Lake-effect Snow and Whiteout Conditions in the Great Lakes Region; Below-average Temperatures in the East

Heavy lake-effect and lake-enhanced snow will persist downwind of the Great Lakes and produce some whiteout conditions that could cause difficult travel conditions. A coastal low will produce moderate to heavy snow over parts of southern and eastern New England into the afternoon. Below average temperatures are expected across the eastern U.S., particularly with chilly morning temperatures. Read More >

A Summary of the Damage Caused by Severe Thunderstorms During the Early Morning Hours of May 2, 2008

Listed below is a brief write up summarizing straight line wind and tornado damage that occurred in Osage and Douglas Counties.

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 948 PM CDT FRI MAY 2 2008 . ...PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT... . ...DAMAGE SURVEYS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED BY THE NWS TOPEKA STORM SURVEY TEAM FOR THE SEVERE WEATHER DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF MAY 2 2008... . . ---DOUGLAS COUNTY...STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE BROUGHT DOWN A LARGE CEDAR TREE NEAR A CHURCH AT THE INTERSECTION OF E 900 RD AND N 400 RD. . A DAMAGE SWATH IN NORTHWESTERN DOUGLAS COUNTY WAS FOUND TO HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY A TORNADO. THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AT APPROXIMATELY 104 AM ON FRIDAY MAY 2 2008, 5 MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF CLINTON. THE TORNADO REMOVED A GARAGE AND APPROXIMATELY TWO THIRDS OF A HOUSE FROM ITS FOUNDATION UPON TOUCHDOWN. THE TORNADO CARRIED DEBRIS FROM THIS HOUSE A FEW HUNDRED YARDS AWAY. THE TORNADO DAMAGE AT THIS LOCATION HAS BEEN ASSIGNED A PRELIMINARY RATING OF EF-2. THE TORNADO CONTINUED NORTHEAST FOR TWO MINUTES AND THEN CAUSED A METAL OUTBUILDING TO COLLAPSE BEFORE LIFTING AT APPROXIMATELY 106 AM ON FRIDAY MAY 2 2008, 4 MILES NORTHWEST OF CLINTON LAKE. THE TORNADO DAMAGE AT THIS LOCATION HAS BEEN ASSIGNED A PRELIMINARY RATING OF EF-0. IN SUMMARY...THE TORNADO IN NORTHWEST DOUGLAS COUNTY HAS BEEN ASSIGNED A PRELIMINARY RATING OF EF-2 DUE TO DAMAGE THAT OCCURRED WHEN IT TOUCHED DOWN. THE TORNADO LASTED 2 MINUTES...TRAVELED ALONG A 2 MILE PATH AND WAS...AT ITS LARGEST...UP TO 100 YARDS WIDE. THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AT APPROXIMATELY 104 AM...AND LIFTED AT APPROXIMATELY 106 AM. . . ---OSAGE COUNTY...DAMAGE THAT OCCURRED IN AND JUST EAST OF LYNDON WAS FOUND TO HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY STRAIGHT LINE WINDS. STRAIGHT LINE WINDS CAUSED SIGNIFICANT TREE DAMAGE IN THIS GENERAL AREA. OF PARTICULAR NOTE...THERE WAS A ROOF TORN OFF OF A METAL OUTBUILDING AND DAMAGE TO THE SIDING OF A MOBILE HOME. DEBRIS WERE CARRIED A SHORT DISTANCE. . A DAMAGE SWATH BEGINNING APPROXIMATELY 2 MILES NORTHEAST OF LYNDON WAS FOUND TO HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY A TORNADO. THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AT APPROXIMATELY 1243 AM FRIDAY MAY 2 2008, 2 MILES NORTHEAST OF LYNDON. THE ROOF OF A RESIDENCE WAS LIFTED AND THEN DROPPED BACK ONTO THE FRAME OF THE HOUSE. A LARGE ANTENNA THAT WAS CEMENTED INTO THE GROUND WAS BLOWN OVER. THE TORNADO CARRIED DEBRIS A SHORT DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE RESIDENCE. THE TORNADO DAMAGE AT THIS LOCATION HAS BEEN ASSIGNED A PRELIMINARY RATING OF EF-0. THE TORNADO CONTINUED NORTHEAST FOR 2 MINUTES AND THEN DESTROYED THE NORTH SIDE OF A LARGE THREE CAR GARAGE BEFORE LIFTING AT APPROXIMATELY 1245 AM FRIDAY MAY 2 2008, 3 MILES SOUTHWEST OF POMONA LAKE. THE TORNADO DAMAGE AT THIS LOCATION HAS BEEN ASSIGNED A PRELIMINARY RATING OF EF-0. IN SUMMARY...THE TORNADO IN EAST CENTRAL OSAGE COUNTY HAS BEEN ASSIGNED A PRELIMINARY RATING OF EF-0 FOR DAMAGE THAT OCCURRED WHEN IT TOUCHED DOWN...AND THEN AGAIN JUST BEFORE IT LIFTED. THE TORNADO LASTED 2 MINUTES...TRAVELED ALONG A 1.5 MILE LONG PATH AND WAS...AT ITS LARGEST...UP TO 30 YARDS WIDE. THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AT APPROXIMATELY 1243 AM...AND LIFTED AT APPROXIMATELY 1245 AM. $$ CAVANAUGH

The image below depicts the damage reports that have been reported to the NWS in Topeka so far for Thursday and Thursday night’s severe weather.

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The images below depict the short lived EF-2 Tornado in Northwestern Douglas County as seen on Doppler Radar when it touched down around 1:04 AM. On the left is the lowest level reflectivity associated with the tornado. On the right is the corresponding Storm Relative Motion (SRM) image associated with the tornado at the same time.

Click on either image below for a larger view.

The images below depict the two tornadoes that touched down in Osage (left) and Douglas (right) Counties during the early morning hours of Friday May 2, 2008. The red triangles indicate damage sites surveyed by the NWS Storm Survey Team. The red lines connecting the triangles indicate the approximate path the tornado took in between surveyed damage sites.

Click either image below for a larger view

Below is a series of images of damage collected by the NWS Storm Survey Team. Each table of pictures will indicate which damage site the photos were taken from.

Click on any of the images below for a larger view

The images in this table are from the EF-0 Tornado Damage in Osage County that occurred at 12:43 AM

The images in this table are from the EF-0 Tornado Damage in Osage County that occurred at 12:45 AM

The images in this table are from the EF-2 Tornado Damage in Douglas County that occurred at 1:04 AM

The images in this table are from the EF-0 Tornado Damage in Douglas County that occurred at 1:06 AM

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