NWS Meteorologist Al Moller shows a group of Emergency Managers in Garland, Texas a map of the April 10, 1979 Red River Tornado Outbreak. He tells the group to fast forward to today. Moller superimposes the map of the outbreak on a map of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. Imagine that the first tornado touches down at 4:05 p.m. just southwest of Fort Worth. It is on the ground for 23 miles. Even though it is relatively weak, it still damages hundreds of homes and kills several people. Shortly after it lifts, the same thunderstorm produces a stronger tornado that roars northeast. This F4 twister is on the ground for 39 miles, tearing across the heavily populated areas just west and northwest of downtown Fort Worth and not lifting until it reaches Lewisville. It crosses I-30, I-35, and I-830, which are parking lots as drivers abandon their cars and park them und overpasses, blocking all lanes. Additional small tornadoes skip out of the parent storm all the way to McKinney. Hundreds of people are killed and injured.

As every available rescue unit in North Central Texas is rushing to provide aid to injured people, another tornado touches down between Arlington and Fort Worth. It is on the ground for 64 miles, passing directly across DFW International Airport. Despite the fact is only rated as an F2 tornado, it produces more death and destruction as it traps rush hour motorists on I-635, and the John Carpenter Freeway as it roars towards Farmers Branch and Addison. Some people never see the funnel until it is too late, as blinding rains obscure the funnel to the their southwest before the rain stops and large hail starts to fall. Then there it is. Now rescue efforts are stretched to the breaking point. Finally, the most violent tornado of the afternoon touches down just before 7 p.m. south of downtown Dallas. It falls with a hellish F4 fury on eastern sections of the city, and does not lift until 47 miles later, all the way near McKinney! The death toll is such a scenario could be astronomical! Moller fears that there is no way to be prepared for the magnitude of such as event. It could easily turn into the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history. Forget bragging about the fact that it has been over fifty years since a single tornado killed one hundred people or more. This scenario could result in the first tornado to kill one thousand, five thousand! A sobering thought.

A nice warm Sunday afternoon in Alabama. At 2 PM, it was 76 in Birmingham, 80 in Tuscaloosa and 79 in Anniston.

Other sections of the country not having such nice weather.

At 2 PM, (CST) it was 28 degrees in Denver with visibility only 1/8 mile in heavy snow and blowing snow. Wind north gusting to 35 MPH.

Colorado Springs reporting 1/4 mile visibility, heavy snow, north wind gusting to 47 MPH. The ole wind chill is in the single digits at times. Blizzard conditions are underway across parts of the Eastern Colorado Plains.

On Monarch Pass, in the Colorado Mountains, it was 12 with heavy snow and a wind chill of 9 below zero!

This is really on Ebay...

Extreme TV Adventure Offered on eBay. Co-star and Co-pilot as You Ride Into the Eye of a Tornado

(Charlotte, NC) -March 31, 2005- Today YOU can become part of the most extreme experience of a lifetime – sitting in the co-pilot’s seat in Tornado Attack One. This made for TV adventure will STAR the lucky bidder. The adrenaline rush of a lifetime – venturing into the heart of one of the most powerful forces of nature – will go to the highest bidder in the most exciting auction ever on eBay. Tornado Attack, LLC and ‘Team Tornado’ will post for bid on March 31 to April 10, 2005 the opportunity to sit in the co-pilot seat of Tornado Attack One. The winner will be part of an expedition which will conduct a mobilized chase of tornadoes with a specialized scientific vehicle designed to enter and record activities inside the eye.

The winning bidder will accompany the expertly qualified ‘Team Tornado’ professionals as they venture through Tornado Alley from May 15 through June 12, 2005 on the hunt for tornadoes. Then along with pilot Steve Green, they will become part of the first scientific, daredevil and humanitarian mission to record the forces of a tornado inside the circulation. Our special fleet of mobilized scientific weather laboratories is led by world-class research meteorologists, aero-dynamics experts, and a professional motorsports team.” The team will travel in a luxury coach complete with state-of-the-art satellite uplinks and watch storms as they develop and then track the weather on a once in a lifetime adventure through Tornado Alley. The winner will also be permitted to invite up to four guests on a weekly basis to accompany them. Last year ‘Team Tornado’ experienced 57 tornadoes in a 40-day period; which may be a world record,” says Green. The winning bidder will be introduced at a news conference at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on May 12 in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA.

The goals: 1. To approach and enter the eye of a tornado several times with a state-of-the-art scientific vehicle loaded with scientific data collection systems. 2. To record images of the internal phenomena of tornado activities. 3. To record scientific data from the immediate surroundings and inside circulation of a tornado

The Tornado Attack Vehicle or TA-1 was originally built as a $300,000 Baja trophy truck. In 1998, it was torn apart to be redesigned at a cost of $250,000 for a specific purpose: to approach, attack, and enter a tornado in progress. The sleek aerodynamic features make it capable of withstanding forces of an F-4 tornado (158-260 mph).

Scary......