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Severe WX March 23-25th, 2023

ColdFront said:
Quick question on that - Bassfield 2020, was the well constructed, anchored cabin that was slabbed rated EF4? I think there’s been some talk that a singular house can’t actually be rated “EF5” that it requires contextual evidence
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Houses can theoretically be rated EF5 on their own if they're of superior construction, though very few - even seemingly "well-built" homes - meet such a high standard. Contextual damage is an important part of the assessment either way, but as we've so often seen, the way it's evaluated and factored into the actual rating can be all over the place.
 
Judging by DAT already 3 EF2s occurred in the NWS Huntsville CWA. Could have been a fair few QLCS tornadoes, some strong, that went relatively unnoticed due to other events ongoing.
 

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These kinds of videos tend to have the most impact on laypersons storm-footage-wise, at least amongst the people I know, since they really put you right there in the middle of it, in a familiar setting.
 
Clancy said:
These kinds of videos tend to have the most impact on laypersons storm-footage-wise, at least amongst the people I know, since they really put you right there in the middle of it, in a familiar setting.
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I assume that these are the same hallways where students would have taken shelter had this been a school day.
 
Bassfield was rated EF4 partially due to contextual issues (no extreme scouring or debarking in the immediate vicinity), but mainly due to the fact that even though it was anchor-bolted, structurally it lacked wall sheathing, and it was just a tin-roofed barn-like structure that looked to be built more like an outbuilding than a cabin. Once I saw the “before” photo, I was a lot less impressed. Also, it was determined that a truck was thrown into it during the tornado, so with the collateral damage on top of everything else, that was sort of the nail in the coffin for any EF5 rating there.
 
Equus said:
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Simply based on the limited evidence/photos I've seen (which is really not sufficient to accurately assess damage) that rating and wind speed are very much along the lines of what my expectations were. I trust JAN to get it right and I'm confident they will.

I don't know if there was additional context for the quote posted, however, this is a WFO and survey team with deep experience. I'd imagine the QRT will provide additional valuable insight as well.
 
170mph, especially for preliminary, sounds just right. I think wind speeds were much higher but seriously doubt any structures were well built enough to have a DI assigned above that level - unless they suddenly find some well built, destroyed homes, which seems unlikely.
 
CheeselandSkies said:
Looking at maps of Amory as the storm was ongoing, I was thinking the high school might be hit. :(
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Yeah, several of us were listening to scanner traffic from Amory last night. There were a number of addresses and streets given during radio calls that indicated a hit on the HS was pretty likely. There's also a middle school that potentially was in the path of the tornado as well but it was a much iffier possibility. Has anyone heard anything about the middle school?
 
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