Enhanced Fujita Ratings Debate Thread

[Aaron Rider]

Well, here it is. I'm planning on making a series of posts explaining the tornadoes that I would have rated differently, but this is my first draft of my list of violent tornadoes during the EF5 drought, between May 21, 2013 and June 20, 2025 (and I also found a lot of EF2s which I think should have been rated EF3). I'm open to feedback, and in fact I'd really like to hear people's opinions on the tornadoes that I'm still undecided on in particular, but feedback on any of them would be much appreciated. Obviously subject to change.

Italicized = I'm still undecided on what rating I would give the tornado.
Asterisk = I consider it to be a very marginal/low-end violent tornado.

List:

El Reno, Oklahoma - May 31, 2013 (EF4)
Belmond, Iowa - June 12, 2013 (EF4)*
Wayne, Nebraska - October 4, 2013 (EF4)
Pierson, Iowa - October 4, 2013 (EF4)*
Washington, Illinois - November 17, 2013 (EF4)
New Minden, Illinois - November 17, 2013 (EF4)

Vilonia, Arkansas - April 27, 2014 (EF5)
Tupelo, Mississippi - April 28, 2014 (EF4)
Louisville, Mississippi - April 28, 2014 (EF4)
Stanton, Nebraska - June 16, 2014 (EF5)
Pilger, Nebraska - June 16, 2014 (EF4)
E Pilger, Nebraska - June 16, 2014 (EF4)
Wakefield, Nebraska - June 16, 2014 (EF4)
Coleridge, Nebraska - June 17, 2014 (EF4)
Alpena, South Dakota - June 18, 2014 (EF4)
Columbia, Mississippi - December 23, 2014 (EF4)

Rochelle, Illinois - April 9, 2015 (EF5)
Cisco, Texas - May 9, 2015 (EF4)
Coal City, Illinois - June 22, 2015 (EF3 or EF4)
Clarksdale, Mississippi - December 23, 2015 (EF4)
Holly Springs, Mississippi - December 23, 2015 (EF4 or EF5)
Rowlett, Texas - December 26, 2015 (EF4)

Katie, Oklahoma - May 9, 2016 (EF4)
Sulphur, Oklahoma - May 9, 2016 (EF3 or EF4) (Possible EF4 based on vehicle damage.)
Connerville, Oklahoma - May 9, 2016 (EF3 or EF4) (Same as Sulphur.)
Chapman, Kansas - May 25, 2016 (EF5)

Perryville, Missouri - February 28, 2017 (EF4)
W Canton, Texas - April 29, 2017 (EF4)
E Canton, Texas - April 29, 2017 (EF4)
Great Bend, Kansas - May 16, 2017 (EF4)*

Laramie, Wyoming - June 6, 2018 (EF4) (Based on ground scouring.)
Camp Crook, South Dakota - June 28, 2018 (EF5)
Douglas, Wyoming - July 28, 2018 (EF4 or EF5)
Alonsa, Manitoba - August 3, 2018 (EF4)

Beauregard, Alabama - March 3, 2019 (EF4)
Greenwood Springs, Mississippi - April 13, 2019 (EF4)
Laverne, Oklahoma - May 23, 2019 (EF4)
Dayton, Ohio - May 27, 2019 (EF4)*
Linwood, Kansas - May 28, 2019 (EF4)

Mount Juliet, Tennessee - March 3, 2020 (EF4) (Mostly based on damage to elementary schools in Mount Juliet. Couldn't find explanation for why official NWS rating was lower bound.)
Cookeville, Tennessee - March 3, 2020 (EF4)
Sartinville, Mississippi - April 12, 2020 (EF4)
Bassfield, Mississippi - April 12, 2020 (EF4 or EF5)
Nixville, South Carolina - April 13, 2020 (EF4)
Hurricane Creek, Mississippi - April 19, 2020 (EF4)
Dalton, Minnesota - July 8, 2020 (EF4)

Boscobel, Wisconsin - August 7, 2021 (EF4)
Monette, Arkansas - December 10, 2021 (EF4)
Mayfield, Kentucky - December 10, 2021 (EF5)
Dresden, Tennessee - December 10, 2021 (EF3 or EF4)
Bowling Green, Kentucky - December 10, 2021 (EF4)
Saloma, Kentucky - December 11, 2021 (EF4)

Winterset, Iowa - March 5, 2022 (EF4)
Black Creek, Georgia - April 5, 2022 (EF4) (Borderline EF5, but the contextual concerns are valid imho.)
Ulmer, Georgia - April 5, 2022 (EF4)
Andover, Kansas - April 29, 2022 (EF4)*
Caviness, Texas - November 4, 2022 (EF4)* (I frankly think the EF4 rating is a bit questionable, but if it had been rated EF3 I'd probably be arguing for an EF4 rating.
VERY borderline.)
Clarksville, Texas - November 4, 2022 (EF4)

Rolling Fork, Mississippi - March 24, 2023 (EF5)
Keota, Iowa - March 31, 2023 (EF4)
Robinson, Illinois - March 31, 2023 (EF4)
Covington, Tennessee - March 31, 2023 (EF3 or EF4)
Bethel Springs, Tennessee - March 31, 2023 (EF3 or EF4)
Matador, Texas - June 21, 2023 (EF5)
Didsbury, Alberta - July 1, 2023 (EF4)

Elkhorn, Nebraska - April 26, 2024 (EF4)
Marietta, Oklahoma - April 27, 2024 (EF4)* (Same as Caviness.)
Hawkley, Texas - May 2, 2024 (EF4)*
Barnsdall, Oklahoma - May 6, 2024 (EF4)
Greenfield, Iowa - May 21, 2024 (EF4)
Charleston, Kentucky - May 26, 2024 (EF3 or EF4)
Whitman, Nebraska - June 25, 2024 (EF3 or EF4)

Bakersfield, Missouri - March 14, 2025 (EF4)
Fremont, Missouri - March 14, 2025 (EF3 or EF4)
Larkin, Arkansas - March 14, 2025 (EF4)
Diaz, Arkansas - March 14, 2025 (EF4)
Tylertown, Mississippi - March 15, 2025 (EF4)
Lake City, Arkansas - April 2, 2025 (EF4)
Marion, Illinois - May 16, 2025 (EF4)*
London, Kentucky - May 16, 2025 (EF4 or EF5) (House damage is low-mid EF4. Extreme tree and vehicle damage seem close to EF5 level).
Grinnell, Kansas - May 18, 2025 (EF4)
Preston, Kansas - May 18, 2025 (EF4)
Enderlin, North Dakota - June 20, 2025 (EF5)
Gary, South Dakota - June 28, 2025 (EF4)

Edit: forgot Lake City.

RE: Holly Springs

Holly Springs-Ashland, MS EF4 Tornado – December 23, 2015 – Tornado Talk

www.tornadotalk.com

 

[TH2002]

re: Louisville.

Regardless of the construction of the Eiland Plaza apartments, there was at least one anchor bolted slab home that was swept away (Felisha Mitchell's residence).

Still, I would infer that based on available evidence, the apartment buildings were well constructed. Here's why:
1. Sill plating was present, at the very least.
2. If they were poorly constructed I presume we would have seen "slider" type failures of the buildings, but that didn't happen as far as I know.

I would come to a very similar conclusion about Worcester 1953. The homes destroyed there were of recent post-WW2 construction, which were often anchor bolted as seen in Ruskin Heights. Also, subfloors in Worcester either remained in place or were 100% ripped away, with few to no cases of subfloors being knocked off foundations intact.

 

[Lake Martin EF4]

I would come to a very similar conclusion about Worcester 1953. The homes destroyed there were of recent post-WW2 construction, which were often anchor bolted as seen in Ruskin Heights. Also, subfloors in Worcester either remained in place or were 100% ripped away, with few to no cases of subfloors being knocked off foundations intact.

If the Worcester reanalysis were held now instead of in 2005 it likely would've gotten an upgrade for these reasons. As it happened (as I've stated before) it got reanalyzed during the height of La Plata Syndrome and appears to have retroactively become its first victim (chronologically).