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NOUS44 KEPZ 072113
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PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX
315 PM MST TUE MAY 8 2006

...UPDATE/CORRECTION ON TORNADO EVENTS OF 5/2/2007...

ON MAY 2 2007...TWO TORNADOES TOUCHED DOWN IN SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO. 
ONE...WHICH WAS OBSERVED BY MANY IN EL PASO...DONA ANA AND OTERO 
COUNTIES STAYED ON THE GROUND MORE THAN 40 MINUTES AS IT MOVED FROM 
NORTHWEST OF CHAPARRAL TO JUST SOUTH OF THE WSMR HEADQUARTERS BEFORE 
ENDING IN FAR WESTERN OTERO COUNTY. ALL OF THE PHOTOS AND VIDEOS 
RECEIVED AT THIS OFFICE FROM VARIOUS SOURCES WERE OF THIS TORNADO.

THE SECOND WAS SIGHTED BRIEFLY BY A RETIRED METEOROLOGIST...AND WAS 
LOCATED NEAR U.S. HIGHWAY 70 IN WESTERN OTERO COUNTY.

BOTH OF THESE TORNADOES WERE CLASSIFIED AS LANDSPOUTS...A TYPE OF 
TORNADO WHICH BEGINS AS A CIRCULATION ON THE GROUND AND SPINS UP TO 
A THUNDERSTORM CLOUD BASE WITHIN A STRONG UPDRAFT. NEITHER RESULTED 
IN ANY DAMAGE...AND WILL LIKELY BE CLASSIFIED AS EF0 (ZERO ON THE 
ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE). THESE ARE GENERALLY WEAKER THAN THOSE THAT 
DEVELOP FROM MESOCYCLONES...SUCH AS THOSE WHICH RAVAGED THE KANSAS 
LANDSCAPE THIS PAST WEEKEND OR EAGLE PASS TEXAS MORE THAN A WEEK AGO.

NUMEROUS FALSE REPORTS LED TO TORNADO WARNINGS ISSUED FOR EL PASO 
COUNTY...WHERE NO TORNADOES OCCURRED. LATER INFORMATION REVEALED 
THAT GOVERNMENT AGENCIES...THE EL PASO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AND THE 
GENERAL PUBLIC WERE VIEWING THE TORNADO THAT WAS MORE THAN 20 MILES 
TO THE NORTH BUT USING THEIR VIEWING LOCATIONS...VARIOUS PORTIONS OF 
EL PASO...AS THE LOCATION OF THE TORNADO. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS 
THE RELATIVELY HIGH BASE OF THE PARENT THUNDERSTORM...RESULTING IN A 
LONG FUNNEL AND THE ILLUSION OF A CLOSER DISTANCE THAN REALITY.

WHAT EL PASO DID RECEIVE WAS EXTENSIVE HAIL...UP TO QUARTER 
SIZE...IN WESTERN AND SOUTHERN PARTS OF THE CITY. FLOODING ALSO 
RESULTED AS HAILSTONES CLOGGED THE DRAINAGE PROCESS. HOWEVER...THE 
REPORT OF GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL IN THE SANTA TERESA RESIDENTIAL AREA 
WAS NOT COMMUNICATED ACCURATELY FROM SOURCE TO MEDIA OUTLET. THE 
SOURCE ORIGINALLY SAID MARBLE SIZE HAIL.

COMMUNICATION IS A HUGE PART OF THE WARNING PROCESS. THE NATIONAL 
WEATHER SERVICE...MEDIA...GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND PUBLIC WILL LEARN 
MUCH FROM THIS EVENT...AND CAN BE THANKFUL THAT THE RESULT WAS NO 
DAMAGE OR INJURIES...BUT A HARMLESS YET INCREDIBLE VIEWING 
EXPERIENCE!

$$

JOHN FAUSETT...WCM
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO