Joplin tornado’s May 22, 2011 - (Live Lightning Crashes)

The 2011 Joplin tornado, which was part of a larger late-May tornado outbreak in the United States, first touched down in Joplin, Missouri at about or shortly after 5:41 pm CDT (2241 UTC) on May 22, 2011 near the Kansas state line. It rapidly intensified and tracked eastward across the city at full intensity. It then continued eastward across Interstate 44 into rural portions of Newton County. The multiple-vortex tornado was an estimated 0.75 miles (1.21 km) wide when it struck the city of Joplin A preliminary survey of the tornado damage by the National Weather Service office in Springfield, Missouri began on May 23. The initial survey confirmed a violent tornado rated as a high-end EF4 with winds up to 198 miles per hour (319 km/h). Ongoing damage surveys could increase the tornado’s rating to EF5 if sufficient evidence of higher associated wind speeds is found. The tornado initially touched down just east of the Kansas state boundary near the end of 32nd Street between 5:35 and 5:41 pm CDT (2235 and 2241 UTC) and tracked just north of due east. Surveys remain incomplete there so it is possible it may have started in Kansas and crossed the state line into Missouri. Damage became very widespread and catastrophic as it entered residential subdivisions in southwest Joplin. In addition, St. John's Regional Medical Center in the same area was heavily damaged with many windows and the exterior walls damaged and the upper floors destroyed. Several fatalities were reported ...

Channel: YouTube Video Length: 4m 58s Date Found: Tue, May 24 2011 4:19 PM Category: Entertainment Date Produced: Tue, May 24 2011 10:09 AM View Count: 0