually had to drag me into the basement when things got too hairy! At night though, it honestly terrified me. They went off throughout the evening into the early morning, and found out later that it dropped 6 twisters in the next town over. Longest night I can remember in a long time. So as long as it's in the day I'm good to go!

[NIKV69]

Storm on the ground in OKC. To think I was actually thinking of heading out. If it wasn't for the night under the stars I may have been that car being tossed through the air off I-40 I just saw vid of. My lord!

[Gerard]

Storm on the ground in OKC. To think I was actually thinking of heading out. If it wasn't for the night under the stars I may have been that car being tossed through the air off I-40 I just saw vid of. My lord!

Watching myself on CNN right now. Intense video and already they are saying fatalities!! Sad!!!

[seahawks7757]

Hey Jeremy, I have always wanted to do that too, I'll go in halfs on the rental car :tongue:

It has bee fun following this tonight, here is a picture of planes in the holding pattern-
http://twitpic.com/5257jp
And this is how you follow storms from a laptop in Seattle-
http://twitpic.com/525rlt

[NIKV69]

Watching myself on CNN right now. Intense video and already they are saying fatalities!! Sad!!!

My friend who lets me crash in Dallas when passing through had to outrun a twister that touched down near Garland. Got his F250 up to 130MPH and made it thank God.

[Gerard]

My friend who lets me crash in Dallas when passing through had to outrun a twister that touched down near Garland. Got his F250 up to 130MPH and made it thank God.

Wow thats crazy. And these Newscopter guys going up are pretty crazy also. Look I know their cameras can zoom in from 20 miles or so but its still risky with crap flying all over the
place. Intense pics though including one of a twister slicing through the box of a tractor trailer.

[megatop412]

In all the years I lived in Lafayette IN(first as a Purdue student then as a certified "townie") the sirens only went off a few times. I damn near sh*t my pants each and every time. Being from NY originally I never considered that to be a way of life.

One day out there I took a series of photos of a funnel cloud that was rotating but never touched the ground. It was mesmerizing to watch.

[Gerard]

http://www.youtube.com/holytornado84

Insane close-up of tornado.