From the "Don't Try This At Home" Dept. - Waterspout near Pensacola, FL Yesterday...

This boater (egged on by the videographer/passenger you can hear in the background) got way too close for comfort to a waterspout near Pensacola, FL yesterday.  

While waterspouts may seem weaker than a land-based tornado, they can very, very easily flip a boat over before you even know what hit you (literally).

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Tornado Strikes Koshigaya, Saitama Region - Near Tokyo...

A strong tornado struck the Koshigaya region in Saitama Prefecture, to the North of Tokyo, Japan earlier today (local time).  The above screen grab was taken from the following video that was recently posted to YouTube:

Here is another YouTube video of the tornado from a different perspective (videography is not as good as the one above, but still revealing at times):

Damage is reported as widespread in the region, with regional media indicating 400+ buildings damaged and over 60 people injured.



The following photos of some of the damage were posted to twitter by Robert Speta, a U.S. meteorologist who is working in the area:

The Asahi Shimbun news agency posted the following damage photos:

Local radar (via Robert Speta on twitter) showed an apparent hook echo as the storm moved Northeast across the area:

Reportedly, over 30,000 households continue to be without power at this time.

Tornadoes are not unheard of in this area, but are unusual, especially compared to activity in the U.S.  The most deadly tornado in recent years took place on November 7, 2006 when 9 people were killed as a tornado struck the Saroma, Hokkaido region.

On May 6 of last year, a tornado struck the Tsukuba, Ibaraki region, killing a 14 year old boy and damaging over 800 homes.  An article on that tornado was posted on this blog at the time and can be found here.

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The Tornado Chronicles: Mobile, AL Tornado of December 25, 2012...

Many of you probably recall that a tornado caused fairly extensive damage in the West and Northwest portions of Mobile, AL 5 days ago, on December 20th.

Another tornado struck the city just before 5pm CST on Christmas Day, December 25, 2012 and by all indications it was a large tornado.  The above photos were recently posted to twitter, and the video below has emerged on YouTube, complete with power flashes from exploding transformers.  Both images show a large, "wedge" tornado as it entered the city.

Thankfully, there are no reports of serious injuries or deaths thus far, but widespread damage to trees and powerlines, homes and other structures has been reported.  

The tornado caused extensive damage to the historic Murphy High School, one of the largest high schools in Alabama, with enrollment of over 2,000 students.  Windows are blown out of the school and a large portion of the roof is gone:

The athletic building has been severely damaged and other portable buildings behind the school have been heavily damaged or completely destroyed (photos via al.com):

Extensive damage was also done to the Trinity Episcopal Church on Dauphin Street (photos via al.com):

Extensive damage to trees, powerlines and even some homes was evident in the "Midtown" area of Mobile (unless otherwise noted, photos via al.com):

(photo via AP)

...as well as to businesses along "the Loop" near Midtown (photos via al.com):

Aerial photos taken today by WKRG, the CBS affiliate in Mobile, show a birds eye view of the damage, which is quite revealing.  The first series of photos were taken above Murphy High School:

The remaining aerial photos show damage to homes in the Midtown area, adjacent to the High School and Trinity Episcopal Church:

The following YouTube video has emerged which shows surveillance camera video from a Walgreen's drug store located on Government Street at the Loop as the tornado passes very nearby.  Note the debris, including the movement cars, in the parking lot.  The 2nd half of the video shows movement inside the main entrance to the store at the time the tornado passed nearby: 

The National Weather Service (NWS) conducted a ground-truth storm damage survey on December 26th and has assigned a preliminary intensity rating of EF-2 to this tornado. 



The estimated initiation point of the tornado was near Dauphin Island Parkway and Halls Mill Road.  The tornado then traveled an estimated 5.7 miles before lifting near Telegraph Road and Jakes Lane in Prichard:

The maximum damage width along the tornadoes path was 200 yards, and the maximum wind speed is estimated at 115-135 mph.  The EF-2 rating was based on damage to several homes between Clearmont St. and Spring Hill Avenue (Highway 98) just to the West of Houston St (track portion shown in yellow on this zoomed-in image):

This is also the portion of the track where the tornado increased to near 200 yards wide, as it crossed Dauphin Street.



The tornado on Christmas Day initiated about 3 miles East of the tornado that touched down 5 days earlier, on December 20th.  The ending points of the tornadoes were only one-half of a mile apart, with both crossing Telegraph Road (Highway 43) before lifting:

If you have an interest in this tornado event, please bookmark this post and check back for additional information, photos and videos as they become available over the coming hours and days...

Note:  this post was originally published at 8:41 PM CST on 12/25/12 but has been republished at later dates and times as new information is obtained...



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Coming March 2013:  The Tornado Chronicles full website!

Including information on every U.S. tornado since 1950, tornado safety, preparedness and education as well as interactive radar, tornado outlooks, watches and warnings, and much more!  Please show your support and follow The Tornado Chronicles on twitter and on facebook for the latest updates on tornadoes and the upcoming website!

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Caught on Tape: Tornado Near Limburg, Belgium

The above tornado took place near Limburg, Belgium during the afternoon hours on Thursday (local time).

A local online news agency reports "trees blown down and roofs blown away..."

I have not heard of any fatalities or serious injuries, which is certainly good news.



This appears to have been one of several tornadoes to occur across the region on Thursday afternoon/evening local time.  I'll post any other information as it becomes available...

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Tornado "Down Under" Causes Damage Near Perth Australia

The above video (posted on YouTube) shows the tornado that struck the Perth Australia suburbs of Morley and Dianella around midday on Thursday (Australian time).  Another tornado struck near York, about 60 miles East of Perth, shortly thereafter.

The following video shows the funnel cloud associated with the first tornado in great detail, nearly overhead of the person taking the video.  This is not a safe practice, as debris could have fallen on top of him (which luckily for him did not happen).  Warning, foul language at one point in the video:

The tornado is reported to have caused minor to moderate damage to the area, including a Blockbuster store that had its roof torn off and much of the front glass blown in:

At the height of the storm, about 5,000 people were reportedly without power.  Fortunately, no serious injuries were reported.

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Two Tornadoes Caught on Video in South Russia...

The above video posted on YouTube shows two tornadoes that took place near the village of Progress in the Temryuk District of the Krasnodar Territory of Russia on June 1st.  This reportedly took place around 11 o'clock in the morning, local time.

The quality of the video is not that great (among other things the videographer is all over the place and not keeping the camera focused on the action), but we don't get to see a video of a Russian tornado very often...and there's some groovy Russian music playing in the background, so I thought I'd post it anyway...

The Krasnodar Territory is in the south of Russia, along the coast of the Black Sea:

It appears that the tornadoes took place in a rather rural area, and I've been unable to find any reports of damage or injury, which is the way we like to see these things happen for sure...

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International Tornadoes This Week: Toulouse, France and Tripura, India...

Two noteworthy tornado events have taken place around the world in the last few days, one in France and the other in India.



First, on Sunday, a very picturesque tornado took place in the countryside of southern France, near Seysses and Toulouse:

by Julie Avetta - Near Toulouse

Here is a video of the same tornado as posted on YouTube by TheeAdrienn (not sure about the music in the background, but that's really not relevant):

...another (although very short) video by Krees Martin:

...and one by YouTube user "fabnils31", which also features the sound of hailstones hitting their vehicle:

Tornado near Toulouse, France - Photographer Unknown

Fortunately, it appears that the tornado tracked mostly through the countryside, and caused little to no damage or injuries.

Unfortunately, the folks in Tripura, India weren't so lucky when a tornado tracked through their region on Monday.  A farmer was killed and 175 other people were injured by this tornado.

According to media reports, hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed, numerous trees were uprooted and "hundreds of telephone and electrical poles were destroyed..." which has affected not only communications but access to roads, etc.

Severe weather hit the region hard during the month of April, with 11 people killed as a result of either severe storms and/or lightning strikes in Tripura.

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