It was a beast. Everyone planning to travel for Easter weekend, to, from or through St. Louis, Missouri, were put on a Mother Nature delay when an EF4 tornado ripped through the area on Friday. The Lambert International Airport was in the direct path of the beast, which came ripping across a 22 mile path of eastern Missouri and western Illinois.
An EF4, commonly referred to as an F4, possesses winds between 150-200 mph. It was the largest tornado recorded in the area since the mid-60s, and this one delivered significant damage to the airport, the surrounding parking lots and neighboring areas. There were injuries, yet no reported deaths.
Possibly, one of the most amazing aspects of this storm that tore through–and by tore through, I mean tore through–one of America’s most central air hubs, is the rapid recovery that followed at the airport. By the end of the weekend they had already made incredible progress, and airport officials have stated that the airport will be 100 percent operational by Tuesday.
Travelers who were gone for the weekend, and returning back to the St. Louis area, returned to find a mix of damage in parking lots, including broken windows, cars that had been lifted onto other cars–standard tornado stuff. The video is fascinating. A little breeze, a dude on his cell phone, people running for their lives and the push of a wind power and projectiles that will demand your respect.
