Very Scary Video: Tuscaloosa just got gobbled up by a "massive tornado"

[Snoutport]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCbx7crVSG0

Our family had one go near their place near Harvest. It ate the gas station, just missed the nuke plant. Golf ball sized hail and in Madison county (still under warning) the doppler radar was blown away and the whole county has lost their tornado sirens...and there is no power for the entire county. The cell phone towers are down. Pretty scary place to be right now.

[CBGLuthier]

1. Damn, looks like the F5 that hit Oklahoma City in 99

That monster killed almost 50 people and did over a billion in damage.

[Tess49]

46. I live about 6 miles from where that tornado hit. Had I left work 10 minutes

later, I would have been right in the middle of it. Truly terrifying. Largest tornado ever recorded with winds in excess of the maximum F-5 speeds. Or so says the weather service here.

[CBGLuthier]

51. I live well north of the path it (1999 tornado) took

I live right off of I44 on the north side of OKC. As you know it marched up 44 for a while but eventually, as they always do, it headed more east. But for a while there is truly seemed it was coming right for us.

Lucky not to know anyone killed by it. Worked with a woman who lost her house but that's inconsequential compared to a life.

The closest one actually got to us was the little one that skipped across Lake Hefner. Could see it from my house.

[Tess49]

57. Have you noticed that they seem to travel up theTurner Turnpike, as if

they're on a road trip or something?

[Snoutport]

64. Glad you are safe! Our fam is up near harvest--they had a pretty close call too.

[Glimmer of Hope]

2. That is scary. Glad your family is safe!

[Snoutport]

12. They have been under a huge storm and tornado warning for the past hour AGAIN

Poor people have had thousand of lightning strikes around their town, golf ball sized hail and it has been going on and on and on all day. One more band of storms to go.

[Poll_Blind]

3. HOLY SHIT! I have never seen that many vortices coming off a tornado.

That thing is like the kraken, what a nightmare

PB

[AsahinaKimi]

48. Noticed that too

You have to wonder what kind of crazy conditions spring that many sub Vortices off the main funnel cloud. Nasty! I hope people stay safe.

[Snoutport]

4. This is the same one, I think, that hit Birmingham 20 minutes later.

[RKP5637]

Absolutely frightening. n/t

[ProdigalJunkMail]

5. tears for my former home...

i hope everyone is ok...but...

sP

[Snoutport]

6. Weather Channel: Significant damage to Birmingham

[Snoutport]

7. VIDEO: Tornado hitting Birmingham

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWg4sA2c_QU

[Snoutport]

9. albertville was hit. red cross shelter at the Albertville Rec Center

[guruoo]

14. Looks twice as large as did in the first vid

Had golfball hail here in Knoxville about half hour ago,
hitting so hard thought it was going to break the storm door.
Sounds like it's starting up again.

[Snoutport]

28. tennessee is getting hit hard now too

[Snoutport]

30. Arab-- probable tornado activity

[guruoo]

67. Have you seen this? ...

8 min personal video of the Tuscaloosa tornado filmed from
about 1/4 mile out...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ohIVzIZLuQ

[guruoo]

66. My broadband went down right after I posted that...

It just came back up this morning. Cell service knocked out for a few hours too.

[MineralMan]

8. Oh, man! That's frightening.

I hope people have taken the best cover they can.

[Snoutport]

13. most homes don't have basements there! :0(

[MineralMan]

15. I know. That's the one thing we have up here in Minnesota.

Still, if people shelter properly, there will be fewer injuries. An interior room like a bathroom is the best idea. I'm sure people there know where they're supposed to go for shelter in their homes. My thoughts are with them.

[Snoutport]

21. Our family is huddled up in a room in the center of the house that has no windows.

Kinda scary...

[MineralMan]

27. That's probably the safest place. Hang in there.

[RKP5637]

22. I've heard of people seeking shelter in bathtubs with all available mattresses pulled over them. n/t

[MineralMan]

24. That's a good idea.

[w8liftinglady]

29. when my second son was born-

A tornado hit Abilene,texas the day I brought him home- we sat in the tub with his baby mattress covering me,his brother,his dad, grandma and aunt,if you can believe it.
Luckily,it just ripped a garage door off and tore down trees that time.

[Snoutport]

68. That is scary! ( i just priced shelters...they start at $2600.

I think we are going to have to chip in to buy the parents a storm cellar!

[Lars39]

43. Bike, motorcycle or baseball or football helmets helps, too.

Local weather meteorologist suggested these today.

[RKP5637]

45. Excellent!!! n/t

[in_cog_ni_to]

10. Damn! That's one huge tornado! I'm glad your family is safe!

That's a scary thing to experience. I know.

[guruoo]

11. From the vid I'd guess F4 or better

Noticed what appeared to be a car-sized piece of debris flying around it.

[Snoutport]

16. culmann county reporting "massive damage"

[Snoutport]

18. Fultondale may have been hit. Fire Dept reporting damage.

[Snoutport]

19. Jackson and Madison Counties...more tornado warnings...until 8 pm

[stuntcat]

17. ..wow...

those news people can't even believe what they see

[pipi_k]

20. Oh holy shit!!! That's worse than anything I could ever dream in a nightmare!

Honestly, I still have nightmares 37 years after being in TN during that outbreak in April 1974.

That video just makes chills go down my spine.

[Snoutport]

65. i had a hard time falling asleep last night thinking about it...

I'm ready to go dig the family a storm cellar by hand!!

[w8liftinglady]

23. F%ck!- they are saying dozens, at least, have been killed so far

in Alabama

[Snoutport]

25. 32 reported on the weather channel but live news just reported two more in huntsville

[ReggieVeggie]

26. unbelieveable, and it's still happening now!

nt

[Snoutport]

31. local news just said one likely forming in arab and so many sirens out!!!

[Snoutport]

32. Lightning intensifying near Cullman-- doesn't look good

[Snoutport]

33. Tornado on the ground in Georgia one near lincoln, two others

[Snoutport]

34. tornado on the ground near hanceville

[Snoutport]

36. police reporting tornado on the ground in blountsville

[RebelOne]

62. That same tornado hit Cartersville, GA, just up the road

from my town of Woodstock In North Georgia. Did some major damage there. Fortunately, it skipped over my town.

[w8liftinglady]

35. statement- 375,000 in Alabama without power.

Sending those vibes.

[Snoutport]

42. they need them! power will be out for days.

[Snoutport]

37. two tornadoes threatening Arab, Al

[Snoutport]

38. all clear for huntsville

[shireen]

39. more insanely powerful video here

The dynamics of the system is fascinating. But damn! That thing is scary!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyVCsrmGsvU

[AsahinaKimi]

49. I didn't hear any sirens...

Maybe too far away.. When the Tsunami hit in Japan, you could hear sirens from nearly every where, are there not enough warning sirens?

[shireen]

59. it's possible that the power was knocked out, disabling the sirens. nt

[Snoutport]

60. all of madison county lost their sirens. they had no warning and no power

[malaise]

40. Anderson Cooper on CNN is overing right now n/t

[shireen]

41. more stunning video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0FHTG9VETY

[ProdigalJunkMail]

47. this is unbelievable video

my former home was at the corner of 16th and Lake in the Forest Lake community. I am sure it is gone now.

sP

[ReggieVeggie]

44. Tornado forming near Auburn, 10:20p

[uppityperson]

50. Having spent nights sleeping in the basement as a child, night tornadoes really suck

:(

[Mudoria]

52. Death toll up to 128 in Alabama

and 173 across the South. A sad day.

[marions ghost]

53. what?

173! OMG

[maddezmom]

54. CNN reporting 200+ now

:(

[Odin2005]

55. Awful, just awful!

:(

[QC]

56. Someone in GD: P, DU's cesspool, is using this to score political points already.

Sick. Just sick.

I spent some of the best years of my life in Tuscaloosa. From what I'm seeing, entire neighborhoods there just don't exist anymore, one of them the home of a mentor of mine. I would love to check on him, but power and phones are down, so I can only wait.

Hundreds are known dead already, and the numbers will surely rise. I don't know what to say about this.

[Snoutport]

61. I hope your friends are OK... we heard from the family. They are fine, no power

[QC]

63. So glad you have heard from them. I have family up there,

no power for four or five days is the current estimate.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

58. Spinal-Mighty-Jesus!!!!!!