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warneagle

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So, hypothetically, if I were to do one more article (primarily focused on a single tornado to keep the workload more manageable), what would y'all like to see? A few I've considered at various points: 1899 New Richmond, 1913 Omaha, 1980 Grand Island "Night of the Twisters," 1966 Topeka, 1990 Plainfield, 2013 Moore, 2008 Parkersburg, 1919 Fergus Falls, 2011 El Reno/Chickasha/Goldsby, 1955 Blackwell/Udall, 2018 Carr Fire/Redding Fire Tornado, etc.

I've also kicked around the idea of doing a different form of article, but I'm not sure what. Maybe some kind of very broad overview of the worst outbreaks (though that's less interesting IMO), a rundown of some of the "strongest ever" contenders, maybe something breaking down the most extraordinary specific instances/types of damage or whatever.

Not sure what, if anything, I'll do from here, but I have to admit getting back into it has reminded me why I love it. Anyway, been drinking a bit so hopefully I'm not rambling too much lol
One I'd like to know more about that I think hasn't had a ton written about it is Jordan, IA 1976. There's a wicked-looking photo of it that was my desktop background back at home.
 

locomusic01

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or 1985 Niles-Wheatland tornado, although that one is part of a larger outbreak which you might not want to do, not sure. Given how unusual the 1985 outbreak is I think it'd deserve a thorough treatment from your blog.
Honestly, that outbreak has long been #1 on my list. It's an extraordinary event in a bunch of different ways, plus it occurred (partly) in my home state, which.. does not happen often. I've been gathering photos and research and I started putting together info for people I'd like to contact about it.

I've always stayed away because I didn't wanna do it unless I could cover it as well as it deserves. I've got it to a point where I think it's at least possible now, but it's gonna take a huge amount of work and I'm just not sure it's worth that anymore. I dunno. I should've stopped drinking a while ago I think.
 

locomusic01

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One I'd like to know more about that I think hasn't had a ton written about it is Jordan, IA 1976. There's a wicked-looking photo of it that was my desktop background back at home.
Whoo,ps yeah Jordan should've been on there as well. I never got too far into it, but I started a file on Jordan a few years ago and planned to get to it eventually.
 
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Total shot in the dark here but it'd be awesome if you could do something on the 1995 Pampa, TX tornado and small regional outbreak associated with it (perhaps you could interview damage surveyors or stormchasers from that day as the damage survey results seem to have been accidentally discarded). Hopefully you don't close up shop too soon on your blog.

For relatively modern (home video/NEXRAD-era) events and being thoroughly scientifically documented by VORTEX, the June 2 and 8, 1995 TX Panhandle outbreaks really are enigmas in terms of the damage and what actually transpired on the ground in the path of the tornadoes. Quite strange given how uncommonly destructive they were for the region (despite being a well-regarded/active chase region, the Panhandle and Western North Texas are so sparsely populated that it's unusual to have an outbreak with multiple tornadoes rated E/F3+ simply due to lack of DIs.

What little information I have been able to come across on these events, has mostly if not all been thanks to this thread.
 

locomusic01

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All those ideas sound like they'd be great subject matter for your site, but for me personally, I think the idea of articles covering New Richmond and Fergus Falls excites me the most. I'd be incredibly interested in learning more about those, as they were likely some of the most violent ever recorded imo, and they happened so long ago, that I bet there are a lot of fascinating details that could be dug up that would otherwise be lost to time.

An article covering the F5s and most significant tornadoes of the 1974 Super Outbreak would be incredible too, as I feel that for whatever reason, was somewhat poorly documented for being relatively recent, or at least the information didn't "make it" through the transition to the internet age.
I actually started on New Richmond before I decided on 5/3/99. Well, by "started" I mean set up a new work project, added a few things and then switched lol. But I had every intention of doing that tornado before I had a change of heart.
 
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One I'd like to know more about that I think hasn't had a ton written about it is Jordan, IA 1976. There's a wicked-looking photo of it that was my desktop background back at home.
We discussed it in this thread a while back:


I don't think Jordan would be rated EF5 nowadays, as the most extreme damage was largely went it was out of the town and while Fujita said it was among the most intense he'd surveyed you have to realize it was very early in his career, highly doubtful he'd say the same about Jordan if it had occurred in 1996 instead of 1976.
 
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For relatively modern (home video/NEXRAD-era) events and being thoroughly scientifically documented by VORTEX, the June 2 and 8, 1995 TX Panhandle outbreaks really are enigmas in terms of the damage and what actually transpired on the ground in the path of the tornadoes. Quite strange given how uncommonly destructive they were for the region (despite being a well-regarded/active chase region, the Panhandle and Western North Texas are so sparsely populated that it's unusual to have an outbreak with multiple tornadoes rated E/F3+ simply due to lack of DIs.

What little information I have been able to come across on these events, has mostly if not all been thanks to this thread.
I think 4-5 years ago Chuck Doswell traveled down to Pampa, TX and surrounding areas in order to gather information on tornadoes from this outbreak as so little is known about them, not sure if he had any luck though.
 
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I think 4-5 years ago Chuck Doswell traveled down to Pampa, TX and surrounding areas in order to gather information on tornadoes from this outbreak as so little is known about them, not sure if he had any luck though.

That makes sense, as I believe he chased it and took one of the famous videos of Pampa that was heavily featured in many a late '90s/early 2000s tornado documentary.

I am also a train buff, and I just ran across this image taken at Friona in the aftermath of the F4 that hit there:

 
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What I really need, I think, is a very rich old man whose dream in life is to pay someone a bunch of money to write tornado articles for him.

Anybody know how Bill Gates feels about tornadoes?
Perhaps you could join TornadoTalk at some point, so your talent could be put to use on a platform where more then 10 people read your blog entries. Lol.
Seriously though, they've covered lots of obscure events (like 1944 Appalachia outbreak, for instance) and might actually pay you to write stuff for them. You could upload your entries onto it at some point, if they allow it. Who knows?
 
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Random, but an oddball event. A rare violent tornado in Virginia. Richmond, Virginia to be specific. It occurred on August 6, 1993 and is notable for how narrow it's damage was. A building between two others collapsed while the two adjoining it did not. It also cut a huge gash through the local Walmart. A picture of the Walmart was in a bunch of National Geographic documentaries, magazine articles and my Klutz! Disaster Book that I had as a kid (ah, the 90s).

https://richmond.com/weather/memori...cle_c16435a1-ff32-500d-a76d-1de5fd1a5eb3.html
 

MNTornadoGuy

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I was thinking about doing a tornado history blog at one point but I decided against it as I really don't have the time and my writing skills are pretty meager and I'm not really one for interviewing.
 
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Pretty amazing, both of these photos are taken within a mile of the Bridge Creek–Moore tornado dissipating, and yet it's still violent right to the end.



I think lots of high-end events are violent to the very end, it'd be interesting to track down damage photographs of violent long-tracked tornadoes and to see how much extreme damage there was within the last mile or so of their path.
I read somewhere that some tornadoes actually do their most intense damage while in the dissipating (rope) phase, as the narrowing and constriction of the funnel accelerates the wind speeds, which is likely what happened with Elie, Manitoba.
 
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andyhb

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So, hypothetically, if I were to do one more article (primarily focused on a single tornado to keep the workload more manageable), what would y'all like to see? A few I've considered at various points: 1899 New Richmond, 1913 Omaha, 1980 Grand Island "Night of the Twisters," 1966 Topeka, 1990 Plainfield, 2013 Moore, 2008 Parkersburg, 1919 Fergus Falls, 2011 El Reno/Chickasha/Goldsby, 1955 Blackwell/Udall, 2018 Carr Fire/Redding Fire Tornado, etc.

I've also kicked around the idea of doing a different form of article, but I'm not sure what. Maybe some kind of very broad overview of the worst outbreaks (though that's less interesting IMO), a rundown of some of the "strongest ever" contenders, maybe something breaking down the most extraordinary specific instances/types of damage or whatever.

Not sure what, if anything, I'll do from here, but I have to admit getting back into it has reminded me why I love it. Anyway, been drinking a bit so hopefully I'm not rambling too much lol
Blackwell/Udall and New Richmond get my vote from these picks.
 
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I came into the article like a lot of people probably - I knew it was really intense, but maybe not historically so. I definitely had to reevaluate my opinion on that lol. For my money, I'd say it's as violent as any tornado I've ever researched.

Jim LaDue was involved in the survey and he said that it's still the most violent he's ever seen. I don't think he's alone in that assessment, either.

FWIW, I didn't hear back from Tim Marshall in time for the article, but I remember listening to a podcast a while back - maybe WeatherBrains? - where he named Jarrell as the most violent he'd ever surveyed. Some of the damage in Bridge Creek is pretty comparable to Jarrell though (which is saying a LOT), and at a pretty brisk forward speed.

Should also add that the damage in parts of Moore is super impressive as well, especially for a densely populated area where you'd expect near-surface winds to be slowed somewhat. Also thought it was interesting that, much like Joplin, it sucked out a number of manhole covers in tightly packed subdivisions.
I thought Bridge Creek-Moore was a slow mover, given that it was on the ground for almost 90 minutes but only covered 38 miles. Did it move faster in the Bridge Creek area or did it cover more distance than what is commonly reported? Obviously it was faster than Jarrell but I didn't think it was "brisk" as you said in terms of forward speed.
 

pohnpei

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I thought Bridge Creek-Moore was a slow mover, given that it was on the ground for almost 90 minutes but only covered 38 miles. Did it move faster in the Bridge Creek area or did it cover more distance than what is commonly reported? Obviously it was faster than Jarrell but I didn't think it was "brisk" as you said in terms of forward speed.
It was in fact a little bit faster in Moore compared to in Bridge Creek. The speed in Bridge Creek was about 20mph. Not a fast mover but much faster than Jarrell was still a safe guess. The exact speed of Jarrell at its peak was still a mystery but no more than 5-10mph was my personal guess based on visual observation.
 

Robinson lee

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It was in fact a little bit faster in Moore compared to in Bridge Creek. The speed in Bridge Creek was about 20mph. Not a fast mover but much faster than Jarrell was still a safe guess. The exact speed of Jarrell at its peak was still a mystery but no more than 5-10mph was my personal guess based on visual observation.
The tornadoes in Funing have refreshed my shock again and again. This is Beichen village. The trees and low plants are almost completely skinned. In addition, a big car of the factory not far from the village is thrown on the house. In my mind, this is the damage of high-end ef4 and even EF5
 

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