Watch this video of the UP freight train the derailed last year in a January tornado on the way to Janesville, Wisconsin. To watch go to, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFe0846RgWc and tell me what you think. My only question is why did the dispatcher not stop train traffic in the area after the tornado warning was issued? Please let me know thank you.
Actually, this topic was discussed recently. If you go back about 2 pages to the topic “Tornado vs Train”. But in answer to your question, the NWS didn’t warn the town of Harvard, IL until the tornado had already passed. And I’m not certain the sirens were NWS initiated or reported by the public. Also, the train probably didn’t get a warning for exactly the same reason the Rockford, IL train didn’t get a warning of the washout about one month back.
Tornados are too unpredictable. The NWS usually just issues a warning that tornados are likely or possible. By the time a warning of an actual sighting is issued, the damage has been done.
The thunderstorm evidently did not have a good velocity couplet or hook echo, so a tornado warning was not issued until storm spotters or the public reported the tornado. Like the others have said, it was too late to warn the train or the town in the storm’s path by that time.
Just when we think we have Mother Nature figured out, she whips one of these up and shows us that we don’t know half of what we think we do.[banghead]
NWS Tornado warnings are a political CYA. They are based on a ‘potential’ for tornado formation…not a reality of tornado formation.
Someone in the other thread posted details concerning the tornado that caused the damage…as I recollect, it’s swath was approximately 100 yards wide and it was on the ground for approximately 3 miles and moved at approximately 30 MPH. That being the case it was on the ground for 6 minutes…not exactly a lot of time for communications to go through a chain of command.
Additionally, railroads do not necessarily subscribe to NWS as their ‘weather forecasting agency’. There are a number of weather forecasting companies that provide services to other companies. One carrier I am familiar with used ‘Weather Bank’ as their weather agency, not NWS. Why private companies are used for weather forecasting, not NWS is not a question I am able to answer.
Tornado warnings are indeed issued when there is only a ‘potential’ for tornado formation. However, they are also frequently issued when a tornado has been confirmed by trained storm spotters, law enforcement, or the public. They are not ‘political CYA’. The NWS does the best they can with the knowledge and information they have.
Officially, a tornado warning is issued when, “A tornado is indicated by the WSR-88D radar or sighted by spotters; therefore, people in the affected area should seek safe shelter immediately. They can be issued without a Tornado Watch being already in effect. They are usually issued for a duration of around 30 minutes.”
I also don’t know why the railroads tend to use private companies for their forecasts. I’ve found the National Weather Service to be far superior to most private forecasting companies. Or maybe that’s just my bias since I wish to work for the NWS once I’m out of college.