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April 17, 2002 — For a third day in a row, scorching heat is threatening temperature records across much of the nation, after a slew of records were shattered Tuesday. Meanwhile, NOAA National Weather Service meteorologists are surveying damages from tornadoes that pummeled parts of north Texas yesterday. And, the combination of heat and rain triggered minor flooding in parts of the Northeast, Washington state, Wisconsin and Michigan. (Click NOAA image for larger view of church tornado damage in the historic district of Handley, southeast of Fort Worth, Texas, where about a dozen children and several adults were huddled together when the twister struck. No one was hurt. Please note this is a large file. Credit "NOAA.")

(Click here for more photos.)

The Heat Is On
From St. Louis to New York City and Washington, D.C., the hot temperatures Tuesday sent the mercury racing into the record books. St. Louis hit 90 degrees, breaking the old record of 88; New York City and Washington topped out at 92 degrees, eclipsing the previous records of 88 and 91 degrees respectively. Dodge City, Kan., reached 90 degrees after hitting 97 on Monday, which was the third hottest day ever in April.

"A storm system sweeping across the Midwest is pulling this record warmth and moist air from the Gulf of Mexico further north than is usual for this time of year," said Dave Reynolds, a senior forecaster at NOAA's National Weather Service. "These kinds of weather conditions can cause severe weather outbreaks, including tornadoes that happened in Texas yesterday."

Reynolds said the high temperatures will hang around in the Gulf and East Coast states through Friday. "By then, we expect the heat to break, but we'll see more unseasonably warm weather in the meantime."

Memory Lane In Tornado Alley
Several tornadoes yesterday sliced through parts of North Texas, including the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, leveling homes, trees and power lines. No deaths were reported, extending the period the nation has gone into any year without a tornado related death since record keeping began in 1950.

Meteorologists at the National Weather Service forecast office in Fort Worth were busy assessing the damages to confirm the actual number of twisters that touched down. An announcement will come later Wednesday.

NOAA's Storm Prediction Center issued a Severe Weather Outlook at 9 a.m. yesterday and a tornado watch at 4:45 p.m. CDT. The Fort Worth forecast office issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook at 3:33 CDT, then a tornado warning at 5:31 CDT. That was a lead time of 15 minutes, about four minutes above the national average.

"During the evening rush hour, having that advance warning was critical," said Gary Woodall, warning coordination meteorologist at the office. The outbreak was an eerie reminder of the episode two years ago, when two major tornadoes smashed through downtown Fort Worth and Arlington, killing five people.

"Tornadoes can happen at any time during the day, or evening, and everyone must stay prepared," Woodall said.

Floods In Michigan
Just two weeks after breaking its all-time seasonal snowfall record of 301 inches, the recent warm weather is melting snowpack remnants in the Marquette area, causing floods along most streams and rivers across the upper western half of the state.

The warmth, combined with up to three inches of rain last weekend, sent streams and rivers out of their banks, closing two state highways and other side roads, and prompting a flood watch for a potential failure of the Wood Dam in Gogebic County. Other flood warnings and advisories are in effect.

"The heat and rain have been a double blow to weather conditions here," said Ed Fenelon, meteorologist in charge at the Marquette forecast office. More rain is expected, Fenelon said, which "will aggravate the situation even more."

Relevant Web Sites
NOAA's National Weather Service

NOAA's Storm Prediction Center

NOAA's Storm Watch

NOAA's Tornadoes Page

NOAA's Monthly Tornado Statistics

NOAA's River Forecast Centers

NOAA's River and Streamflow Conditions

Media Contact:
John Leslie, NOAA's National Weather Service, (301) 713-0622
(Photo credit: Ron Trumbla, NOAA's National Weather Service Southern Region)