Enhanced Fujita Ratings Debate Thread

[tornado examiner]

Grinnell might actually have been the strongest Kansas tornado since Chapman imo.

 

[Grand Poo Bah]

Here's some images of Mayfield train cars @slenker. It moved two cars a decent distance.






A clear difference between Mayfield and Enderlin is the damage the tank in Enderlin sustained. I think it bounced end over end 3 times on its way to its final resting place.





Here's high quality drone footage of the scene:



If the train isn't conclusive enough to prove EF5 winds, the truck is. (Edit: the truck is actually from the Jamestown EF2) The tornado ripped it apart limb from limb into little tiny bits and took the grass with it. Seriously incredible.

 

[Lake Martin EF4]

If the train isn't conclusive enough to prove EF5 winds, the truck is. The tornado ripped it apart limb from limb into little tiny bits and took the grass with it. Seriously incredible.

These photos of the truck, I believe, are actually from the EF2 near Jamestown. The field had already been plowed, but the vehicle damage still points to a violent tornado.

 

[Grand Poo Bah]

These photos of the truck, I believe, are actually from the EF2 near Jamestown. The field had already been plowed, but the vehicle damage still points to a violent tornado.

Darn it you're right! Great catch. Must have got them mixed up when I was downloading photos. I don't think it's farm field though based on the lack of rows, clumps of grass, and almost total scouring of the adjacent ditch.

 

[Aaron Rider]

Darn it you're right! Great catch. Must have got them mixed up when I was downloading photos. I don't think it's farm field though based on the lack of rows, clumps of grass, and almost total scouring of the adjacent ditch.

Is this the same as the Spiritwood twister?

EF2? Come on,man

 

[Aaron Rider]

I'm gonna run through these one by one:

Potosi: I'm honestly ok with top-end EF3, but low-end EF4 would have been just as appropriate. Either or, really.
Greenville: EF4, no way. 140-145MPH EF3 looks appropriate based on what I've seen. But in any case, EF2 is too low.
Selmer: I think high-end EF3 was the correct rating. The structures weren't well built and the contextual damage seemed consistent with a low-end EF4 at best.
Bakersfield: I would have been OK with high-end EF3 (the 145mph wind speed estimate was too low for sure) but no doubt it was violent based on contextuals.
Des Arc: I looked at all the photos of that one house on the DAT and pretty much all of the anchor bolts were missing nuts. Normally I would assume they got stripped off by the tornado, but the NWS uploaded a photo of sill plating still attached w/ no nut on the anchor bolt so I genuinely think a construction error happened here (much like the Deer Drive home from early in the Vilonia tornado's path). EF3 seems appropriate to me.
St. Louis: the homes that were leveled were old and frail. Masonry does not automatically equal better construction. As a matter of fact, the very photos you posted show trees and vegetation hardly disturbed right next to a leveled home, pretty much a dead giveaway that violent winds were not required to do that damage. EF3 is fine.
Grinnell and Plevna: gonna get these two out of the way at the same time. Regardless of construction quality, I agree that the biggest flaw with those surveys are two blatantly violent tornadoes rated below the violent threshold. Low-end EF3 for Grinnell especially doesn't sit well with me.
Morganfield: not overly familiar with it, but a quick look at the survey page didn't reveal anything that 100% screamed violent, at least to me.
Enderlin: fully expected this one to get slapped with a high-end EF3 rating. I'm honestly ok with that rating being applied to the homes it destroyed, but I do think a more detailed analysis needs to be done on the train car that was thrown.

For Lake City, Diaz, Larkin, Tylertown, Marion and London I obviously agree with their EF4 ratings, so no need to comment there.

Agreed. Still interested in the Linton and Bloomington, Indiana tornadoes. Probably not violent but still interested.

 

[N0mz]

Agreed. Still interested in the Linton and Bloomington, Indiana tornadoes. Probably not violent but still interested.

I was shocked how little damage it seems we got out of the Bloomington-Columbus tornado. From radar, the thing looked like a monster, but the conventional and contextual damage wasn't impressive at all.