Odd Tornado Damage

[Kevinoz10]

I do have a few questions on violent tornadoes, is how granulation happens (I assume just from the high winds just pulverizing debris) as well as how windrowing occurs (I would assume due to sub vortexes)


Also I would love to see any odd photos of tornado damage any of you may have, I'm always in awe of what they can do

 

[buckeye05]

I thought this was sort of interesting. It's from the recent tri-state EF4 in Leachville, AR. Only one tree in a row of pine trees has been debarked, and it's probably no coincidence that it appears to be the only tree wrapped in sheet metal. The sheet metal probably acted like a potato peeler to that tree. This is among the most severe debarking I've seen next to a building that still has walls standing.

 

[Kevinoz10]

I thought this was sort of interesting. It's from the recent tri-state EF4 in Leachville, AR. Only one tree in a row pine trees has been debarked, and it's probably no coincidence that it appears to be the only tree wrapped in sheet metal. The sheet metal probably acted like a potato peeler to the trees. This is among the most severe debarking I've seen next to a building that still has walls standing.
View attachment 11788

That is amazing that it debarked the one tree, and left the rest alone and didn't destroy the building in the process

 

[CheeselandSkies]

You'll find a lot of photos of odd/extreme high-end damage in this thread:

Significant Tornado Events

(My apologies if there's already a thread in this vein; I checked but I didn't find one.) So, once upon a time, Talkweather was host to a pretty swell thread called "Significant Tornado Events." I'm sure some of y'all will remember. Full disclosure: I think I initially started the thread in a...

talkweather.com

 

[TH2002]

I know these have been posted before, but I can't help but mention them again.
Joplin


Also it wouldn't let me post the photo for some reason, but there was a hose impaled through a tree at one location as well.

 

[eric11]

No photo evidence, but some hearsay.
Martin Lisius, who chased the 1995 Hoover TX tornado, meant this


I just can't figure out how powerful the winds were that could impelled mosquitos into trees.

 

[pohnpei]

I thought this was sort of interesting. It's from the recent tri-state EF4 in Leachville, AR. Only one tree in a row of pine trees has been debarked, and it's probably no coincidence that it appears to be the only tree wrapped in sheet metal. The sheet metal probably acted like a potato peeler to the trees. This is among the most severe debarking I've seen next to a building that still has walls standing.
View attachment 11788

Similar to this from Hattisburg 2013. One almost fully debarked trees near EF1 damage

 

[pohnpei]

One children's play set was left almost untoched in Joplin. For a comparsion, the same type of thing almost got pulled out in Pilger.

 

[locomusic01]

I do have a few questions on violent tornadoes, is how granulation happens (I assume just from the high winds just pulverizing debris) as well as how windrowing occurs (I would assume due to sub vortexes)

Also I would love to see any odd photos of tornado damage any of you may have, I'm always in awe of what they can do

Yeah, debris granulation is pretty much just stuff gettin' smashed up real good. The debris itself can also add to the tornado's destructive force, so it's a bit of a feedback loop at a certain point - ground-up debris gets entrained into the tornado, which smashes up more stuff, which creates more debris, etc.

Regarding windrowing, it can be associated with subvortices but isn't always. Basically what happens is that there's a part of the vortex called the corner flow region, which is where the horizontal/radial inflow abruptly shoots vertically into the updraft. If the winds in this corner flow region are really intense, they sort of collect the debris that's being generated and deposit it in convergent streaks. The same thing can happen w/subvortices as well, just on a smaller scale and in multiple streaks.

 

[buckeye05]

Similar to this from Hattisburg 2013. One almost fully debarked trees near EF1 damage
View attachment 11831

Yeah. It is worth mentioning that in both cases, these were softwoods/pine trees, which seem to be much more prone to debarking. While severe debarking is usually a very reliable indicator of a violent tornado, I have learned to ignore cases where one single tree is debarked but surrounded by many others that aren't. It usually suggests a defect or extensive debris impacts to that one particular tree.

 

[Kevinoz10]

Yeah, debris granulation is pretty much just stuff gettin' smashed up real good. The debris itself can also add to the tornado's destructive force, so it's a bit of a feedback loop at a certain point - ground-up debris gets entrained into the tornado, which smashes up more stuff, which creates more debris, etc.

Regarding windrowing, it can be associated with subvortices but isn't always. Basically what happens is that there's a part of the vortex called the corner flow region, which is where the horizontal/radial inflow abruptly shoots vertically into the updraft. If the winds in this corner flow region are really intense, they sort of collect the debris that's being generated and deposit it in convergent streaks. The same thing can happen w/subvortices as well, just on a smaller scale and in multiple streaks.

Thank you a ton on that information! I'm still trying to learn as much as I can about tornadoes. I know the very basics, but I'm starting to get more in depth with them, the December outback really got me re-interested in them

 

[Taylor Campbell]

NWS Little Rock, AR - Severe Weather on February 5, 2008 (Stories)

Most of the stories were similar. Some people lost their vehicles; that is, the vehicles were thrown so far they have not been found. Others found vehicles they did not own...the vehicles came to rest on their property. Check receipts and bills were carried for miles, with paperwork from Atkins (Pope County) found in Clinton (Van Buren County) and farther upstream. Tin was found in areas where no buildings made of tin existed. And hundreds of livestock and thousands of chickens were killed.

There were bizarre stories as well. At Clinton (Van Buren County), two people were huddled around a commode in the bathroom before the storm arrived. After the storm departed, the bathroom was gone and so was the commode...but the people were still there (and only had minor injuries). Also at Clinton (Van Buren County), a lady had small pieces of newspaper buried in her leg...and the print could be read just under her skin.

 

[CheeselandSkies]

NWS Little Rock, AR - Severe Weather on February 5, 2008 (Stories)

Some impressive stuff has come out about that tornado (in addition to its >120-mile track). Arkansas' "other" (E)F5 candidate of relativity recent times, but unlike Vilonia there was nothing really egregiously lowballed/overlooked in the survey.

Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk

 

[TH2002]

The Brimfield tornado drove a screwdriver into a tree.

What I also find interesting about this home is that it appears to be a slider home, despite being anchored to its foundation:



And might as well mention another 2011 tornado.
Barnesville stuffed paper into a tree:


And this is a garage door, which was apparently found several weeks after the tornado:

 

[Tennie]

What I also find interesting about this home is that it appears to be a slider home, despite being anchored to its foundation:

Looking at the pics provided, it makes me wonder how well-connected to said anchoring that house's frame actually was, in order for it to basically slide right off of it regardless!

 

[TH2002]

Looking at the pics provided, it makes me wonder how well-connected to said anchoring that house's frame actually was, in order for it to basically slide right off of it regardless!

My guess is the wall studs weren't adequately connected to the sill plates (apparently the case with that one home the NWS didn't bother to survey in Chapman?)

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

No photo evidence, but some hearsay.
Martin Lisius, who chased the 1995 Hoover TX tornado, meant this
View attachment 11807
View attachment 11808
I just can't figure out how powerful the winds were that could impelled mosquitos into trees.

Probably as powerful as the same kinds of winds that can drive pine needles into tree trunks or leaves into trunks (Tupelo and Smithville did stuff like this).

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

The Brimfield tornado drove a screwdriver into a tree.

What I also find interesting about this home is that it appears to be a slider home, despite being anchored to its foundation:
View attachment 12171
View attachment 12173

And might as well mention another 2011 tornado.
Barnesville stuffed paper into a tree:
View attachment 12174

And this is a garage door, which was apparently found several weeks after the tornado:
View attachment 12175

Saragosa drove this fork into a completely debarked tree:





Greensburg did this with a license plate:

 

[KevinH]

Does anyone have any pictures of windrowing?

 

[locomusic01]

Does anyone have any pictures of windrowing?

Andover is the most remarkable example I've ever seen:

A few others that come to mind - Niles-Wheatland:

Joplin near Duquesne & E 20th:

Hackleburg:

Rainsville:

Smithville:

The 7/13/04 Roanoke F4 also comes to mind because it was easily visible from ground level:

There are lots of other examples but these were just the ones that came to mind. I'll look through my collection later and find some better ones.