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Significant Tornado Events

tornadowatch211 said:
Really sorry for the reposts, but:
Heres another view of Smithville-level debris granulation:
View attachment 30897
Mulched tree?:
View attachment 30898
Car partially embedded in the ground:
View attachment 30899
I also genuinely believe that Smithville is the in the top 25 most overrated tornadoes ever. (Xenia being number 1 ofc.) Seriously, how can you think it compares to THIS? (This photo shows tons of granulated vehicle parts wrapped around an obliterated shelterbelt. Easily some of the worst vehiclular damage I’ve seen.):

View attachment 30900
Edit: Made people less angry
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Smithville did granulate vehicles; also Smithville had a forward speed in excess of 60 mph, Bridge Creek-Moore was moving along at less than 30 miles an hour yet Smithville still managed to do damage even more extreme than Bridge Creek-Moore did in a matter of seconds as opposites to minutes like Bridge Creek-Moore. Yeah, it's definitely worthy of its reputation.
 
Juliett Bravo Kilo said:
Smithville did granulate vehicles; also Smithville had a forward speed in excess of 60 mph, Bridge Creek-Moore was moving along at less than 30 miles an hour yet Smithville still managed to do damage even more extreme than Bridge Creek-Moore did in a matter of seconds as opposites to minutes like Bridge Creek-Moore. Yeah, it's definitely worthy of its reputation.
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Forward speed increases windspeeds in suction vortexes and it did not granulate vehicles. Those cars were just thrown into some random pond as there were loads.
 
HAwkmoon said:
Forward speed increases windspeeds in suction vortexes and it did not granulate vehicles. Those cars were just thrown into some random pond as there were loads.
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Actual vehicle granulation (the image I sent) is when a car is literally broken apart into multiple pieces less than 6” in diameter. like Stratton and Bridge Creek. Still, lifting a vehicle 50 yards in the air thrown 0.5 miles into a water tower, then bounced off 0.25 miles away to the funeral home is still incredibly impressive.
 
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OHWX97 said:
I was seriously debating whether I should even acknowledge a post like that or not. To inflict such complete destruction while traveling highway speeds is hard to fathom. To call that overrated, I mean, they can’t be serious…
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Calling anything overrated that killed people is wrong. Its just I don't think its the strongest of all time (in recorded history).
 
HAwkmoon said:
Calling anything overrated that killed people is wrong. Its just I don't think its the strongest of all time (in recorded history).
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Btw sorry for calling Smithville “overrated”, I just was trying to say that in sheer power, Smithville wasn’t top 1. I just worded it very poorly. I wasn’t saying that Smithville killed nobody, Ik some of the injuries were gruesome. The forest damage outside of town was easily some of the most impressive I’ve seen (even if 99% it was softwood.) Also E.E. Pickle (imo) is one of the most impressive damage feats to a residential unit in history. The trenching outside of town was wayy more impressive than Philadelphia (Philadelphia shouldn’t have been EF5 in the first place, and it wouldn’t even get EF4 today, let alone EF5.) Also multiple anchor bolted houses practically vanished, with their sill plating, carpeting, plumbing, anchor bolts, etc, granulated into tiny pieces. Also this image is some of the most intense tree damage I’ve ever seen in Dixie Alley:
IMG_0896.jpeg
 
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tornadowatch211 said:
Btw sorry for calling Smithville “overrated”, I just was trying to say that in sheer power, Smithville wasn’t top 1. I just worded it very poorly. I wasn’t saying that Smithville killed nobody, Ik some of the injuries were gruesome. The forest damage outside of town was easily some of the most impressive I’ve seen (even if it was softwood.) Also E.E. Pickle (imo) is one of the most impressive damage feats to a residential unit in history. The trenching outside of town was wayy more impressive than Philadelphia (Philadelphia shouldn’t have been EF5 in the first place, and it wouldn’t even get EF4 today, let alone EF5.) Also multiple anchor bolted houses practically vanished.
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One of the trees was hardwood.
 
HAwkmoon said:
Calling anything overrated that killed people is wrong. Its just I don't think its the strongest of all time (in recorded history).
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It's top 5 and maybe top 3 IMHO. Maybe part of that was in it's fast ground speed but it's the total wind speed which is rated because that is what does the damage; nothing gets deducted from that based on ground speed. And had it moved slower it would have had more time to cause damage and more granulation would have occurred too. I won't be convinced otherwise without new verifiable evidence.
 
Sawmaster said:
It's top 5 and maybe top 3 IMHO. Maybe part of that was in it's fast ground speed but it's the total wind speed which is rated because that is what does the damage; nothing gets deducted from that based on ground speed. And had it moved slower it would have had more time to cause damage and more granulation would have occurred too. I won't be convinced otherwise without new verifiable evidence.
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Not top 3 or 5 for me. Top 5 imo is.
1. Piedmont
2. Bridge Creek
3. Bakersfield
4. Moore 2013
5. Tri-State.
 
tornadowatch211 said:
My list for overall contextual damage is:
1. Bridge Creek
2. Piedmont
3. Jarrell
4. Moore 2013
5. Bakersfield
6. San Justo
7. Brandenburg (7 and 9 are interchangeable, really)
8. Stratton
9. Smithville
10. Tri-State
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Brandenburg top 10 I dont think so, and Tri-State should be a bit higher, Jarrell is harder, damage wise it is easily Number 1, but intensity top 10.
 
tornadowatch211 said:
Btw sorry for calling Smithville “overrated”, I just was trying to say that in sheer power, Smithville wasn’t top 1. I just worded it very poorly. I wasn’t saying that Smithville killed nobody, Ik some of the injuries were gruesome. The forest damage outside of town was easily some of the most impressive I’ve seen (even if it was softwood.) Also E.E. Pickle (imo) is one of the most impressive damage feats to a residential unit in history. The trenching outside of town was wayy more impressive than Philadelphia (Philadelphia shouldn’t have been EF5 in the first place, and it wouldn’t even get EF4 today, let alone EF5.) Also multiple anchor bolted houses practically vanished.
Click to expand...

3 things:

1. No tornado would be rated EF5 today, due to how screwed up the scale is at this point.

2. None of us said Smithville was no. 1, but to call it overrated is a bit much. It's easily among the most violent tornadoes of the past 50 years, but yeah top 5, top 10 top whatever lists are inherently subjective and not a good idea. Really, 2011 alone had 4-5 tornadoes that could likely be considered the most violent of all time. Pretty crazy year.

3. Yeah, Philadelphia I find odd it got EF5 just for the trenches and other tornadoes of that day got slapped with EF4 but given the sheer amount of tornadoes and damage sights to survey the damage surveyors and the like were overwhelmed, stretched to their limits and it was inevitable that some mistakes would be made.
 
Juliett Bravo Kilo said:
3 things:

1. No tornado would be rated EF5 today, due to how screwed up the scale is at this point.

2. None of us said Smithville was no. 1, but to call it overrated is a bit much. It's easily among the most violent tornadoes of the past 50 years, but yeah top 5, top 10 top whatever lists are inherently subjective and not a good idea. Really, 2011 alone had 4-5 tornadoes that could likely be considered the most violent of all time. Pretty crazy year.

3. Yeah, Philadelphia I find odd it got EF5 just for the trenches and other tornadoes of that day got slapped with EF4 but given the sheer amount of tornadoes and damage sights to survey the damage surveyors and the like were overwhelmed, stretched to their limits and it was inevitable that some mistakes would be made.
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Wrong about that actually, almost all of the 9, maybe with the exclusion of Philadelphia and rainsville would get it, as would Bridge Creek and Jarrell.
 
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Juliett Bravo Kilo said:
3 things:

1. No tornado would be rated EF5 today, due to how screwed up the scale is at this point.

2. None of us said Smithville was no. 1, but to call it overrated is a bit much. It's easily among the most violent tornadoes of the past 50 years, but yeah top 5, top 10 top whatever lists are inherently subjective and not a good idea. Really, 2011 alone had 4-5 tornadoes that could likely be considered the most violent of all time. Pretty crazy year.

3. Yeah, Philadelphia I find odd it got EF5 just for the trenches and other tornadoes of that day got slapped with EF4 but given the sheer amount of tornadoes and damage sights to survey the damage surveyors and the like were overwhelmed, stretched to their limits and it was inevitable that some mistakes would be made.
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1. Refer to HAwkmoons comment above

2. Smithville is easily the strongest in Mississippi history, with only Tupelo 1936 coming close. Vegetation, granulation, contextuals were all a level above Tupelo. Also I do agree that top whatever lists are entirely subjective and you should do tons and tons of research for the tornadoes that are in the first version before you consider it objective. Also Piedmont was just Bridge Creek on steroids.

3. Yeah, I think its funny that Philadelphia was considered one of the strongest of all time, then people actually researched the tornado. Tornadoes like New Wren, Bridgeport, Flat Rock, even Tuscaloosa and Cullman deserved EF5 more than Philadelphia. That day was just insanely overwhelming for HUN, and BMX.

Btw some Hackleburg photos I dont think have been posted yet:
(Hackleburg section)
Tons of debris, mostly sheet metal, wrapped with an obliterated forest:
IMG_0901.jpeg
More tree damage:
IMG_0902.jpeg
(Phil Campbell section)
Treefall near Phil Campbell, some are debarked top to bottom. Not only that, but most of the trees were snapped about 2 yards above the ground:
IMG_0900.jpeg
Many bent trees:
IMG_0899.jpeg
(Tanner section)
IMG_0897.jpeg
IMG_0898.jpeg
Btw I can easily find way more. There is also a video taken near Tanner that us the perfect imbodiment of “Where is the tornad- oh THAT is the tornado?” Might occasionally post them here. as well as MULTIPLE from Greensburg, Parkersburg, most of the noteworthy tornadoes in my opinion.
 
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