KOAM TV 7 Joplin and PittsburgFriday Afternoon June 3rd

Friday Afternoon June 3rd

The big weather story this week is going to be the heat. It is really time to start thinking about drinking plenty of fluids and using caution while outside. As Doug had mentioned last night, the temperatures are going to be in the 90s with heat index being even higher. (Heat Index is what it feels like to you when calculating in heat and humidity).

Heat index values will be between 97 and 100 as we go into the weekend and next week. Be sure to take frequent breaks while working outside. This week will be a dry and hot one.  

Doug Heady's Amazing Story As He Recalls May 22nd:

Good morning everyone.  It is mild and sticky outside, but the weather is pretty calm.  I will get into what I expect for the next several days in a bit.  Because the weather is calm, I want to go over my story of what happened on May 22nd, 2011.  What happened during that day for me.  This is going to be long and in depth, so here we go.

1pm:  I am outside and working on getting the boat de winterized for the season.  However, I was amazed at how warm and windy it was.  I saw the big puffy cumulus clouds and I just had a thought, get on the computer and see what is going on.  I knew we had a severe threat for that day, but I wasn't watching it very closely as it was my day off.  So I go inside and look at the set-up.  We were in a moderate risk for severe weather and the air mass was extremely unstable.  We were pushing 6000 joules on cape which is very high.  I though I better finish up the boat quickly and tarp and get it put back up fast before any storms decide to blow up.  I call meteorologist Brian Davis (our weekend meteorologist) and tell him to get into work now, you need to watch these storms as they blow up. 

1:40pm facebook post.

Extremely unstable air mass. Tornado watch is in effect with extremely strong supercells blowing over the next couple of hours. The main threat is large hail and strong tornadoes. Looks like I better go to work.

3pm:  Arrive at work with a severe thunderstorm warning in eastern Wilson county and western Labette county KS.  I continue to watch these storms closely.

4pm:  Tornado warning out for eastern Labette county as funnel clouds are being reported.  The storm continues to sink slowly to the SE.

5pm:  Tornado warning continue for eastern Cherokee county KS.  The storm is getting ready to move into the western metro of the Joplin area.  At this time I call my wife who lives in the northern metro area.  I tell her you keep that phone near you.  We have a plan on what do do it a tornado approaches my home.  My house got hit in the Carl Junction tornado in 2003, so I have always figured out a plan on how to keep my family safe.  I tell my wife I will ONLY call you if your in the direct path of the storm. 

5:30pm:  Confirmed reports of funnel clouds east of Galena and the western side of Joplin.  I go to wall to wall coverage.  But I have no idea what is about to happen.

5:45pm:  Still wall to wall coverage with confirmed reports of a tornado on the SW side of Joplin.  I continue with my wall to wall showing the radar and in pinpointed where I thin the tornado maybe.  We start  using tower cam at 7th and Rangeline and looking back to the west southwest.  However, from our angle the tornado is rain rapped.  I can't see the monster wedge working through.  I continue with the tornado warnings. 

5:50pm:  I can see glimpses of the wedge tornado on our tower cam.  At this time it is approaching main and 20th street.  I know it is doing damage, but I didn't know to what extent. At this time we weren't getting any reports in on what it was doing.  All I knew was it was tearing through down and we were getting some damage.

5:55pm:  Debre is being picked up on our tower cam as the tornado smashes into Rangeline road.  At this point I realize this is a major tornado doing massive damage across the Joplin metro.  our tower cam goes out as it looses power as the tornado passes Rangeline.  I continue the wall to wall coverage of the tornado passing through the city.  Still at this point in time I know it has done damage, but I still don't know to what extent. 

6:05pm:  I continue with the coverage and watching the hook on the radar very close to the 249 and I-44 intersection.  I remember thinking this massive tornado is going to go right across the interstate.  I get some damage reports in of power polls down on the west side of Joplin.  Next report says some house structures damaged.  So I knew we had damage but again I still didn't know how bad it was going to be.  My mentor Bryan Busby try's to call me from Kansas City.  He is seeing if I am ok and trying to get info from me to get out on the news in Kansas City. 

6:20pm:  Tornado warning continue for eastern Jasper and northern Newton County.  Also Barry county as it is now just dropping some brief smaller tornados in Barry county.  I am continuing to stay on air and go over these storms and give the damage reports that are coming in.  At this time I knew St. Johns took a hard hit.  I report that houses are gone and people are trapped in their homes.  Also at this time I get reports in of Rangeline hard hit and 40 cars and semi's flipped on I-44.  This is when it hit me that this is going to become a historic event. 

7pm:  We still have numerous severe thunderstorm warning across the region.  I continue the coverage with our severe thunderstorm warnings and reporting the damage reports.  Everyone is in at the station now helping out.  Dowe is getting ready to come down to the studio so we can tag team this event.  He goes over damage and I go over what is going on at that time and what has happened.  I get a call from my wife saying she find her sister.  She asked me if she was in the path.  I told her yes, her house probably got hit.  I also find out at least 5 people at our work went through the tornado, but are unaccounted for at that time. 

7:30pm:  Severe thunderstorms continue.  Dowe and I are still on air giving the lastest damage reports.  This is the time we get in a number of 24 dead.  I remember thinking during the May 4th, 2003 outbreak with 3 EF-4 or 5 tornadoes that ripped through the viewing area at the same time, we lost 22 people.  Now just under 2 hours after this tornado hit Joplin, the death toll was already higher than that.  Finally my sister in law is found.  She was not home when the tornado hit.  I find out that 8 people at work got hit by the tornado and at least one is injured.  My phone is over loaded with family calling to see if we are all right.  I send a brief face book message out saying "I am ok, my family is ok.  Very busy at work and I will get back to you all later."

 10pm:  Dowe and I continue are live coverage and we now know the full effect of what has happened.  We both sit in disbelief as we are reporting this massive historic tornado and what it did. 

Sunday May 22nd, 2011 with never leave my mind.  This is the second tornado to hit the Joplin metro in 8 years.  I knew that day was going to be a big day by looking at how unstable the atmosphere was.  That is why I decided to go to work on that Sunday afternoon.  I remember once I got into work thinking how similar this is to May 4th, 2003.  It was warm and very windy with high dewpoints and just sticky outside.  Just like on May 4th.  It was a Sunday afternoon, just like May 4th.  When I got to work I looked at the TV and saw that golf was playing on KOAM, just like May 4th. 

This tornado had plenty of warning lead time. 

Here is a look at your latest 7-day forecast.

Doug

 June (5th-11th):

I expect to see the warm to hot temperatures continuing.  We will have very slight chances for thunderstorms early in the week.  Then again better chances late in the week towards the weekend.

Severe threat:  Low(Sunday and Monday, Thursday-Saturday)

June (12th-18th):

Thunderstorm chances of the weekend of the 12th.  Then it looks nice until our next chances for storms on Wednesday and Thursday.  A little cooler behind this system for the rest of the week. 

Severe threat:  Low(Sunday), Moderate (Wednesday & Thursday) 

June (19th-25th):

Thunderstorms chances with several wave through the first half of the week.  Temperatures will be mild through the period.  I think our best chances will be on Sunday-Tuesday.  Then additional chances around Friday with warm temps into the weekend.

Severe threat:  Low (Sunday-Tuesday, Friday)

June (26th-July 2nd):

Warm to hot temperatures at the beginning of the week with our next wave that will affect us by the middle of the week.  This will give us chances for scattered thunderstorms.  I think temperatures will stay warm pressing into the holiday weekend.  However, thunderstorm chances will increase again towards the weekend as well.

Severe threat:  Low(Wednesday and Thursday)