Significant Tornado Events

[AngelAndHisWx]

Can anyone identify this violent looking tornado? Someone on Twitter said it might be from Texas June 8 1995 but to me it looks more like Red Rock 1991.

What book is this? This almost looks like what I remember from that old Seymour Simon tornado book. Also, I am confident that's Red Rock, specifically from Bluestein's crew.

 

[Central Ohio Wx]

What book is this? This almost looks like what I remember from that old Seymour Simon tornado book. Also, I am confident that's Red Rock, specifically from Bluestein's crew.

It also looks a bit like a flipped version of this Wichita Falls (1979) photo, although they aren't the same.

 

[Christopher Robert]

What book is this? This almost looks like what I remember from that old Seymour Simon tornado book. Also, I am confident that's Red Rock, specifically from Bluestein's crew.

Seymour Simon. Got the photo off of Twitter.

In my opinion Red Rock had more violent visual motion in it then Andover.

 

[Central Ohio Wx]

Seymour Simon. Got the photo off of Twitter.

In my opinion Red Rock had more violent motion in it then Andover.

Andover has easily the most impressive windrowing I've ever seen.

 

[Christopher Robert]

Andover has easily the most impressive windrowing I've ever seen.
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I said visual motion not damage. I know the damage at Andover was high end but looking at Red Rock the visual intensity of that thing makes me think the damage would have been worse if it went through a city

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

I said visual motion not damage. I know the damage at Andover was high end but looking at Red Rock the visual intensity of that thing makes me think the damage would have been worse if it went through a city

Considering it managed to topple an oil rig I'd say that Red Rock likely was on par with El Reno-Piedmont-Guthrie in terms of intensity.

 

[Christopher Robert]

I was planning on doing an article on 4/26/91 at one point so I've got a fair bit of stuff collected, including on the Oolagah, Red Rock, Westport/Skiatook and Winfield tornadoes. Gimme a bit and I'll post some of it.

Man I'd like to see this some day. This outbreak and especially Red Rock.

 

[RedLightning05]

Appreciate it!

As for a specific point of damage, that’s a good question. Some things I’m most impressed by contextually to start are definitely the multi-ton steel tanks almost certainly being blown 7 miles and landing in various locations throughout the town. Then there’s the vehicles being blown hundreds of yards, some being stripped to the chassis or ripped in half. There was a pickup truck that landed in someone’s living room that was crushed into a ball no more than a few feet across, and another one that was lodged into the elementary school’s cafeteria. Most impressively, co-op workers told stories that reportedly there were 2 car bumpers 120 feet up on the grain elevator, and that another one left blue paint skid marks 40 feet up from that. Manhole and storm drain covers were removed, and I identified 2 seperate areas where the railroad tracks were bent. The tree and vegetation damage near the lake was also extraordinary to say the least, and is up there with some of the most extreme documented IMO.

Structurally, the damage to the high school obviously sticks out, particularly to the south wing of the school which was totally leveled to the ground in some spots. That section of the school was very well built, and featured “well-built walls that included two layers of brick and mortar, one layer of concrete masonry blocks and mortar, as well as more than 19 mm of plaster on the inside wall,” which lead the initial QRT to rate it EF5.
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Elsewhere, the destruction of entire neighborhoods on the north side of town which featured several homes swept cleanly away, including a large, brick Mennonite church.
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There was also a large, anchored RV business a few stories tall that was largely swept away.
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Then there’s the damage to this church that had been converted to a home that was quite impressive.
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I also go into detail with several aerials and additional photos of extreme damage in this post and further in the same thread. https://talkweather.com/threads/significant-tornado-events.1276/post-162878

To answer your last question, yes I do believe it’s firmly in the list of strongest tornadoes ever documented.

Wow.... I've never seen that angle of the school. I never knew it was hit that bad.

 

[Meso Storm Chasing]

Hey everyone! I just joined. I have a deep interest in tornadoes. However, one of the deeper-interests is vehicle damage from them. I try to identify (if possible) vehicles that are otherwise considered "unrecognizable." Does anyone know what SUV this is? (Last image) This was inflicted by the Ashland, Mississippi EF-4 tornado on December 23, 2015. This took place along Cherry Brown Rd. The damage in general is supportive of EF-3. Trees delimbed (but not debarked), Vehicles rolled a bit, but otherwise not severely damaged. Then the wood-frame residence, with a brick facade, falling in sections. Then there's this outlier. The SUV. Clearly thrown with such violent force, the roof caved in, suspension buckled, all wheels removed. Unsurvivable. My first guess is maybe a Dodge Journey, but I really have no idea. Thanks!

 

[Central Ohio Wx]

Hey everyone! I just joined. I have a deep interest in tornadoes. However, one of the deeper-interests is vehicle damage from them. I try to identify (if possible) vehicles that are otherwise considered "unrecognizable." Does anyone know what SUV this is? (Last image) This was inflicted by the Ashland, Mississippi EF-4 tornado on December 23, 2015. This took place along Cherry Brown Rd. The damage in general is supportive of EF-3. Trees delimbed (but not debarked), Vehicles rolled a bit, but otherwise not severely damaged. Then the wood-frame residence, with a brick facade, falling in sections. Then there's this outlier. The SUV. Clearly thrown with such violent force, the roof caved in, suspension buckled, all wheels removed. Unsurvivable. My first guess is maybe a Dodge Journey, but I really have no idea. Thanks!View attachment 48912View attachment 48913View attachment 48914

Middle photo seems like a gray truck of some sort. Last photo is likely going to be unidentifiable unless some source notes it's model.

Also, are you perchance the same MESO who chased Greensburg? Or just a coincidence.

 

[CheeselandSkies]

Hey everyone! I just joined. I have a deep interest in tornadoes. However, one of the deeper-interests is vehicle damage from them. I try to identify (if possible) vehicles that are otherwise considered "unrecognizable." Does anyone know what SUV this is? (Last image) This was inflicted by the Ashland, Mississippi EF-4 tornado on December 23, 2015. This took place along Cherry Brown Rd. The damage in general is supportive of EF-3. Trees delimbed (but not debarked), Vehicles rolled a bit, but otherwise not severely damaged. Then the wood-frame residence, with a brick facade, falling in sections. Then there's this outlier. The SUV. Clearly thrown with such violent force, the roof caved in, suspension buckled, all wheels removed. Unsurvivable. My first guess is maybe a Dodge Journey, but I really have no idea. Thanks!View attachment 48912View attachment 48913View attachment 48914

Welcome! Whereabouts in Wisconsin are you? We have a few Badger State regulars. Myself and @notsoencrypted from the Madison area, and @DanLarsen34 from Cedarburg.

 

[Meso Storm Chasing]

Middle photo seems like a gray truck of some sort. Last photo is likely going to be unidentifiable unless some source notes it's model.

Also, are you perchance the same MESO who chased Greensburg? Or just a coincidence.

No. Just coincidence. The name is just based on my YouTube channel. I myself started my first-ever summer chase this year. I did get close to the developing EF-1 tornado that hit Gillett, WI on 7-23-2025. Had to get out of its way though, so I never saw it as it touched down. Thanks for the help too!

 

[Meso Storm Chasing]

Welcome! Whereabouts in Wisconsin are you? We have a few Badger State regulars. Myself and @notsoencrypted from the Madison area, and @DanLarsen34 from Cedarburg.

Fellow Wisconsinite! I'm from the Marinette area. In fact, the fatal EF-1 tornado that hit Wausaukee on August 19, 2011 was what started my deep passion in tornadoes. It was the latest mobile home fatality in the state until the Chetek EF-3 in 2017.

 

[CheeselandSkies]

Fellow Wisconsinite! I'm from the Marinette area. In fact, the fatal EF-1 tornado that hit Wausaukee on August 19, 2011 was what started my deep passion in tornadoes. It was the latest mobile home fatality in the state until the Chetek EF-3 in 2017.

Your username kind of reminds me of that of Alex Sahlberg, a young weather enthusiast/aspiring chaser from Duluth, MN. He went by "mesostormspotter" on AOL Instant Messenger (kind of dating myself here), he died suddenly of a severe bout of pneumonia at the age of 18 in the spring of 2005, only about 6 months after I "met" him via AIM.

 

[Meso Storm Chasing]

Your username kind of reminds me of that of Alex Sahlberg, a young weather enthusiast/aspiring chaser from Duluth, MN. He went by "mesostormspotter" on AOL Instant Messenger (kind of dating myself here), he died suddenly of a severe bout of pneumonia at the age of 18 in the spring of 2005, only about 6 months after I "met" him via AIM.

So sorry to hear that. Wish he were still around. I remember AOL a tad bit. The old Weather Channel. Severe Weather Coverage. I was born in 2004. So yeah, I am young still.

 

[Meso Storm Chasing]

A tornado I do not typically see mentions of Violent damage would have to be the Roanoke, Illinois F4.

 

[CheeselandSkies]

A tornado I do not typically see mentions of Violent damage would have to be the Roanoke, Illinois F4.

That was pretty well deserving of its F4 rating based on the damage to that manufacturing plant, and some of the vehicle damage.

That was a day I was anticipating significant wind and tornado potential in southern Wisconsin based on the early day outlooks, but everything ended up getting shunted quite a bit further south.

 

[Meso Storm Chasing]

Is there anybody else in doubt of the EF-5 rating for the Piggly Wiggly in Hackleburg? This is just my speculation, but it would appear that the front brick+cinder block wall fell and crumbled. Then the roof subsequently blew off. The large entrance would've allowed for immense pressure. It was also in the (strong) southerly inflow of the tornado. I also noticed 2 other things. The vehicles in front appear to be pushed against the building. They aren't tossed, no significant debris impacts, etc. The trees behind also show no signs of convergence (no sub-vortex), and the trees are snapped at similar heights (thinking the roof). What are your guy's thoughts?

 

[akt1985]

I just heard on the Weatherbrains podcast that NWS Birmingham added another tornado track to the April 15, 2011 outbreak nearly a decade and a half later.

 

[AJS]

Happy Thanksgiving talkweather family! Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying time with their family today!

Since I can’t take my mind off of severe weather/tornadoes, may as well post some damage photos of what I consider to be a potentially underrated EF5 candidate!



Extreme damage from the 2008 VLT Atkins/Clinton/Zion AR EF4. Taken all around the Zion/Mountain View areas.