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locomusic01
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Everybody talks about ground scouring being so impressive, but pfft.. big deal. If your tornado didn't produce water scouring, I don't even wanna hear about it.
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Significant Tornado Events
- Thread starter locomusic01
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locomusic01
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On a related note, I don't think I've mentioned yet that I found a few more probable tornadoes from the New Richmond event. The supercell that produced the Carnelian Lake tornado reportedly had another brief spin-up before that somewhere around White Bear Lake, which is just northeast of St. Paul.
The day before, June 11, there are reports of a massive tornado a few miles south of Bowdle, SD. One report claimed it was nearly a mile wide, but who knows. It apparently traveled quite slowly and didn't hit anything other than trees so I doubt there's much more information out there.
And on the day after New Richmond, June 13, there seems to have been a pretty powerful supercell that traveled through central Wisconsin. The first reported (likely) tornado damage occurred just south of Reedsburg, with damage also occurring between Baraboo and Wisconsin Dells. That's like 12-ish miles so they may have both been from the same tornado. There was more minor damage near Montello and Princeton but it's not clear if it was tornadic or straight-line. Finally, a fairly significant-sounding tornado touched down southwest of Berlin and traveled roughly 20 miles to the shore of Lake Butte des Morts, doing most of its damage in the area between Waukau and Omro.
Still trying to find enough info to map out the other tornadoes more accurately, but here's the Waukau-Omro one:
The day before, June 11, there are reports of a massive tornado a few miles south of Bowdle, SD. One report claimed it was nearly a mile wide, but who knows. It apparently traveled quite slowly and didn't hit anything other than trees so I doubt there's much more information out there.
And on the day after New Richmond, June 13, there seems to have been a pretty powerful supercell that traveled through central Wisconsin. The first reported (likely) tornado damage occurred just south of Reedsburg, with damage also occurring between Baraboo and Wisconsin Dells. That's like 12-ish miles so they may have both been from the same tornado. There was more minor damage near Montello and Princeton but it's not clear if it was tornadic or straight-line. Finally, a fairly significant-sounding tornado touched down southwest of Berlin and traveled roughly 20 miles to the shore of Lake Butte des Morts, doing most of its damage in the area between Waukau and Omro.
Still trying to find enough info to map out the other tornadoes more accurately, but here's the Waukau-Omro one:
Juliett Bravo Kilo
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A car being embedded in a wall inside a building? That's something new.
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locomusic01
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Just realized I totally forgot about the other undocumented tornadoes on this day. The Homer-Salix F4 appears to have been part of a family of at least three tornadoes, the paths of which were a bit squirrely. The first tornado probably wasn't that significant, but the third reportedly produced substantial ground scouring + debarking and threw a horse about three-quarters of a mile. There might've been a final tornado in Monona County down by Mapleton, but it's unclear if it was actually tornadic or not.
There was also another tornado - maybe multiple tornadoes based on eyewitness accounts - preceding the Herman, NE F4 on June 13. Still working on mapping that out though.
Lake Martin EF4
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The most interesting "lost tornado" you've discovered is that wedge up by Bowdle. Sounds like it was basically a prototype of the 2010 EF4.Just realized I totally forgot about the other undocumented tornadoes on this day. The Homer-Salix F4 appears to have been part of a family of at least three tornadoes, the paths of which were a bit squirrely. The first tornado probably wasn't that significant, but the third reportedly produced substantial ground scouring + debarking and threw a horse about three-quarters of a mile. There might've been a final tornado in Monona County down by Mapleton, but it's unclear if it was actually tornadic or not.
There was also another tornado - maybe multiple tornadoes based on eyewitness accounts - preceding the Herman, NE F4 on June 13. Still working on mapping that out though.
Marshal79344
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I was going through some 20th Century Reanalysis Data for the June 1st, 1903 Gainesville, Georgia tornado and came across a few interesting things.
First of all, this tornado is quite a climatological outlier, as tornadoes that significant that are not tropical-cyclone induced are very rare in that region for that time of year.
Second, despite 20th Century Reanalysis depicting a large warm sector, this was the only recorded significant tornado to occur in the warm sector that day. Not only that, but the tornado occurred far away from the cold front or triple point, suggesting that it might have been the result of some other mesoscale feature.
However, upon further analysis of the image above, you can see that the Gainesville tornado occurred very close to a significant wind shift that was located to the northeast of Atlanta. This was probably caused by some type of front that "parked" along that area, which increased the lower-level backing of winds, the moisture content, the lower-level instability, and as a result, overall tornado potential in that area alone. If this data is to be taken for granted, we can infer that the tornado was probably induced by a warm front of some kind. This type of meteorological setup is eerily similar to the Vilonia Tornado of April 27th, 2014.
In addition, eyewitness accounts reported that a lot of rain and flooding was associated with the tornado's passage, and the specific sequence of events (rain, then lightning, then brief lull, and then tornado) indicated that a typical supercell thunderstorm with a hook echo at the southeastern side of the storm was responsible. Plus, the funnel itself wasn't well described, but eyewitnesses only stated that it suddenly became dark (an indication of a low-based and large mesocyclone) before the tornado struck. This indicates that the storm was very low-based, another characteristic of a tornadic supercell near a warm front. These further solidify the notion that this tornado was induced by the front.
First of all, this tornado is quite a climatological outlier, as tornadoes that significant that are not tropical-cyclone induced are very rare in that region for that time of year.
Second, despite 20th Century Reanalysis depicting a large warm sector, this was the only recorded significant tornado to occur in the warm sector that day. Not only that, but the tornado occurred far away from the cold front or triple point, suggesting that it might have been the result of some other mesoscale feature.
However, upon further analysis of the image above, you can see that the Gainesville tornado occurred very close to a significant wind shift that was located to the northeast of Atlanta. This was probably caused by some type of front that "parked" along that area, which increased the lower-level backing of winds, the moisture content, the lower-level instability, and as a result, overall tornado potential in that area alone. If this data is to be taken for granted, we can infer that the tornado was probably induced by a warm front of some kind. This type of meteorological setup is eerily similar to the Vilonia Tornado of April 27th, 2014.
In addition, eyewitness accounts reported that a lot of rain and flooding was associated with the tornado's passage, and the specific sequence of events (rain, then lightning, then brief lull, and then tornado) indicated that a typical supercell thunderstorm with a hook echo at the southeastern side of the storm was responsible. Plus, the funnel itself wasn't well described, but eyewitnesses only stated that it suddenly became dark (an indication of a low-based and large mesocyclone) before the tornado struck. This indicates that the storm was very low-based, another characteristic of a tornadic supercell near a warm front. These further solidify the notion that this tornado was induced by the front.
MNTornadoGuy
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I was going through some 20th Century Reanalysis Data for the June 1st, 1903 Gainesville, Georgia tornado and came across a few interesting things.
First of all, this tornado is quite a climatological outlier, as tornadoes that significant that are not tropical-cyclone induced are very rare in that region for that time of year.
Second, despite 20th Century Reanalysis depicting a large warm sector, this was the only recorded significant tornado to occur in the warm sector that day. Not only that, but the tornado occurred far away from the cold front or triple point, suggesting that it might have been the result of some other mesoscale feature.
However, upon further analysis of the image above, you can see that the Gainesville tornado occurred very close to a significant wind shift that was located to the northeast of Atlanta. This was probably caused by some type of front that "parked" along that area, which increased the lower-level backing of winds, the moisture content, the lower-level instability, and as a result, overall tornado potential in that area alone. If this data is to be taken for granted, we can infer that the tornado was probably induced by a warm front of some kind. This type of meteorological setup is eerily similar to the Vilonia Tornado of April 27th, 2014.
View attachment 16963
In addition, eyewitness accounts reported that a lot of rain and flooding was associated with the tornado's passage, and the specific sequence of events (rain, then lightning, then brief lull, and then tornado) indicated that a typical supercell thunderstorm with a hook echo at the southeastern side of the storm was responsible. Plus, the funnel itself wasn't well described, but eyewitnesses only stated that it suddenly became dark (an indication of a low-based and large mesocyclone) before the tornado struck. This indicates that the storm was very low-based, another characteristic of a tornadic supercell near a warm front. These further solidify the notion that this tornado was induced by the front.
I just took a break from reading a new book I stumbled upon called “Warnings” by Mike Smith. It’s about the history of severe weather warnings, focused on tornadoes (a really really good book). I stepped in here to see what was new and found your post. I live just a few miles southwest of Gainesville. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as i read your account and imagined myself being there many years ago. Thanks for sharing.
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Marshal79344
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I did some quick digging in the Harpers Weekly archives and through some online archives and found these images of damage from the Gainesville event.
Juliett Bravo Kilo
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Damage photographs from the 1971 Delhi/Transylvania, LA/Inverness, MS tornado from the LA side of its path. Fyi all of these can be found on newspapers.com
Various views from the destroyed Lenore farm, mainly flipped vehicles.
Leveled church and (possibly) debarked tree right behind it:
Toppled and crumpled transmission tower:
I'd say Grazulis was right to rank this tornado an F4, as the church looks small and probably not that well put together, and while I don't doubt the farm home was destroyed the vehicles appear to be flipped but not much else.
Various views from the destroyed Lenore farm, mainly flipped vehicles.
Leveled church and (possibly) debarked tree right behind it:
Toppled and crumpled transmission tower:
I'd say Grazulis was right to rank this tornado an F4, as the church looks small and probably not that well put together, and while I don't doubt the farm home was destroyed the vehicles appear to be flipped but not much else.
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August 7-8, 1986 was the only period in Rhode Island's history to see multiple tornadoes over two consecutive days, including one of the strongest tornadoes ever recorded in the state. Tornado activity began on August 7 with an F1 tornado in Cumberland, which mostly damaged trees and power lines, but the most significant tornado of this event would touch down one hour later.
The F2 Providence tornado initially touched down in Cranston, downing trees, power poles and shifting a couple homes off their foundations as it tracked northeast towards South Providence. The NWS mentions there may have actually been a break in the path between Cranston and Providence, so perhaps the damage in Cranston may have been from a separate, weaker tornado? We can only speculate. Regardless, the storm would reach its peak intensity as it struck the area between Broad St. and Orms St. in Providence. The large Fulford Manufacturing Company building had its top story almost completely collapsed/sheared off, with cars in the parking lot being flipped and damaged. A YMCA was also badly damaged, with several injuries occurring there. The tornado lifted after spending four miles on the ground and injuring 20 people, the highest number of injures caused by any tornado in RI history. Fortunately most of the injuries were minor, and there were no fatalities.
This is possibly the second strongest tornado ever recorded in Rhode Island after the August 30, 1838 tornado that reportedly stripped trees of branches, completely destroyed homes and sucked ponds dry - not sure what Grazulis says about this event, however.
Tornado activity continued on August 8, when an F1 tornado touched down near Burrillville, causing damage to several vehicles, homes and trailers along a 6 or 7 mile (sources conflict) path. The tornado would cross the state line into Massachusetts, dissipating in Millville.
The F2 Providence tornado initially touched down in Cranston, downing trees, power poles and shifting a couple homes off their foundations as it tracked northeast towards South Providence. The NWS mentions there may have actually been a break in the path between Cranston and Providence, so perhaps the damage in Cranston may have been from a separate, weaker tornado? We can only speculate. Regardless, the storm would reach its peak intensity as it struck the area between Broad St. and Orms St. in Providence. The large Fulford Manufacturing Company building had its top story almost completely collapsed/sheared off, with cars in the parking lot being flipped and damaged. A YMCA was also badly damaged, with several injuries occurring there. The tornado lifted after spending four miles on the ground and injuring 20 people, the highest number of injures caused by any tornado in RI history. Fortunately most of the injuries were minor, and there were no fatalities.
This is possibly the second strongest tornado ever recorded in Rhode Island after the August 30, 1838 tornado that reportedly stripped trees of branches, completely destroyed homes and sucked ponds dry - not sure what Grazulis says about this event, however.
Tornado activity continued on August 8, when an F1 tornado touched down near Burrillville, causing damage to several vehicles, homes and trailers along a 6 or 7 mile (sources conflict) path. The tornado would cross the state line into Massachusetts, dissipating in Millville.
Juliett Bravo Kilo
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Found 3 of these from that incredible Wichita Falls sequence; anyone have the full collection?
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locomusic01
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There are so many incredible photos from that event it's hard to keep track of which ones are from which sequences/photographers lol. Of course it doesn't help that my Red River Outbreak folder is a disorganized mess. Some impressive shots from a few of the other tornadoes too.
Anyway, after I'm done working I'll go through them and post what I have.
Juliett Bravo Kilo
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Once upon a time there was a full sequence of at least 12 of these photos; I've only been able to find the 3 above on Pinterest. Probably a website out there that had all of them but it's since gone down.
Juliett Bravo Kilo
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So, the F4 tornado that struck Warner Robbins Air Force Base official path length is only a mile, and apparently several other tornadoes from the outbreak that spawned had paths lengths of no more than a mile. Yeah, it's possible they weren't all that well documented but worth a note.
andyhb
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Those San Justo damage pictures are pretty ridiculous.
warneagle
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I grew up in Warner Robins so I might be able to dig up some info on that tornado (although I don't live there anymore). It's an interesting event, being one of only two violent tornadoes south of the fall line in Georgia.
Lake Martin EF4
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Warnings and Watches on April 3, 1974 : The Alabama Weather Blog
www.alabamawx.com
"Dale Black at the NWS Radar station in Centreville stared in amazement at his radar scope. He double checked his calculation and called his co-worker over. The storm was indeed moving at 113 miles per hour and had three hook echoes in it. Ed Landry would later say it was the darndest thing he ever saw."
I did not know the 1974 tornadoes were that fast.
Juliett Bravo Kilo
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Found a PDF file of a compilation of Fujita's work with storms, it has some tornado damage pics I've never seen anywhere else.
First, 4 pics from the Edmonton, Alberta F4 I haven't seen before. The grass scouring from this thing isn't something you see often outside the states:
This collection is cycloidal marks from Goessel, KS and the Magnet, NE tornado. Fujita himself is surveying the end point of the latter, pretty cool:
The formation of the Fargo tornado. In the 2nd pic you can see multiple vortices and in the 3rd a horizontal vortex near the top right:
The crop scouring from Plainfield, each picture ranked from F0-F5. Never understood Fujita's logic with this but here is the sequence of photos he used to back it up:
Next 2 are before and after aerials of Brandenburg:
Looks like it came into town up the hill across the river, you can see what appears to be some scouring in the river area, maybe a sandbar or river soil in low water?
Last is 2 aerial from Guin, AL, one the tornado's scar across the landscape from a different angle, amazing how well defined it is the whole path and not just the forest areas, and the bottom photo is an aerial of William Bankhead National Forest that looks to be a total blowdown of trees on several ridges, I wish I could find a high quality color photo to tell for sure:
First, 4 pics from the Edmonton, Alberta F4 I haven't seen before. The grass scouring from this thing isn't something you see often outside the states:
This collection is cycloidal marks from Goessel, KS and the Magnet, NE tornado. Fujita himself is surveying the end point of the latter, pretty cool:
The formation of the Fargo tornado. In the 2nd pic you can see multiple vortices and in the 3rd a horizontal vortex near the top right:
The crop scouring from Plainfield, each picture ranked from F0-F5. Never understood Fujita's logic with this but here is the sequence of photos he used to back it up:
Next 2 are before and after aerials of Brandenburg:
Looks like it came into town up the hill across the river, you can see what appears to be some scouring in the river area, maybe a sandbar or river soil in low water?
Last is 2 aerial from Guin, AL, one the tornado's scar across the landscape from a different angle, amazing how well defined it is the whole path and not just the forest areas, and the bottom photo is an aerial of William Bankhead National Forest that looks to be a total blowdown of trees on several ridges, I wish I could find a high quality color photo to tell for sure:
Juliett Bravo Kilo
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Impressive damage from Lubbock, TX:
The 16-ton empty fertilizer tank tossed half a mile:
Debarked tree with sheet metal wrapped around it. Note the debarked shrubs around a slabbed house in the background.
109,000 pound beam toppled from a freeway overpass. Apparently this happened to 13 beams total, from a suction vortex.
The damaged structure. Apparently it was under construction, so one wonders what would've happened if it was complete when the tornado struck.
The 16-ton empty fertilizer tank tossed half a mile:
Debarked tree with sheet metal wrapped around it. Note the debarked shrubs around a slabbed house in the background.
109,000 pound beam toppled from a freeway overpass. Apparently this happened to 13 beams total, from a suction vortex.
The damaged structure. Apparently it was under construction, so one wonders what would've happened if it was complete when the tornado struck.