Collaborative Thread: The Great Chicago Tornado Outbreak of 2016

AltHistoryNerd

May 17th, 2016

The forecast for the Chicagoland area for May 20th calls for temperatures in the high 80s to the low 90s. A low pressure system is expected to bring warm weather in from the south for one day, before its associated cool front brings in much colder air. High temperatures in the Twin Cities, Fargo and Duluth barely escape the high 50s, while ahead of the cold front, the aforementioned heat wave is on in the Chicagoland area.

The low pressure system is expected to be centered anywhere from Milwaukee to Decatur. The closer the storm is to the Milwaukee-Chicago corridor, the stronger the storm is expected to be, due to sudden, freakish warming of the Southern portion of Lake Michigan. However, the National Weather Services' model expects the storm to be centered closer to Decatur, Illinois than near Chicago. One model, however, puts the low pressure system towards the Chicago area.
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May 18th. The National Weather Service releases its prediction for the path of the low pressure system. The model suggests that the storm is going to jog towards the South. The NWS is expecting a major derecho event out of this storm, with scattered severe thunderstorms affecting the eastern quarter of the contiguous US.

May 19th: The national weather service puts out its outlook for the southern Midwest. They are moving away from predicting a derecho event and towards a major tornado outbreak. This is big. The storm is expected to jog north.

Chicagoland is put under a High risk for severe weather from the Storm Prediction Center
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May 20th, 2AM CDT.

The National Weather Service in Chicago sends a notice to the local television stations in Chicago and Milwaukee. Stations are expected to relay the information to the public.

We are predicting a major severe storm outbreak for the Chicago and Milwaukee metropolitan areas. A low pressure system that's associated with a strong cold front is expected to come through around 7 o clock PM, Central Daylight Time.

Therefore, we have included the Chicago and Milwaukee metropolitan areas under a High risk for severe weather.

Conditions are highly favorable for damaging hail, high winds and many destructive tornadoes.

Stay tuned to your local television and radio stations. Also, point your browser to the National Weather Services' official website for the Milwaukee and Chicago areas at www.weather.gov.

May 20th 4PM

The National Weather Service in Chicago has issued a TORNADO WATCH for the following counties in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin

Stephenson, Winnebego, McHenry, Lake, Boone, Ogle, DeKalb, DuPage, Cook, Ogle, Lee, Kane, and Stephenson in Illinois, Lake, Newton, Porter and Jasper counties in Indiana and Green, Dane, Racine, Milwaukee, Waukesha, Rock, Wallworth, Kenosha,and Jefferson in Wisconsin.

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THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION.

Heavy winds up to 80MPH, hail up to 3 inches in diameter, frequent lightning and many, long tracked, violent tornadoes are expected to occur in and around the watch area. Stay tuned to your local radio and television stations, or point your computer or cell phone's web browser to the National Weather Services' website at weather.gov.
 
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AltHistoryNerd

May 20, 2016

4:40 PM

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING has been issued for Eastern DuPage and Western Cook counties in Illinois. Spotters reported a severe thunderstorm with 1.75 inch hail and winds up to 65 miles per hour. Cities included in this warning are Lombard, Oak Brook, Franklin Park, Norridge, Melrose Park and Cicero.
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Hazards from this storm include: Hen egg sized hail. Frequent lightning. High winds and even a brief tornado.

This is a very dangerous storm. Please seek protection in a well built shelter away from windows. Do not ride this storm out in a mobile home. This storm is expected to get stronger. We anticipate that a tornado will be spawned out of this storm. This storm may be upgraded into a tornado warning. If a tornado is spotted, we will issue a tornado warning. THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION A TORNADO WATCH is still in effect for the area until 11PM. We will keep you posted as the storm develops.
 

ejr1963

AltHistoryNerd said:
Go to your local Skywarn page and look for when they're giving training seminars.
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Yep. I've had a ham radio license since I was a teenager, and many of us have weather spotter training via the NWS training seminars.

Before I moved to my present location (in Milwaukee Couny), I used to go out mobile to spot for the NWS, in my home county (Manitowoc - we were directed where to go via the 2 meter ham radio band, by liason people and meteoroligists who also had ham radio licenses). In southern Wisconsin, mobile spotters aren't very common - they're typically fixed location wise. It's no fun being out in a car during a tornado outbreak. I was out mobile during the outbreak in 1996, when Wisconsin had it's last F5 Tornado (in Oakfield). It's kind of creepy hearing other stations on the severe weather net saying that they're taking cover because a tornado is coming their way. Those of you who don't live in tornado prone areas, have no idea what it is like when you see the sky turn a bilious green, and the tornado sirens start screaming. It's unsettling to say the least.
 

AltHistoryNerd

The National Weather Service has issued a TORNADO WARNING for Eastern Cook County. A Tornado was spotted touching down west of Cicero. THIS IS A TORNADO EMERGENCY!!

BASEBALL SIZED HAIL, WINDS UP TO 90 MILES PER HOUR, AND A DEVASTATING, CATASTROPHIC TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO IMPACT THE AREA.

Cities and communities included are: The Near West Side, The Lower West Side, McKinley Park, Cicero, Oak Park, Oak Park Heights, Little Village, Berwyn, North Lawndale and South Lawndale!

SEEK SHELTER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!! THIS STORM IS NOT SURVIVABLE IF YOU RIDE IT OUT IN A MOBILE HOME OR A CAR. IF YOU ARE IN A HOME, GET TO THE BASEMENT UNDER THE STAIRS, OR THE LOWEST, MOST INTERIOR ROOM OF YOUR HOME AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF YOU ARE IN AN APARTMENT OR OFFICE BUILDING, GET INTO THE LOWEST, MOST INTERIOR ROOM IN THE BUILDING. IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE, GET INTO A DITCH AND COVER YOUR HEAD. DO NOT GO UNDERNEATH AN UNDERPASS.

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AltHistoryNerd

This tornado has a lot of political and sporting consequences. This storm severely damages the historical residences of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Ronald Reagan. It also displaces a lot of Chicago and Milwaukee voters. It turns Wisconsin into a safer state for the GOP and a battleground state due to downstate voter enthusiasm.

This is a mainly Southside event. So it affects a lot of Chicago White Sox games. U.S. Cellular field is damaged by the winds this storm creates. So they have to play a lot of their games in Wrigley Field, which severely affects the performance of the Cubs.

A quick spawning tornado also affects Milwaukee in this timeline too, although it's an EF1 and not an EF4.
 
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Landmass Wave

I just hope they don't have a Category 5 hurricane form over Lake Michigan and a widespread power outage while the tornado outbreak is happening. That would make for a very crappy made for TV movie.
 

AltHistoryNerd

Landmass Wave said:
I just hope they don't have a Category 5 hurricane form over Lake Michigan and a widespread power outage while the tornado outbreak is happening. That would make for a very crappy made for TV movie.
Click to expand...

Alien Space Bats from the 6th dimension. You'd need to have 77 degree water for a storm that resembles a hurricane to form over Lake Michigan. That storm would have to be very compact. It would have to travel southerly, because you're not going to have enough warm lake water for that storm to form between Luddington and Chicago.

You're not going to get 77 degree lake water in the Great Lakes. Not even in the middle of an El Nino year. Those lakes are cold. There would have to be little in the way of wind sheer, which is what tornadoes pretty much feed off of. And it's May, so ice out on the lake was like 2 months ago, which means the lakes are still VERY cold, even though in this timeline, it's unseasonably warm.
 

Landmass Wave

AltHistoryNerd said:
Alien Space Bats from the 6th dimension. You'd need to have 77 degree water for a storm that resembles a hurricane to form over Lake Michigan. That storm would have to be very compact. It would have to travel southerly, because you're not going to have enough warm lake water for that storm to form between Luddington and Chicago.

You're not going to get 77 degree lake water in the Great Lakes. Not even in the middle of an El Nino year. Those lakes are cold. There would have to be little in the way of wind sheer, which is what tornadoes pretty much feed off of. And it's May, so ice out on the lake was like 2 months ago, which means the lakes are still VERY cold, even though in this timeline, it's unseasonably warm.
Click to expand...

Oh, I know hurricane dynamics all too well. I was just making fun of a bad movie I saw once where that was the plot.
 

AltHistoryNerd

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A TORNADO WARNING has been issued for Central Cook County.

THIS IS A TORNADO EMERGENCY! The tornado that touched down in Cicero briefly went back into the clouds before redeveloping over the Little Village. THIS TORNADO IS VERY POWERFUL AND IS EXPECTED TO BRING CATASTROPHIC AND POTENTIALLY UNSURVIVABLE DAMAGE TO THE AREA.

IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS OR IN YOUR CAR, SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY. IF YOU ARE INDOORS, GO TO THE BASEMENT OR THE LOWEST INTERIOR ROOM OF YOUR HOME. AREAS OUTSIDE OF THE DIRECT IMPACT ZONE OF THIS TORNADO WILL HAVE 90 MILE PER HOUR STRAIGHT LINE WINDS, BASEBALL SIZED HAIL, TORRENTIAL RAINS AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING. The tornado is expected to travel to the southwest. Neighborhoods and attractions included in this warning are: The Lower West Side, U.S. Cellular Field.

FANS WHO ARE AT COMISKEY PARK/U.S. CELLULAR FIELD ARE ENCOURAGED TO HEAD TO THE CLOSEST STORM SHELTER AT THE STADIUM. YOU ARE INCLUDED IN THIS TORNADO WARNING!
 

AltHistoryNerd

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Today on WGN at 6...

A major tornado tears through the Southside, killing over 360 and leaving 90,000 potentially homeless.

A tornado ripped through the southside of Chicago today, leaving near-catastrophic damage and over 360 people dead. We go live on the scene at U.S. Cellular stadium for more details.

This was a tornado for the ages. Tornadoes aren't supposed to hit urban areas, we always say. Well, one hit the most urban of all areas you could imagine a tornado hitting. Over 360 people perished in what experts are already calling the most damaging tornado ever in U.S. history.

The tornado started around Cicero at 4:54PM, where it raced quickly towards the Southside, before making a bee line to U.S. Cellular stadium.

Due to the Royals' team bus getting stuck in flash flood waters that were triggered by the same storm system that was expected to affect Chicagoland in that same week, the week the
Mariners, Royals and ChiSox agreed to swap series with each other. The Mariners would swap away series with the Royals and play the ChiSox instead and the Chisox will swap their away series with the Mariners and Royals. The White Sox ended up hosting the Seattle Mariners instead of the Kansas City Royals that week. The Royals and Cardinals then decided on playing a "home and away series", where the Royals would be the "home" team at Busch stadium for the first 3 games of the 6 game series.

It was to the Mariners' undoing. 100 of the victims were fans and employees of the Seattle Mariners. They traveled with the team to Chicago. Tornado safety isn't a huge concern in the Pacific Northwest.

Richard Yokomoto, a Mariners' fan from Bellvue, Washington, who traveled with the team was asked to describe the conditions. He responded with this.

"I'm from Washington State, we don't have tornadoes out where we live. When I heard there was a tornado warning, I kind of thought they were announcing a new kind of condiment for their hot dogs. I thought they said 'tomato warming'. I was too busy listening to my Spotify playlist on my phone to know what was really going on. But the damage was incredible. And that was just from what I heard, were the regular winds that came before this storm. When one of the ushers pulled me into the interior of the stadium, I finally saw how dangerous your storms in the Midwest are! Wow, it tore out the seats from the outfield like they were made out of paper."

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Yokomoto staring in disbelief at the damage from the storm.

We will keep you posted about the effects of the storm as more news comes in.

Keep posted on more tornado news on WGN-TV, WGN-AM and WGN.com.
 

AltHistoryNerd

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May 20th, 9PM CDT.



The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma has issued a TORNADO WATCH for the following counties in Wisconsin and Michigan
Green, Dane, Racine, Milwaukee, Waukesha, Rock, Wallworth, Kenosha,and Jefferson in Wisconsin.

The small atmospheric cap that prevented the formation of tornadoes dissipated, and the tornadoes that were expected to strike eastern Wisconsin during the afternoon are now expected to strike tonight. The storm system is also expected to cross Lake Michigan with very little dissipation expected.

Expect conditions such as large hail, damaging winds, torrential rain, frequent lightning and tornadoes in the watch box area. Stay tuned to your local television, radio and internet news sources for any updated information about the weather.
 

AltHistoryNerd

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING has been issued for WESTERN MILWAUKEE and EASTERN WAUKESHA Counties in Wisconsin. At 1:08AM CDT, a severe thunderstorm with damaging hail and winds up to 65MPH were detected via radar. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS STORM. SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY. THIS STORM MAY SPAWN A TORNADO, SO PLEASE STAY TUNED TO YOUR LOCAL TV AND RADIO STATIONS, OR POINT YOUR WEB BROWSER TO WWW.WEATHER.GOV/MKX. If the storm spawns a tornado, we will issue a tornado warning.
 
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AltHistoryNerd

A TORNADO WARNING has been issued for Western Milwaukee County until 145 AM CDT. A tornado has been reported on the ground in western Milwaukee county. Please seek shelter. This may be upgraded to a TORNADO EMERGENCY!
 

AltHistoryNerd

A TORNADO EMERGENCY has been issued for Western Milwaukee County until 240 AM CDT This is a very violent and destructive tornado! Please seek shelter immediately or risk the loss of life.
 

AltHistoryNerd

The National Weather Service in Milwaukee has issued a TORNADO WARNING for EASTERN MILWAUKEE COUNTY, until 3:30AM CDT.

The violent tornado that affected Waukesha has significantly weakened as it reaches the lake. However, this is still a dangerous storm. The communities and neighborhoods affected are the following:

West Alis, Menominee Valley, and the Historic 3rd Ward.

************PLEASE SEEK SHELTER**********
 
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