Complex of tornadoes sweep South
Another round of tornadoes swept the South in the month of January. This time two suburbs of Houston were hit, along with parts of Alabama while a major snow storm ground air and land travel to a halt.
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An EF3 tornado hit the Houston, Texas area this week. The destructive storm devastated the eastern suburbs of Pasadena and Deer Park as the National Weather Service confirmed the winds reached 140 miles per hour. On Tuesday, 16 tornadoes touched down in the Lone Star State. The system also brought more than 4 inches of rain.
This area of Central Alabama was in the path of severe weather. Residents took refuge in shipping containers, bathtubs and sheds as the storm headed their direction. At least nine people died in storms that cut across Alabama and Georgia.
Flight delays were common in Detroit as heavy snow caused a full ground stop. Road crews prepped for several days and spent several more cleaning up after the snow stopped falling.
A foot of snow in parts of Missouri and Arkansas knocked out power to more than 100,000 customers.
There was another week of improving conditions in the Drought Monitor from the University of Nebraska. Soil moisture has increased by almost two points as areas from the West to the Central Rockies were recharged by recent weather. However, long-term drought conditions persist in this part of the country.
Above normal precipitation fell from the Mississippi Valley all the way to the East Coast this week as the West finally started to record lower rainfall amounts.
For Market to Market, I’m David Miller.
Contact: miller@iowapbs.org