Tornado Watch: Authorities Pinpoint 'Very Large Supercell' Causing Destruction
Authorities may have identified the reason behind the worst tornado season the U.S. has seen in years: the supercell.
A "very large supercell" of tornadoes spread across northern Alabama Friday morning, destroying homes, schools, and businesses. At least 15 tornadoes have been reported throughout the Midwest and Great Plains, with Kansas being the worst-affected state, according to The Weather Channel.
The tornadoes are being cause by a supercell - a wide, constantly rotating thunderstorm that has the potential to be intensely damaging to those nearby. Supercells are so powerful they can dominate weather conditions up to 20 miles away.
"The reason that it is so wide is because we're not talking about one tornado, we're talking about a very large supercell that spawned several smaller tornadoes and there's possibly one very large one in there too," an Alabama Emergency Management Agency officer told MSNBC.com.
In Alabama, the damage from the supercell-created tornadoes has been extended to four towns, affecting over 30,000 people. Chris Reed, another emergency management officer, said that four people had been injured and hospitalized so far.
"We've got crews out doing search and rescue. That's our priority before we get into damage assessment because we're expecting … a new tornado watch and another round of severe warning [at] any time," Reed told MSNBC.
Although the damage is done for now, the worst of the supercell may be yet to come. If tornadoes strike during the evening and night hours, the destruction could be devastating.
"Nocturnal tornadoes are particularly dangerous for several reasons," tornado expert Dr. Greg Forbes told Weather.com. "One is that it's nearly impossible to see the tornado coming, so getting and heeding warnings is crucial. Another is that people are often asleep and caught unaware."
To avoid being caught unaware, Dr. Forbes advises all in the path of tornadoes to have a safe location to get to just in case. In addition, having flashlights and a NOAA Weather Radio could be critical in getting people out of harm's way.
