User blog:Hurricane Layten/May 1, 2017 outlook

OK then, here goes the first outlook of the month of May. An Enhanced Risk is in place for today, with the expected risk once again expected to be large hail, damaging winds (30%), and a few tornadoes (5%).

The concerning thing about today is that the risk is typically in somewhere that doesnt usually see such a high risk. Areas under an Enhanced Risk today include parts of Maryland, Washington DC, Pennsylvania, New York, and North Carolina, as well as parts of Massachusetts. If I have any of the areas listed here wrong, please do not hesitate to correct me, and I'll apologise in advance for the mistake.

The Slight Risk area around it takes up parts of surrounding states, as well as parts of South Carolina and Georgia as well.

Now, onto yesterdays storm reports, where there were 15 reports of confirmed tornadoes, and another 11 possible tornadoes were reported.

In Louisiana, there was an image of a large tornado in Madison County relayed via social media to the NWS. Law enforcement was able to confirm this sighting. Having tracked it on radar, it also showed a tornaic debris signature, likely suggesting it was an EF2 event.

Now, onto Mississippi, where there were several reports submitted. The first of these tornado accounts for several reports, having caused extensive tree damage in Jefferson County, where a PDS tornado warning was issued, and in Claiborne County, where the tornado eventually lifted. Another tornado was reported as touching down in Hinds county, which again, as with the others, I tracked on radar. This tornado was eventually held responsible for extensive tree and powerline damages. Not long after, reports of the top of a watertower in Madison County hint at more likely tornado damage. In Yazoo County, a tornado caused the issuance of a PDS tornado warning as it made a beeline for heavily populated areas, causing structural damages along its path. Not long after this, a tornado was reported doing tree and powerline damage in Holmes County, before a possible satellite tornado touched down nearby, with no reports of any damages. The final tornado in Mississippi was the cause of more tree and powerline damage as well.

Now, time for the news everyone has been waiting for - Canton, TX. 4 people have been confirmed dead from the tornado that passed through the center of the city, with 49 others being injured from the event. A preliminary damage assessment by the local NWS office indicates EF3-EF4 damage occurred. This tornado has a preliminary track length of 51 miles, but may be as long as 62 miles if another line of tornado related damage can be directly linked to this event. The Mayor of the city officially declared a state of emergency yesterday morning local time, and described the ddamage as being "horrific and heart breaking to say the least". Having seen the damage myself, I'll have to agree, it is horrific, with some buildings having been torn from their foundations, ground scouring reported, and cars tossed up to half a mile away from their original locations before the twister hit. The tornado that passed just to the west of the city, scraping its western outskirts, has received a preliminary rating of EF3. 3 more tornadoes have been confirmed in the areas around the city, but are awaiting preliminary damage surveys.