The severe weather events of April 2, 2006 produced 26 tornado-related deaths and a significant amount of damage across the central United States. A classic severe weather scenario led to this tornado outbreak.

This paper examines the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-12 satellite imagery and Global Forecast System forecast data associated with the April 2 severe weather event. A discussion of the pre-severe event weather forecast conditions along with the progression of the severe weather satellite signatures is provided. In addition, a number of graphic images are discussed that relate the ability to use weather forecast tools to accurately identify areas where tornados were confirmed by the National Weather Service. The tornado watch areas and the actual tornado paths for several key damage areas are highlighted to identify where tornados were confirmed.

The focus of this paper is on the general weather situation, the severe weather dynamics, and the use of visual graphics and analysis to focus the related discussion where potential severe weather locations at the scale of the watch box areas are identified. The discussions are provided in a post-event analysis context.