Significant Tornado Events

[Aaron Rider]

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.

Sorry, but we'll have to agree to disagree. That walkway damage is, to me, the definition of "extraordinary phenomeona will occur." Was Rochelle a high end EF5? No. But not every EF5 has to be Parkersburg or Bridge Creek. That's the false assumption we're really seeing today. The context and damage in that subdivision was good enough for the highest rating.

 

[Aaron Rider]

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.

Very simply because they were rushed understandably and botched the survey and just missed stuff. That's the reason. The great Tornado Talk article about this got pay walled.

 

[OH-IOan]

Very simply because they were rushed understandably and botched the survey and just missed stuff. That's the reason. The great Tornado Talk article about this got pay walled.

That's fair. I'm also sure they were probably focused more on Smithville to the northeast. Man, what a horrible day...

 

[Aaron Rider]

That's fair. I'm also sure they were probably focused more on Smithville to the northeast. Man, what a horrible day...

Yeah. The Tornado Talk article said something like, "What we found was unbelievable."

I forget how far it tossed - NOT rolled - that one poor guy's truck. Well over a mile. Maybe two or three? It was preposterously far

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

Yeah. The Tornado Talk article said something like, "What we found was unbelievable."

I forget how far it tossed - NOT rolled - that one poor guy's truck. Well over a mile. Maybe two or three? It was preposterously far

Yeah, no doubt that thing was an EF5. Lynn Davis' pickup was tossed 1.70 miles, which to the best of my knowledge is the furthest verified distance a vehicle has been tossed by a tornado. The back of the truck was more or less accordioned into the front of it.

 

[AJS]

Yeah, no doubt that thing was an EF5. Lynn Davis' pickup was tossed 1.70 miles, which to the best of my knowledge is the furthest verified distance a vehicle has been tossed by a tornado. The back of the truck was more or less accordioned into the front of it.

It’s pretty rare to see cars get thrown over a mile by tornadoes and I consider it to be a hallmark of a remarkably intense one. Rochelle if I recall threw one about a mile

 

[TH2002]

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

I think this is the funnel video buckeye is referring to:


Here's another video, and yeah... this is definitely a tornado. No idea why it was classified as a downburst:


Nelsonville EF2 that preceded the Athens tornado:

 

[Ivanthetornadoenthusiast]

I think this is the funnel video buckeye is referring to:


Here's another video, and yeah... this is definitely a tornado. No idea why it was classified as a downburst:


Nelsonville EF2 that preceded the Athens tornado:

Thanks

 

[AJS]

“ EF3 “ damage from the Canton, TX 2017 tornado.

 

[Union]

View attachment 40803View attachment 40804View attachment 40805View attachment 40806
“ EF3 “ damage from the Canton, TX 2017 tornado.

Classic

View attachment 40803View attachment 40804View attachment 40805View attachment 40806
“ EF3 “ damage from the Canton, TX 2017 tornado.

Some of these could be from the EF4, they're kinda hard to differentiate, but I think these all should be the EF3, I know the vehicles and debarked trees are

 

[Aaron Rider]

Classic

Some of these could be from the EF4, they're kinda hard to differentiate, but I think these all should be the EF3, I know the vehicles and debarked trees are

Definitely a forgotten mini outbreak. Pecos Hank had an incredible chase. He helped rescue a sweet, tough lady whose gun he later found in his car after he dropped her off at the hospital. Pure, unadulterated Texas!

This system deserves more treatment, including a damage analysis of both major twisters.

 

[A Guy]

A couple of years ago someone edited the Wikipedia article on the March 21 1952 tornado outbreak to follow Grazulis' rather than the official data (and at the same time turning it into a dog's breakfast aesthetically). I haven't seen anyone make a map of the differing interpretations of the outbreak, so why not do it myself?

The official data as plotted by Tornado Archive, is, as you'd expect, a mess, having been a victim of whatever process was used to convert the original reports into coordinates when the SPC/NCEI database was constructed:


Here I've more or less maintained the official paths, but tweaked them using descriptions in the March 1952 Climatological Data and (funnily enough) the older version of the Wikipedia article. I didn't try make everything tally - you can't fit a listed 12 mile path for stated endpoints only six miles apart. But everything is somewhat closer to where it probably should be, and pointing in the right direction:


This is based on Grazulis' 1984 and 1990 works. He joins up a lot of short paths that originally reported locations without path lengths or had implausibly short lengths (e.g 200 yards). Downgrades a few as well. Not all of his lengths fit - e.g. the stated start, path and end of the Moscow tornado implies a length of about 26 miles, not his stated 35:

One thing I've decided doing this is that the reports are so lacking in detail that many of the start and end locations, and the path lengths when those were not originally stated, in the official database must be little more than guesses, unless they had access to more detailed notes or other records when making it.

 

[MNTornadoGuy]

3 days from now will be the 60th anniversary of the Twin Cities tornado outbreak. The Anoka County government has a GIS viewer containing aerial photographs of the damage produced by the Fridley tornadoes and here are a few notable ones.

 

[Western_KS_Wx]

26 year anniversary of May 3, 1999 and I found some pretty incredible footage from that day uploaded to YouTube recently. The video is from Jeff Piotrowski’s DVD showing some never before seen video of the Bridge Creek-Moore tornado as it’s going through the OKC suburbs, as well as some footage of Mulhall. Some truly remarkable stuff in here.

 

[Union]

Cardinal Road / Pritchett Road in the southwest area of Mayfield, homes here rated 180 despite looking pretty poorly constructed, possibly upgraded based on contextuals, rightfully so if true.

Large mature hardwood trees debranched and debarked, trucks were crushed and thrown, upwards of 1000ft (Red truck), smaller trees were completely mowed down, not the best documentation as it was a very small area, but the images and videos that exist are extreme.

 

[AJS]

Cardinal Road / Pritchett Road in the southwest area of Mayfield, homes here rated 180 despite looking pretty poorly constructed, possibly upgraded based on contextuals, rightfully so if true.

Large mature hardwood trees debranched and debarked, trucks were crushed and thrown, upwards of 1000ft (Red truck), smaller trees were completely mowed down, not the best documentation as it was a very small area, but the images and videos that exist are extreme.

The SW side of Mayfield in general is where I consider the tornado to have maybe reached EF5 strength.

 

[Lake Martin EF4]

OTD 26 years ago...

May 3, 1999 — The Bridge Creek–Moore Tornado

These projects take an enormous amount of time and effort, but they don’t deserve to be stuck behind a paywall. If you’d like to support my work and ensure these stories remain accessible to all, p…

stormstalker.wordpress.com

The Great Plains Tornado Outbreak of May 3-4, 1999

 

[AJS]

OTD 26 years ago...

May 3, 1999 — The Bridge Creek–Moore Tornado

These projects take an enormous amount of time and effort, but they don’t deserve to be stuck behind a paywall. If you’d like to support my work and ensure these stories remain accessible to all, p…

stormstalker.wordpress.com

The Great Plains Tornado Outbreak of May 3-4, 1999

One of the most legendary tornadoes of all time.

 

[Lake Martin EF4]

One of the most legendary tornadoes of all time.

Yup. My #3 strongest of all time, only behind Tri-State and Piedmont.

 

[AJS]

Yup. My #3 strongest of all time, only behind Tri-State and Piedmont.

I doubt it’s too much of a controversial opinion, but I think Piedmont/El Reno 2011 produced the most extreme contextual damage seen in the EF scale era.