Significant Tornado Events

[Robinson lee]

I'm not sure exactly, I've never sat down and put a list together. I would say Tri-State would be in my top five for sure though. You know what, now I want to make a list lol.

I'd say the the absolute worst of the worst, most violent tornadoes of all time were these, in no particular order:

-Camanche, IA 1860
-Rochester, MN 1883
-Pomeroy, IA 1893
-Sherman, TX 1896
-New Richmond, WI 1899
-Fergus Falls, MN 1919
-Tri-State, 1925
-Rocksprings, TX 1927
-Tupelo, MS 1936
-Oberlin, KS 1942
-Woodward, OK 1947
-Leedey, OK 1947
-Udall, KS 1955
-Dunlap, IN 1965
-Jackson, MS 1966
-Tianjin, China 1969
-San Justo, Argentina 1973
-Brandenburg, KY 1974
-Guin, AL 1974
-Niles, OH 1985
-Bakersfield Valley, TX 1990
-Stratton, NE 1990
-Andover, KS 1991
-Jarrell, TX 1997
-Bridge Creek, OK 1999
-Harper, KS 2004
-Parkersburg, IA 2008
-Smithville, MS 2011
-Philadelphia, MS 2011
-Hackleburg, AL 2011
-Joplin, MO 2011
-El Reno, OK 2011
-Chickasha, OK 2011
-Goldsby, OK 2011
-Moore, OK 2013
-Vilonia, AR 2014
-Chapman, KS 2016

My absolutely subjective top 10:
1.) Smithville, MS
2.) Jarrell, TX
3.) Tri-State Tornado
4.) Bakersfield Valley, TX
5.) Philadelphia, MS
6.) Bridge Creek, OK
7.) Moore, OK
8.) Joplin, MO
9.) Parkersburg, IA
10.) Hackleburg, AL

I absolutely agree with all the tornadoes and ranking opinions in your list. My question is that you didn't put 2011 el reno The reason why Reno tornado is listed in this list is well known. The tornado observed 295mph wind, and the tornado passed through a large area of wild land, but it still left a very considerable peeling in the case of less debris participation. In addition, the damage of tornado to vehicles can be called the strongest in history. Oil well damage and heavy objects throwing are also quite eye-catching, your question about this tornado is because of the house debris emptiness and damage degree？

 

[pohnpei]

the thing about the Trousdale EF3 is that the tornado did very little ground scouring, but the tree damage was more intense than greensburg

I think I can make the comparison of Katie and Sulphur OK tornado on May 9 2016 as an example here. With wind velocity above 100m/s detected by RaxPol very close to the ground, Sulphur Did no scouring at all along its path. While Katie, with much smaller RMW, scour the ground pretty deep at its peak intensity and even scour the ground a litttle when it appeared to be relatively weak in the video. Certainly There was a possibility that winds carried by Katie was stronger than Sulphur, but the gap of their intensity can't be as prominent as what showed on the difference of there ground damage.

 

[buckeye05]

I absolutely agree with all the tornadoes and ranking opinions in your list. My question is that you didn't put 2011 el reno The reason why Reno tornado is listed in this list is well known. The tornado observed 295mph wind, and the tornado passed through a large area of wild land, but it still left a very considerable peeling in the case of less debris participation. In addition, the damage of tornado to vehicles can be called the strongest in history. Oil well damage and heavy objects throwing are also quite eye-catching, your question about this tornado is because of the house debris emptiness and damage degree？

Honestly, it wasn't on the top 10 because I forgot just how insane it was. It deserves a spot on the top 10, but I'm not sure where exactly. But with that said, the 295 MPH winds were recorded in the 2013 El Reno tornado. I recall the winds recorded in 2011 event were in the 270-280 MPH range.

I also don't agree the saying of 13 El Reno was stronger than Moore and the house damage of 13 El Reno was at EF3 level for sure. But,always, the peak wind area of this tornado didn't hit any structure. It is always very hard to figure out how strong a tornado is if it only hit several trees or poles at its peak intensity.
The DOW winds at least prove one thing: it was an EF3 tornado in terms of damage, but not an EF3 level tornado certainly.
By the way, it stripped a long section of asphalt near its peak intensity.

El Reno 2013 scoured pavement? I just remember it removing gravel from roads, but not asphalt. Are there photos that show this?

 

[speedbump305]

I absolutely agree with all the tornadoes and ranking opinions in your list. My question is that you didn't put 2011el The reason why Reno tornado is listed in this list is well known. The tornado observed 295mph wind, and the tornado passed through a large area of wild land, but it still left a very considerable peeling in the case of less debris participation. In addition, the damage of tornado to vehicles can be called the strongest in history. Oil well damage and heavy objects throwing are also quite eye-catching, your question about this tornado is because of the house debris emptiness and damage degree

I think the 295 mph is the 2013 El Reno and 280 Mph is for the 2011 El Reno. And good lord. the tree damage, ground scouring, and vehicle damage is up there with the 4/27/11 Tornadoes. in my opinion here’s the ranking for the tornadoes of 2011

1: Tie between El Reno and Smithville
2: Hackleburg
3: Philadelphia
4: Joplin
5: Rainsville

am i the only one who think the 2011 El Reno Tornado was more intense than Joplin, 2013 Moore, Hackleburg, Bridge Creek, Andover, Parkersburg, Greensburg, Guin, and philadelphia. I think the 2011 El Reno Was by far one of the most violent tornadoes of all time

The Home damage was extremely intense

the oil rig damage what else can i say that hasn’t been said

the extremely severe ground scouring and tree damage

the home damage along i-40

i feel like this tornado was one of the most violent on record and is pretty underrated. it’s definitely worse than Andover, Bridge Creek, Greensburg, Parkersburg, Rainsville, Hackleburg, and Moore 2013. i’m sorry if y’all don’t agree. but i really do agree this tornado was stronger than both Moore Tornadoes. it produced more impressive tree, scouring, and vehicle damage. sorry if y’all don’t agree. but here’s my opinion on the 2011 El Reno Tornado

 

[speedbump305]

I think I can make the comparison of Katie and Sulphur OK tornado on May 9 2016 as an example here. With wind velocity above 100m/s detected by RaxPol very close to the ground, Sulphur Did no scouring at all along its path. While Katie, with much smaller RMW, scour the ground pretty deep at its peak intensity and even scour the ground a litttle when it appeared to be relatively weak in the video. Certainly There was a possibility that winds carried by Katie was stronger than Sulphur, but the gap of their intensity can't be as prominent as what showed on the difference of there ground damage.

Katie has some of the most violent motion i’ve ever seen.

 

[pohnpei]

Honestly, it wasn't on the top 10 because I forgot just how insane it was. It deserves a spot on the top 10, but I'm not sure where exactly. But with that said, the 295 MPH winds were recorded in the 2013 El Reno tornado. I recall the winds recorded in 2011 event were in the 270-280 MPH range.


El Reno 2013 scoured pavement? I just remember it removing gravel from roads, but not asphalt. Are there photos that show this?

Some Considerations for the Use of High-Resolution Mobile Radar Data in Tornado Intensity Determination

Abstract The increasing number of mobile Doppler radars used in field campaigns across the central United States has led to an increasing number of high-resolution radar datasets of strong tornadoes. There are more than a few instances in which the radar-measured radial velocities substantially...

journals.ametsoc.org

Winds recorded in 2011 event reached 295.5mph based on this article. (at 2100:39, which I believe was the so called ground relative winds calculated from radar velocity , 280mph was just velocity at 2100:26) Winds recorded in 2013 event was about 302mph, which also can be found in this article.
What really impressive about 2011's event was that it was still more than 4Km away when the peak winds recorded by RaxPol, leading to the resolution range as large as 75m. The tornado quickly moved away from radar, but it still recorded wind velocity over 100m/s more than 12Km away!! Considering the height and resolution range at this distance, the tornado must be phenomenon strong at this time.(near Cataus 117 site)
I have never heard any tornado have this level wind that far away from DOW/RaxPol

 

[pohnpei]

Honestly, it wasn't on the top 10 because I forgot just how insane it was. It deserves a spot on the top 10, but I'm not sure where exactly. But with that said, the 295 MPH winds were recorded in the 2013 El Reno tornado. I recall the winds recorded in 2011 event were in the 270-280 MPH range.


El Reno 2013 scoured pavement? I just remember it removing gravel from roads, but not asphalt. Are there photos that show this?

I have that pavement scouring picture in my computer which is way from my hand now. I can find it out later or you can also search on damage viewer of this tornado. I am sure the photo was there.

 

[pohnpei]

Katie has some of the most violent motion i’ve ever seen.

Yes, the motion was deeply impressive at its peak.(I forget that road's name.) When tornado moved on, there were largely debarked shrubs, mangled cars, destroyed houses(not exactly direct hit), real ground scouring left behind and can be found in numerous chaser's video, matching with the violent motion presented.

 

[CheeselandSkies]

Some Considerations for the Use of High-Resolution Mobile Radar Data in Tornado Intensity Determination

Abstract The increasing number of mobile Doppler radars used in field campaigns across the central United States has led to an increasing number of high-resolution radar datasets of strong tornadoes. There are more than a few instances in which the radar-measured radial velocities substantially...

journals.ametsoc.org

Winds recorded in 2011 event reached 295.5mph based on this article. (at 2100:39, which I believe was the so called ground relative winds calculated from radar velocity , 280mph was just velocity at 2100:26) Winds recorded in 2013 event was about 302mph, which also can be found in this article.
What really impressive about 2011's event was that it was still more than 4Km away when the peak winds recorded by RaxPol, leading to the resolution range as large as 75m. The tornado quickly moved away from radar, but it still recorded wind velocity over 100m/s more than 12Km away!! Considering the height and resolution range at this distance, the tornado must be phenomenon strong at this time.(near Cataus 117 site)
I have never heard any tornado have this level wind that far away from DOW/RaxPol

That was an extremely impressive tornado, exceedingly fortunate that it didn't impact a more populated area of central Oklahoma. The Chickasha EF4 (widely considered underrated) also from that day was on track to parallel the 5/3/99 track up I-44 into the Moore/Norman/Newcastle area, but lifted just before doing so (I think the storm was disrupted by a left split thrown off by the cell to the south, which was producing the (also widely considered underrated) Goldsby EF4. Unfortunately, that only ended up giving them a two-year reprieve.

 

[speedbump305]

If you had to say the 5 most impressive feats of tornado damage ever observed in 5 different tornadoes what would they be?

 

[pohnpei]

That was an extremely impressive tornado, exceedingly fortunate that it didn't impact a more populated area of central Oklahoma. The Chickasha EF4 (widely considered underrated) also from that day was on track to parallel the 5/3/99 track up I-44 into the Moore/Norman/Newcastle area, but lifted just before doing so (I think the storm was disrupted by a left split thrown off by the cell to the south, which was producing the (also widely considered underrated) Goldsby EF4. Unfortunately, that only ended up giving them a two-year reprieve.

Yes, it was hard to compare tornado's intensity just through radar and there was some differences between DOW3 and RaxPol. But I have to say that Bridge Creek paralleled along I 44 for a long time, giving DOW3 a near perfect chance to scan the peak winds. The position of El Reno11 was not that ideal for measurement yet still got very impressive winds.

 

[speedbump305]

Yes, it was hard to compare tornado's intensity just through radar and there was some differences between DOW3 and RaxPol. But I have to say that Bridge Creek paralleled along I 44 for a long time, giving DOW3 a near perfect chance to scan the peak winds. The position of El Reno11 was not that ideal for measurement yet still got very impressive winds.

i Get really mad when people say Jarrell was an over glorified F5 and it could have been done by F3 winds. FIRST OF ALL. how do F3 winds scour the ground up to 18 inches reducing the ground to mud, how to F3 winds crumple vehicles so severely, how to F3 winds do damage to several foundations, how do F3 winds cause 12 vehicles to be missing, how do F3 winds cause 500 feet of asphalt to be scoured, how do F3 winds debark trees so severely, and how do F3 winds tear away carpet, flooring, anchors, and flooring!! ITS INSANELY INSANE! Jarrell was a once in a 100 year event and is untouched. Only El Reno 2011 and Smithville come close for me

 

[Marshal79344]

The true intensity of the 2011 El Reno Tornado is very underappreciated, definitely in my top five for all tornadoes since the 2000s

 

[speedbump305]

The true intensity of the 2011 El Reno Tornado is very underappreciated, definitely in my top five for all tornadoes since the 2000s

if i had to make the top 5 most violent tornadoes of the 2000s/2010s, El Reno and Smithville take the top 2 no question

 

[pohnpei]

The true intensity of the 2011 El Reno Tornado is very underappreciated, definitely in my top five for all tornadoes since the 2000s

Oh, calm down man. I know NIST said this in an article about Jarrell. I remember they said most of houses in Texas can be blow away under winds of F3 level or something.
F/EF scale was developed to judge intensity of both tornados and hurricanes. I know several hurricanes' damage was rated by F scale like Andrew and Katrina. But they just fail to explain why there were still a large proportion of houses suffered very little roof damage when C5 made landfall. No way peak winds on these houses were below 38 m/s or something under C5 hurricane. Something must went wrong here.

 

[speedbump305]

Oh, calm down man. I know NIST said this in an article about Jarrell. I remember they said most of houses in Texas can be blow away under winds of F3 level or something.
F/EF scale was developed to judge intensity of both tornados and hurricanes. I know several hurricanes' damage was rated by F scale like Andrew and Katrina. But they just fail to explain why there were still a large proportion of houses suffered very little roof damage when C5 made landfall. No way peak winds on these houses were below 38 m/s or something under C5 hurricane. Something must went wrong here.

the only time i remember a hurricane causing F5 type damage was the 1780 hurricane. it apparently ripped bark off trees.

 

[Marshal79344]

Oh, calm down man. I know NIST said this in an article about Jarrell. I remember they said most of houses in Texas can be blow away under winds of F3 level or something.
F/EF scale was developed to judge intensity of both tornados and hurricanes. I know several hurricanes' damage was rated by F scale like Andrew and Katrina. But they just fail to explain why there were still a large proportion of houses suffered very little roof damage when C5 made landfall. No way peak winds on these houses were below 38 m/s or something under C5 hurricane. Something must went wrong here.

Were you talking to me or?

 

[pohnpei]

the only time i remember a hurricane causing F5 type damage was the 1780 hurricane. it apparently ripped bark off trees.

With no clear photo available, I would not call it F5 damage easily. For criteria of EF scale nowadays, it was impossible for hurricane winds alone to make EF4 damage, let alone EF5 damage. The most intense tropical cyclone wind damage ever photographed must be Typhoon Haiyan 2013 in Guiuan. It also represent the upper limit of TC wind damage because it was just impossible to top this storm a lot in terms of intensity.

 

[pohnpei]

Were you talking to me or?'

Oh I should reply to speedbump305, My apologize.

 

[MNTornadoGuy]

I also don't agree the saying of 13 El Reno was stronger than Moore and the house damage of 13 El Reno was at EF3 level for sure. But,always, the peak wind area of this tornado didn't hit any structure. It is always very hard to figure out how strong a tornado is if it only hit several trees or poles at its peak intensity.
The DOW winds at least prove one thing: it was an EF3 tornado in terms of damage, but not an EF3 level tornado certainly.
By the way, it stripped a long section of asphalt near its peak intensity.

It didn't scour asphalt it scoured the surface of gravel roads which is not unusual in intense tornadoes and it doesn't take much.