Date Posted: May 22, 2012 On a hot and humid Sunday afternoon on
May 22, 2011, a supercell thunderstorm tracked from extreme
southeast Kansas into far southwest Missouri (NWS Springfield,
County Warning Area). This storm produced an EF-5 (greater than
200 mph) tornado over Joplin, Mo., resulting in 158 fatalities
and over 1000 injured in the Joplin area. This storm along with
others generated additional tornadoes, wind damage and flash
flooding across far southwest Missouri. The Joplin tornado is
the deadliest since modern record keeping began in 1950 and is
ranked 7th among the deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history. 2011
was the fourth deadliest tornado year in U.S. history. Tragedies
like this fuel the resolve to build a Weather-Ready Nation. The
work of the entire weather and emergency management community –
from the National Conversation to nationwide radar upgrades to
pilot projects to new public alert methods – is driven by a
desire to make sure the tragic impacts of the tornadoes in 2011
are never repeat