Severe Weather Liveblog is a collective effort to keep Kossacks safe when a large severe weather outbreak takes place. These blogs will be posted as needed, based on user-interaction (comments) and evolution of the severe weather event.
If you have emergency information that needs to be added to the diary (reports of tornadoes on the ground, emergency information telephone numbers, etc.), please indicate so in the subject line of the comment to lessen the delay in posting it to the diary.
Right now, aside from myself, the editors of Severe Weather Liveblog are not4morewars, boatsie and Predictor. If you'd like to help, drop me a message.
Please keep in mind that any Severe Weather Liveblogs posted are not places for tasteless cracks at other people's expense. Post cheap political/social shots towards those affected at your own risk.
It looks like the line of storms is beginning to weaken a bit as they start to move over the Gulf of Mexico, but there is still a threat for damaging winds and tornadoes if any of the storms restrengthen.
There were 12 injuries in Rayne, Louisiana when a strong tornado ripped through the area. Photo and story from KATC:
There have been several reports of tornado touchdowns in Rayne. In addition there is a report of 2 ruptured gas lines in the 100 block of the Boulevard in Rayne.
The sheriff says many power lines are down at this time and they are working to get it fixed.
[...snip...]
Our photographer tells us there is heavy damage, and he's even seen a house ripped completely off it's foundation near the intersection of Section and Martin Luther King.
The storms going through the New Orleans area have been really strong, with one of the storms spinning up into this amazing spiral:
Watches
Red = Tornado Watch ... Blue = Severe T'storm Watch ... Click image to go to SPC watch page.
Tornado Watch -- #40 -- Expires 1000PM CST -- S. Alabama & FL Panhandle
Links
Click HERE to read my rant about why you need a weather radio.
National Weather Service
Storm Prediction Center
Wunderground
FEMA
American Red Cross
Salvation Army
Previous Liveblogs:
(2-24-2011) Liveblog 1 -- Tornado outbreak in mid-south
(2-24-2011) Liveblog 2 -- Tornado outbreak in mid-south
(2-25-2011) Summary of damages due to 2-24 tornado outbreak
(2-27-2011) Information on impending severe weather/tornado outbreak
(2-27-2011) Liveblog 3 -- Severe weather outbreak in mid-west & mid-south
(2-27-2011) Liveblog 4 -- Severe weather outbreak in mid-west & mid-south
(2-27-2011) Liveblog 5 -- Severe weather outbreak in mid-west & mid-south
(2-27-2011) Liveblog 6 -- Severe weather outbreak in mid-west & mid-south
(2-28-2011) Liveblog 7 -- Severe weather outbreak continues in southeast
(2-28-2011) Liveblog 8 -- Severe weather enters major SE cities
(2-28-2011) Liveblog 9 -- Severe storms advance deeper into SE
(3-4-2011) Liveblog 10 -- Bow echo brings severe weather to STL area
(3-5-2011) Liveblog 11 -- Tornado threat for N. Gulf Coast
(3-5-2011) Liveblog 12 -- Tornado threat moves towards Mobile, AL area
Updates
UPDATE 1 (313PM CST)
SPC has doubled down on the tornado threat and issued a new tornado watch for all of southern Alabama and a good bit of the panhandle of Florida. I'll update the watches as soon as they create the images...the Emergency Alert System, my phone, and my weather program all went off at once as soon as someone at the SPC hit the "send" button.
The counties shaded in red are under a tornado watch until 1000PM:
UPDATE 2 (346PM CST)
Pouring like hell here in Mobile with a little bit of thunder mixed in. There's been a little damage to a nearby construction site when one of the wood window frames popped out of place and is hanging on by a thread, but nothing more than that.
UPDATE 3 (403PM CST)
Due to lack of readers, I'm going to discontinue the liveblogs for the day. Stay safe if you're in the crosshairs, and keep an eye on the NWS for details.