NOAA satellites proved critical in forecasts of tornado outbreak

Posted on May 6, 2011

Five days before a powerful storm system unleashed a barrage of deadly tornadoes that tore through six states, NOAA's polar-orbiting satellites helped forecasters at the agency's Storm Prediction Center (SPC) know of the impending danger.

According to the latest SPC figures, there were a total of 312 tornado reports during the entire outbreak, from 8 a.m. EDT on April 25 to 8 a.m. on April 28. NOAA's National Weather Service forecast offices had a 27-minute average warning lead time for the tornado touchdowns.