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Significant Tornado Events

AJS said:
Does anyone happen to know how costly the Mayfield tornado actually was? I was scrolling through a website that had all the costliest tornadoes on it and honestly expected Mayfield to be up there, but was shocked to see it actually doesn’t have an official cost yet.
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I’m unsure of the exact value, as it hasn’t been finalized yet, but the lowest estimates I’ve heard floating around were about two billion and the highest was ~3.5 billion.
 
SpotlightForRareTornadoes said:
What is the worst tornado experience from every generation?
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I think there have been 10 really defining tornado outbreaks in the last 25 years that have had a significant impact on the United States as a whole. These are in my opinion, the order they would go in.

1: April 27 2011.
2: Joplin Missouri 2011.
3: December 10 2021.
4: Super Tuesday 2008.
5: Moore Oklahoma 2013.
6: March 24 2023.
7: April 27-28 2014
8: March 2-3 2012.
9: Easter Sunday 2020.
10: Beauregard Alabama 2019.


I feel as if these outbreaks/tornadoes have defined the last 25 years of all the major tornado outbreaks that have occurred.

Another thing is looking at the most well known/exceptional tornadoes of the generation as well. I have gathered the tornadoes that in my opinion; have been the defining tornadoes of this decade so far. These are in no order.

Tuscaloosa Alabama.
Hackleburg-Phil Campbell.
Chapman Kansas.
Western Kentucky.
Greensburg Kansas.
Smithville Mississippi.
Parkersburg Iowa.
Beauregard Alabama.
Moore Oklahoma 2013.
Rolling Fork Mississippi.
Joplin Missouri.
El Reno 2011.
El Reno 2013.
Pilger Tornado Family.
Vilonia Arkansas.
Bassfield/Soso Mississippi.
Yazoo City Mississippi.
La Plata Maryland.
Rochelle Illinois.
Greenfield Iowa.
Cookeville/Nashville Tennessee.
Washington Illinois.
Harper Kansas.
2008 Arkansas Long Tracker.
Rainsville Alabama.
Cullman Alabama.
Philadelphia Mississippi.
 
AJS said:
I think there have been 10 really defining tornado outbreaks in the last 25 years that have had a significant impact on the United States as a whole. These are in my opinion, the order they would go in.

1: April 27 2011.
2: Joplin Missouri 2011.
3: December 10 2021.
4: Super Tuesday 2008.
5: Moore Oklahoma 2013.
6: March 24 2023.
7: April 27-28 2014
8: March 2-3 2012.
9: Easter Sunday 2020.
10: Beauregard Alabama 2019.


I feel as if these outbreaks/tornadoes have defined the last 25 years of all the major tornado outbreaks that have occurred.

Another thing is looking at the most well known/exceptional tornadoes of the generation as well. I have gathered the tornadoes that in my opinion; have been the defining tornadoes of this decade so far. These are in no order.

Tuscaloosa Alabama.
Hackleburg-Phil Campbell.
Chapman Kansas.
Western Kentucky.
Greensburg Kansas.
Smithville Mississippi.
Parkersburg Iowa.
Beauregard Alabama.
Moore Oklahoma 2013.
Rolling Fork Mississippi.
Joplin Missouri.
El Reno 2011.
El Reno 2013.
Pilger Tornado Family.
Vilonia Arkansas.
Bassfield/Soso Mississippi.
Yazoo City Mississippi.
La Plata Maryland.
Rochelle Illinois.
Greenfield Iowa.
Cookeville/Nashville Tennessee.
Washington Illinois.
Harper Kansas.
2008 Arkansas Long Tracker.
Rainsville Alabama.
Cullman Alabama.
Philadelphia Mississippi.
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I’d also add the Dodge City Kansas Tornadoes of 2016 due to how prolific that supercell was with the multiple twins and often times triplets on the ground.
 
AJS said:
I think there have been 10 really defining tornado outbreaks in the last 25 years that have had a significant impact on the United States as a whole. These are in my opinion, the order they would go in.

1: April 27 2011.
2: Joplin Missouri 2011.
3: December 10 2021.
4: Super Tuesday 2008.
5: Moore Oklahoma 2013.
6: March 24 2023.
7: April 27-28 2014
8: March 2-3 2012.
9: Easter Sunday 2020.
10: Beauregard Alabama 2019.


I feel as if these outbreaks/tornadoes have defined the last 25 years of all the major tornado outbreaks that have occurred.

Another thing is looking at the most well known/exceptional tornadoes of the generation as well. I have gathered the tornadoes that in my opinion; have been the defining tornadoes of this decade so far. These are in no order.

Tuscaloosa Alabama.
Hackleburg-Phil Campbell.
Chapman Kansas.
Western Kentucky.
Greensburg Kansas.
Smithville Mississippi.
Parkersburg Iowa.
Beauregard Alabama.
Moore Oklahoma 2013.
Rolling Fork Mississippi.
Joplin Missouri.
El Reno 2011.
El Reno 2013.
Pilger Tornado Family.
Vilonia Arkansas.
Bassfield/Soso Mississippi.
Yazoo City Mississippi.
La Plata Maryland.
Rochelle Illinois.
Greenfield Iowa.
Cookeville/Nashville Tennessee.
Washington Illinois.
Harper Kansas.
2008 Arkansas Long Tracker.
Rainsville Alabama.
Cullman Alabama.
Philadelphia Mississippi.
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if i remember correctly the 2011 super outbreak is rated the 2 costliest , and there is one random event that had more.

(edit:never mind it was a typo and is now corrected.)
 
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The EF3 that hit Mississippi on February 12th was actually quite intense in its own right. There was substantial scouring and some debarking of trees with pretty impressive damage to mobile homes. The rating is solid and makes complete sense, but if this hit more well constructed things rather than a very rural area, I wouldn’t be surprised if it ended up being low end EF4 at its peak.
552134BF-4990-415A-BB34-E235846A2AD3.jpeg
41139C97-39AC-4FFB-A5E4-6EFED312D892.jpeg
This tornado was also associated with other images portraying some substantial debarking but I wasn’t overly impressed with the imagery regarding that. Still, intense nonetheless.
 
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Hey, I was wondering if anyone would be willing to let me know if there's any misinformation in these notes. Also, if you know anything I could add to them, that would be helpful. Any documents you recommend I should read to learn more would also be appreciated. Please and thanks!

KN1.pngKN2.png
 
phant said:
Hey, I was wondering if anyone would be willing to let me know if there's any misinformation in these notes. Also, if you know anything I could add to them, that would be helpful. Any documents you recommend I should read to learn more would also be appreciated. Please and thanks!

View attachment 34093View attachment 34094
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I recognize the second screenshot comes from this very good 2024 paper on latest understandings of tornadogenesis:
https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/105/7/BAMS-D-23-0031.1.xml Highly recommend reading that.
 

Attachments

Crossposting from missing videos. Video of the Brown County SD tornado family from June 23 2002. Though one only was rated F4, on the visual side of things I have no doubt that all of these tornadoes could’ve been capable of violent class damage at any point in their lives (save for the landspout, though it definitely was more vigorous compared to other spouts I’ve seen):
 
AngelAndHisWx said:
Crossposting from missing videos. Video of the Brown County SD tornado family from June 23 2002. Though one only was rated F4, on the visual side of things I have no doubt that all of these tornadoes could’ve been capable of violent class damage at any point in their lives (save for the landspout, though it definitely was more vigorous compared to other spouts I’ve seen):
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Doing phenomenal work Angel; love the work youve done dude.
It's appreciated!!
 
slenker said:
The EF3 that hit Mississippi on February 12th was actually quite intense in its own right. There was substantial scouring and some debarking of trees with pretty impressive damage to mobile homes. The rating is solid and makes complete sense, but if this hit more well constructed things rather than a very rural area, I wouldn’t be surprised if it ended up being low end EF4 at its peak.
View attachment 34037
View attachment 34038
This tornado was also associated with other images portraying some substantial debarking but I wasn’t overly impressed with the imagery regarding that. Still, intense nonetheless.
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Mississippi is really something else. Of course the state does have the weaker EF0/EF1s just like everywhere else but it just seems like a majority of tornadic events in Mississippi are significantly violent.
 
csx1985 said:
Mississippi is really something else. Of course the state does have the weaker EF0/EF1s just like everywhere else but it just seems like a majority of tornadic events in Mississippi are significantly violent.
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Ive seen it Forecasted Convective Amplification Deficiency a many of time; but, when you get those deep digging, very well positioned trough ejections down there, and it DOESNT over-convect; MS can be pretty darn potent.
Its all in that balance of dixie setups; almost all sig-MS tornadoes follow a similar formula when simplified. Moderate CAPE (900 LE--3000 HE), high shear (think a really mature trough), and JUST ENOUGH clearing for a supercell to remain mostly isolated. Such as Rolling Fork, Bassfield, all of that.
Its all in the "dixie balance"; I can assure you, you wont get that balance but rarely even still. Youre going to get more sloppy mini-supercells with failing tornadic occlusions than a semi-discrete monster like Rolling fork 90% of the time. But, when things do go "right"; its to be feared.
 
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NewFoundWeatherNerd said:
Ive seen it Forecasted Convective Amplification Deficiency a many of time; but, when you get those deep digging, very well positioned trough ejections down there, and it DOESNT over-convect; MS can be pretty darn potent.
Its all in that balance of dixie setups; almost all sig-MS tornadoes follow a similar formula when simplified. Moderate CAPE (900 LE--3000 HE), high shear (think a really mature trough), and JUST ENOUGH clearing for a supercell to remain mostly isolated. Such as Rolling Fork, Bassfield, all of that.
Its all in the "dixie balance"; I can assure you, you wont get that balance but rarely even still. Youre going to get more sloppy mini-supercells with failing tornadic occlusions than a semi-discrete monster like Rolling fork 90% of the time. But, when things do go "right"; its to be feared.
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Speaking of this; lets see if we see it with the upcoming D6 ENH risk on 3/4!!!
 
Ledian said:
Celton's newest video...wow.
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It still blows my mind that this happened in the town, I grew up in.

ETA—it was really strange through people. I knew all my life was talked about in this video. My brother lived at the end of Monroe Street, right where the worst damage was across the road from him. The curtains that were set up between the ceiling and the wall were from his house directly across the street from him, there was nothing left.
 
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SpotlightForRareTornadoes said:


The Smithville tornado is pretty much a modern-day textbook "EF6".
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I was glad he showcased just how absurdly violent the New Wren tornado was as well.

For my money, there were 6 tornadoes that should definitely have been rated 5s that day. The 4 that were, plus Tuscaloosa and New Wren.

But New Wren may well have been even more violent than Tuscaloosa.
 
Speaking of "EF6," I was just thinking about that on a lazy, windy Saturday here in PA. From everything I've read, this is my list of what I consider F5+++ or "F6" tornadoes since the 1950s.

Flint-Beecher MI, 1953
Udall, KS, 1955
Hudsonville, MI, 1956
Dunlap (Sunnyside) IN, 1965
Pittsfield - Strongsville, OH, 1965
Guin, AL, 1974
Brandenburg, KY, 1974
Jordan, IA, 1976
Niles-Wheatland PA/OH, 1985
Bakersfield Valley, TX 1990
Andover, KS 1991
Red Rock, OK 1991
Jarrell, TX 1997
Bridge Creek, OK 1999
Loyal Valley, TX 1999
Harper, KS 2004
Greensburg, KS 2007
Parkersburg, IA 2008
New Wren, MS 2011
Smithville, MS 2011
Philadelphia, MS 2011
Rainsville, AL 2011
Hackleburg-Phil, AL Campbell 2011
El Reno-Piedmont, OK 2011
Joplin, MO 2011
Moore, OK 2011
Vilonia, AR 2014
Holly Springs, MS 2015 [the violence at that drag strip was unbelievable]
Chapman, KS 2016 [I'm obviously thinking of that railroad damage]

Any comments?

As a Pennsylvanian, I obviously wanted to add the Moshannon State Forest tornado...:)
 
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