Significant Tornado Events

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

Ah......Darn it. Thought I had something.

Windsor Locks is a tornado I'd love to get more information on, as it's on par with Worcester, MA, Springfield, MA and Hamden, CT tornado as being the most violent in New England. Also, it was spawned from a left-moving supercell (extremely rare) and moved almost due north (also very rare). This is the best article on it I know of:

Windsor, CT F4 Tornado – October 3, 1979 – Tornado Talk

www.tornadotalk.com

 

[AngelAndHisWx]

Brandenburg doesn't have any known photographs either unless I've missed one.

Speaking of violent 70's tornadoes, I was going through Twitter on a Mass violent tornado binge when this post caught my eye:


Is that an actual photo of the Windsor Locks F4? Lord knows but I did a Google image search and it turned up no matches.

This might be my fault for the false attribution to Windsor Locks. When I was talking with some folks at Tornado Talk and on Twitter, I used that picture of Xenia to describe the tornado’s appearance that was described to me by someone who had a relative who witnessed it. The description I was given was almost an identical description to Xenia when it was still a multi vortex funnel aloft.

 

[Lake Martin EF4]

This might be my fault for the false attribution to Windsor Locks. When I was talking with some folks at Tornado Talk and on Twitter, I used that picture of Xenia to describe the tornado’s appearance that was described to me by someone who had a relative who witnessed it. The description I was given was almost an identical description to Xenia when it was still a multi vortex funnel aloft.

Ah.

Speaking of Connecticut tornadoes, do you have any eyewitness descriptions of the '89 New Haven F4? Only description I could find was in a Stormtrack post - the description of events seems to suggest a rainwrapped tornado.

 

[AngelAndHisWx]

Ah.

Speaking of Connecticut tornadoes, do you have any eyewitness descriptions of the '89 New Haven F4? Only description I could find was in a Stormtrack post - the description of events seems to suggest a rainwrapped tornado.

Negative. There was a display about the F4 at the Peabody Museum here in my neck of the woods, but admittedly I’ve forgotten about it since its been about ten years since I’ve been to the museum. Though there were a couple sketches based on eyewitness accounts.

 

[James_97]

I'm not sure if this has been discussed in the thread yet but always been amazed at how concrete overpasses seem to be able to handle the sheer force of even a high-end EF4/5 tornado. With the Bridge Creek tornado for example I believe a few overpasses were hit (although most likely not when it was at peak EF5 strength) but they still were left standing with minimal damage other than being caked in mud and debris. With EF5's though even steel-reinforced concrete structures can be heavily damaged or destroyed. My assumption is that these structures are more aerodynamic with the wind. I can't help but wonder if there is a record or pictures of concrete bridges/overpasses that have actually been significantly damaged by a tornado as they are somewhat common structures. After doing a little digging, I did find out that an EF3 tornado in the 2011 Super Outbreak was able to partially lift up and cause visible structural damage to a concrete bridge. I have the image attached at the end of the post. Would a damaged/destroyed overpass be a very good indicator of a violent tornado and is it possible for a collapse/structural failure? My guess is that the rare breed of high-end EF5/s like Jarrell and Bridge Creek would have the ability depending on what debris is thrown at the structure (heavy vehicles, tanks, etc) and whether or not the bridge takes a direct hit at peak EF5 intensity.

 

[Sawmaster]

There are several different types of construction for concrete road bridges. Those are one of the few things I haven't built so my knowledge is limited. Having said that, I do know that some short and single spans (as appears to be one in your photo) are mostly if not wholly kept in place by gravity. Those in areas prone to seismic activity are anchored but not rigidly while that same type may have rigid anchoring elsewhere. So to delve deeper here you'd need to classify them in at least two groups; anchored and unanchored.

These along with parking garages (which I have built) fare well as structures in tornadoes for several obvious reasons, one being their openness allowing wind to pass through which is exactly what makes them such a dangerous place to shelter in. Of what I've studied regards bridge and parking garage failure very little was directly caused by wind but those few are famous. In short I don't think there's much to be learned here but creating a database where wind damage did occur, along with the estimated winds which caused it, might prove useful as a potential DI or at least contextual indication.

I wish I could point you to what I've seen on these failures online, but as that being a personal study I kept no records or links which might assist you. Perhaps someone else here can help with that, and I'm sure I'd not be the only one interested in your findings.

Phil

 

[tornado examiner]

the clarksville texas, idabell oklahoma tornado is now the third EF4 of 2022

 

[locomusic01]

Windsor Locks is a tornado I'd love to get more information on, as it's on par with Worcester, MA, Springfield, MA and Hamden, CT tornado as being the most violent in New England. Also, it was spawned from a left-moving supercell (extremely rare) and moved almost due north (also very rare). This is the best article on it I know of:

Windsor, CT F4 Tornado – October 3, 1979 – Tornado Talk

www.tornadotalk.com

Was gonna post my collection but it looks like Tornado Talk's got most of the same ones. IIRC the Windsor Historical Society is supposed to have more photos, but I haven't inquired about them yet. Probably the best place to start a search.

The Bradley Air Museum obviously gets most of the attention (and understandably so), but the damage to trees + shrubs was pretty impressive in some areas too. As unique as it is, I'm actually kinda surprised Windsor Locks hasn't gotten more attention over the years.

 

[locomusic01]

With the Bridge Creek tornado for example I believe a few overpasses were hit (although most likely not when it was at peak EF5 strength) but they still were left standing with minimal damage other than being caked in mud and debris.

Though officially rated F4 in that area, Bridge Creek was almost certainly still well into F5 territory when it struck the Shields Blvd. overpass IMO. I guess technically the inner core passed a few yards to the south, but it was effectively a direct hit.

And of course the 16th St. overpass near Newcastle was literally a direct hit; it might've been a tick or two below its absolute peak intensity there, but it was still insanely violent.

This was a Ford Aerostar van underneath the overpass, for instance - or at least what was left of it.

Anywho, you're right that the overpasses held up rather well despite the extreme violence.

We've seen plenty of bridges that haven't fared so well in tornadoes, but I can't recall any significant damage to a proper overpass off-hand. I'd imagine the only way it'd happen would be a huge missile strike. Like Sawmaster said, these structures are pretty low and open, which helps limit their exposure to the force of the wind. I dunno much about their construction but I'm sure there's also some pretty robust engineering that goes into them.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

Though officially rated F4 in that area, Bridge Creek was almost certainly still well into F5 territory when it struck the Shields Blvd. overpass IMO. I guess technically the inner core passed a few yards to the south, but it was effectively a direct hit.

And of course the 16th St. overpass near Newcastle was literally a direct hit; it might've been a tick or two below its absolute peak intensity there, but it was still insanely violent.

This was a Ford Aerostar van underneath the overpass, for instance - or at least what was left of it.

Anywho, you're right that the overpasses held up rather well despite the extreme violence.

We've seen plenty of bridges that haven't fared so well in tornadoes, but I can't recall any significant damage to a proper overpass off-hand. I'd imagine the only way it'd happen would be a huge missile strike. Like Sawmaster said, these structures are pretty low and open, which helps limit their exposure to the force of the wind. I dunno much about their construction but I'm sure there's also some pretty robust engineering that goes into them.

Perhaps if several vehicles or a large truck/semi were slammed against these kind of bridges with enough force it could possibly knock out some parts of the column or freeway above? I wonder how a bridge like this would fare against Jarrell, especially if it sat on top of it for several minutes....

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

Though officially rated F4 in that area, Bridge Creek was almost certainly still well into F5 territory when it struck the Shields Blvd. overpass IMO. I guess technically the inner core passed a few yards to the south, but it was effectively a direct hit.

And of course the 16th St. overpass near Newcastle was literally a direct hit; it might've been a tick or two below its absolute peak intensity there, but it was still insanely violent.

This was a Ford Aerostar van underneath the overpass, for instance - or at least what was left of it.

Anywho, you're right that the overpasses held up rather well despite the extreme violence.

We've seen plenty of bridges that haven't fared so well in tornadoes, but I can't recall any significant damage to a proper overpass off-hand. I'd imagine the only way it'd happen would be a huge missile strike. Like Sawmaster said, these structures are pretty low and open, which helps limit their exposure to the force of the wind. I dunno much about their construction but I'm sure there's also some pretty robust engineering that goes into them.

While on this topic pic again I have to plug this aerial of the tornado's path while it was at peak intensity and paralleling the interstate:



Blows my mind every time I see it.

 

[Sawmaster]

Debris impacts might cause chunks of concrete to be dislodged, but there's so much mass in the decking of an interstate overpass type bridge I don't see any chance of one becoming seriously displaced, not even an inch, unless it's supporting structure is compromised. And unlike steel girder and truss bridges which have been blown away, that mass is concentrated low in comparison with minimal height to give the wind leverage to act on it. Also there's the Bernoulli effect in play as the wind blows through, greating a low pressure area pulling the slab downward. With all this, if there's any lateral anchoring I don't see much chance of this type of bridge being displaced, even with heavy debris impact. Smaller bridges having less mass yes. Taller bridges offering the wind leverage to tilt or topple them yes.

The Medical Center in Joplin was similar in construction as a concrete parking garage, which is something like a light-weight concrete bridge, and while the whole structure was moved, the floors (bridge decking) stayed intact. These kinds of structures have immense strength unless support is compromised or there is a large loss of integrity of a main structural component(s) such as we saw in the Florida condo collapse. That's why I'd find it very interesting if such a failure could be found where I could study the design and possibly learn something. Even as strong as tornadoes can be in their damaging effects there are limits to what is possible.

What has piqued my interest is the relatively new "Cable Stay" type of bridge where the support is in the middle of the decking,which might allow the deck to flex or twist given a strong enough wind. I know these are equal to any hurricane winds but I don't know of any hit by a top-level tornado yet. I have visions of another "Gallpoing Gertie" like the old Tacoma Narrows bridge behaved happening but maybe not. They are a beautiful and elegant design though.

 

[locomusic01]

While on this topic pic again I have to plug this aerial of the tornado's path while it was at peak intensity and paralleling the interstate:

View attachment 15435

Blows my mind every time I see it.

A little below and left of center in that shot is where one of my favorite photos from Bridge Creek-Moore was taken:

You just don't see a ton of pictures from this kind of perspective, looking directly across the path from outside of it (or at least near the edge of the path). Really drives home the contrast between the lush green countryside and the complete wasteland that looks more like the surface of Mars. And behind the big bushy tree on the left side of the photo here is where this absolute insanity happened, where 7 people were killed:

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

A little below and left of center in that shot is where one of my favorite photos from Bridge Creek-Moore was taken:

You just don't see a ton of pictures from this kind of perspective, looking directly across the path from outside of it (or at least near the edge of the path). Really drives home the contrast between the lush green countryside and the complete wasteland that looks more like the surface of Mars. And behind the big bushy tree on the left side of the photo here is where this absolute insanity happened, where 7 people were killed:

Do you have any photos of this area before the massive scouring? I'd love to have some before & after perspective, especially in the Grady County area.

 

[locomusic01]

Do you have any photos of this area before the massive scouring? I'd love to have some before & after perspective, especially in the Grady County area.

I don't have any before photos, but you can get an idea of what it looked like in some of the wider aerial shots. Would've looked pretty much the same as the subdivision in the foreground here, for instance.

The satellite imagery is pretty striking too.

The area in the aerial shot, centered around Red Rock Rd, is right in the middle - basically just looks like a big reddish-orange smear across the landscape.

 

[buckeye05]

Sorry to change the topic, but I noticed this photo possibly suggests that the Winterset, IA EF4 from back in March was a little more violent than I had realized, but it's not conclusive. See the stemwall on the right side of the foundation? It appears to be cracked and pushed over, but I'm not sure if that is from the tornado itself or from the bulldozer on the right bumping into the foundation. Also, regardless of that, zooming in shows this house had anchor bolts.

 

[MNTornadoGuy]

Sorry to change the topic, but I noticed this photo possibly suggests that the Winterset, IA EF4 from back in March was a little more violent than I had realized, but it's not conclusive. See the stemwall on the right side of the foundation? It appears to be cracked and pushed over, but I'm not sure if that is from the tornado itself or from the bulldozer on the right bumping into the foundation. Also, regardless of that, zooming in shows this house had anchor bolts.

Keep in mind that foundations in the Midwest often crack due to winter temperatures.

 

[TH2002]

Sorry to change the topic, but I noticed this photo possibly suggests that the Winterset, IA EF4 from back in March was a little more violent than I had realized, but it's not conclusive. See the stemwall on the right side of the foundation? It appears to be cracked and pushed over, but I'm not sure if that is from the tornado itself or from the bulldozer on the right bumping into the foundation. Also, regardless of that, zooming in shows this house had anchor bolts.

Based on the aerial footage taken the same day as the tornado, the cracked foundation was not the result of cleanup.

 

[TH2002]

I've posted about Hackleburg many times before, but I found yet more impressive damage shots that I couldn't help but share.
Here's the one house that was swept away before the tornado reached Hackleburg, becoming the first EF5 damage point. Tim Marshall felt this damage point only deserved an EF4 rating, but it was officially rated EF5 by the survey teams.

Some extremely impressive vehicle damage. Note the car on the left... or what's left of it, at least.

Brick home swept clean with what appears to be ground scouring in the background:



Numerous homes were swept away along Highway 43 S as the tornado entered Hackleburg. EF5 rated damage occurred there, but I haven't been able to find any photos of these homes, not even aerials. Atlantic Group did take aerial photos of this area but I can't find them on any search engine so they're probably behind a paywall of some sort. Naturally...

And I'll post this one too; I'm not actually sure what Super Outbreak tornado this is from since the photo isn't labeled, but it's extreme vehicle damage:

 

[buckeye05]

I've posted about Hackleburg many times before, but I found yet more impressive damage shots that I couldn't help but share.
Here's the one house that was swept away before the tornado reached Hackleburg, becoming the first EF5 damage point. Tim Marshall felt this damage point only deserved an EF4 rating, but it was officially rated EF5 by the survey teams.

Some extremely impressive vehicle damage. Note the car on the left... or what's left of it, at least.

Brick home swept clean with what appears to be ground scouring in the background:



Numerous homes were swept away along Highway 43 S as the tornado entered Hackleburg. EF5 rated damage occurred there, but I haven't been able to find any photos of these homes, not even aerials. Atlantic Group did take aerial photos of this area but I can't find them on any search engine so they're probably behind a paywall of some sort. Naturally...

And I'll post this one too; I'm not actually sure what Super Outbreak tornado this is from since the photo isn't labeled, but it's extreme vehicle damage:

I'm not positive, but I think that last pic may possibly be from Rainsville.