Significant Tornado Events

[J-Rab]

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Used Tornado Archive's data viewer. Then used Scratch to draw the April 27 and April 3 tracks, then added them onto the April 20 map.

Great job man. It has always amazed me how northern Alabama has so many violent tornadoes that follow such a similar path. Like JBK has said before, the 1920 and the 2011 Hackelburg tornadoes were essentially on the same path. The 1974 Guin storm was close and the Smithville tornado was tracking very close to that same area as well. And of course, both Tanner tornadoes were basically in that corridor as well.

All incredibly strong/violent tornadoes. It is fascinating.

I, for one , really appreciate you putting that together.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

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Great job man. It has always amazed me how northern Alabama has so many violent tornadoes that follow such a similar path. Like JBK has said before, the 1920 and the 2011 Hackelburg tornadoes were essentially on the same path. The 1974 Guin storm was close and the Smithville tornado was tracking very close to that same area as well. And of course, both Tanner tornadoes were basically in that corridor as well.

All incredibly strong/violent tornadoes. It is fascinating.

I, for one , really appreciate you putting that together.

Some of the tornadoes from 1884 Enigma and 1932 Dixie outbreak were also on the same at points. Oh, and central/eastern Mississippi and northeast Louisana/western Mississippi also has its fair share of violent long-tracked tornadoes (1966 Candlestick tornado, 1971 Delta Outbreak and the 1908 Dixie Outbreak, to name a few). Also, Yazoo City of 2010 followed a path virtually identical to one of the 1971 tornadoes (or more likely, tornado families but still). It makes you wonder what the hell is going on down there? Is that area cursed or what?

EDIT: Found my previous post on it: https://talkweather.com/threads/significant-tornado-events.1276/page-329#post-74296

To quote myself: "The thing I've noticed is that it's specifically the section of northwestern Alabama from Marion and Lamar Counties to Limestone and Madison Counties that seems to be a highway for long-tracked, rain-wrapped and fast moving F/EF4 to F/EF5 tornadoes. These tornadoes also have a tendency to cross into far southern Tennessee (Lincoln and Franklin County, specifically) before dissipating. It must be the perfect balance of geography, climate, local topography, dew points and atmospheric instability".

 

[J-Rab]

Some of the tornadoes from 1884 Enigma and 1932 Dixie outbreak were also on the same at points. Oh, and central/eastern Mississippi and northeast Louisana/western Mississippi also has its fair share of violent long-tracked tornadoes (1966 Candlestick tornado, 1971 Delta Outbreak and the 1908 Dixie Outbreak, to name a few). Also, Yazoo City of 2010 followed a path virtually identical to one of the 1971 tornadoes (or more likely, tornado families but still). It makes you wonder what the hell is going on down there? Is that area cursed or what?

EDIT: Found my previous post on it: https://talkweather.com/threads/significant-tornado-events.1276/page-329#post-74296

To quote myself: "The thing I've noticed is that it's specifically the section of northwestern Alabama from Marion and Lamar Counties to Limestone and Madison Counties that seems to be a highway for long-tracked, rain-wrapped and fast moving F/EF4 to F/EF5 tornadoes. These tornadoes also have a tendency to cross into far southern Tennessee (Lincoln and Franklin County, specifically) before dissipating. It must be the perfect balance of geography, climate, local topography, dew points and atmospheric instability".

Yeah, the second Tanner tornado of 1974 went up into Tenn. Also in ‘74, the supercell that put down the first Tanner tornado went over Hackelburg and put down an F2 in Phil Campbell that was the precursor to Tanner1. There are just so many that are in that Corridor.

Even some Mississippi tornadoes, if you follow the path they were on will lead up into that area of Northern Alabama. Smithville leads up that way. Tupelo is another. Heck, the 1920 Hackelburg tornado started in Aberdeen.

And like you mentioned, others like the 1971 Delta and the Yazoo City occurrences… if you follow those paths up, eventually lead into Northwest AL.

The Tuscaloosa/Birmingham corridor also leads back to another area of MS that sees a lot of violent tornadoes: Neshoba county (Philadelphia) and Meridian.

It is like there are two pathways that run Northeast through MS and AL. One runs generally through the Philadelphia/Meridian region and then up to Tuscaloosa/Birmingham. The other from the Columbus/Aberdeen area up into far North AL in the Hackelburg/Russellville/Moultan/Tanner region.

Ive been interested in those two areas for a long time now.

 

[locomusic01]

The 1936 Tupelo outbreak came pretty damn close to raking all the same areas as well.

April 5-6, 1936 Tornado Outbreak - Google My Maps

April 5-6, 1936 Tornado Outbreak

www.google.com

 

[Lake Martin EF4]

Ah, the famous "Frown With A Mustache" F4.

(Well....somewhat of a mustache)

 

[locomusic01]

Ah, the famous "Frown With A Mustache" F4.

I still would give anything to have had video, or even photos, of what the Gainesville tornadoes actually looked like. One of the more unusual events I've ever encountered.

 

[tornado examiner]

what would it have been like if the Hackleburg tornado struck somewhere like.......Florence Alabama at peak intensity...?

 

[CheeselandSkies]

what would it have been like if the Hackleburg tornado struck somewhere like.......Florence Alabama at peak intensity...?

Horrible. That thing already killed 72 people while hitting a bunch of small towns and rural areas (although to be fair, the amount of suburban sprawl between Athens/Tanner, Harvest and Madison gave it quite a few more targets). If the path angled just a little more to the right after leaving Hackleburg, it could have missed Phil Campbell but gone right through Moulton, Decatur, Madison AND Huntsville. The phrase "lined up like duckpins" (as used to refer to Lordstown/Niles/Wheatland and Jamestown/Atlantic in the 5/31/85 outbreak in the book Tornado Watch 211) comes to mind here.

 

[tornado examiner]

the mayfield tornado was pretty much one of those "lined up like duckpins tornadoes"...it didnt just hit multiple rural and sparse communities in big forests. it hit multiple large, densely populated towns/cities flattening or sweeping away numerous structures in each and every one of them. had this tornado been in poor radar coverage or was one of many more long track tornadoes on the ground at the same time....the toll would have been much..MUCH higher....probably over a hundred fatalities....

 

[CheeselandSkies]

the mayfield tornado was pretty much one of those "lined up like duckpins tornadoes"...it didnt just hit multiple rural and sparse communities in big forests. it hit multiple large, densely populated towns/cities flattening or sweeping away numerous structures in each and every one of them. had this tornado been in poor radar coverage or was one of many more long track tornadoes on the ground at the same time....the toll would have been much..MUCH higher....probably over a hundred fatalities....

Yep. That's probably the most dramatic example since 4/27/11. I thought we were dodging the bullet again with the first violent tornado not really ramping up until it was past Jonesboro, then just clipping Monette/Leachville (even so causing fatalities), then splitting the difference between Hayti and Caruthersville. Then the storm got into Kentucky and the proverbial s*** hit the fan...Cayce, Mayfield, Benton, Cambridge Shores, Princeton, Dawson Springs, Earlington, Bremen...the amount of towns and cities in that beast's path was ridiculous.

 

[locomusic01]

The phrase "lined up like duckpins" (as used to refer to Lordstown/Niles/Wheatland and Jamestown/Atlantic in the 5/31/85 outbreak in the book Tornado Watch 211) comes to mind here.

Speaking of which, the Niles-Wheatland path was actually fairly fortunate. If the tornado had taken something closer to the 1947 tornado's path (which hit some of the same areas), it could've been a catastrophe. That tornado ventured pretty close to Cuyahoga Falls and Ravenna, tore through Niles and ended up going straight through parts of Farrell/Sharon. Most of those places weren't that heavily populated in 1947, but they were pretty densely packed by 1985.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

I still would give anything to have had video, or even photos, of what the Gainesville tornadoes actually looked like. One of the more unusual events I've ever encountered.

I figured it was just a multivortex event or perhaps one tornado with a large satellite....unless it was something like Pilger.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

Yeah, the second Tanner tornado of 1974 went up into Tenn. Also in ‘74, the supercell that put down the first Tanner tornado went over Hackelburg and put down an F2 in Phil Campbell that was the precursor to Tanner1. There are just so many that are in that Corridor.

Even some Mississippi tornadoes, if you follow the path they were on will lead up into that area of Northern Alabama. Smithville leads up that way. Tupelo is another. Heck, the 1920 Hackelburg tornado started in Aberdeen.

And like you mentioned, others like the 1971 Delta and the Yazoo City occurrences… if you follow those paths up, eventually lead into Northwest AL.

The Tuscaloosa/Birmingham corridor also leads back to another area of MS that sees a lot of violent tornadoes: Neshoba county (Philadelphia) and Meridian.

It is like there are two pathways that run Northeast through MS and AL. One runs generally through the Philadelphia/Meridian region and then up to Tuscaloosa/Birmingham. The other from the Columbus/Aberdeen area up into far North AL in the Hackelburg/Russellville/Moultan/Tanner region.

Ive been interested in those two areas for a long time now.

1932 there was a tornado that hit Tuscaloosa, it's path is eerily similar to the 2011 one.
1966 Candlestick Park tornado family the last tornado dissipated not that far from where 2011 Tuscaloosa-Birmingham touched down.
And the 1920 Dixie Outbreak had a violent tornado go through Neshoba County that might've done Philadelphia-style trench digging (hard to know for sure without photographs).
1840 Natchez has a path that is not that far off from Yazoo City or one of the 1908 Dixie tornadoes, as well.

 

[Lake Martin EF4]

I still would give anything to have had video, or even photos, of what the Gainesville tornadoes actually looked like. One of the more unusual events I've ever encountered.

I'm guessing the merger must have looked somewhat like this:

 

[Sawmaster]

I figured it was just a multivortex event or perhaps one tornado with a large satellite....unless it was something like Pilger.

I remember reading some of the descriptions of the event, and to me anyway they seemed a lot like Pilger; positively two separate "cyclones" to start with.

Phil

 

[locomusic01]

Your eyes do not deceive you: it's actually done! And only eight days late! (Yes, I'm still salty.)

I was planning to post some other stuff here along with it, but I'm too damn tired to bother right now. Maybe later. In the meantime:

May 31, 1985 — The United States-Canada Outbreak

 

[Lake Martin EF4]

Your eyes do not deceive you: it's actually done! And only eight days late! (Yes, I'm still salty.)

I was planning to post some other stuff here along with it, but I'm too damn tired to bother right now. Maybe later. In the meantime:

https://stormstalker.wordpress.com/2022/06/08/may-31-1985-the-united-states-canada-outbreak/

LET'S GOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

 

[locomusic01]

I don't even know what to do with myself now that it's done. Kinda having a mild existential crisis.

 

[Lake Martin EF4]

I don't even know what to do with myself now that it's done. Kinda having a mild existential crisis.

1984 Carolinas outbreak?

Also didn't you say before that there were photos of the New Waterford tornado?

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

I don't even know what to do with myself now that it's done. Kinda having a mild existential crisis.

Well, you could do smaller articles about poorly-documented Dixie events (like your 1884 Enigma one).
Also, don't you have another article on the various Tornado Alleys in this country that for some reason I can't find now? Lol.
Perhaps you could go back to the article and add some of the photos and videos you forgot to the first round.
Anyways, great job....the photos from Barrie and Grand Valley reveal that these things were even more violent then I previously thought.
Shame there isn't any photos of video of the Kane tornado itself but oh well.
Also, still waiting on Moshannon photos?