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2011 joplin missouri tornado11/17/2023 In response to the tragedy at Joplin and the other devastating and powerful tornadoes of 2011, the NWS explored and eventually implemented a number of enhancements to improve severe weather warning and response. Meteorologists, structural and wind engineers, and numerous others continue to study this catastrophe even now, nearly a decade later, with the intention of creating safer communities. In its wake, the EF5 strength tornado left much of Joplin in a state of complete devastation. Due to the sheer wind power, trees were stripped of bark and asphalt was ripped from roads and parking lots. Numerous well-built houses and buildings were torn from their foundations, and vehicles of all sizes were thrown more than 200 yards and destroyed beyond recognition. With wind speeds exceeding 200 miles per hour, almost 160 fatalities and more than 1000 injuries occurred in Joplin alone, making it the 7th deadliest tornado on record. This storm generated additional tornadoes, caused extreme wind damage and flash flooding, and resulted in incredible devastation and tragic loss of life. By late afternoon, a large supercell thunderstorm had developed just east of Joplin, Missouri, producing a massive wedge tornado on the southwestern edge of the city and continued to grow in size and track directly through the heart of Joplin. Sunday, started out as a hot, humid day in the southern United States. As communities across the Southeastern US were still reeling from a busy and tragic April, an unthinkable tragedy struck again in a different part of the country about one month later. In the aftermath of the historic and deadly April 2011 Super Outbreak of tornadoes across the Southeastern US, it had become increasingly evident to the NWS that forecasts and warnings for severe weather threats needed an added element to make their messaging reach the “last mile” of effectiveness in modern-day society.
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