CORRECTION REGARDING THE DEFIANCE, MO TORNADO: Defiance, MO tornado had winds of 165mph, not 150mph, I misread the 165mph as 150 while researching and nobody caught notice of it until people started to point it out in the comments section. Sorry about that.
I'm so sorry 😢I was in two and thanks my friends that had a twister shelter,I lived.I had my own next to my house in Kansas but thank God I've o ly had to use it a few times.
I was one of the people injured in the tornado that came through mayfield ky. My house was completely demolished. And the water tower behind my house fell, shoving the water through the debris of my house that I was buried under, and saving my life. None of our towns will ever be the same. My prayers are with anyone else who also were affected by the tornadoes.
I was freaking out and crying here in WA. It was SO much national helplessness. I was up 24 hours with live feeds. Sheer terror. We were all praying you made it. (((hugs)))
As a survivor of that terrible night, you did a fantastic job covering the outbreak. I may as well share my story. I live in a small town in Kentucky, about thirty minutes to the South and East of Bowling Green. I'd been following the storms religiously that day and evening. I didn't sleep a bit. And then the warming came at a bit after 1 AM. My family all evacuated to the basement. And, I can never forget it, the house shook. You know how it feels when you are driving over a gravel rode, and the car trembles? That's how the house felt. It lasted for no more than five or so seconds, but it is forever burned in my mind. Our dog kennel, easily 50 feet long, had been completely flipped upside down. At least all the dogs were okay. Our old sawmill had been swept of it's foundation. Our house was still standing. But we had just put on new shingling literally the day prior, and so a lot got ripped off. It was like it was raining inside, that's the only way I can describe it. Several rooms upstairs had the ceiling literally cave in, they got that waterlogged. It was surreal. But, we were all fine. We're still cleaning up the mess today. Edit: And I can never forget the things I saw in the area around my home. There were roads that for a solid thirty feet completely blocked by trees. Barns that I had seen every single day in my life; reduced to rubble. I saw a line of hay rolls, each one taller than a man and about as long as one laying down, having been tossed about a field like some giant child had thrown them about. And, most vividly, I saw a church that had been literally ripped in half. The steeple and one entire side had been totally ripped off, while the other was standing as if nothing had happened. I think a bit of the stain glass had ben left intact! And yet, the old, abandoned, overgrown school, that is on the edge of collapse, that stood probably only 100 yards away, was totally fine, with not an ounce of damage. What I would have given for there to have been cameras to have captured that storm.
I remember that day, I was trying to tell my friends because I was at his house that something terrible is happening, but he never believed me, luckily we were north of the tornados but listen to your friends when they say something is wrong
Did you not take the dogs into the basement with you? That's very upsetting, you must've had time to open the door. IMO dogs shouldn't be kept outside at all, especially not in Winter.
Something I’d like to mention: Watching this on radar was horrifying, especially since I was in Joplin during the tornado, and still live there today. My favorite part of the recovery effort is how much love we showed to Mayfield following the tornado. A local food truck went to Mayfield following the tornado, and gave food away to everybody for free, just like the guy who lived 30 min from Mayfield. Also, the mayor of Joplin even REACHED OUT to the residents of Mayfield giving some tips and tricks on how to recover from a tornado of that magnitude
Thats honestly so heartwarming. I live in a perfect tornadoless pocket on the western tip of Illinois and hearing the efforts tornado afflicted communities go through to help each other always makes my day
@@monty2325 Yeah. What Mega-rw8mt said. No part of the United States and DEFINATELY no part of Illinois is tornadoless - perfectly or otherwise. Please don't fall into that extremely dangerous false sense of security.
@@Mega-rw8mt Hell, I live in South Florida and even we aren't immune to them either. Those suckers can pop up anywhere they please if the ingredients are right
I remember watching the outbreak on radar as it happened. There was nothing I could do but sit and watch as community after community was ravaged by numerous tornadoes. Especially as the Quad State Supercell approached Mayfield, I remember feeling utterly helpless as the debris signature became evident after passing through the city. It is important to remember that a tornado's rating does not matter in the slightest. Any tornado that claims victims must be respected as such: a deadly tornado. May the communities affected by this outbreak see a speedy recovery, and may this documentary serve as a reminder to those in the weather community that a tornado is not defined by its rating, but on its effects on those it touched.
that was the first time I've ever seen a hail spike on radar except it wasn't hail it was all the contents of Mayfield. that was awful to watch on radar and for HOURS as that cell just ripped a line across several states. definitely won't ever forget that
I lost my dad in that tornado. He lived in Dawson Springs, Kentucky. It still feels like a tornado went right through my heart. I'll never get over it. I miss him so much.
That's absolutely tragic and I'm very sorry for your loss and sadness. Just as a friendly reminder, I'm sure he would want you to continue living life to the fullest--despite the terrible thing that happened. I hope you have a good day and remember everything you love about your dad.
The dude cooking for the people of Mayfield brings tears to my eyes. We need more folks like this HERO in the world! Bless him and all of those effected by this tragedy. . .
OH my gosh. As a weather weenie / storm chaser I can't believe I have not discovered your channel before!!!! You are the BEST documentary maker and the best narrator, so well-researched, such good information. Do you do this for a living? If not, you could. Simply superb - thank you so much! I virtually chased this entire event so it was great to receive this fantastic summary. I like the fact that you give your opinions too on the ratings issue because it ended up being very educational, you obviously know your stuff. I can't say enough, clapping hands!!!!!
I'm so very deeply impressed. I know you said you had no intentions of producing another video of this length, but I think it's worth considering this sort of mega project every once in awhile (like, once a year or something). You covered this with so much detail and way more consideration to victims that other videos don't even touch because it's most people just do "Mayfield' instead of the outbreak. I think you could do a lot of justice to other meteorological events that are either not well-covered or don't give enough time to explain the background and significance of the science. Many documentaries (especially those produced by a certain TV channel that has a lot to do with meteorology) are so drama driven they ignore the science almost entirely, and yet you did a great job by using your interviews and providing details for us. It's just really awesome how you (admittedly begrudgingly) turned this into such a well-rounded deep dive. Truly looking forward to seeing what else you intend to cover (of any length)! I really enjoy that you don't just do tornadoes (like the Irene and Georgia videos). Hope you intend to do additional historical stuff - events like the Blizzard of 1996 in the NE, the Great Lakes White Hurricane of 1913, The 1927 Mississippi flooding, the Dust Bowl (and the major Black Sunday event), the New England Hurricane of 1938 (too many people still think Sandy was the only one up there), and the tragic Children's Blizzard of 1888 come to mind as ideas if you need any. Escaping the US there are also plenty of other tornadoes, floods, hurricanes and other wild (like the London Smog) events that come to mind too!
The fact that a professional meteorologist from the event was willing to take some time out of his day to answer your questions and provide his personal expertise is heartwarming to me. I hope he knows how much we appreciate him and his work.
I am from Bremen. It's a very small town in Muhlenberg County, western Kentucky. This already small town was decimated and it is still heartbreaking driving through my community. We lost many good people, including some children. I will forever remember the way it felt during those moments, the intensity of pressure in the air & the impact when it came over house...my family and I were fortunate to survive the storm, with fairly minor damage to our home. Every single neighbor around us lost everything. Nine months later, we are still cleaning up the mess it left behind. Most people are just starting to rebuild. This event truly changed my perspective on natural disasters, & the out pouring of love and support from surrounding areas was truly incredible to see. There's no doubt that this storm changed our lives here, forever.
I am part of a storm chasing team in Kentucky and my job as a radar technician was to alert our viewers and listeners on these storms we ran non stop from 4pm to 6am. You did a great job explaining the whole outbreak
I am from Mayfield Kentucky, that is where I grew up. My opinion only here…. When I was on the phone with my family that still lives there, I could care less about the tornado rating. No matter what it was technically rated, this event was life changing. The damage is still on going. There are still people that lost their homes and are still displaced. I wish I could see more being done to rebuild, but this is only an opinion. I am not qualified to even attempt to rate it and I’ll leave that to the higher powers. I still hurt for my hometown. I think this video is well done and thank you to the ones that came together to make it.
Hometown is Paducah Ky, Stacie has there not been a major push for rebuild or are they still overhauling debris? Im stationed in California right now so I havent been down there to see the damage in person, Hope everything is going well for you
@@Springbayoutrackman2 well I just know that my sister and her family still don’t have housing. Others have taken her and her kids into there home, but it was only temporary. They have started to rebuild some, but there was so much damage, it’s just taking a very long time. I know that can’t be helped much, but it breaks me to see so much destruction and despair for some.
I have studied tornadoes my entire life, I've never seen before what happened to your town Stacie. Just know, no matter what, America, and the rest of the world, still have you and your town in our thoughts and prayers. I hope this helps. Sending love, and prayer, from your neighbors in Canada ❤❤❤
This video may have been editing hell, but my God, this has got to be one of the best documentaries on this event that I've seen, and maybe one of the best I've seen ever. What a fantastic video.
I live roughly 40min from where the Edwardsville tornado hit. They’re still rebuilding that warehouse and I believe there is a pending lawsuit against Amazon for not having proper storm shelters in the warehouse. Great video. I love all these weather analysis videos actually.
i recall the discussion on social media about the safety of amazon workers after that tornado actually. i hope the lawsuit works because they were grossly neglectful in so many ways.
I'm actually from one of the towns hit by the tornado, specifically Dawson Springs, and I actually lived in that 2-story apartment building that was destroyed that you mentioned. I protested my girlfriend wanting to go to my father's house (he had a basement) and I remember saying "If a tornado comes through this area it's going to have to be a big one" BOY was I right on that one... she eventually convinced me and we left the apartment about an hour and a half before the tornado destroyed everything. Doesn't happen often, but here I am admitting that she was right, and it probably saved my life lol. Anyways, I wanna say thank you for the mention as I've seen many coverings not even mention our town even though ~75% of it was destroyed. And the residents of our town had many struggles with FEMA, most of them got pretty much nothing and FEMA even refused to pay the electric and water bill for our community center they took over while they were in town doing who knows what. An example, my girlfriend's car was left at the apartment and was lifted and tossed about 200 feet across the parking lot and road, it was barely recognizable as her car when we found it, and FEMA told her that we would have to find a mechanic to come down to look at the car and verify it would not start. I can't add the photos here but if you could see them you would understand how ridiculous a claim it was. Then on top of all that, almost none of the money was given to families to find them houses and get their lives started again. Back home there are still hundreds of people living in camping cabins on the property of a state park nearby and have been there since the tornado. No I'm not complaining either, I'm grateful that anyone came out of their way to help us, I just feel as if certain aspects of the recovery could and should have been handled completely differently. Again, thanks for mentioning our small town, and great work!
Glad you're ok. Honestly I think you should complain. Survivors should band together and demand the help FEMA is supposed to give. It's the whole point of the organizations existence.
Same thing here in Cayce, KY. 90% of the town was destroyed. And the service station my grandad built and another my cousin ran were swept away with nothing left at all. These were concrete buildings. My friend I work with lost his life in Cayce. Others packed up and left and escaped deaths calling. Fema is a joke
Living in McLean county and having that siren go off over and over that night, not knowing where it was going but knowing if it hit the house I was in, I and my family would be dead....I haven't gotten over that fear. The closer we get to the anniversary, the more anxiety I feel. Wonderful coverage. Thank you for this video.
I live in bowling Green. I remember that night vividly. The tornado split and one went around each side of my house. One hit the creek division and Russellville road, while the other hit the by-pass. It was terrifying, and there were several friends of mine that were lost in that tornado. I'm still recovering from trauma I have from December 10th/11th. Other families were unfortunate and lost everything, and many still haven't recovered.
Not to mention that it almost paralelled Louisville Road in Eastern Bowling Green, I did see the damage with my own eyes but I dont have pictures or video of the damage.
I remember I was still watching Ryan Hall's livestream that night when BG got hit, there was a live cam from somewhere in town and there were twins. I remember just hoping that ppl were well aware of the situation in advance cause it was after midnight, around 1AM eastern IIRC and had been a long night, and I'm nowhere near the area. Much love from a tornado nerd in Ontario, Canada.
I'm in BG too, moved up from my parents place outside Glasgow about four months past when the tornados struck. We felt the storm effects but didn't have the actual tornado pass through our area. When I arrived here, the damage blew my mind. Best wishes to you and yours still healing from that. It was a scary time
So i live in IL and.I remeber the Edwardsville incident. I saw on FB and heard from mutuals that the workers begged to be lef off of work or were telling Amazon "hey this is dangerous i need to leave/take shelter" and Amazon told them NO. Amazon cared only about making sire packages were being delivered. It made everyone seeth in rage especially because people were hurt and killed. Edit: thanks for addressing this at the end of the video!
It was a mile from my house. I remember sitting in a shelter counting down to my birthday on the 11th. I feel so horrible for those whom lost loved ones and their homes. My thoughts are always with y’all! West Tn
The interview with those in the front line working in the NWS was probably the most helpful and informative giving insight on the event of that night the part that got me was the fact the weather station lost power at a critical time when the Western Kentucky Tornado glad they where able to restore power and continue to monitor the tornado till it eventually die so props to those working in the NWS Office at Peduca!
Thank you for covering this horrible event in its ENTIRETY. Much as with Hurricane Katrina, there was more than just one community devastated by the disaster. We, as outside observers, should be reminded that there was more than one town hit or impacted. I've lived through natural disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and watched my entire life destroyed more than once. People really can't even begin to imagine what's like to live out of a backpack, sleeping in a the former parking lot of a grocery store that no longer exists; wondering where you're going to take a shower and how long you'll be standing in line for food and a bottle of water. People can't imagine the helpless feeling of watching everyone around you in the same state of fear and loss with no idea where to even start to fix even the simplest of problems, shelter. People can't imagine what it's like to be a renter and told "sorry, you didn't own the property so we're giving you nothing". People literally can't imagine these things, and a part of me is glad to know someone else didn't have to suffer that way in their lifetime. But, they also can't imagine someone bursting into tears of gratitude over being given a bottle of water, or a meal, or even a safe place to sleep. Being given basic human needs by a total stranger when you're that completely helpless and lost gives us hope and a reminder that there are better days, and that we can and will rebuild our lives. The faces of those total strangers will be with me for the rest of my life. For those watching this that have never been impacted by a natural disaster: Yes, your $5 that you donated, or the clothing you donated, or the time you donated for repairs, is more welcome than you can imagine. From all of us that have ever suffered through and survived at natural disaster: Thank you.
Exceptionally well done video man. Really enjoyed the depth you went into in this. When I was working on my own documentary of the event there were many times I considered discussing the other tornadoes more but cut it due to pacing issues as well as my lack of personal documentation of the tornadoes outside Western Kentucky, which is where I spent most of my time surveying. I'm glad you discussed the outbreak at a grander scale and brought the due attention the other tornadoes that occurred deserve.
Yeah I saw your doc on it and thought it was good all things considered. I never really wanted to do December 10th because I knew everyone was doing one and I was afraid I'd be taking away from people who were planning these out months in advance. Of course, I told myself they were not gonna cover everything and felt like someone had to do an indepth look at it all. Your video was good, although I am supposed to keep my critiques to myself because I end up being a bit harsh when I'm trying to be the opposite of that.
Yeah I wasn't going to make a video on it at first but figured I'd share my take given I surveyed the vast majority of the track right after it came through and had drone shots from the damage and more importantly, the recovery efforts 6 months later that were lacking from UA-cam. Making sure people realize that the area is still devastated and needs help still was extremely important to me. I never really intended for the video to blow up like it did, it was more of a personal project so I could get closure on something I don't have very fond memories of. A lot of stuff I saw and things I found in the debris of the towns (especially Bremen) changed my perspective on tornadoes forever.
I specifically remember watching the tornado after about 45 minutes and thinking “I’m witnessing history here” but I had never in my lifetime seen storms like this in my state. I felt somewhat helpless knowing that supercell was in our path, but it ended up lifting well before our house and city.
I remember this day very well, we were closing at Kroger in Paducah Ky. I was watching the WPSD TV live stream and I was so scared, it upset me so much about the people that had been impacted by this tornado outbreak it broke my heart. I was up all night watching WPSD never went to sleep that night.
As someone who watched the forecast religiously that day and then eventually being immediately impacted by the Dresden, TN tornado, I want to say thank you so much for pointing out that the outbreak was so much more than the catastrophic Mayfield tornado. I knew that something bad was going to happen and that there was a chance that my area could be impacted, but seeing it actually happen was another thing entirely. Thankfully it wasn't a complete surprise, and I am extremely grateful for all the forecasters that night. I watched the monster EF 4 tornado as it crossed into TN and then into Obion (pronounced Oh-bye-un, not Oh-bee-on) County where my close friend evacuated his son and two dogs and went to Martin, TN to escape. I was worried for his house (and my Jeep that was parked at his house) as the monster passed by within a few miles of his house. This man has been through several tornadoes, so to see him actually decide to leave his house was a big warning in my mind that this tornado needed to be taken seriously. Then I watched it go through Reelfoot Lake and Samberg, a community which I visit frequently and fish at due to its close proximity. Then it decided to continue, and I worried for my family in Fulton, KY. Thankfully none of them were hit, but then it honed in on Mayfield. I was absolutely horrified as it hit. I called my mother sobbing as it was ripping through Mayfield because I know so many people in Mayfield. All i could tell my mother was, "People are dying! I have to get to them!!" She was able to talk me out because of the major threat that was still to come, and she told me to wait until mor ing before i went to Mayfield. I am so incredibly glad my mother was thinking clearly and not with her heart because the worst for me was still to come. I grew up in West TN in Weakley County, and I have lived here my whole life. I know people everywhere in West TN and Kentucky, so watching this tornado was horrible. And as I said previously I wanted nothing me than to go out and help people. But then the other storm I was also watching produced a tornado outside of Dyersburg, TN in Newbern, TN. I immediately got a tornado warning, and I made sure I had everything I needed in my "safe" spot. As I watched it get closer, I was mortified as it was headed right towards my family in Sharon (pronounced share-un like Sharon Osborn). I was immediately relieved when it went just north of there but soon realized it put me in Dresden, TN right it its path. I did not pray, I was not afraid, all I could think was "Here it comes." When it hit, I knew there was nothing more I could do so whatever was going to happen was going to happen. I guess there was a certain peace to it. As my house shook and rumbled and I felt the wind, all I could focus on was the sound of that monster. I didn't hear it ripping apart my neighbors house or snapping all the trees in my yard. And then just as fast as it had come, it was gone. I didn't even want to lift up the blankets I was under because I was afraid to look at my house. When I did get the courage to lift the blankets, I was incredibly grateful to find I still had a house. My neighbors were not so lucky. At that point, the Mayfield tornado had been cast out of my mind and all thoughts were about making sure everyone in my community were okay. I checked on everyone in my immediate vicinity (going anywhere farther required a lot of parkour), amd was extremely surprised to find that we didn't have any serious injuries (except 1 kid). How nobody died I will never know, but that night is the night that will be forever be burned into my memory.
you are honestly one of the best weather channels i watch on youtube, the emotion in your voice when talking about the devastation and how people came together genuinely made me tear up. your empathy is admirable, often content like this gets lost in the science and neglects the human impact (not that there’s not a need for those types of videos too!) but the care you take while making these videos is evident :)
st louis resident here. this outbreak was rough to watch. edwardsville especially had me stunned. even now i try to minimize amazon shopping because i feel that the warehouse was a deathtrap created by the negligence of the company. had it been properly constructed, and had the people inside been allowed to shelter properly, it’s likely nobody would have died.
Those buildings need storm shelters. All warehouses and big box stores are death traps in tornados, even if constructed correctly. If the roof goes, the whole building collapses.
Then you need to minimize your shopping at Walmart, Target, and pretty much every other major company because they are no different. Far harder than it sounds.
I’m only about 20 minutes into the video, and I’m simply astounded at the fact that you’re not known all that well yet. Everyone (and their dog) was concentrated on the two tornadoes that were getting the most attention, but you went further into the outbreak and talked about the lesser-known tornadoes. Some of these tornadoes are the Paducah (Kentucky) and Bowling Green (Kentucky) tornado as well as the Edwardsville (Illinois) and the Danville (Kentucky) tornadoes. I paused the video to send this to you, and as I’m typing this out, I’m currently looking at the lead forecaster from the SPC as he’s explaining his thoughts on the outbreak which has just started to unfold. Keep doing what you’re doing, and others will start to notice you more than you currently are. This is some very good work, Alferia. Keep doing what you’re doing, and more important people will start to notice you.
I live in Iowa, so we never had a tornado in this event, yet our weather was absolutely terrible. So many trees falling down and so many buildings damaged or completely destroyed was already bad enough, I can't imagine how a Tornado would've been. Thank you for covering this 💞 much love to my southern and other midwestern friends. I hope life is going well for you all now.
I was working for Amazon in Louisville, and had been since June, when this tornado hit. I had to work the morning of the 11th and two hours into my shift, they called everyone to the center of the warehouse and went over the emergency preparedness plan. That was the first time it was mentioned in the six months that I’d worked there. And apparently, according to some other people who had been there for a year and a half, the first they’d ever heard about it as well. It may have just been a coincidence but it put a pretty bad taste in my mouth for Amazon as a whole and I left that job within the month.
Thank you. My son and his family lived in Pembroke Ky. It has changed many of us. They are doing well in a new home. We listen more closely to watches and warnings now. I think perhaps a new generation of meteorology students will come out of this event. Probably not a few of them are watching this video!Great job to all involved.We do appreciate the dedication and passion that drives you all. ❤
I remember staying up and tracking the outbreak in a call with a few friends. Everything just felt so surreal as we watched the tornado warnings and then emergencies pouring in for town after town and the first images of the damage trickled in. Throughout the night things got more and more frightening as warnings tracked towards Bowling Green, Louisville, Lexington, and Frankfort. Our fears peaked during the Bowling Green tornadoes, with my cousins being under warnings for the tornado near Mount Washington at the same time. Around this point everyone in the call began to fall asleep, though I was still wide awake as the storms tracked closer to me. My grandparents ended up falling under a tornado warning a couple hours later, with a tornado warning issued less than half an our later reaching to the edge of Lexington and just a couple miles from my house. I Initially didn't know the warning didn't reach me, and I got an alert on my phone saying I was under a tornado warning before I saw anything about the warning, and I took my mom and brother into the basement. Seeing the warning not reaching me only brought some relief as I worried that a new warning would extend into Lexington, though this didn't happen. I ended up staying up for another four hours and watching as everything winded down, catching my friends up on what had happened while they slept, and finally going to sleep sometime after 8 am.
Bingo I was living in Spencer County it could of been bad for us we only had a EF1 but those winds were very scary it was a creepy night I was creeped out
I saw your mom this evening & she sent me your clip. You sound amazing!! Great clip, and I'm glad I got to know you at Kohls. Don't forget the little people, like me.
This was a really well done video. I really like what Richard Thompson had to say at the end. For those of us that grew up in high tornado prone areas, there is a danger in the “cry wolf” syndrome, and a lot of work has been done to try and lower this so that people take the threat seriously. I grew up in James Spann’s territory and the work he, Richard Thompson, and I’m sure many other have done to save lives is probably incalculable.
In northwest TN, this storm had 2 tornadoes hit samburg and Dresden, pretty much leaving us unharmed right in the middle, but where we were at, we saw both tornadoes running in a curved path around our town.
And a couple of weeks ago I had to drive through mayfield, about 40 minutes away, and I’ll tell you right now, to this day they still don’t have street lights, most streets are blocked off, and downtown mayfield looks like a big parking lot. These people had so much taken from them.
Graduated from UK in 2020. One of my friends and his wife lost their home in the Bowling Green tornado. I had another old boss who just bought a campground at Kentucky Lake that got damage. Tornadoes are a frighteningly awesome power to behold. Appreciate you taking the time to cover the whole outbreak instead of only Mayfield.
Amazing content! So well researched and presented! Please keep up the good work! There is no shortage of demand for this kind of quality weather event content. I know i'm not the only one whos watched every video essay about tornados on youtube, lol. It's obvious you put a lot of care into your videos.
Missed the preview because I was out eating lunch with my grandpa. But I'm super excited to see this! I was in a direct path (southern IL). Everyone else I knew that lived in southern IL or Central IL got got absolutely destroyed by this storm. I think I was one of the lucky few towns that didn't have a tornado warning that night. Edit: As someone from Southern IL and having friends attending SIUe and family living there - I appreciate you talking about the entirety of the storm! Ik in my area it just seemed like town after town after town was getting tornado warnings. I remember my friend being absolutely terrified because a tornado touched down in a town nearby and he didn't have a first floor or basement to even go to. Thankfully the tornado never got to his town and dissolved.
I’m in that area as well. It was terrifying since my sister had worked in the Amazon warehouse. And after working outside that day, my coworkers and I all knew what was going to happen since it was so hot and humid. You could feel it coming!
My town donated a semi truck of goods when the tornado hit, in May my town was hot by a ef2 and Mayfields mayor reached out to our mayor to offer advice and help. Lately our Ema has been working close with nws Paducah to train to be better spotters and respond to an emergency
I live NE of Little Rock and I remember that cell passing over my house before it became what it did. I noted to my friends in a weather discord that this already did not look good as it had broad rotation at the time. My mother and father wanted to take me to Applebees in Little Rock, and whilst we were traveling, the first Little Rock TOR was issued. We were in that warning. When we were at the Applebees, one of our servers was there with me watching the storm. This server lived through the Joplin tornado and I felt horrible about it. The longer this went on, my stomach felt like it was collapsing in on itself and our server started crying. I have never felt this much grief by just watching radar scans. This is why I want to become a storm chaser, to help people who do not deserve to have their lives ruined in these situations and to help prevent deaths, as much as I can, by spotting tornadoes to help issue better warnings.
Another thing I forgot to mention, I was also viewing the Edwardsville EF-3 due to the fact that I have family up there and they were less than 5 miles from the tornado. The tornado just barely passed the cemetery, of which I have family residing. This tornado passed within a half mile.
Towards the end of June this year, I spent a week in Mayfield on a mission trip with my church assisting with cleanup and visiting with residents. You can still see scars from the track through the downtown area with damage still there, and a community still in a stage of rebuilding. Even though there is still a lot of things to be done, a very big feeling of relief was seeing how many members of the community organized together to assist with rebuilding homes and buildings. It's one thing to visit a devastated area, but living through a storm like that is unimaginable. I am grateful for getting the chance for meeting members of the community, and constantly praying for those that were affected along with the ongoing rebuild process
Excellent break down of this outbreak and the Mayfield Tornado. Loved how you included interviews with the SPC forecaster for that day and a local NWS office staff in Kentucky.
My grandparents live in rural Mayfield (not the part that got hit, don't know if they could see it or not but I doubt it because of trees) and I never really noticed what was in the town until I saw what got leveled. Really showed how quick things can change overnight.
What a crazy premier it was today. Glad I was here for it. Great video, Alferia, really outdid yourself on this one. Hope you get some time to yourself in between now and next upload.
i live in northern kentucky and i remember waking up and heading to school the morning after, everyone had blown up my phone talking abt the tornado. we all talked abt it at school that day, we were all pretty shook up. (the last time nky had a tornado was the year before and it only ranked an f2) but what really resonated with me was my pawpaw’s reaction. he was so concerned that morning (watching the news and eager to tell us more updates when we got home from work/school). he actually decided to go down to mayfield to help with the construction efforts (he was the pretty much the go to handy man in our area) but he contracted CJD and he wasn’t able to go down. he wanted to help the people of mayfield so bad. i think if he was alive now i’d watch this with him! he’d appreciate all of the hard work and fine details put into this video! love and miss you pawpaw ❤️ and all the love and support to those who were/are still affected by the tornado ❤️❤️
Great vid Alferia, condolences to all those families who lost loved ones in the outbreak. I cannot imagine the horrors of going through a tornado, it scares me.
After watching your El reno 2013 tornado documentary I've been binge watching {still is} because your really amazing at commenting on events like this as well as with knowledge you have and the really interesting interviews too. Never give up on your work, we all love your videos and also just the personality. I know that your grandma would be so proud of you ❤
living in Dubrovnik, Croatia, having no tornadoes whatsoever (thank God) but a huge fan of meteorology. After watching a couple of your videos I can say that I'm amazed with quality, descriptiveness and an excellent way you put these things together. It's even better than what national geographic puts out on a same subject. With that being said, keep up the good work and I genuinely look forward to new videos.
0:11 The tornado that hit Newnan GA actually hit very close to my house (I dont live in Newnan anymore.) My house was mainly still in tact, but my neighbors were less fortunate. The whole neighborhood looked like it had been sent through a trash compactor. Fences were down, trees crisscrossed the roads, and shutters and shingles littered my yard. It was terrifying to hear the ominous " train " sound - combined with torrential rain that was occasionally stopped in dead silence - and the constant alerts on my phone in the darkness of my basement. Though it was not as bad as the outbreak, it definitely shook me up and left me with ptsd, as I was already deathly afraid of tornadoes before hand.
Hi. Your psychological reaction to your experience is pretty normal & totally legit.🙂Kudos for being willing to share how it affected you.👍Just in case you haven't, I will encourage you to see a therapist for a session or two, so you can get some guidance for how to process what you went through & learn from an expert how to deal with your fears the next time there are severe weather watches/warnings in your area. Don't fool yourself into thinking that 'normal people just suck it up & move on', or something similar. The truth is that just sucking it up never works, so treat yourself with the love & compassion you deserve, and set up an appointment with a qualified therapist a.s.a.p. 🙂
Thank you for your kindness and advice💖I have been doing much better lately, thank you for your concern 😃@@derekbaker3279 I hope you have a wonderful thanksgiving!
I live outside of Danville Ky. A tornado warning went off around 2:30 am on Saturday morning December 11th..within 10 minutes it was coming over my house. This tornado was coming out of the Campbellsville area which was taking a northeasterly route. The winds from this tornado were strong enough to damage my neighbors roof in route to the airport. 5 hangers were completely swept off their slab foundations. Complete blown into the adjoining field. Over a dozen planes were damaged for a total loss. It went on to remove and damage a few more roofs on houses and barns just north of the airport. I’ve never feared storms or tornadoes.. mainly because I’ve not experienced a close call with a tornado, especially like this one on that early morning. I now have a new perspective of deadly storms. I am currently planning to build a storm shelter for my family this spring. I’m preparing for the worst! Stay safe!
I remember that night. I live up near Chicago and I had been driving with my daughter looking at Christmas lights. We had to go home because of the dense fog. I saw a notice from Ryan Hall Y'all, who I had just subbed to. That was the first livestream of his I watched. Between an earlier event that year in late June that saw a tornado pass less than a quarter mile from me and this event are what got me into becoming a trained spotter.
December 10th 2021 was my 20th birthday. I remember that I heard of the outbreak during my party and I just ran into the other room and turned on the news to see if I could find anything about what was going on. For the rest of my party I spent with my family praying that everyone that way would be okay.
I adore the fact that _in addition to_ being an incredibly smart lady working at the NWS - because that _on it's own_ would be enough to make her awesome - Christine also rocked that orange top ALONG WITH a _perfectly matched_ headband and pulled the look off beautifully. What a legend.
Right? She's awesome! Her nails, eyeshadow and lips also matched perfectly with the top and headband! She reminds me of Penelope Garcia in Criminal Minds 🥰
I understand I am commenting two years after this event, however with the recent tornadoes in northern middle Tennessee, I think your points still resonate. It is evident you have done a wealth of research and work to put this documentary together. Additionally, there were times I could hear the emotion in your voice when discussing the impact of those affected by the tornadoes, showing how much you really care about the victims. Continue the great work and looking forward to seeing more weather content from you🙂.
I live in Dawson Springs, Ky and I don’t care EF5 or EF4. It was the worst thing me and my family have every been through and we hope we never go through it again! We are just now getting our house fixed from it and my dad is expecting to be able to move in his new house by the end of July. I’m just glad we’re still alive!!!! I also believe that the SPC and NWS of Paducah did an excellent job that day! It’s because of them that we knew to watch out for the weather and seen that the tornado was coming!
The Mayfield cell was aiming directly at my house, but luckily dissipated in Louisville before getting to me. (The cell moved right over me, before dropping an unconfirmed tornado near Maysville, KY.) Was absolutely terrifying watching this storm barreling towards me after seeing the radar image of Mayfield. For hours that thing just didn't stop. I survived the march 2, 2012 tornado outbreak in N. KY, with an EF-4 as well. That tornado was nothing compared to this. The worst part was that I was in Mayfield a couple months before this event while on vacation. I remember it vividly. I will NEVER forget that night.
I remember the day after since living in ky that all the stations in Lexington didn’t go back to normal programming till the 12th I’ll never forget this day every
I was watching N8 Snyder's coverage of this, and the tornado peaking right before hitting Mayfield will forever stay with me. I've never had my heart sink so low.
I’m from South Fulton, TN (15 minutes south of Mayfield), currently a student at UT Knoxville. I was just back from college for Christmas Break, then the storms came. I couldn’t believe that tornadoes of this magnitude could hit this close to home. Thank you for bringing to light the damages to the surrounding communities, like Dresden, TN, another town nearly leveled by a tornado. Still crazy to think about to this day.
I remember this day...while I was nowhere near the areas being affected ( I live in Pa) I remember hearing bits in pieces about the outbreak while I was at work and I was thinking how it was already may be the worst outbreak of the year... I got home just in time to go watch the quad state supercell cycle and as it was doing so I was hoping that by some miracle it would be done. Then the Western Kentucky Torando touched down and I remember it being just the most unbelievable thing...wanting it to end bc u just knew it was doing catastrophic damage based on all radar sources. I also remember being angry after the event at just about everything related to the event. From the fact that the warnings and forecasts we're well done and such a high death toll to what happen at the candle factory, and yes the rating. However one day in January I was reflecting on the event it sunddenly hit me like I ran into the brick wall. WHY DID I CARE ABOUT THE RATING WHEN IT WAS BY FAR THE MOST IMPACTFUL AND DEADLY NATURAL DIASTER I HAD FOLLOWED? While I realized it was an absolute disaster that has unfolded I was absolutely partially districted by the silly difference between 190 Ef4 and Ef5. I'm not truly entirely sure why I was fixated on the rating....maybe bc it was the first major torando I followed the rating process of or maybe that saying Ef5 vs EF4 is a easier to say than quantifying all the things that went terribly wrong that day (even though that makes zero sense). Either way I am relieved that I snapped my self out of that bc the impacts matter not the rating and I am disappointed that for around a month I was just as focused on a rating as the impact of the event and am thankful to see this be directly addressed in a documentary on the event.
I'm hoping you see this, but please do a video on the 2010 Nashville May floods one day. I was 10 years old living in Dickson county, Tennessee at the time. The floods were *devastating*, even though my county wasn't one of the worst ones affected. What's even more devastating is that the causalities and a lot of damage could have been prevented. But channels that cover historical weather events never talk about it.
I don't think a tornado cares about how "well structured" a building is. I also remember the fact that the Amazon warehouse did not evacuate their employees during this horrifying incident. That this happened in the dead of night, most people would be caught sleeping and not even hear a warning. When you are trying to do an EAS and your power goes out!
I live in the St. Louis/St. Charles area and I remember being completely shocked how quickly this storm intensified. Luckily the area I live in had minor damage, but the Amazon warehouse was on the news for weeks after the tornado ripped through. My heart is with Kentucky, I can only imagine the pain and trauma those folks had to go through. Thank you for taking the time to really pay attention to detail about this storm. It was so fascinating, yet devastating. I’m looking forward to more of your content!
Thanks for making it clear that the f-scale rating is not the most important number in these events. The number to focus on is lives saved by forecasts and warnings.
I remember the Mayfield one. We got the wind, severe strong storms and possibly the hail. I was in my room with my weather radio I bought that summer for this reason, they canceled the tornado warning, then 10 minutes or so later, it struck from what I heard on the news. Rest in Peace to all the family and friends who lost someone important in this outbreak. 💔
Hi Alferia. I'm a relatively new subscriber, but I really am amazed by the effort you put into these documentaries, from detailing the meteorological setups that lead to these outbreaks, to taking the time arranging interviews with NWS staff about their experiences. I remember coming home from work on the night of December 10th, and tuning into Ryan Hall's livestream, I believe either as the Monette tornado was in progress, or as the Mayfield tornado was touching down. It was surreal to put it lightly. Watching the debris signature drawing closer to town, completely powerless to do anything, knowing that 200 or so miles south of you (I'm from Michigan) that that storm, or several storms rather, are destroying someone's homes, someone's property, or more than likely stripping away loved ones from their friends and families, one town after the next. The wild weather didn't let up after that night either. The next day, my brother and I were up in Owosso, Michigan doing some train watching, and were caught off guard by the change in weather. The day started out warm, but after a rain shower moved through Owosso, the rest of the day was extremely windy, and...god was it cold. I can't remember a colder day. It felt like it was minus 7 out (That's an exaggeration, but it was freezing). That being said, the inconvenience caused by frigid temps in my area do not compare to the utter horror and devastation that was wrought on Kentucky the night before. The one thing I'm really satisfied that you covered was the controversy surrounding the rating. The revelation that'd become apparent to me in the days following the storms was just how many awful people there were on social media, who were pushing for an EF5 rating. My initial bewilderment turned to complete repulsion. I literally saw some dude straight-up tell a survivor of the 2013 Moore Tornado that "you have no idea what EF5 damage looks like". I understand there were a few instances of possible EF5 damage in the wake of the Mayfield tornado, but at the end of the day, the focus should be on how we can help people in the wake of tragedies like this one; not screeching and throwing a fit when the rating isn't what you want it to be. If the NWS said it's an EF4, then I trust their assessment. In my honest opinion, if there's a such a thing as a "tornado from hell", then I think that particular storm is near the top of the candidate list. I'm glad you called those folks out; you shouldn't have had to, and it's shame that some people out there are more concerned with a tornado's rating, seemingly indifferent to the devastation wrought on underserving towns and their inhabitants. Your documentaries are top notch, and I look forward to seeing what other weather events you cover in the future, or whatever other content you intend to bring to the table. Best regards, NKP Studios.
Another great video! I love how you interview these professionals in the field to get their perspective because it completes the puzzle for us laypeople out here in the outside world. It gives us a better understanding of the things that happen during events like this. It really is odd how some people get upset about the rating. It's almost like they want an EF5 to happen! Personally, I think every consecutive year that goes by without one is something to celebrate. It would be even better if we had more years like 2018 where there aren't even EF4s! That year showed us it's possible, so that sounds like something to hope for IMO.
@Alferia - You’re great at making content, and clearly put a lot of work into it. I’m sorry you lost your grandparents, but it sounds like they helped form you to a great person, equipped to carry on in this world until you see them again in “the after”. Keep at it; keep up the great work for what you love doing!
This got me in the feels because of the narration. Jeeze dude! This is incredible! Best narrator ever, I wanted to cry like 10 different times. Unlike Swegle Studios who is all like "oh hey yeah 200 people died ...sucks" SUBSCRIBED
I live close to Bowling Green KY, and that night me and my fiancé were huddled together in our basement holding on to our 4 cats. My fiancé called into work that day because we heard how bad it was going to be. I’m so thankful he did. I was so terrified. I was on the phone with my mom who lived close to Muhlenberg County yelling for her to get in her basement. My mom didn’t think it was as serious as it was. Luckily the area she lived in was ok. My fiancés sister lived closer to Bowling Green and we were worried because we knew Bowling Green got hit bad. Luckily, she was ok, but the apartment she lived in had a lot of damage. Her area was hit badly. I’m thankful no one we knew personally lost their lives. Some of our relatives had property damages and some even lost their homes. I will never forget that night and what it did to rural Kentucky and our communities around us. The aftermath was so heart breaking. My heart still goes out to those who lost more than I could ever imagine. Btw, thank you for making this video
Thank you for covering all of what happened in this night. I live in bowling green KY & I'll never forget that night. There are still people displaced today thanks to FEMA.. same goes for the recent flooding in eastern KY. . Thankfully the community has helped out. great documentary🙏🙏💕💕
I live about 2 and a half miles from Creekwood in Bowling Green. The tornado went over my house but didn't touch down and I had no damage, thank God. We were without power for several days and other neighborhoods sustained bad damage. I still suffer from weather anxiety.
I was working in my emergency department in Jonesboro, AR during this. The victims of the nursing home struck by the tornado in Monette came to us. It was...a rough night but an amazing example of the whole hospital coming together to keep the ED from being entirely overwhelmed.
Me and couple of my friends heard the news of the December 10th Outbreak it was disturbing not only because multiple tornadoes damaged major towns but it also remind us of the 2011 Hackleburg/Phil Campbell, Smithville and Joplin Tornadoes combined.
I live just to the west of Nashville. Our town was hit by an EF2 that night around 3 in the morning. The most memorable thing was the fact it was over 70 degrees that night. As warm as a summers night.
My grandparents live near the path of tornado that hit Russellville, KY and went on to Bowling Green. I was 8 months pregnant at the time and couldn't sleep, knew it was heading for them, and stayed up watching it and praying for my parents and grandparents. That storm moved so much faster than any I've ever observed on radar before and the next day I didn't settle down until Mom told me my grandparents were fine.
My dad was in Mayfield that night... he was in the northern part. He's home safe now, but I freaked out when I heard he was there. I have lots of friends and family in Bowling Green that were affected that night. You did great on this video!
Every outbreak is always going to have that one tornado that is remembered more than the others. People forget that the F5 monster that struck Moore was part of a wider outbreak on May 3 and into May 4, 1999. And not all tornadoes in all outbreaks are made equal, some come and go with little fanfare and leave little to remember them by. The giants, or those that strike major areas of population are always destined to be remembered more than those that don'.t But if we don't try to understand even the small tornadoes, how can we ever hope to learn when the big ones are due to hit?
exactly, no one seems to mention dresden or any of the other tornadoes just like how no one seems to talk about mulhall because bridge creek overshadowed it
Just like the tornado outbreak from May 21st to May 26th 2011 the Joplin tornado is remember of all the tornadoes that happened in that outbreak. People don't realize that El Reno was hit by a EF5 on May 24th 2011.
@@stormswindy3013 Mullhall was once the record holder for widest tornado ever, until the 2013 El Reno monster broke it. Mullhall's tornado was one of those that could've been a real killer had it not stayed over mostly open terrain.
I was going to Oklahoma City to see my niece's Christmas show at Oklahoma City University. When we were driving back from there back to Jackson, Tennessee and then back to home in Knoxville, Tennessee, I saw some of the tornadic damage... uprooted trees, etc., I hadn't seen anything like that since I lived in Arlington, Texas when I went through an EF5 event... I'll never forget that either!
The pembroke tornado hit 2 houses from where i was living with my sister. It was insane. So many people i knew were heavily affected and still recovering from these
I hear Xenoblade Chronicles music, good taste. Excellent documentary, you conveyed the details wonderfully, and great job getting interviews with the people in charge
CORRECTION REGARDING THE DEFIANCE, MO TORNADO:
Defiance, MO tornado had winds of 165mph, not 150mph, I misread the 165mph as 150 while researching and nobody caught notice of it until people started to point it out in the comments section.
Sorry about that.
That tornado narrowly missed my town and I'm glad it did! (Not that I'm glad about Defiance getting struck, though.)
It would've been ✌️DEFIANCE✌️ only if you didn't make that correction. Thank you for caring about your content. 🙏🙏
whoops
I'm so sorry 😢I was in two and thanks my friends that had a twister shelter,I lived.I had my own next to my house in Kansas but thank God I've o ly had to use it a few times.
So, which outbreak is the comments yelling at you to cover now?
I was one of the people injured in the tornado that came through mayfield ky. My house was completely demolished. And the water tower behind my house fell, shoving the water through the debris of my house that I was buried under, and saving my life. None of our towns will ever be the same. My prayers are with anyone else who also were affected by the tornadoes.
That sounds horrible but amazing all at once. You should write your story (if you would want to) it sounds astounding.
I was freaking out and crying here in WA. It was SO much national helplessness. I was up 24 hours with live feeds. Sheer terror. We were all praying you made it. (((hugs)))
Glad you survived, but so sorry for the losses involved. ❤
God Bless you , I'm sorry for your terrible experience of natures cruellest thing's. Mark G Dublin Ireland !!
I live in trigg county ky so glad we didn’t get hit
As a survivor of that terrible night, you did a fantastic job covering the outbreak.
I may as well share my story. I live in a small town in Kentucky, about thirty minutes to the South and East of Bowling Green. I'd been following the storms religiously that day and evening. I didn't sleep a bit. And then the warming came at a bit after 1 AM. My family all evacuated to the basement. And, I can never forget it, the house shook. You know how it feels when you are driving over a gravel rode, and the car trembles? That's how the house felt. It lasted for no more than five or so seconds, but it is forever burned in my mind. Our dog kennel, easily 50 feet long, had been completely flipped upside down. At least all the dogs were okay. Our old sawmill had been swept of it's foundation. Our house was still standing. But we had just put on new shingling literally the day prior, and so a lot got ripped off. It was like it was raining inside, that's the only way I can describe it. Several rooms upstairs had the ceiling literally cave in, they got that waterlogged. It was surreal. But, we were all fine. We're still cleaning up the mess today.
Edit: And I can never forget the things I saw in the area around my home. There were roads that for a solid thirty feet completely blocked by trees. Barns that I had seen every single day in my life; reduced to rubble. I saw a line of hay rolls, each one taller than a man and about as long as one laying down, having been tossed about a field like some giant child had thrown them about. And, most vividly, I saw a church that had been literally ripped in half. The steeple and one entire side had been totally ripped off, while the other was standing as if nothing had happened. I think a bit of the stain glass had ben left intact! And yet, the old, abandoned, overgrown school, that is on the edge of collapse, that stood probably only 100 yards away, was totally fine, with not an ounce of damage. What I would have given for there to have been cameras to have captured that storm.
Could you explain your story if you are comfortable?
I remember that day, I was trying to tell my friends because I was at his house that something terrible is happening, but he never believed me, luckily we were north of the tornados but listen to your friends when they say something is wrong
Did you not take the dogs into the basement with you? That's very upsetting, you must've had time to open the door. IMO dogs shouldn't be kept outside at all, especially not in Winter.
You from Scottsville too?
Not from Scotsville, actually. I don't want to say exactly where, but I'm from Logan County.
Edit: the East is a typo, I meant to say west
Something I’d like to mention:
Watching this on radar was horrifying, especially since I was in Joplin during the tornado, and still live there today. My favorite part of the recovery effort is how much love we showed to Mayfield following the tornado. A local food truck went to Mayfield following the tornado, and gave food away to everybody for free, just like the guy who lived 30 min from Mayfield. Also, the mayor of Joplin even REACHED OUT to the residents of Mayfield giving some tips and tricks on how to recover from a tornado of that magnitude
Thats honestly so heartwarming. I live in a perfect tornadoless pocket on the western tip of Illinois and hearing the efforts tornado afflicted communities go through to help each other always makes my day
@@monty2325 its still Illinois. You're not immune to tornadoes
@@monty2325 Yeah. What Mega-rw8mt said. No part of the United States and DEFINATELY no part of Illinois is tornadoless - perfectly or otherwise. Please don't fall into that extremely dangerous false sense of security.
@@Mega-rw8mt Hell, I live in South Florida and even we aren't immune to them either. Those suckers can pop up anywhere they please if the ingredients are right
It really makes me happy to hear that a town that had gone through a severe tornado was willing to help us out after our tragedy
I remember watching the outbreak on radar as it happened. There was nothing I could do but sit and watch as community after community was ravaged by numerous tornadoes. Especially as the Quad State Supercell approached Mayfield, I remember feeling utterly helpless as the debris signature became evident after passing through the city. It is important to remember that a tornado's rating does not matter in the slightest. Any tornado that claims victims must be respected as such: a deadly tornado. May the communities affected by this outbreak see a speedy recovery, and may this documentary serve as a reminder to those in the weather community that a tornado is not defined by its rating, but on its effects on those it touched.
that was the first time I've ever seen a hail spike on radar except it wasn't hail it was all the contents of Mayfield. that was awful to watch on radar and for HOURS as that cell just ripped a line across several states. definitely won't ever forget that
I was at a wedding at the time and watching it on radar too, it was one of the most surreal days ever
Imagine watching the radar signature as a non-chaser from just a few miles north. 👀👀👀 That was me. We were on edge that night.
December 10 is my birthday and I remember watching the radar at my birthday dinner and feeling so sad
I saw bowling green as it got hit not mayfield sadly
I lost my dad in that tornado. He lived in Dawson Springs, Kentucky. It still feels like a tornado went right through my heart. I'll never get over it. I miss him so much.
That's absolutely tragic and I'm very sorry for your loss and sadness. Just as a friendly reminder, I'm sure he would want you to continue living life to the fullest--despite the terrible thing that happened. I hope you have a good day and remember everything you love about your dad.
I'm so sorry for your loss. Keep your head up & make him proud. ❤
I’m so sorry for your loss ❤ May your dad rest in peace and I hope your doing better now ❤❤
So sorry for your loss.
My condolences may he rest in peace
The dude cooking for the people of Mayfield brings tears to my eyes. We need more folks like this HERO in the world! Bless him and all of those effected by this tragedy. . .
What a great guy.
Cooking? What kind of ghetto slang is that😂
OH my gosh. As a weather weenie / storm chaser I can't believe I have not discovered your channel before!!!! You are the BEST documentary maker and the best narrator, so well-researched, such good information. Do you do this for a living? If not, you could. Simply superb - thank you so much! I virtually chased this entire event so it was great to receive this fantastic summary. I like the fact that you give your opinions too on the ratings issue because it ended up being very educational, you obviously know your stuff. I can't say enough, clapping hands!!!!!
I'm so very deeply impressed. I know you said you had no intentions of producing another video of this length, but I think it's worth considering this sort of mega project every once in awhile (like, once a year or something).
You covered this with so much detail and way more consideration to victims that other videos don't even touch because it's most people just do "Mayfield' instead of the outbreak. I think you could do a lot of justice to other meteorological events that are either not well-covered or don't give enough time to explain the background and significance of the science. Many documentaries (especially those produced by a certain TV channel that has a lot to do with meteorology) are so drama driven they ignore the science almost entirely, and yet you did a great job by using your interviews and providing details for us. It's just really awesome how you (admittedly begrudgingly) turned this into such a well-rounded deep dive.
Truly looking forward to seeing what else you intend to cover (of any length)! I really enjoy that you don't just do tornadoes (like the Irene and Georgia videos). Hope you intend to do additional historical stuff - events like the Blizzard of 1996 in the NE, the Great Lakes White Hurricane of 1913, The 1927 Mississippi flooding, the Dust Bowl (and the major Black Sunday event), the New England Hurricane of 1938 (too many people still think Sandy was the only one up there), and the tragic Children's Blizzard of 1888 come to mind as ideas if you need any. Escaping the US there are also plenty of other tornadoes, floods, hurricanes and other wild (like the London Smog) events that come to mind too!
The fact that a professional meteorologist from the event was willing to take some time out of his day to answer your questions and provide his personal expertise is heartwarming to me. I hope he knows how much we appreciate him and his work.
I am from Bremen. It's a very small town in Muhlenberg County, western Kentucky. This already small town was decimated and it is still heartbreaking driving through my community. We lost many good people, including some children. I will forever remember the way it felt during those moments, the intensity of pressure in the air & the impact when it came over house...my family and I were fortunate to survive the storm, with fairly minor damage to our home. Every single neighbor around us lost everything. Nine months later, we are still cleaning up the mess it left behind. Most people are just starting to rebuild. This event truly changed my perspective on natural disasters, & the out pouring of love and support from surrounding areas was truly incredible to see.
There's no doubt that this storm changed our lives here, forever.
If there was another video that deserved to be this long was the 2011 tornado outbreak video. There was more tornadoes and a lot more that went on.
From Bremen also never saw nothing like this
I am part of a storm chasing team in Kentucky and my job as a radar technician was to alert our viewers and listeners on these storms we ran non stop from 4pm to 6am. You did a great job explaining the whole outbreak
I am from Mayfield Kentucky, that is where I grew up. My opinion only here…. When I was on the phone with my family that still lives there, I could care less about the tornado rating. No matter what it was technically rated, this event was life changing. The damage is still on going. There are still people that lost their homes and are still displaced. I wish I could see more being done to rebuild, but this is only an opinion. I am not qualified to even attempt to rate it and I’ll leave that to the higher powers. I still hurt for my hometown. I think this video is well done and thank you to the ones that came together to make it.
Hometown is Paducah Ky, Stacie has there not been a major push for rebuild or are they still overhauling debris? Im stationed in California right now so I havent been down there to see the damage in person, Hope everything is going well for you
@@Springbayoutrackman2 well I just know that my sister and her family still don’t have housing. Others have taken her and her kids into there home, but it was only temporary. They have started to rebuild some, but there was so much damage, it’s just taking a very long time. I know that can’t be helped much, but it breaks me to see so much destruction and despair for some.
I have studied tornadoes my entire life, I've never seen before what happened to your town Stacie. Just know, no matter what, America, and the rest of the world, still have you and your town in our thoughts and prayers. I hope this helps. Sending love, and prayer, from your neighbors in Canada ❤❤❤
@@o0_VanYsH_0o thank you so much. I can safely say we all appreciate that very much.
Weather nerds are more concerned about ratings. That tornado was a monster. It's rating , which occurs after the event, and doesn't change a thing.
I live right down the road from the Amazon building in Edwardsville that got hit. You could HEAR it from 4 miles away, that thing was terrifying.
This video may have been editing hell, but my God, this has got to be one of the best documentaries on this event that I've seen, and maybe one of the best I've seen ever. What a fantastic video.
I live roughly 40min from where the Edwardsville tornado hit. They’re still rebuilding that warehouse and I believe there is a pending lawsuit against Amazon for not having proper storm shelters in the warehouse.
Great video. I love all these weather analysis videos actually.
i recall the discussion on social media about the safety of amazon workers after that tornado actually. i hope the lawsuit works because they were grossly neglectful in so many ways.
Threatening workers with there jobs if they left to be with there families.
I'm actually from one of the towns hit by the tornado, specifically Dawson Springs, and I actually lived in that 2-story apartment building that was destroyed that you mentioned. I protested my girlfriend wanting to go to my father's house (he had a basement) and I remember saying "If a tornado comes through this area it's going to have to be a big one" BOY was I right on that one... she eventually convinced me and we left the apartment about an hour and a half before the tornado destroyed everything. Doesn't happen often, but here I am admitting that she was right, and it probably saved my life lol. Anyways, I wanna say thank you for the mention as I've seen many coverings not even mention our town even though ~75% of it was destroyed. And the residents of our town had many struggles with FEMA, most of them got pretty much nothing and FEMA even refused to pay the electric and water bill for our community center they took over while they were in town doing who knows what. An example, my girlfriend's car was left at the apartment and was lifted and tossed about 200 feet across the parking lot and road, it was barely recognizable as her car when we found it, and FEMA told her that we would have to find a mechanic to come down to look at the car and verify it would not start. I can't add the photos here but if you could see them you would understand how ridiculous a claim it was. Then on top of all that, almost none of the money was given to families to find them houses and get their lives started again. Back home there are still hundreds of people living in camping cabins on the property of a state park nearby and have been there since the tornado. No I'm not complaining either, I'm grateful that anyone came out of their way to help us, I just feel as if certain aspects of the recovery could and should have been handled completely differently. Again, thanks for mentioning our small town, and great work!
Glad you're ok. Honestly I think you should complain. Survivors should band together and demand the help FEMA is supposed to give. It's the whole point of the organizations existence.
You would certainly have the right to complain 😉.
Same thing here in Cayce, KY. 90% of the town was destroyed. And the service station my grandad built and another my cousin ran were swept away with nothing left at all. These were concrete buildings. My friend I work with lost his life in Cayce. Others packed up and left and escaped deaths calling. Fema is a joke
Yeah, give billions to Ukraine and illegal immigrants but won't help Christian taxpayers. That's what January 6 was all about.
@@williammurray8060 was it?
Living in McLean county and having that siren go off over and over that night, not knowing where it was going but knowing if it hit the house I was in, I and my family would be dead....I haven't gotten over that fear. The closer we get to the anniversary, the more anxiety I feel. Wonderful coverage. Thank you for this video.
as someone from Spencer County I feel ya we got a EF1 Tornado and them winds man just surreal
I live in bowling Green. I remember that night vividly. The tornado split and one went around each side of my house. One hit the creek division and Russellville road, while the other hit the by-pass. It was terrifying, and there were several friends of mine that were lost in that tornado. I'm still recovering from trauma I have from December 10th/11th. Other families were unfortunate and lost everything, and many still haven't recovered.
Not to mention that it almost paralelled Louisville Road in Eastern Bowling Green, I did see the damage with my own eyes but I dont have pictures or video of the damage.
I remember I was still watching Ryan Hall's livestream that night when BG got hit, there was a live cam from somewhere in town and there were twins. I remember just hoping that ppl were well aware of the situation in advance cause it was after midnight, around 1AM eastern IIRC and had been a long night, and I'm nowhere near the area. Much love from a tornado nerd in Ontario, Canada.
E
I'm in BG too, moved up from my parents place outside Glasgow about four months past when the tornados struck. We felt the storm effects but didn't have the actual tornado pass through our area. When I arrived here, the damage blew my mind. Best wishes to you and yours still healing from that. It was a scary time
So i live in IL and.I remeber the Edwardsville incident. I saw on FB and heard from mutuals that the workers begged to be lef off of work or were telling Amazon "hey this is dangerous i need to leave/take shelter" and Amazon told them NO. Amazon cared only about making sire packages were being delivered. It made everyone seeth in rage especially because people were hurt and killed.
Edit: thanks for addressing this at the end of the video!
I actually left Amazon and currently haven't bought anything from them since because of this
It was a mile from my house. I remember sitting in a shelter counting down to my birthday on the 11th. I feel so horrible for those whom lost loved ones and their homes. My thoughts are always with y’all! West Tn
The interview with those in the front line working in the NWS was probably the most helpful and informative giving insight on the event of that night the part that got me was the fact the weather station lost power at a critical time when the Western Kentucky Tornado glad they where able to restore power and continue to monitor the tornado till it eventually die so props to those working in the NWS Office at Peduca!
Thank you for covering this horrible event in its ENTIRETY. Much as with Hurricane Katrina, there was more than just one community devastated by the disaster. We, as outside observers, should be reminded that there was more than one town hit or impacted.
I've lived through natural disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and watched my entire life destroyed more than once. People really can't even begin to imagine what's like to live out of a backpack, sleeping in a the former parking lot of a grocery store that no longer exists; wondering where you're going to take a shower and how long you'll be standing in line for food and a bottle of water. People can't imagine the helpless feeling of watching everyone around you in the same state of fear and loss with no idea where to even start to fix even the simplest of problems, shelter. People can't imagine what it's like to be a renter and told "sorry, you didn't own the property so we're giving you nothing".
People literally can't imagine these things, and a part of me is glad to know someone else didn't have to suffer that way in their lifetime.
But, they also can't imagine someone bursting into tears of gratitude over being given a bottle of water, or a meal, or even a safe place to sleep. Being given basic human needs by a total stranger when you're that completely helpless and lost gives us hope and a reminder that there are better days, and that we can and will rebuild our lives. The faces of those total strangers will be with me for the rest of my life.
For those watching this that have never been impacted by a natural disaster: Yes, your $5 that you donated, or the clothing you donated, or the time you donated for repairs, is more welcome than you can imagine. From all of us that have ever suffered through and survived at natural disaster: Thank you.
Exceptionally well done video man. Really enjoyed the depth you went into in this. When I was working on my own documentary of the event there were many times I considered discussing the other tornadoes more but cut it due to pacing issues as well as my lack of personal documentation of the tornadoes outside Western Kentucky, which is where I spent most of my time surveying. I'm glad you discussed the outbreak at a grander scale and brought the due attention the other tornadoes that occurred deserve.
Yeah I saw your doc on it and thought it was good all things considered. I never really wanted to do December 10th because I knew everyone was doing one and I was afraid I'd be taking away from people who were planning these out months in advance. Of course, I told myself they were not gonna cover everything and felt like someone had to do an indepth look at it all.
Your video was good, although I am supposed to keep my critiques to myself because I end up being a bit harsh when I'm trying to be the opposite of that.
Yeah I wasn't going to make a video on it at first but figured I'd share my take given I surveyed the vast majority of the track right after it came through and had drone shots from the damage and more importantly, the recovery efforts 6 months later that were lacking from UA-cam. Making sure people realize that the area is still devastated and needs help still was extremely important to me.
I never really intended for the video to blow up like it did, it was more of a personal project so I could get closure on something I don't have very fond memories of. A lot of stuff I saw and things I found in the debris of the towns (especially Bremen) changed my perspective on tornadoes forever.
I specifically remember watching the tornado after about 45 minutes and thinking “I’m witnessing history here” but I had never in my lifetime seen storms like this in my state. I felt somewhat helpless knowing that supercell was in our path, but it ended up lifting well before our house and city.
I remember this day very well, we were closing at Kroger in Paducah Ky. I was watching the WPSD TV live stream and I was so scared, it upset me so much about the people that had been impacted by this tornado outbreak it broke my heart. I was up all night watching WPSD never went to sleep that night.
As someone who watched the forecast religiously that day and then eventually being immediately impacted by the Dresden, TN tornado, I want to say thank you so much for pointing out that the outbreak was so much more than the catastrophic Mayfield tornado. I knew that something bad was going to happen and that there was a chance that my area could be impacted, but seeing it actually happen was another thing entirely. Thankfully it wasn't a complete surprise, and I am extremely grateful for all the forecasters that night.
I watched the monster EF 4 tornado as it crossed into TN and then into Obion (pronounced Oh-bye-un, not Oh-bee-on) County where my close friend evacuated his son and two dogs and went to Martin, TN to escape. I was worried for his house (and my Jeep that was parked at his house) as the monster passed by within a few miles of his house. This man has been through several tornadoes, so to see him actually decide to leave his house was a big warning in my mind that this tornado needed to be taken seriously. Then I watched it go through Reelfoot Lake and Samberg, a community which I visit frequently and fish at due to its close proximity. Then it decided to continue, and I worried for my family in Fulton, KY. Thankfully none of them were hit, but then it honed in on Mayfield. I was absolutely horrified as it hit. I called my mother sobbing as it was ripping through Mayfield because I know so many people in Mayfield. All i could tell my mother was, "People are dying! I have to get to them!!" She was able to talk me out because of the major threat that was still to come, and she told me to wait until mor ing before i went to Mayfield. I am so incredibly glad my mother was thinking clearly and not with her heart because the worst for me was still to come.
I grew up in West TN in Weakley County, and I have lived here my whole life. I know people everywhere in West TN and Kentucky, so watching this tornado was horrible. And as I said previously I wanted nothing me than to go out and help people. But then the other storm I was also watching produced a tornado outside of Dyersburg, TN in Newbern, TN. I immediately got a tornado warning, and I made sure I had everything I needed in my "safe" spot. As I watched it get closer, I was mortified as it was headed right towards my family in Sharon (pronounced share-un like Sharon Osborn). I was immediately relieved when it went just north of there but soon realized it put me in Dresden, TN right it its path. I did not pray, I was not afraid, all I could think was "Here it comes." When it hit, I knew there was nothing more I could do so whatever was going to happen was going to happen. I guess there was a certain peace to it. As my house shook and rumbled and I felt the wind, all I could focus on was the sound of that monster. I didn't hear it ripping apart my neighbors house or snapping all the trees in my yard. And then just as fast as it had come, it was gone. I didn't even want to lift up the blankets I was under because I was afraid to look at my house. When I did get the courage to lift the blankets, I was incredibly grateful to find I still had a house. My neighbors were not so lucky.
At that point, the Mayfield tornado had been cast out of my mind and all thoughts were about making sure everyone in my community were okay. I checked on everyone in my immediate vicinity (going anywhere farther required a lot of parkour), amd was extremely surprised to find that we didn't have any serious injuries (except 1 kid).
How nobody died I will never know, but that night is the night that will be forever be burned into my memory.
It's a little bit fitting that a disaster video is being uploaded on a disastrous day.
Yeah, oh WAIT 9/11 yeah I see what you mean
Yeah, Duo Disaster dates
That’s right, this video was uploaded on the 21st anniversary of 9/11
Bro I can't I...
you are honestly one of the best weather channels i watch on youtube, the emotion in your voice when talking about the devastation and how people came together genuinely made me tear up. your empathy is admirable, often content like this gets lost in the science and neglects the human impact (not that there’s not a need for those types of videos too!) but the care you take while making these videos is evident :)
st louis resident here. this outbreak was rough to watch. edwardsville especially had me stunned. even now i try to minimize amazon shopping because i feel that the warehouse was a deathtrap created by the negligence of the company. had it been properly constructed, and had the people inside been allowed to shelter properly, it’s likely nobody would have died.
Those buildings need storm shelters. All warehouses and big box stores are death traps in tornados, even if constructed correctly. If the roof goes, the whole building collapses.
Then you need to minimize your shopping at Walmart, Target, and pretty much every other major company because they are no different. Far harder than it sounds.
I’m only about 20 minutes into the video, and I’m simply astounded at the fact that you’re not known all that well yet.
Everyone (and their dog) was concentrated on the two tornadoes that were getting the most attention, but you went further into the
outbreak and talked about the lesser-known tornadoes.
Some of these tornadoes are the Paducah (Kentucky) and Bowling Green (Kentucky) tornado as well as the Edwardsville (Illinois) and the Danville (Kentucky) tornadoes.
I paused the video to send this to you, and as I’m typing this out, I’m currently looking at the lead forecaster from the SPC as he’s explaining his thoughts on the outbreak which has just started to unfold.
Keep doing what you’re doing, and others will start to notice you more than you currently are.
This is some very good work, Alferia. Keep doing what you’re doing, and more important people will start to notice you.
Super awesome to see not only professional quality work from you but getting interviews with actual professionals! Keep up the amazing work dude
I live in Iowa, so we never had a tornado in this event, yet our weather was absolutely terrible. So many trees falling down and so many buildings damaged or completely destroyed was already bad enough, I can't imagine how a Tornado would've been. Thank you for covering this 💞 much love to my southern and other midwestern friends. I hope life is going well for you all now.
I was working for Amazon in Louisville, and had been since June, when this tornado hit. I had to work the morning of the 11th and two hours into my shift, they called everyone to the center of the warehouse and went over the emergency preparedness plan. That was the first time it was mentioned in the six months that I’d worked there. And apparently, according to some other people who had been there for a year and a half, the first they’d ever heard about it as well. It may have just been a coincidence but it put a pretty bad taste in my mouth for Amazon as a whole and I left that job within the month.
Thank you. My son and his family lived in Pembroke Ky. It has changed many of us. They are doing well in a new home. We listen more closely to watches and warnings now. I think perhaps a new generation of meteorology students will come out of this event. Probably not a few of them are watching this video!Great job to all involved.We do appreciate the dedication and passion that drives you all. ❤
I remember staying up and tracking the outbreak in a call with a few friends. Everything just felt so surreal as we watched the tornado warnings and then emergencies pouring in for town after town and the first images of the damage trickled in. Throughout the night things got more and more frightening as warnings tracked towards Bowling Green, Louisville, Lexington, and Frankfort. Our fears peaked during the Bowling Green tornadoes, with my cousins being under warnings for the tornado near Mount Washington at the same time. Around this point everyone in the call began to fall asleep, though I was still wide awake as the storms tracked closer to me. My grandparents ended up falling under a tornado warning a couple hours later, with a tornado warning issued less than half an our later reaching to the edge of Lexington and just a couple miles from my house. I Initially didn't know the warning didn't reach me, and I got an alert on my phone saying I was under a tornado warning before I saw anything about the warning, and I took my mom and brother into the basement. Seeing the warning not reaching me only brought some relief as I worried that a new warning would extend into Lexington, though this didn't happen. I ended up staying up for another four hours and watching as everything winded down, catching my friends up on what had happened while they slept, and finally going to sleep sometime after 8 am.
Bingo I was living in Spencer County it could of been bad for us we only had a EF1 but those winds were very scary it was a creepy night I was creeped out
This was a fantastic coverage, much better than others.
I saw your mom this evening & she sent me your clip. You sound amazing!! Great clip, and I'm glad I got to know you at Kohls. Don't forget the little people, like me.
This was a really well done video.
I really like what Richard Thompson had to say at the end. For those of us that grew up in high tornado prone areas, there is a danger in the “cry wolf” syndrome, and a lot of work has been done to try and lower this so that people take the threat seriously. I grew up in James Spann’s territory and the work he, Richard Thompson, and I’m sure many other have done to save lives is probably incalculable.
In northwest TN, this storm had 2 tornadoes hit samburg and Dresden, pretty much leaving us unharmed right in the middle, but where we were at, we saw both tornadoes running in a curved path around our town.
And a couple of weeks ago I had to drive through mayfield, about 40 minutes away, and I’ll tell you right now, to this day they still don’t have street lights, most streets are blocked off, and downtown mayfield looks like a big parking lot. These people had so much taken from them.
It’s going to take years for Mayfield, KY to recover from the tornado.
Graduated from UK in 2020. One of my friends and his wife lost their home in the Bowling Green tornado. I had another old boss who just bought a campground at Kentucky Lake that got damage. Tornadoes are a frighteningly awesome power to behold. Appreciate you taking the time to cover the whole outbreak instead of only Mayfield.
Amazing content! So well researched and presented! Please keep up the good work! There is no shortage of demand for this kind of quality weather event content. I know i'm not the only one whos watched every video essay about tornados on youtube, lol. It's obvious you put a lot of care into your videos.
Missed the preview because I was out eating lunch with my grandpa. But I'm super excited to see this! I was in a direct path (southern IL). Everyone else I knew that lived in southern IL or Central IL got got absolutely destroyed by this storm. I think I was one of the lucky few towns that didn't have a tornado warning that night.
Edit: As someone from Southern IL and having friends attending SIUe and family living there - I appreciate you talking about the entirety of the storm! Ik in my area it just seemed like town after town after town was getting tornado warnings. I remember my friend being absolutely terrified because a tornado touched down in a town nearby and he didn't have a first floor or basement to even go to. Thankfully the tornado never got to his town and dissolved.
Fellow southern Illinois. Glad you're safe
Me too I’m from that area too and I have a lot of friends who go to SIUE
I’m in that area as well. It was terrifying since my sister had worked in the Amazon warehouse. And after working outside that day, my coworkers and I all knew what was going to happen since it was so hot and humid. You could feel it coming!
You, sir, created a masterpiece. 👏
My town donated a semi truck of goods when the tornado hit, in May my town was hot by a ef2 and Mayfields mayor reached out to our mayor to offer advice and help. Lately our Ema has been working close with nws Paducah to train to be better spotters and respond to an emergency
I live NE of Little Rock and I remember that cell passing over my house before it became what it did. I noted to my friends in a weather discord that this already did not look good as it had broad rotation at the time. My mother and father wanted to take me to Applebees in Little Rock, and whilst we were traveling, the first Little Rock TOR was issued. We were in that warning. When we were at the Applebees, one of our servers was there with me watching the storm. This server lived through the Joplin tornado and I felt horrible about it. The longer this went on, my stomach felt like it was collapsing in on itself and our server started crying. I have never felt this much grief by just watching radar scans. This is why I want to become a storm chaser, to help people who do not deserve to have their lives ruined in these situations and to help prevent deaths, as much as I can, by spotting tornadoes to help issue better warnings.
Another thing I forgot to mention, I was also viewing the Edwardsville EF-3 due to the fact that I have family up there and they were less than 5 miles from the tornado. The tornado just barely passed the cemetery, of which I have family residing. This tornado passed within a half mile.
Towards the end of June this year, I spent a week in Mayfield on a mission trip with my church assisting with cleanup and visiting with residents. You can still see scars from the track through the downtown area with damage still there, and a community still in a stage of rebuilding.
Even though there is still a lot of things to be done, a very big feeling of relief was seeing how many members of the community organized together to assist with rebuilding homes and buildings.
It's one thing to visit a devastated area, but living through a storm like that is unimaginable. I am grateful for getting the chance for meeting members of the community, and constantly praying for those that were affected along with the ongoing rebuild process
Excellent break down of this outbreak and the Mayfield Tornado. Loved how you included interviews with the SPC forecaster for that day and a local NWS office staff in Kentucky.
My grandparents live in rural Mayfield (not the part that got hit, don't know if they could see it or not but I doubt it because of trees) and I never really noticed what was in the town until I saw what got leveled. Really showed how quick things can change overnight.
What a crazy premier it was today. Glad I was here for it. Great video, Alferia, really outdid yourself on this one. Hope you get some time to yourself in between now and next upload.
i live in northern kentucky and i remember waking up and heading to school the morning after, everyone had blown up my phone talking abt the tornado. we all talked abt it at school that day, we were all pretty shook up. (the last time nky had a tornado was the year before and it only ranked an f2) but what really resonated with me was my pawpaw’s reaction. he was so concerned that morning (watching the news and eager to tell us more updates when we got home from work/school). he actually decided to go down to mayfield to help with the construction efforts (he was the pretty much the go to handy man in our area) but he contracted CJD and he wasn’t able to go down. he wanted to help the people of mayfield so bad. i think if he was alive now i’d watch this with him! he’d appreciate all of the hard work and fine details put into this video! love and miss you pawpaw ❤️ and all the love and support to those who were/are still affected by the tornado ❤️❤️
Great vid Alferia, condolences to all those families who lost loved ones in the outbreak.
I cannot imagine the horrors of going through a tornado, it scares me.
After watching your El reno 2013 tornado documentary I've been binge watching {still is} because your really amazing at commenting on events like this as well as with knowledge you have and the really interesting interviews too. Never give up on your work, we all love your videos and also just the personality. I know that your grandma would be so proud of you ❤
living in Dubrovnik, Croatia, having no tornadoes whatsoever (thank God) but a huge fan of meteorology. After watching a couple of your videos I can say that I'm amazed with quality, descriptiveness and an excellent way you put these things together. It's even better than what national geographic puts out on a same subject. With that being said, keep up the good work and I genuinely look forward to new videos.
0:11 The tornado that hit Newnan GA actually hit very close to my house (I dont live in Newnan anymore.) My house was mainly still in tact, but my neighbors were less fortunate. The whole neighborhood looked like it had been sent through a trash compactor. Fences were down, trees crisscrossed the roads, and shutters and shingles littered my yard. It was terrifying to hear the ominous " train " sound - combined with torrential rain that was occasionally stopped in dead silence - and the constant alerts on my phone in the darkness of my basement. Though it was not as bad as the outbreak, it definitely shook me up and left me with ptsd, as I was already deathly afraid of tornadoes before hand.
Hi. Your psychological reaction to your experience is pretty normal & totally legit.🙂Kudos for being willing to share how it affected you.👍Just in case you haven't, I will encourage you to see a therapist for a session or two, so you can get some guidance for how to process what you went through & learn from an expert how to deal with your fears the next time there are severe weather watches/warnings in your area. Don't fool yourself into thinking that 'normal people just suck it up & move on', or something similar. The truth is that just sucking it up never works, so treat yourself with the love & compassion you deserve, and set up an appointment with a qualified therapist a.s.a.p. 🙂
Thank you for your kindness and advice💖I have been doing much better lately, thank you for your concern 😃@@derekbaker3279 I hope you have a wonderful thanksgiving!
I live outside of Danville Ky. A tornado warning went off around 2:30 am on Saturday morning December 11th..within 10 minutes it was coming over my house. This tornado was coming out of the Campbellsville area which was taking a northeasterly route. The winds from this tornado were strong enough to damage my neighbors roof in route to the airport. 5 hangers were completely swept off their slab foundations. Complete blown into the adjoining field. Over a dozen planes were damaged for a total loss. It went on to remove and damage a few more roofs on houses and barns just north of the airport. I’ve never feared storms or tornadoes.. mainly because I’ve not experienced a close call with a tornado, especially like this one on that early morning. I now have a new perspective of deadly storms. I am currently planning to build a storm shelter for my family this spring. I’m preparing for the worst! Stay safe!
I remember that night. I live up near Chicago and I had been driving with my daughter looking at Christmas lights. We had to go home because of the dense fog. I saw a notice from Ryan Hall Y'all, who I had just subbed to. That was the first livestream of his I watched. Between an earlier event that year in late June that saw a tornado pass less than a quarter mile from me and this event are what got me into becoming a trained spotter.
December 10th 2021 was my 20th birthday. I remember that I heard of the outbreak during my party and I just ran into the other room and turned on the news to see if I could find anything about what was going on. For the rest of my party I spent with my family praying that everyone that way would be okay.
I adore the fact that _in addition to_ being an incredibly smart lady working at the NWS - because that _on it's own_ would be enough to make her awesome - Christine also rocked that orange top ALONG WITH a _perfectly matched_ headband and pulled the look off beautifully. What a legend.
Right? She's awesome!
Her nails, eyeshadow and lips also matched perfectly with the top and headband!
She reminds me of Penelope Garcia in Criminal Minds 🥰
she serving looks and tornado warnings at the same time. iconic
I understand I am commenting two years after this event, however with the recent tornadoes in northern middle Tennessee, I think your points still resonate. It is evident you have done a wealth of research and work to put this documentary together. Additionally, there were times I could hear the emotion in your voice when discussing the impact of those affected by the tornadoes, showing how much you really care about the victims. Continue the great work and looking forward to seeing more weather content from you🙂.
I was living in the edge of Clarksville that touches Oak Grove, the oak Grove tornado came as close as it could to us without hitting us.
I live in Dawson Springs, Ky and I don’t care EF5 or EF4. It was the worst thing me and my family have every been through and we hope we never go through it again! We are just now getting our house fixed from it and my dad is expecting to be able to move in his new house by the end of July. I’m just glad we’re still alive!!!!
I also believe that the SPC and NWS of Paducah did an excellent job that day! It’s because of them that we knew to watch out for the weather and seen that the tornado was coming!
The Mayfield cell was aiming directly at my house, but luckily dissipated in Louisville before getting to me. (The cell moved right over me, before dropping an unconfirmed tornado near Maysville, KY.)
Was absolutely terrifying watching this storm barreling towards me after seeing the radar image of Mayfield. For hours that thing just didn't stop.
I survived the march 2, 2012 tornado outbreak in N. KY, with an EF-4 as well. That tornado was nothing compared to this.
The worst part was that I was in Mayfield a couple months before this event while on vacation. I remember it vividly.
I will NEVER forget that night.
With all this said... EVERY town that was hit by the Mayfield tornado are not rebuilt. Every
Single. One. Is still flattened.
I remember the day after since living in ky that all the stations in Lexington didn’t go back to normal programming till the 12th I’ll never forget this day every
I was watching N8 Snyder's coverage of this, and the tornado peaking right before hitting Mayfield will forever stay with me. I've never had my heart sink so low.
Same
I was watching Ryan Hall, but I know exactly the moment you're talking about. I felt it too.
I’m from South Fulton, TN (15 minutes south of Mayfield), currently a student at UT Knoxville. I was just back from college for Christmas Break, then the storms came. I couldn’t believe that tornadoes of this magnitude could hit this close to home. Thank you for bringing to light the damages to the surrounding communities, like Dresden, TN, another town nearly leveled by a tornado. Still crazy to think about to this day.
I remember this day...while I was nowhere near the areas being affected ( I live in Pa) I remember hearing bits in pieces about the outbreak while I was at work and I was thinking how it was already may be the worst outbreak of the year... I got home just in time to go watch the quad state supercell cycle and as it was doing so I was hoping that by some miracle it would be done. Then the Western Kentucky Torando touched down and I remember it being just the most unbelievable thing...wanting it to end bc u just knew it was doing catastrophic damage based on all radar sources. I also remember being angry after the event at just about everything related to the event. From the fact that the warnings and forecasts we're well done and such a high death toll to what happen at the candle factory, and yes the rating. However one day in January I was reflecting on the event it sunddenly hit me like I ran into the brick wall. WHY DID I CARE ABOUT THE RATING WHEN IT WAS BY FAR THE MOST IMPACTFUL AND DEADLY NATURAL DIASTER I HAD FOLLOWED? While I realized it was an absolute disaster that has unfolded I was absolutely partially districted by the silly difference between 190 Ef4 and Ef5. I'm not truly entirely sure why I was fixated on the rating....maybe bc it was the first major torando I followed the rating process of or maybe that saying Ef5 vs EF4 is a easier to say than quantifying all the things that went terribly wrong that day (even though that makes zero sense). Either way I am relieved that I snapped my self out of that bc the impacts matter not the rating and I am disappointed that for around a month I was just as focused on a rating as the impact of the event and am thankful to see this be directly addressed in a documentary on the event.
I'm hoping you see this, but please do a video on the 2010 Nashville May floods one day. I was 10 years old living in Dickson county, Tennessee at the time. The floods were *devastating*, even though my county wasn't one of the worst ones affected. What's even more devastating is that the causalities and a lot of damage could have been prevented. But channels that cover historical weather events never talk about it.
REALLY appreciate the interviews with the professional forecasters!
I don't think a tornado cares about how "well structured" a building is. I also remember the fact that the Amazon warehouse did not evacuate their employees during this horrifying incident. That this happened in the dead of night, most people would be caught sleeping and not even hear a warning. When you are trying to do an EAS and your power goes out!
Remember watching the outbreak on Ryan halls stream and an ef 3 tornado hit my county. Awesome documentary.
I've just recently started watching your channel because I am about to go to college for atmospheric science and meteorology. Keep up your great work.
I live in the St. Louis/St. Charles area and I remember being completely shocked how quickly this storm intensified. Luckily the area I live in had minor damage, but the Amazon warehouse was on the news for weeks after the tornado ripped through. My heart is with Kentucky, I can only imagine the pain and trauma those folks had to go through.
Thank you for taking the time to really pay attention to detail about this storm. It was so fascinating, yet devastating. I’m looking forward to more of your content!
Great video your so underrated im liking it so far NOT finished YET
Thanks for making it clear that the f-scale rating is not the most important number in these events. The number to focus on is lives saved by forecasts and warnings.
I remember the Mayfield one. We got the wind, severe strong storms and possibly the hail. I was in my room with my weather radio I bought that summer for this reason, they canceled the tornado warning, then 10 minutes or so later, it struck from what I heard on the news. Rest in Peace to all the family and friends who lost someone important in this outbreak. 💔
Hi Alferia. I'm a relatively new subscriber, but I really am amazed by the effort you put into these documentaries, from detailing the meteorological setups that lead to these outbreaks, to taking the time arranging interviews with NWS staff about their experiences. I remember coming home from work on the night of December 10th, and tuning into Ryan Hall's livestream, I believe either as the Monette tornado was in progress, or as the Mayfield tornado was touching down. It was surreal to put it lightly. Watching the debris signature drawing closer to town, completely powerless to do anything, knowing that 200 or so miles south of you (I'm from Michigan) that that storm, or several storms rather, are destroying someone's homes, someone's property, or more than likely stripping away loved ones from their friends and families, one town after the next. The wild weather didn't let up after that night either. The next day, my brother and I were up in Owosso, Michigan doing some train watching, and were caught off guard by the change in weather. The day started out warm, but after a rain shower moved through Owosso, the rest of the day was extremely windy, and...god was it cold. I can't remember a colder day. It felt like it was minus 7 out (That's an exaggeration, but it was freezing). That being said, the inconvenience caused by frigid temps in my area do not compare to the utter horror and devastation that was wrought on Kentucky the night before.
The one thing I'm really satisfied that you covered was the controversy surrounding the rating. The revelation that'd become apparent to me in the days following the storms was just how many awful people there were on social media, who were pushing for an EF5 rating. My initial bewilderment turned to complete repulsion. I literally saw some dude straight-up tell a survivor of the 2013 Moore Tornado that "you have no idea what EF5 damage looks like". I understand there were a few instances of possible EF5 damage in the wake of the Mayfield tornado, but at the end of the day, the focus should be on how we can help people in the wake of tragedies like this one; not screeching and throwing a fit when the rating isn't what you want it to be. If the NWS said it's an EF4, then I trust their assessment. In my honest opinion, if there's a such a thing as a "tornado from hell", then I think that particular storm is near the top of the candidate list. I'm glad you called those folks out; you shouldn't have had to, and it's shame that some people out there are more concerned with a tornado's rating, seemingly indifferent to the devastation wrought on underserving towns and their inhabitants.
Your documentaries are top notch, and I look forward to seeing what other weather events you cover in the future, or whatever other content you intend to bring to the table.
Best regards, NKP Studios.
Another great video! I love how you interview these professionals in the field to get their perspective because it completes the puzzle for us laypeople out here in the outside world. It gives us a better understanding of the things that happen during events like this.
It really is odd how some people get upset about the rating. It's almost like they want an EF5 to happen! Personally, I think every consecutive year that goes by without one is something to celebrate. It would be even better if we had more years like 2018 where there aren't even EF4s! That year showed us it's possible, so that sounds like something to hope for IMO.
You did a GREAT job! Having the interviews with the NWS people gives an insight on their experience that nobody else's videos have... Well done!
I’m glad your making this video, but I feel kinda bad that you were almost forced to do this by all of you comments demanding that you make this.
@Alferia - You’re great at making content, and clearly put a lot of work into it. I’m sorry you lost your grandparents, but it sounds like they helped form you to a great person, equipped to carry on in this world until you see them again in “the after”. Keep at it; keep up the great work for what you love doing!
Crazy u don't have more subs. Your videos were autoplaying at work in my ear buds didn't check til I got home expected over half a mil subs. Subbed
This got me in the feels because of the narration. Jeeze dude! This is incredible! Best narrator ever, I wanted to cry like 10 different times. Unlike Swegle Studios who is all like "oh hey yeah 200 people died ...sucks"
SUBSCRIBED
I live close to Bowling Green KY, and that night me and my fiancé were huddled together in our basement holding on to our 4 cats. My fiancé called into work that day because we heard how bad it was going to be. I’m so thankful he did. I was so terrified. I was on the phone with my mom who lived close to Muhlenberg County yelling for her to get in her basement. My mom didn’t think it was as serious as it was. Luckily the area she lived in was ok. My fiancés sister lived closer to Bowling Green and we were worried because we knew Bowling Green got hit bad. Luckily, she was ok, but the apartment she lived in had a lot of damage. Her area was hit badly. I’m thankful no one we knew personally lost their lives. Some of our relatives had property damages and some even lost their homes. I will never forget that night and what it did to rural Kentucky and our communities around us. The aftermath was so heart breaking. My heart still goes out to those who lost more than I could ever imagine.
Btw, thank you for making this video
this is the most emotional I've seen Alferia. the way the people helped is to show there's kindhearted people in the world.
Very solid breakdown bud. Well done.
Thank you for covering all of what happened in this night. I live in bowling green KY & I'll never forget that night. There are still people displaced today thanks to FEMA.. same goes for the recent flooding in eastern KY. . Thankfully the community has helped out. great documentary🙏🙏💕💕
I live about 2 and a half miles from Creekwood in Bowling Green. The tornado went over my house but didn't touch down and I had no damage, thank God. We were without power for several days and other neighborhoods sustained bad damage. I still suffer from weather anxiety.
I was working in my emergency department in Jonesboro, AR during this. The victims of the nursing home struck by the tornado in Monette came to us. It was...a rough night but an amazing example of the whole hospital coming together to keep the ED from being entirely overwhelmed.
Me and couple of my friends heard the news of the December 10th Outbreak it was disturbing not only because multiple tornadoes damaged major towns but it also remind us of the 2011 Hackleburg/Phil Campbell, Smithville and Joplin Tornadoes combined.
This is by far the most thorough weather channel on UA-cam. 👍
I live just to the west of Nashville. Our town was hit by an EF2 that night around 3 in the morning. The most memorable thing was the fact it was over 70 degrees that night. As warm as a summers night.
My grandparents live near the path of tornado that hit Russellville, KY and went on to Bowling Green. I was 8 months pregnant at the time and couldn't sleep, knew it was heading for them, and stayed up watching it and praying for my parents and grandparents. That storm moved so much faster than any I've ever observed on radar before and the next day I didn't settle down until Mom told me my grandparents were fine.
My dad was in Mayfield that night... he was in the northern part. He's home safe now, but I freaked out when I heard he was there. I have lots of friends and family in Bowling Green that were affected that night. You did great on this video!
Every outbreak is always going to have that one tornado that is remembered more than the others. People forget that the F5 monster that struck Moore was part of a wider outbreak on May 3 and into May 4, 1999. And not all tornadoes in all outbreaks are made equal, some come and go with little fanfare and leave little to remember them by. The giants, or those that strike major areas of population are always destined to be remembered more than those that don'.t But if we don't try to understand even the small tornadoes, how can we ever hope to learn when the big ones are due to hit?
exactly, no one seems to mention dresden or any of the other tornadoes just like how no one seems to talk about mulhall because bridge creek overshadowed it
Just like the tornado outbreak from May 21st to May 26th 2011 the Joplin tornado is remember of all the tornadoes that happened in that outbreak. People don't realize that El Reno was hit by a EF5 on May 24th 2011.
@@stormswindy3013 Mullhall was once the record holder for widest tornado ever, until the 2013 El Reno monster broke it. Mullhall's tornado was one of those that could've been a real killer had it not stayed over mostly open terrain.
@@JCBro-yg8vd I have heard that the Mulhall tornado could of been more violent then the Bridge Creek/Moore tornado.
I was going to Oklahoma City to see my niece's Christmas show at Oklahoma City University. When we were driving back from there back to Jackson, Tennessee and then back to home in Knoxville, Tennessee, I saw some of the tornadic damage... uprooted trees, etc., I hadn't seen anything like that since I lived in Arlington, Texas when I went through an EF5 event... I'll never forget that either!
The pembroke tornado hit 2 houses from where i was living with my sister. It was insane. So many people i knew were heavily affected and still recovering from these
I hear Xenoblade Chronicles music, good taste.
Excellent documentary, you conveyed the details wonderfully, and great job getting interviews with the people in charge
These videos are absolutely amazing
An extremely well done piece. Keep up the excellent work.
This was the first outbreak where I watched Ryan Hall Y'all's channel.
It (the whole outbreak) looked gnarly when it happened.
The storms literally started to form about 20-30 miles east of where I lived at the start of this event. 😲