Super Tuesday tornado outbreak February 5-6, 2008

A deadly tornado outbreak impacted the Southern United States and lower Ohio Valley from late afternoon on February 5 through the morning hours on February 6, 2008. This tornado outbreak has been called the Super Tuesday Tornado Outbreak as 24 states were holding primary elections and caucuses, including several of the states that experienced tornadoes. Initial reports suggest that at least 58 people were killed and hundreds injured by tornadoes, making this the most deadly tornado outbreak since May 31, 1985. The outbreak produced dozens of destructive tornadoes in both rural and heavily populated areas, such as Memphis, Jackson, and Nashville, Tennessee.

This paper will focus on: 1) the assessment of the threat from several days prior to the outbreak to the time of the tornadoes, and 2) the communication of the threat to the public from the National Weather Service, Broadcast Media, and Emergency Managers. Outlooks for severe weather, including tornadoes, from both the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) and local Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs) began as early as six days prior to the outbreak. The outlooked area became better defined in time and space leading up to the outbreak. Ten hours prior to the first tornado, the SPC accurately highlighted the most severely impacted area with a high risk for severe thunderstorms in the Day One Convective Outlook. Conference calls, email alerts, and graphical hazardous weather outlooks were utilized by the National Weather Service Forecast Offices alerting their local customers of the significance of this event. Online chat was used extensively by the WFOs to communicate with their media and EM partners. Impacts of this communication included early cancellation of schools across northern Mississippi and western Tennessee to give students time to get home early.