Significant Tornado Events

[MNTornadoGuy]

They were also rain-wrapped, fast-moving wedges riding a 'boundary' of some sort and very deadly. They were also both around 1.25-1.3 miles at their widest. Of course, Hackleburg's deadliness is much more shocking given how well-prepared people in the path of it were, whereas Tri-State it's somewhat not surprising given the lack of knowledge of tornadoes and a public warning system back then. Also, the Yazoo City, MS tornado of 2010 is probably a pretty good analog for Tri-State as well, it was on the ground for 149.25 miles for 164 minutes and maxed out at 1.75 miles in width. It left a massive stretch of F3-EF4 damage along almost it's entire path so it undoubtedly achieved EF5 intensity but didn't hit any DI's capable of registering it. The only reason it only killed 10 people is because the majority of it's path was through unpopulated forestland and farmland, only clipping the southwestern side of Yazoo City.

I haven't seen any tree or vegetation damage from Yazoo City MS tornado suggesting anything higher than EF4 intensity.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

I haven't seen any tree or vegetation damage from Yazoo City MS tornado suggesting anything higher than EF4 intensity.

Same here, of course there's likely a ton of photographs of it we haven't seen and likely aren't easy to find. I mean, a tornado that's on the ground for nearly 3 hours undoubtedly hits EF5 at some point. I've seen aerial photos of forest, not so much ground level, is there no debarking of trees or annihilation of low-lying vegetation from it?

 

[MNTornadoGuy]

Same here, of course there's likely a ton of photographs of it we haven't seen and likely aren't easy to find. I mean, a tornado that's on the ground for nearly 3 hours undoubtedly hits EF5 at some point. I've seen aerial photos of forest, not so much ground level, is there no debarking of trees or annihilation of low-lying vegetation from it?

Speaking of the Tri-State Tornado, the damage analysis by Doswell lists some very violent damage that the tornado produced. Here are some examples;
Bollinger County: A school was swept away and the concrete foundation was broken.

Hamilton County: Concrete steps were blown over and the church the steps were located at was blown away.

Franklin County: The CEI railroad bridge north of West Frankfort was blown off its pillars and 300 ft of rails near the bridge were torn off.

Franklin County: The Illinois Central RR Bridge was 1/8 mile long and it was shifted 7 feet off of the foundation pillars. The pump station and water tank nearby were demolished.

Hamilton County: The iron road bridge was lifted up and blown east for 300 to 400 feet before falling back down into the creek.

 

[FelipeFreitas]

I'd say at least EF3 for sure. Why no rating?

There is no definitive body that makes an official classification of tornadoes in Brazil. Classifications are sometimes made by private institutes or universities.

Francisco Beltrão, state of Paraná, Brazil - 2015
This tornado received no rating.

On the same date, a second tornado also affected Mariópolis in the state of Paraná, Brazil.

 

[FelipeFreitas]

In May 2004, two tornadoes occurred in the state of São Paulo, Brazil.

This was classified as F3.




This was classified as F2.

 

[MNTornadoGuy]

In May 2004, two tornadoes occurred in the state of São Paulo, Brazil.

This was classified as F3.

View attachment 5128
View attachment 5129

This was classified as F2.

View attachment 5130

That's some impressive scouring.

 

[FelipeFreitas]

Indaiatuba, São Paulo - 2005
It was classified as F3 and was also the first tornado filmed in Brazil.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

Speaking of the Tri-State Tornado, the damage analysis by Doswell lists some very violent damage that the tornado produced. Here are some examples;
Bollinger County: A school was swept away and the concrete foundation was broken.

Hamilton County: Concrete steps were blown over and the church the steps were located at was blown away.

Franklin County: The CEI railroad bridge north of West Frankfort was blown off its pillars and 300 ft of rails near the bridge were torn off.

Franklin County: The Illinois Central RR Bridge was 1/8 mile long and it was shifted 7 feet off of the foundation pillars. The pump station and water tank nearby were demolished.

Hamilton County: The iron road bridge was lifted up and blown east for 300 to 400 feet before falling back down into the creek.

Yeah, in Franklin, Hamilton and White County, IL it seems to have been at its maxima, it's a shame that it's so hard to find damage photographs from those areas. What's impressive is that despite those 3 counties being entirely rural and with a low population density the tornado still managed to kill at least 65 farmers in Hamtion and White County. In fact, much of the Tri-State's path has the problem common to many older F5s, where the most extreme damage and hardest-hit areas were sparsely photographed. Always wondered why that is, perhaps empty foundations are less photogenic than damaged but still standing houses?

This post from page 1 by locomusic01 (wish he was still around) demonstrates examples of this: https://talkweather.com/threads/significant-tornado-events.1276/#post-31719 I recommend checking out the photos there has:

Quoting him directly: "Tri-State is another case where the photos are impressive, but still don't even show the most impressive damage accounts you can find. Like, this home in Bollinger County, MO, was destroyed and the damage is clearly intense, but it was also on the southern edge of the damage path. Just to the north, witnesses reported that trees were "reduced to naked stumps" and the grass was "stripped bare and scoured of several inches of soil."

Another quote: "The large and well-built home of Perry County District Judge Claus Stueve, near Frohna, was also largely swept away. Two people were killed and there was reportedly intense vegetation damage in the area, which you can sort of see in the photo."

This post from another has a picture of White County, IL damage in which a house was so badly annihilated you can barely tell what it was: https://talkweather.com/threads/significant-tornado-events.1276/page-54#post-48990

 

[MNTornadoGuy]

Yeah, in Franklin, Hamilton and White County, IL it seems to have been at its maxima, it's a shame that it's so hard to find damage photographs from those areas. What's impressive is that despite those 3 counties being entirely rural and with a low population density the tornado still managed to kill at least 65 farmers in Hamtion and White County. In fact, much of the Tri-State's path has the problem common to many older F5s, where the most extreme damage and hardest-hit areas were sparsely photographed. Always wondered why that is, perhaps empty foundations are less photogenic than damaged but still standing houses?

This post from page 1 by locomusic01 (wish he was still around) demonstrates examples of this: https://talkweather.com/threads/significant-tornado-events.1276/#post-31719 I recommend checking out the photos there has:

Quoting him directly: "Tri-State is another case where the photos are impressive, but still don't even show the most impressive damage accounts you can find. Like, this home in Bollinger County, MO, was destroyed and the damage is clearly intense, but it was also on the southern edge of the damage path. Just to the north, witnesses reported that trees were "reduced to naked stumps" and the grass was "stripped bare and scoured of several inches of soil."

Another quote: "The large and well-built home of Perry County District Judge Claus Stueve, near Frohna, was also largely swept away. Two people were killed and there was reportedly intense vegetation damage in the area, which you can sort of see in the photo."

This post from another has a picture of White County, IL damage in which a house was so badly annihilated you can barely tell what it was: https://talkweather.com/threads/significant-tornado-events.1276/page-54#post-48990

Numerous farms in that those three counties were reported to have been “swept clean.” Also the tornado also seems to have reached extreme intensity in Bollinger-Perry County MO.

 

[MNTornadoGuy]

Indaiatuba, São Paulo - 2005
It was classified as F3 and was also the first tornado filmed in Brazil.

View attachment 5131

Wow that tornado is massive. Are there any damage photographs of the aftermath?

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

Numerous farms in that those three counties were reported to have been “swept clean.” Also the tornado also seems to have reached extreme intensity in Bollinger-Perry County MO.

I thought the damage and fatality rates were way more extreme on the Illinois portion of the path, especially since only 13 fatalities were recorded in Missouri (which makes me wonder if it was part of a family that started in Missouri). Do you mean it became more powerful in Bollinger-Perry County, MO portions of the path?

 

[MNTornadoGuy]

I thought the damage and fatality rates were way more extreme on the Illinois portion of the path, especially since only 13 fatalities were recorded in Missouri (which makes me wonder if it was part of a family that started in Missouri). Do you mean it became more powerful in Bollinger-Perry County, MO portions of the path?

I don’t think it was more powerful than the Franklin-White County portion of the path but it was probably second or third in intensity to it. In the Bollinger-Perry County portion; well-built homes were swept away, shrubbery/trees shredded and debarked, the concrete foundation of a school broken and several inches of topsoil scoured.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

I don’t think it was more powerful than the Franklin-White County portion of the path but it was probably second or third in intensity to it. In the Bollinger-Perry County portion; well-built homes were swept away, shrubbery/trees shredded and debarked, the concrete foundation of a school broken and several inches of topsoil scoured.

What I can't understand is how there is such a low fatality rate in the Missouri portion of the path despite all of that intensity.
Anyways, while we're on that topic the 2013 study concluded that it is likely that the 174 mile-long segment from central Madison County, MO to Pike County, IN was the result of one continuous tornado, and that the 151 mile-long segment from central Bollinger County, MO to western Pike County, IN was very likely the result of a single continuous tornado. Either of these two values still holds the record for the longest recorded tornado track.
I personally believe the first 50-60 miles of the track were of 1 or 2 separate tornadoes in the F3-F4 range of intensity and that the damage in Shannon, Reynolds and Iron County, Missouri was done by a separate tornado or tornadoes. I think the Madison County portion is where the main tornado begins, specifically in areas between the towns of Fredericktown and Cherokee Pass, MO where U.S. Route 67 crosses today (Missouri native here). The descriptions of the funnel change dramatically here, as it is described as steadily growing larger, and quickly shrouded in rain.
What's really incredible is that both 151 and 174-mile long paths still take you through all 3 states. What's even more incredible is that due to the very little gaps found in the majority of its path it was likely at F5 intensity for at least 100 miles and likely up to ~150 miles. Hackleburg did an incredible amount of miles of EF5 damage, but it still isn't even close to the Tri-State Tornado. Just unreal.

 

[MNTornadoGuy]

What I can't understand is how there is such a low fatality rate in the Missouri portion of the path despite all of that intensity.
Anyways, while we're on that topic the 2013 study concluded that it is likely that the 174 mile-long segment from central Madison County, MO to Pike County, IN was the result of one continuous tornado, and that the 151 mile-long segment from central Bollinger County, MO to western Pike County, IN was very likely the result of a single continuous tornado. Either of these two values still holds the record for the longest recorded tornado track.
I personally believe the first 50-60 miles of the track were of 1 or 2 separate tornadoes in the F3-F4 range of intensity and that the damage in Shannon, Reynolds and Iron County, Missouri was done by a separate tornado or tornadoes. I think the Madison County portion is where the main tornado begins, specifically in areas between the towns of Fredericktown and Cherokee Pass, MO where U.S. Route 67 crosses today (Missouri native here). The descriptions of the funnel change dramatically here, as it is described as steadily growing larger, and quickly shrouded in rain.
What's really incredible is that both 151 and 174-mile long paths still take you through all 3 states. What's even more incredible is that due to the very little gaps found in the majority of its path it was likely at F5 intensity for at least 100 miles and likely up to ~150 miles. Hackleburg did an incredible amount of miles of EF5 damage, but it still isn't even close to the Tri-State Tornado. Just unreal.

The Tri-State Tornado formed under incredibly rare conditions and it is probably a one in 400 year event. The environment on that day was also intense enough to spawn 2 other high end F4s (possibly F5s) in TN and KY.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

The Tri-State Tornado formed under incredibly rare conditions and it is probably a one in 400 year event. The environment on that day was also intense enough to spawn 2 other high end F4s (possibly F5s) in TN and KY.

What exactly were the "incredibly rare conditions" that allowed for it?

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

Indaiatuba, São Paulo - 2005
It was classified as F3 and was also the first tornado filmed in Brazil.

View attachment 5131

In that pic on the right you can see multiple vortices illuminated in the power flashes.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

So the Lawrenceburg, TN F5 of 1998 apparently produced very intense ground scouring, with at least one grassy pasture reportedly reduced to bare soil and dirt clumps. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find photographs of this, but it was apparently Philadelphia, MS-like, with the earth deeply plowed up in some areas. I was however, able to find photos of another pasture that the tornado moved though, and produced similar deep scouring, albeit on a smaller scale. You can see it caused deep, patchy scouring almost identical to that produced on 4/27 by Cordova, Smithville, and Philadelphia. I believe this is likely a hallmark indicative of a remarkably violent Dixie-alley event, with the strange appearance being caused by dense, clay-laden southern soil being dug up by extremely violent suction vortices. I wonder if there are other incidents of this kind of scouring that occurred in historic Dixie events, but have been lost to time?

Also, in case anyone hasn't seen the Cordova scouring, as it doesn't get mentioned much. Like I said, very similar.

This footage of the "Forgotten F5" may also interest you. Around 2:35 or so you can see what looks like a very large object getting lofted into the air around the bottom left of the tornado (perhaps a grain elevator or silo):


Here's a screenshot for reference:

 

[buckeye05]

That soil photograph from Lawrenceburg is interesting, it looks like a large object was bounced into the soil several times and made those marks.

Here's spectacular footage of it. Around 3:30 it hits a house. The rapid forward speed and rotation of the funnel are quite impressive:

The crazy thing is that it wasn’t an object though. Dense southern soil just seems to scour in that odd, patchy pattern.

Now I could be wrong, but I think you can actually see the scouring taking place in the video you posted. Starting at 4:09, there are several points where there appears to be an “explosion” of dirt that violently spirals around the funnel. I strongly suspect that what we’re seeing there, is the ground literally failing and being thrown into the air by extremely intense suction vortices.

 

[buckeye05]

That soil photograph from Lawrenceburg is interesting, it looks like a large object was bounced into the soil several times and made those marks.

Here's spectacular footage of it. Around 3:30 it hits a house. The rapid forward speed and rotation of the funnel are quite impressive:

The crazy thing is that it wasn’t an object though. Dense southern soil just seems to scour in that odd, patchy pattern.

I think you can actually see the scouring taking place in the video you posted. There are several points where there appears to be an “explosion” of dirt that violently spirals around the funnel. I strongly suspect that what we’re seeing there is the ground literally failing and being thrown into the air by extremely intense suction vortices.

 

[J-Rab]

The crazy thing is that it wasn’t an object though. Dense southern soil just seems to scour in that odd, patchy pattern.

I think you can actually see the scouring taking place in the video you posted. There are several points where there appears to be an “explosion” of dirt that violently spirals around the funnel. I strongly suspect that what we’re seeing there is the ground literally failing and being thrown into the air by extremely intense suction vortices.

I noticed that when I watched that video a little bit ago. I wasn’t sure what it was that was spiraling up the funnel, but now that you say that, it certainly could be from scouring. It was brief enough to just be a patch of soil from a field. It happened about three or four times in just a few seconds and might indeed be that field that has a few patches of scouring.

If it is... that is some nice detective work on your part.