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Enhanced Fujita Ratings Debate Thread

Lake Martin EF4 said:
While you're available, what did you think of the photos Grand Poo Bah posted of Cullman?
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The Cullman photos he posted definitely made me go "hmmm..."

The contextual damage including the tree damage, scouring, wind rowing and pickup truck being torn in half and launched over 400 yards definitely convinced me of EF5 intensity.

But still, almost all the photos of homes showed evidence of poor construction. There were satellite views of one or two that looked like they MAY have been well constructed, but I can't say for sure without ground level photos.

Bottom line: I'm honestly still ok with EF4, though it would have undoubtedly achieved an F5 rating back in 1974.
 
TH2002 said:
Bottom line: I'm honestly still ok with EF4, though it would have undoubtedly achieved an F5 rating back in 1974
Click to expand...
The sum up for 4/27/11 for your opinions it seems:

The 4 official EF5s
New Wren to EF5 based off unsurveyed house damage
Tuscaloosa to EF5 based off damage near the trestle and other areas
Cordova to EF5 based off Cullman County unsurveyed damage
Ringgold to EF5 based off damage in Georgia and Tennessee
Other potentially contextual but not structural EF5s: Cullman, Flat Rock, Ohatchee, New Harmony, Barnesville

Gotta love it when one outbreak produces 8 tornadoes that cause (official or otherwise) EF5 damage...and a good 5 more that potentially meet the mark contextually. 2011, ladies and gentlemen.
 
TH2002 said:
@Grand Poo Bah, do any of the TornadoTalk articles on Tuscaloosa have a ground level view of the two-story home that was wiped off its foundation in the Holt-Peterson area? This one specifically:
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Doesn't look like there's much information.

The twister roared into the Peterson area with a vengeance. Trees were
stripped of foliage, limbs, bark, and broken to pieces. A few residences set
well back from Holt Peterson Road experienced the core wind field. A mobile
home vanished, and a pile of steel beams on the ground nearby was
scattered amongst the forest. A brand new and very sizable, two or three-
story house was reduced to the foundation. Because of the highly rural
nature of this residence and the fact that it was not surveyed, no details are
known about how well built it was or what other damage feats took place in
that vicinity.
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Here's a before picture of the location. Looks like a mansion. And the garage is mostly detached. This was also very shortly after it hit the railroad bridge.

1756411993386.png


Here's another angle with an arrow pointing at your house in question

1756412187026.png

At this time, the KBMX Doppler Radar made an amazing observation. It
recorded a gate-to-gate velocity of 280 mph at 2,670-2,680 feet above ground
level. As of 2021, this is tied for the highest velocity reading from a Doppler
Radar in history. The other contender for first place was the May 4, 2007,
Greensburg KS EF5, where radar recorded a 280 mph velocity couplet at
2,475-2,485 feet above ground level.
Click to expand...
 
Lake Martin EF4 said:
The sum up for 4/27/11 for your opinions it seems:

The 4 official EF5s
New Wren to EF5 based off unsurveyed house damage
Tuscaloosa to EF5 based off damage near the trestle and other areas
Cordova to EF5 based off Cullman County unsurveyed damage
Ringgold to EF5 based off damage in Georgia and Tennessee
Other potentially contextual but not structural EF5s: Cullman, Flat Rock, Ohatchee, New Harmony, Barnesville

Gotta love it when one outbreak produces 8 tornadoes that cause (official or otherwise) EF5 damage...and a good 5 more that potentially meet the mark contextually. 2011, ladies and gentlemen.
Click to expand...
In terms of actual EF5 tornadoes, id say the strongest case outside of Hackleburg and Smithville is Tuscaloosa, there isn't a ton from the other tornadoes that sticks out as obvious EF5, and once you get into high EF4 low EF5 it's hard to make out because you're picking at straws to piece together a rating (say 195 damage to 201 damage), for actual EF5 rate-ibility, Hackleburg and Smithville yes, maybe Tuscaloosa but Chastain Manor had some varied results via surveys, and everything I don't see being EF5, I also think Philadelphia is underrated and overrated at the same time, I don't think it should be EF5 but I feel like it's still likely of the intensity, Rainsville gets a bit of a thumbs down I think that one is commonly hyped up a bit, for EF4s like I said Tuscaloosa, all the other ones I don't really see to the same degree, Ringgold I see talked about a lot but it seems like a bunch of poorly constructed homes and weaker trees in that valley area with the windrowing, nothing super spectacular to show up as EF5, correct me on any of this too, I'm on the 4/3/74 side of super outbreak knowledge compared to 4/27/11
 
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