Significant Tornado Events

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

On June 7, 1936, what was likely one of the most intense tornadoes in Idaho history struck eastern Nez Perce County. It was narrow and only tracked a 4/5 of a mile but it was intense potentially even violent. Per local newspapers, a sturdy farmhouse was reduced to a bare concrete foundation with debris being scattered up to three miles, a large barn "disappeared," a heavy kitchen range was carried a half a block, threshing machinery was carried over 200 ft, a detached garage was destroyed with the automobile being overturned and moved and a postal card was found over 12 miles away. The two people who lived on the farm were killed with one being thrown from the house and mangled. I'm trying to find more information about this tornado but it sounds like an F4.

A path length under a mile? I wonder if it was longer but was so poorly documented the official version is it's that short. Idaho seems to get intense tornadoes every so often but due to how rugged, rural and remote most of the state is they likely are never documented or it's hard to rate them as they were encounter anything more than desert rock, vegetation or maybe the occasional telephone pole/fence post.
Also, other than the Cheyenne F3 do you know of any violent tornadoes in Wyoming's history? I'm curious to find more information about tornadoes in western states.

 

[pohnpei]

Yeah, Plainfield really isn't that impressive. I blame Fujita for over-inflating its status as being "among the most intense ground scouring/crop damage ever surveyed" (paraphrasing Fujita here, and he seems to have said similar things for lots of events he surveyed, he also seems to be the reason Xenia and Guin have similar reputations, correct me if I'm wrong) but stuff like Plainfield being extraordinarly intense shouldn't be repeated in this thread as certified fact because it really wasn't.

I just wandered what did he say about Jarrell's damage? I believe he must be deeply astonished to Jarrell?

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

I just wandered what did he say about Jarrell's damage? I believe he must be deeply astonished to Jarrell?

Good question, I'm not sure. He died in 1998, a year after Jarrell occurred. He may have been in too poor health to do any more damage surveys by the time Jarrell happened, as I've never been able to find any quotes from him about Jarrell.
Thomas Grazulis might be the guy to ask that question.

 

[A Guy]

A path length under a mile? I wonder if it was longer but was so poorly documented the official version is it's that short. Idaho seems to get intense tornadoes every so often but due to how rugged, rural and remote most of the state is they likely are never documented or it's hard to rate them as they were encounter anything more than desert rock, vegetation or maybe the occasional telephone pole/fence post.

For what it's worth, the Oil Trough AR F4 in the Charles City outbreak has an official path length of only 0.3 or so miles (also about the slowest moving I am aware of). If that's actually correct then under a mile wouldn't be unprecedented, but of course you might also be right about poor documentation.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

For what it's worth, the Oil Trough AR F4 in the Charles City outbreak has an official path length of only 0.3 or so miles (also about the slowest moving I am aware of). If that's actually correct then under a mile wouldn't be unprecedented, but of course you might also be right about poor documentation.

Well if the Idaho tornado was a slow mover that would make sense, but we simply don't know if it was or wasn't. That's what I'm wondering. Also, looked up that Oil Trough tornado and how slow was it moving? Is it possible it was a downburst recorded as a tornado? Or not? Just wondering.

 

[A Guy]

Well if the Idaho tornado was a slow mover that would make sense, but we simply don't know if it was or wasn't. That's what I'm wondering. Also, looked up that Oil Trough tornado and how slow was it moving? Is it possible it was a downburst recorded as a tornado? Or not? Just wondering.

Storm Data gives the path length as 1/4 mile and says it lasted four minutes - which would give 3.75 mph, 4.5 if you use 0.3 miles instead. It also specifies the (normal) direction of movement. The other two I have under 5 mph are Elie, and Granite Falls MN in 2000.

I don't have any more info than that and the Wiki description which cites Grazulis (can't check that reference, good chance there's not even a copy of Significant Tornadoes in the country!) If he didn't think it was a downburst I'm inclined to trust that, and the reported damage sounds greater than might be expected for one. It occurred at night so there's no real way of telling otherwise.

 

[pohnpei]

List of Top 17 highest wind measurement by DOW or RaxPol or AIR or any other mobile radar

1. 1999 Bridge Creek F5 301mph
Height:31m Range Resolution:unknown(1.9km away from radar)
scanned most parts of its life
source:https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/88/1/bams-88-1-31.xml?rskey=gu1dU3&result=1


Tied 1. 2013 El Reno EF3 301/302mph(subvortex)
Height:unknown but below 50m Range Resolution: 30m
scanned a small part of its life but tornado was at peak intensity in second redeployment
source:https://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/full/10.1175/WAF-D-14-00026.1
https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/95/1/bams-d-13-00221.1.xml


3. 2011 El Reno EF5 295.5mph
Height:22m Range Resolution:75m
scanned a very small proportion of its life
tornado was likely stronger when it was far away from radar
source:https://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/full/10.1175/WAF-D-14-00026.1


4. 1991 Red Rock F4 280/286mph
Height:150-190m(?) Range Resolution:unknown
scanned a very small proportion of its life
source:https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/mwre/121/8/1520-0493_1993_121_2200_drwsos_2_0_co_2.xml


5. 2013 Bennington KS EF3 at least 264mph
Height:47m Range Resolution:unknown
likely a large proportion of its life
source:file:///C:/Users/%E9%BB%84%E4%BF%8A%E6%9D%B0/Downloads/ROTATE2013-Poster-2013-0913-g%20(1).pdf


Tied 5. 1998 Spencer SD F4 tornado 264mph
Height:50m Range Resolution:14-57m
entire life, the most perfect case in the history
source:https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/atsc/67/9/2010jas3416.1.xml?rskey=jM106A&result=1
https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/mwre/133/1/mwr-2856.1.xml?rskey=jM106A&result=3


7. 1999 Mulhall F4 257mph(subvortex)
Height: unknown Range Resolution:unknown
scanned a very small proportion of its life, tornado was likely stronger before the deployment of DOW
source:https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/88/1/bams-88-1-31.xml?rskey=gu1dU3&result=1
https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/atsc/62/7/jas3489.1.xml?rskey=8s8hlE&result=1


8. 1991 Mooreland OK F3 234.8mph
Height:unknown Range Resolution:unknown
source:https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/mwre/121/8/1520-0493_1993_121_2200_drwsos_2_0_co_2.xml


9. 2008 Stuttgart AR EF3 228mph
Height:unknown Range Resolution:unknown
unknown
source:February 26-28 2018 Tornado Summit in OKC


10. 2016 Sulphur OK EF3 at least 224mph
Height:17m Range Resolution:unknown
scanned a very small proportion of its life,tornado was likely stronger before the deployment of DOW
source:https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/mwre/148/9/mwrD200033.xml


11. ???? Seward KS F1?? 214.7mph
extremely weird event
source:https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/wefo/28/5/waf-d-12-00127_1.xml

12. 1995 Dimmit TX F2 212.5mph
Height:200m Range Resolution:not sure
source:https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/mwre/128/7/1520-0493_2000_128_2135_frootd_2.0.co_2.xml

13. 2004 Harper KS F4 210mph
Height:40m Range Resolution:25m
scanned most part of its life, including the peak intensity
source:https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2007GL031851

14. Jayton TX F2 around 206mph
source:wait to find

15.2013 Carney OK EF3 203.3mph
Height:103m
source:https://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/full/10.1175/WAF-D-14-00026.1

16. 2003 Stratford OK F? 201.3mph
Height:120m
source:https://ams.confex.com/ams/11aram22sls/techprogram/paper_82352.htm

Tied 16. 2016 Dodge City EF2 201.3mph about 201.3mph
source:https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=641029

If anyone have any information want to add to this list, I will be appreciate. I will keep update it if there are more data.
Winds detected by DOW can still have big difference compared to actual winds inside tornados, especially when tornados carried huge amount of debris or being too far away from radar or having too small core.

 

[speedbump305]

I remember hearing from some website saying that someone said fujita said that jarrell was the closest to an F6 you could get! but i doubt its true because i’ve never heard fujita talk about Jarrell. Grazulis has

 

[CheeselandSkies]

I remember hearing from some website saying that someone said fujita said that jarrell was the closest to an F6 you could get! but i doubt its true because i’ve never heard fujita talk about Jarrell. Grazulis has

That's also been attributed to Fujita RE: Guin, Xenia and others. He died in 1998 and I doubt he did much direct analysis of Jarrell.

 

[speedbump305]

That's also been attributed to Fujita RE: Guin, Xenia and others. He died in 1998 and I doubt he did much direct analysis of Jarrell.

i heard someone say that Guin was weaker than Xenia. i really disagree because Guin seemed like your typical F5 with everything an F5 could do. the ground scouring was the most intense in probably alabama history. I’ve yet to see debarked trees, ground scouring, and mangled cars in Xenia. maybe there was somewhere?

 

[Marshal79344]

Never seen any damage photographs from Trousdale, I know it was 2+ miles wide and had a very intense radar signature (or so I've heard).

The velocity signature on that thing was just on another level

 

[MNTornadoGuy]

A path length under a mile? I wonder if it was longer but was so poorly documented the official version is it's that short. Idaho seems to get intense tornadoes every so often but due to how rugged, rural and remote most of the state is they likely are never documented or it's hard to rate them as they were encounter anything more than desert rock, vegetation or maybe the occasional telephone pole/fence post.
Also, other than the Cheyenne F3 do you know of any violent tornadoes in Wyoming's history? I'm curious to find more information about tornadoes in western states.

Well if the Idaho tornado was a slow mover that would make sense, but we simply don't know if it was or wasn't. That's what I'm wondering. Also, looked up that Oil Trough tornado and how slow was it moving? Is it possible it was a downburst recorded as a tornado? Or not? Just wondering.

The tornado was fast enough to catch the couple off guard after they spotted it approaching the house despite them being familiar with tornadoes as one of the reasons they moved west was to escape the storms. Also, there might be one other potential violent tornadoe in Wyoming besides the 1979 Cheyenne tornado and the 1987 Teton tornado that I'm aware of. It is the 6/8/1930 Hat Creek F3 which destroyed a school and two homes. Pieces of a combine were carried six miles by this tornado.

 

[MNTornadoGuy]

Storm Data gives the path length as 1/4 mile and says it lasted four minutes - which would give 3.75 mph, 4.5 if you use 0.3 miles instead. It also specifies the (normal) direction of movement. The other two I have under 5 mph are Elie, and Granite Falls MN in 2000.

I don't have any more info than that and the Wiki description which cites Grazulis (can't check that reference, good chance there's not even a copy of Significant Tornadoes in the country!) If he didn't think it was a downburst I'm inclined to trust that, and the reported damage sounds greater than might be expected for one. It occurred at night so there's no real way of telling otherwise.

Grazulis says the Oil Trough tornado has a path length of 5 miles.

 

[speedbump305]

Buckeye, if you had to say the most impressive damage done by 5 different EF5 tornadoes what would they be?

 

[eric11]

Has anyone seen this photo yet? It might have been the only photo that shows both the Trousdale and Hopewell on the ground simultaneously.Shawn Adams seems to be the only one who catched the entire lifecycle of big Four, I was curious about how long did the two big guy coexist.

 

[CheeselandSkies]

View attachment 6717
View attachment 6718
Has anyone seen this photo yet? It might have been the only photo that shows both the Trousdale and Hopewell on the ground simultaneously.Shawn Adams seems to be the only one who catched the entire lifecycle of big Four, I was curious about how long did the two big guy coexist.

I've seen it, because I used to follow many chaser's websites including *Shane* Adams'. He used to have an excellent and detailed write-up on there about that chase, unfortunately it appears he's let the domain expire. He does appear to still be active on Twitter, though.

https://twitter.com/passiontwist?lang=en

 

[eric11]

I've seen it, because I used to follow many chaser's websites including *Shane* Adams'. He used to have an excellent and detailed write-up on there about that chase, unfortunately it appears he's let the domain expire. He does appear to still be active on Twitter, though.

https://twitter.com/passiontwist?lang=en

Sorry for misspell his name My bad

 

[speedbump305]

View attachment 6717
View attachment 6718
Has anyone seen this photo yet? It might have been the only photo that shows both the Trousdale and Hopewell on the ground simultaneously.Shawn Adams seems to be the only one who catched the entire lifecycle of big Four, I was curious about how long did the two big guy coexist.

i’d definitely say the left one is the Trousdale one. that tornado just shows how truly big it was. Trousdale would have undoubtedly been an EF5 if it hit something.

 

[eric11]

List of Top 17 highest wind measurement by DOW or RaxPol or AIR or any other mobile radar

1. 1999 Bridge Creek F5 301mph
Height:31m Range Resolution:unknown(1.9km away from radar)
scanned most parts of its life
source:https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/88/1/bams-88-1-31.xml?rskey=gu1dU3&result=1
View attachment 6711

Tied 1. 2013 El Reno EF3 301/302mph(subvortex)
Height:unknown but below 50m Range Resolution: 30m
scanned a small part of its life but tornado was at peak intensity in second redeployment
source:https://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/full/10.1175/WAF-D-14-00026.1
https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/95/1/bams-d-13-00221.1.xml
View attachment 6709

3. 2011 El Reno EF5 295.5mph
Height:22m Range Resolution:75m
scanned a very small proportion of its life
tornado was likely stronger when it was far away from radar
source:https://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/full/10.1175/WAF-D-14-00026.1
View attachment 6713

4. 1991 Red Rock F4 280/286mph
Height:150-190m(?) Range Resolution:unknown
scanned a very small proportion of its life
source:https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/mwre/121/8/1520-0493_1993_121_2200_drwsos_2_0_co_2.xml
View attachment 6706

5. 2013 Bennington KS EF3 at least 264mph
Height:47m Range Resolution:unknown
likely a large proportion of its life
source:file:///C:/Users/%E9%BB%84%E4%BF%8A%E6%9D%B0/Downloads/ROTATE2013-Poster-2013-0913-g%20(1).pdf
View attachment 6708

Tied 5. 1998 Spencer SD F4 tornado 264mph
Height:50m Range Resolution:14-57m
entire life, the most perfect case in the history
source:https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/atsc/67/9/2010jas3416.1.xml?rskey=jM106A&result=1
https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/mwre/133/1/mwr-2856.1.xml?rskey=jM106A&result=3
View attachment 6714

7. 1999 Mulhall F4 257mph(subvortex)
Height: unknown Range Resolution:unknown
scanned a very small proportion of its life, tornado was likely stronger before the deployment of DOW
source:https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/88/1/bams-88-1-31.xml?rskey=gu1dU3&result=1
https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/atsc/62/7/jas3489.1.xml?rskey=8s8hlE&result=1
View attachment 6712

8. 1991 Mooreland OK F3 234.8mph
Height:unknown Range Resolution:unknown
source:https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/mwre/121/8/1520-0493_1993_121_2200_drwsos_2_0_co_2.xml
View attachment 6715

9. 2008 Stuttgart AR EF3 228mph
Height:unknown Range Resolution:unknown
unknown
source:February 26-28 2018 Tornado Summit in OKC
View attachment 6707

10. 2016 Sulphur OK EF3 at least 224mph
Height:17m Range Resolution:unknown
scanned a very small proportion of its life,tornado was likely stronger before the deployment of DOW
source:https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/mwre/148/9/mwrD200033.xml
View attachment 6710

11. ???? Seward KS F1?? 214.7mph
extremely weird event
source:https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/wefo/28/5/waf-d-12-00127_1.xml

12. 1995 Dimmit TX F2 212.5mph
Height:200m Range Resolution:not sure
source:https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/mwre/128/7/1520-0493_2000_128_2135_frootd_2.0.co_2.xml

13. 2004 Harper KS F4 210mph
Height:40m Range Resolution:25m
scanned most part of its life, including the peak intensity
source:https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2007GL031851

14. Jayton TX F2 around 206mph
source:wait to find

15.2013 Carney OK EF3 203.3mph
Height:103m
source:https://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/full/10.1175/WAF-D-14-00026.1

16. 2003 Stratford OK F? 201.3mph
Height:120m
source:https://ams.confex.com/ams/11aram22sls/techprogram/paper_82352.htm

Tied 16. 2016 Dodge City EF2 201.3mph about 201.3mph
source:https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=641029

If anyone have any information want to add to this list, I will be appreciate. I will keep update it if there are more data.
Winds detected by DOW can still have big difference compared to actual winds inside tornados, especially when tornados carried huge amount of debris or being too far away from radar or having too small core.

A little bit more to add
1.Mooreland OK F3 tornado 5/26/1991
This is the same day when Tim marshall managed to capture 13 tors from a tornado producing machine near Eldorado Lake KS.Definitely a high end day for Great Plains but got easily shadowed by 5/10/1991 and 5/16/1991.

2.Stuggart AR/Damascus AR EF3 5/2/2008
Large, rain-wrapped wedge well-documented by VORTEX I and TIV I.Some pods were placed inside tornado's circulation, TIV I may ran into the rear inflow jet of the tornado cuz no obvious wind shift was observed.Strange case, winds measured by DOW, TIV, Pod varied too much.This tornado was responsibe for 5 fatalites, a church was leveled and low-lying shrubbs sustained some light debarking, indicating potential EF4 strength.


3.Jayton TX F2(F3?) 6/12/2005
Large, violently rotating, dark wedge in the rural area in Western Texas.Both video appearance and non official damage indicators suggested an EF4 rating.Cars, Trucks,Farm equipments were thrown long distance.A cotton trailer was thrown 3/10 miles with no ground contact.Tree branches were found stripped of their barks and scattered.Ground scouring was evident with some impact marks.The F2 rating was given probably because DOW measured a 179mph at 80m level according to NWS Lubbock(not clear where the 179 came from)
TIV I once intended to intercept this tornado before Sean was told by Josh Wurman that the tornado was too strong for him to intercept(over 200mph confirmed by Josh).They then veered to east to catch up with another developing supercell, where they finally intercepted another F2 measuring 139mph at 80-100m level.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

View attachment 6717
View attachment 6718
Has anyone seen this photo yet? It might have been the only photo that shows both the Trousdale and Hopewell on the ground simultaneously.Shawn Adams seems to be the only one who catched the entire lifecycle of big Four, I was curious about how long did the two big guy coexist.

I've been trying to find more photographs from this family, I'd love to see more photographs of Trousdale and Hopewell. Also, is there a chance there might be a photograph of Greensburg and Trousdale on the ground simultaneously?