Significant Tornado Events

[Ivanthetornadoenthusiast]

Another one that was likely incorrectly classified was the Athens, OH “downburst” of September 2010. It happened on the same day as the Reedsville, OH/Bellville, WV EF3 and the fatal NYC EF1. YouTube of videos of the event show a clearly rotating broad funnel. The damage in the area had evidence of convergent winds too, but was still classified as a downburst. I’m almost certain that it was a tornado of high-end EF1 to EF2 strength.

I wonder if you still have the link to the videos from that event (Athens "downburst" of 2010)

 

[AJS]

I actually have a feeling the tornado may have reached EF5 strength in this area of Mayfield. The contextual damage was pretty extreme. Significant debarking of trees, noticeable grass scouring, and that vehicle damage is nothing but extreme. The tornado also swept away numerous homes in this area with some pronounced rowing. I’ll need to look for the image I have of that, but it’s extreme.

The video posted above also really enforces my belief that The Mayfield Tornado was in my opinion the strongest tornado to occur in the US since Vilonia up until Dec 10, 2021.
Some of the contextual damage was pretty upper echelon. From all the videos i’ve seen, I think the tornado actually had a first peak in intensity from the Cayce area to around SW of Mayfield and then from Princeton-Bremen. But the two areas in particular that had contextual damage that really stood out in my opinion were SW Mayfield and Bremen and truly maxed out in the Bremen area.

 

[Aaron Rider]

The video posted above also really enforces my belief that The Mayfield Tornado was in my opinion the strongest tornado to occur in the US since Vilonia up until Dec 10, 2021.
Some of the contextual damage was pretty upper echelon. From all the videos i’ve seen, I think the tornado actually had a first peak in intensity from the Cayce area to around SW of Mayfield and then from Princeton-Bremen. But the two areas in particular that had contextual damage that really stood out in my opinion were SW Mayfield and Bremen and truly maxed out in the Bremen area.

I actually am sympathetic to your point, but I'd probably say, strongest tornado to occur in the US since Rochelle up until Dec 10, 2021.

Rochelle was simply one heck of a tornado, to put it mildly. I think it was as strong as Vilonia, if not stronger.

 

[Union]

I actually am sympathetic to your point, but I'd probably say, strongest tornado to occur in the US since Rochelle up until Dec 10, 2021.

Rochelle was simply one heck of a tornado, to put it mildly. I think it was as strong as Vilonia, if not stronger.

If I may ask, what exactly about Rochelle really stands out to you as Ultra-strong, Vilonia has some of the highest end tree, vehicle, and structural damage since Moore, Rochelle seems like a pretty natural high EF4 without much else to it. Let me know if there's something I don't know.

Vilonia images for reference, I've never seen anything from Rochelle that really comes close to this, and I've seen my fair share of images.

 

[OH-IOan]

If I may ask, what exactly about Rochelle really stands out to you as Ultra-strong, Vilonia has some of the highest end tree, vehicle, and structural damage since Moore, Rochelle seems like a pretty natural high EF4 without much else to it. Let me know if there's something I don't know.

Vilonia images for reference, I've never seen anything from Rochelle that really comes close to this, and I've seen my fair share of images.

That top-right scouring image is insane. I knew it scoured the ground, but didn't know it was that visible from an aerial vantage point. Yeah, I'd say Vilonia was probably stronger than Rochelle, but that's a minority viewpoint.

 

[AJS]

I actually am sympathetic to your point, but I'd probably say, strongest tornado to occur in the US since Rochelle up until Dec 10, 2021.

Rochelle was simply one heck of a tornado, to put it mildly. I think it was as strong as Vilonia, if not stronger.

Rochelle was a super impressive tornado and quite likely one of the strongest in Illinois history, but I don’t think it was quite as violent as Mayfield and Vilonia.

If I may ask, what exactly about Rochelle really stands out to you as Ultra-strong, Vilonia has some of the highest end tree, vehicle, and structural damage since Moore, Rochelle seems like a pretty natural high EF4 without much else to it. Let me know if there's something I don't know.

Vilonia images for reference, I've never seen anything from Rochelle that really comes close to this, and I've seen my fair share of images.

Yeah, Vilonia/Mayfield/Matador in my humble opinion produced some of the most extreme contextual damage of any tornado since the 2013 Moore Tornado. All three had some very high echelon damage indicators.

 

[OH-IOan]

While we’re on contextuals, how did the 2011 Houston-Okolona, MS EF3 (direct predecessor to Smithville) only get an EF3 rating? I’ve heard it’s done some extreme tree damage, I feel like the rating isn’t talked about enough because of how many tornadoes touched down that day and the fact that it seems trivial.

 

[Kds86z]

What does everyone think of tornadofest of June 1995 in Texas? Famous pampa video from then.

 

[Aaron Rider]

If I may ask, what exactly about Rochelle really stands out to you as Ultra-strong, Vilonia has some of the highest end tree, vehicle, and structural damage since Moore, Rochelle seems like a pretty natural high EF4 without much else to it. Let me know if there's something I don't know.

Vilonia images for reference, I've never seen anything from Rochelle that really comes close to this, and I've seen my fair share of images.

Rochelle was not as violent as Vilonia. I'll revise that. But it was SOLIDLY an F5/EF5 by all reasonable metrics. In one subdivision particular, it utterly destroyed and swept away large, well-built houses with concrete basements. That destruction included obliterating anchor-bolted subfloors. There was grass scouring and wind-rowing to a substantial degree and, FAMOUSLY, a poured concrete walkway was dislodged and shifted (which is insane!). In this area, that tornado satisfied the reasonable standard for the highest rating of extreme contextual damage + devastation to reasonably well built homes.

Rochelle was not a "high-end" F5, but it was definitely a legitimate one. I am sure there are folks here with a good collection of Rochelle damage pics.

Remember: the NWS rated this thing at 200 MPH but not EF5, or something like that. It was an extremely confusing decision.

I also disagree that Mayfield was as strong as Vilonia especially, but that's another story. The pictures posted are a good reminder of Vilonia's remarkable intensity. The standard take is that Mayfield's high contextual violence and reasonably well-built homes rarely coincided. That is DEFINITELY not the case with Vilonia.

Edit: Don't forget Chapman. The contextual support with that one was simply overwhelming.

 

[AJS]

Rochelle was not as violent as Vilonia. I'll revise that. But it was SOLIDLY an F5/EF5 by all reasonable metrics. In one subdivision particular, it utterly destroyed and swept away large, well-built houses with concrete basements. That destruction included obliterating anchor-bolted subfloors. There was grass scouring and wind-rowing to a substantial degree and, FAMOUSLY, a poured concrete walkway was dislodged and shifted (which is insane!). In this area, that tornado satisfied the reasonable standard for the highest rating of extreme contextual damage + devastation to reasonably well built homes.

Rochelle was not a "high-end" F5, but it was definitely a legitimate one. I am sure there are folks here with a good collection of Rochelle damage pics.

Remember: the NWS rated this thing at 200 MPH but not EF5, or something like that. It was an extremely confusing decision.

I also disagree that Mayfield was as strong as Vilonia especially, but that's another story. The pictures posted are a good reminder of Vilonia's remarkable intensity. The standard take is that Mayfield's high contextual violence and reasonably well-built homes rarely coincided. That is DEFINITELY not the case with Vilonia.

Edit: Don't forget Chapman. The contextual support with that one was simply overwhelming.

I don’t think Mayfield was as strong as Vilonia, but I do believe the contextual damage left behind from Mayfield paints a clear picture that it without a doubt reached EF5 intensity. Especially in Bremen.

 

[Lake Martin EF4]

While we’re on contextuals, how did the 2011 Houston-Okolona, MS EF3 (direct predecessor to Smithville) only get an EF3 rating? I’ve heard it’s done some extreme tree damage, I feel like the rating isn’t talked about enough because of how many tornadoes touched down that day and the fact that it seems trivial.

Simple: the NWS Memphis survey team straight up missed miles of the damage, including the worst damage.

Then they did the exact same thing with Holly Springs in 2015.

Then they gave a possible EF4 DI an EF3 for interior walls standing when the building never had any to begin with, and missed possible violent damage with the long track EF3 (should be EF4) in 2023.

Then they underrated all of the EF4 candidates on April 2nd this year.

NWS Memphis does not do good surveys.

 

[Union]

Rochelle was not as violent as Vilonia. I'll revise that. But it was SOLIDLY an F5/EF5 by all reasonable metrics. In one subdivision particular, it utterly destroyed and swept away large, well-built houses with concrete basements. That destruction included obliterating anchor-bolted subfloors. There was grass scouring and wind-rowing to a substantial degree and, FAMOUSLY, a poured concrete walkway was dislodged and shifted (which is insane!). In this area, that tornado satisfied the reasonable standard for the highest rating of extreme contextual damage + devastation to reasonably well built homes.

Rochelle was not a "high-end" F5, but it was definitely a legitimate one. I am sure there are folks here with a good collection of Rochelle damage pics.

Remember: the NWS rated this thing at 200 MPH but not EF5, or something like that. It was an extremely confusing decision.

I also disagree that Mayfield was as strong as Vilonia especially, but that's another story. The pictures posted are a good reminder of Vilonia's remarkable intensity. The standard take is that Mayfield's high contextual violence and reasonably well-built homes rarely coincided. That is DEFINITELY not the case with Vilonia.

Edit: Don't forget Chapman. The contextual support with that one was simply overwhelming.

I just don't think Rochelle is as bad as it's being made out to be, the homes weren't really THAT well built and the 200mph rating was seemingly a rushed decision considering the survey was done in just a few days. Someone I know has done deep digging on the tornado for a year+ and has 3d modeled the homes it hit, how they failed and why they aren't EF5, the damage is impressive but it's nothing spectacular and I wouldn't say it's nearly as strong as a lot of people hold it to being.

 

[Lake Martin EF4]

On this day 1 year ago....

Did Oklahoma Really See the Most Powerful Tornado Ever?

Meteorologists and storm chasers from all over the nation are perplexed by a tornado that recently touched down in Oklahoma. On Tuesday, April 30, five tornadoes touched down in southwest Oklahoma, taking residents and meteorologists by surprise. But there was one tornado that left them speechless.

klaw.com

(My answer to the question: Yes, Oklahoma did see the most powerful tornado ever..... in 2011. The Hollister tornado, meanwhile, was a "more bark than bite" tornado that was rightfully rated EF1.)

 

[OH-IOan]

On this day 1 year ago....

Did Oklahoma Really See the Most Powerful Tornado Ever?

Meteorologists and storm chasers from all over the nation are perplexed by a tornado that recently touched down in Oklahoma. On Tuesday, April 30, five tornadoes touched down in southwest Oklahoma, taking residents and meteorologists by surprise. But there was one tornado that left them speechless.

klaw.com

(My answer to the question: Yes, Oklahoma did see the most powerful tornado ever..... in 2011. The Hollister tornado, meanwhile, was a "more bark than bite" tornado that was rightfully rated EF1.)

The thing with Hollister was that there was an incredibly weird violent motion disconnect, where the violently-rotating upper portion of the storm significantly weakened at ground level. Storm itself was unbelievably strong with a hurricane-like presentation on radar, but that didn't translate to a strong tornado for reasons I have no idea. Luckily, we have an image (several, actually) of the tornado!

Personally, I'd love to see a professional study on "what went wrong" with the tornado and why it wasn't violent as initially thought.

 

[Western_KS_Wx]

What does everyone think of tornadofest of June 1995 in Texas? Famous pampa video from then.

All 3 of the F4 tornadoes were exceptionally violent, particularly Kellerville and Allison. Very fortunate those two tornadoes avoided population centers, or it’d be an outbreak remembered for all the wrong reasons. Here’s a video of the Kellerville tornado, if you skip to 10:50 you can see where it scoured asphalt off a paved road.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

All 3 of the F4 tornadoes were exceptionally violent, particularly Kellerville and Allison. Very fortunate those two tornadoes avoided population centers, or it’d be an outbreak remembered for all the wrong reasons. Here’s a video of the Kellerville tornado, if you skip to 10:50 you can see where it scoured asphalt off a paved road.

Here's a remastered vid of that outbreak:

57:00 or so you can see the scoured asphalt:

 

[Kds86z]

All 3 of the F4 tornadoes were exceptionally violent, particularly Kellerville and Allison. Very fortunate those two tornadoes avoided population centers, or it’d be an outbreak remembered for all the wrong reasons. Here’s a video of the Kellerville tornado, if you skip to 10:50 you can see where it scoured asphalt off a paved road.

Thanks! Hoover is/was one of my fav vids growing up, hence the profile pic.

 

[Kds86z]

Here's a remastered vid of that outbreak:

57:00 or so you can see the scoured asphalt:

Thank ya @Juliett Bravo Kilo

 

[OH-IOan]

What do we think is the most "forgotten" tornado of the April 27, 2011, Super Outbreak? My vote has to go to the Reform-Parrish-Cordova-Blountsville, AL EF4, despite killing 13 people and having a longer track than Tuscaloosa, it's seldom talked about in the Wx community. It was incredibly well-documented, this being the photo I find the most interesting from the entire event:

It was also likely of EF5 intensity at some point; here was a truck that was crumpled by the tornado:

 

[Aaron Rider]

I don’t think Mayfield was as strong as Vilonia, but I do believe the contextual damage left behind from Mayfield paints a clear picture that it without a doubt reached EF5 intensity. Especially in Bremen.

I agree it should have been F5. "Paints a clear picture" is a good way of putting it. Giving it EF5 involves leaning on context but that's fine IMO.