Thunderstorms lashed many parts of the United States last night. The situation became so severe that it caused a hurricane. Several thunderstorms eventually formed into a hurricane until Friday night and Saturday night, with some events falling into the “severe” category. Unfortunately, many densely populated areas are affected, which is usually not without consequences.
A hurricane lay on the ground for several hours, which can safely be called special. Typically a hurricane’s contact with land lasts only a few minutes and in exceptional cases, it is slightly less common in the United States than in Europe, which can take anywhere from half an hour to an hour. Eventually, the most powerful hurricane left a ‘damaged path’ from central Arkansas to Kentucky: a total distance of 220 miles, or nearly 400 kilometers! Below you can see the radar image of the thunderstorm …
Caused disaster
Many villages and small towns were affected by the thunderstorm. Mayfield, in particular, was severely affected by Hurricane EF-4 (from EF-0 to EF-5). This equates to a maximum wind speed of 300 km / h. Although the local differences are enormous, few survive in the affected areas.
In the photo below, we see that part of the residential area was completely swept away by the hurricane (left in the photo), only the foundations are still visible. But 50 meters away all the trees (right in the photo) are still standing. It’s so different to see …
Fear of many victims
Unfortunately, in situations like this, casualties are almost inevitable and last night was no different. The governor of Kentucky said this morning that dozens of people may have been killed, up to 100, but many more have not yet been rescued from the rubble. At least 100,000 people are without electricity and a state of emergency has been declared in the area.
The hurricane also hit the states of Arkansas, Tennessee and Missouri. There are also some casualties to be regretted. Many buildings collapsed in the storm and people were shocked. The main reason for this was the hurricane in the dark: people sometimes saw a dark ‘ghost’ approaching them at 100 km / h, but did not expect such a violent weather event immediately. Some hurricane chasers catch a hurricane from a safe distance, making it clear with their pictures how badly you actually saw the storm approaching:
Cover photo: EF-4 Tornado archive photo (Adobe Stock / Dan Ross)
