• Welcome to TalkWeather!
    We see you lurking around TalkWeather! Take the extra step and join us today to view attachments, see less ads and maybe even join the discussion.
    CLICK TO JOIN TALKWEATHER

MNTornadoGuy

Member
Messages
1,615
Reaction score
2,570
Location
Apple Valley, MN


Video showing intense inflow winds flowing into the funnel.



Another close video of the Carr Fire tornado giving the true scale of the tornado’s size. It’s huge.
 

MNTornadoGuy

Member
Messages
1,615
Reaction score
2,570
Location
Apple Valley, MN
Another intense pyrotornado is the 2014 Eiler Fire tornado which was potentially wider and longer-tracked than the Carr one. It completely debarked cedar trees (hundreds were snapped off or uprooted), destroyed an outbuilding, pulled up a buried culvert and scoured 4-5 inches of topsoil. The NWS gave it an EF1 rating despite that it did EF2 damage.
 

Attachments

  • eiler.jpg
    eiler.jpg
    385.7 KB · Views: 0
  • Screenshot_2020-10-02 Sci-Hub Fire Whirls Twisters That Light the Sky Weatherwise, 67(6), 12–2...png
    Screenshot_2020-10-02 Sci-Hub Fire Whirls Twisters That Light the Sky Weatherwise, 67(6), 12–2...png
    1.5 MB · Views: 0
  • Screenshot_2020-10-02 Sci-Hub Fire Whirls Twisters That Light the Sky Weatherwise, 67(6), 12–2...png
    Screenshot_2020-10-02 Sci-Hub Fire Whirls Twisters That Light the Sky Weatherwise, 67(6), 12–2...png
    1.4 MB · Views: 0
  • Screenshot_2020-10-02 Sci-Hub Fire Whirls Twisters That Light the Sky Weatherwise, 67(6), 12–2...png
    Screenshot_2020-10-02 Sci-Hub Fire Whirls Twisters That Light the Sky Weatherwise, 67(6), 12–2...png
    993.6 KB · Views: 0

MNTornadoGuy

Member
Messages
1,615
Reaction score
2,570
Location
Apple Valley, MN
Geez the SOUND! This thing was truly impressive.
The sound it produces is terrifying. It sounds like a bunch of cars driving by at high speeds mixed with the roar of a tornado. From the motion and damage I really won’t be surprised if this tornado reached violent intensity at one point.
 

MNTornadoGuy

Member
Messages
1,615
Reaction score
2,570
Location
Apple Valley, MN
New damage photographs from the 2018 Carr pyrotornado. They show mangled/shredded vehicles, uprooted, snapped or debarked trees, a home with all the cinder-blocks removed (probably by the wind) and scoured ground.
 

Attachments

  • CD179DBA-F4BE-4CD7-8641-F903C7B2C991.png
    CD179DBA-F4BE-4CD7-8641-F903C7B2C991.png
    3.3 MB · Views: 0
  • 1C5CD69D-F1B4-4845-B23A-21DFCD8D7D75.png
    1C5CD69D-F1B4-4845-B23A-21DFCD8D7D75.png
    2.2 MB · Views: 0
  • FAC76E92-12F1-4633-943F-421131879A98.jpeg
    FAC76E92-12F1-4633-943F-421131879A98.jpeg
    277.5 KB · Views: 0
  • B299BC1C-AB51-4577-B165-69A2FA500140.jpeg
    B299BC1C-AB51-4577-B165-69A2FA500140.jpeg
    256.1 KB · Views: 0
  • 47F6554C-96EB-4BB0-A0F9-B0EA8B3C0016.jpeg
    47F6554C-96EB-4BB0-A0F9-B0EA8B3C0016.jpeg
    272.8 KB · Views: 0
Last edited:
Messages
2,159
Reaction score
2,716
Location
Missouri
New damage photographs from the 2018 Carr pyrotornado. They show mangled/shredded vehicles, uprooted, snapped or debarked trees, a home with all the cinder-blocks removed (probably by the wind) and scoured ground.
I think one of the fatalities from this thing was a firefighter in his truck and both were found around a couple hundred yards or so from the road where they were tossed. What a way to go.

Well, here's a paper on this thing demonstrating evidence that it should be viewed as an actual tornado made of fire, not merely a powerful fire whirl.

 

MNTornadoGuy

Member
Messages
1,615
Reaction score
2,570
Location
Apple Valley, MN
I think one of the fatalities from this thing was a firefighter in his truck and both were found around a couple hundred yards or so from the road where they were tossed. What a way to go.

Well, here's a paper on this thing demonstrating evidence that it should be viewed as an actual tornado made of fire, not merely a powerful fire whirl.

The firefighter's truck was rolled and dragged "only" 40-50 yards though other vehicles near the area where the transmission towers were destroyed were thrown hundreds of yards. The other fatalities from the tornado occurred when the walls of a home were blown out and the roof collapsed.
1602550847964.png

Photograph of the concrete footing of one of the towers. Notice how nearly all the soil is removed via ground scouring around the footing. The soil type is rocky dry clay silt so it would probably be pretty hard to scour.
 

buckeye05

Member
Messages
3,121
Reaction score
4,581
Location
Colorado
Are we positive that we’re looking at ground scouring in these photos, and not just exposed dusty ground that is typical for this geographical area? I’m skeptical.

With legitimate ground scouring, there is almost always a visible, linear swath of scoured ground among a surrounding area of unscoured ground, with a fairly sharp contour visible between the two when viewed from the air. I don’t see that here.
 

MNTornadoGuy

Member
Messages
1,615
Reaction score
2,570
Location
Apple Valley, MN
Are we positive that we’re looking at ground scouring in these photos, and not just exposed dusty ground that is typical for this geographical area? I’m skeptical.

With legitimate ground scouring, there is almost always a visible, linear swath of scoured ground among a surrounding area of unscoured ground, with a fairly sharp contour visible between the two when viewed from the air. I don’t see that here.
The scour path is visible, here are some photographs of it. Note the contrast between the darker ground outside the tornado’s path and the lighter (scoured) ground within the tornado’s path.
 

Attachments

  • FF1E8C44-7A00-409B-A30A-F81EA54A538E.jpeg
    FF1E8C44-7A00-409B-A30A-F81EA54A538E.jpeg
    235 KB · Views: 0
  • 21E84161-5053-4E92-AB73-2761ADDC78D1.png
    21E84161-5053-4E92-AB73-2761ADDC78D1.png
    1.7 MB · Views: 0
  • D10052D4-F5D9-4744-8352-0D7408FE3E59.jpeg
    D10052D4-F5D9-4744-8352-0D7408FE3E59.jpeg
    220.5 KB · Views: 0

MNTornadoGuy

Member
Messages
1,615
Reaction score
2,570
Location
Apple Valley, MN
I’ve done a bit more digging on the Eiler Fire tornado and now I’m convinced that is it one of the strongest tornadoes in West Coast history. The forest and ground damage is very intense, comparable to high-end tornadoes in Dixie and the Plains. These photographs show debarked trees, intense ground scouring and a buried culvert that was pulled up. This tornado traveled for 2 miles and had a max width of 1150 yards.
 

Attachments

  • A53A92E7-14AD-4A1C-B186-4D69B5A8324A.png
    A53A92E7-14AD-4A1C-B186-4D69B5A8324A.png
    2.1 MB · Views: 0
  • D9AA720B-8159-4085-9471-E2B6DE4C5877.png
    D9AA720B-8159-4085-9471-E2B6DE4C5877.png
    2.3 MB · Views: 0
  • 338C2F18-557E-4FD8-B7E4-A1870316C093.png
    338C2F18-557E-4FD8-B7E4-A1870316C093.png
    2.7 MB · Views: 0
  • D4F9B297-757C-40CF-82DF-9C65E98B6AF0.png
    D4F9B297-757C-40CF-82DF-9C65E98B6AF0.png
    4.7 MB · Views: 0
  • 984D8183-99C9-4BC2-90DC-8C40F39411AD.png
    984D8183-99C9-4BC2-90DC-8C40F39411AD.png
    4.4 MB · Views: 0
  • 96CE38C3-0ED2-495E-8FA2-5BB305C06531.png
    96CE38C3-0ED2-495E-8FA2-5BB305C06531.png
    3.5 MB · Views: 0
Last edited:

buckeye05

Member
Messages
3,121
Reaction score
4,581
Location
Colorado
I’ve done a bit more digging on the Eiler Fire tornado and now I’m convinced that is it one of the strongest tornadoes in West Coast history. The forest and ground damage is very intense, comparable to high-end tornadoes in Dixie and the Plains. These photographs show debarked trees, intense ground scouring and a buried culvert that was pulled up. This tornado traveled for 2 miles and had a max width of 1150 yards.
Extremely impressive tree damage there. Legitimate debarking for sure.
 

MNTornadoGuy

Member
Messages
1,615
Reaction score
2,570
Location
Apple Valley, MN


Photographs have come out of Grand Lake that was effected by the East Troublesome Fire showing a mass blowdown of trees. Radar data at the time showed strong rotation within the pyroCb leading to some fire behavior experts speculating that a pyrotornado occurred.
 

buckeye05

Member
Messages
3,121
Reaction score
4,581
Location
Colorado


Photographs have come out of Grand Lake that was effected by the East Troublesome Fire showing a mass blowdown of trees. Radar data at the time showed strong rotation within the pyroCb leading to some fire behavior experts speculating that a pyrotornado occurred.

Incredible! That first pic of the ridge almost completely deforested is clearly tornado damage.
 

MNTornadoGuy

Member
Messages
1,615
Reaction score
2,570
Location
Apple Valley, MN
Incredible! That first pic of the ridge almost completely deforested is clearly tornado damage.
Aerial imagery from the Catastrophic Map Viewer gives further insight into the event. In the Sun Valley Ranch neighborhood intense tornadic winds flipped over cars, uprooted/snapped many trees and blew sheet metal away from structures, and wrapped it around fallen trees.
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_2020-11-17 Catastrophe Map Viewer(4).jpg
    Screenshot_2020-11-17 Catastrophe Map Viewer(4).jpg
    331.1 KB · Views: 0
  • Screenshot_2020-11-17 Catastrophe Map Viewer(3).jpg
    Screenshot_2020-11-17 Catastrophe Map Viewer(3).jpg
    469.4 KB · Views: 0
  • Screenshot_2020-11-17 Catastrophe Map Viewer(1).png
    Screenshot_2020-11-17 Catastrophe Map Viewer(1).png
    1.6 MB · Views: 0
  • Screenshot_2020-11-17 Catastrophe Map Viewer.png
    Screenshot_2020-11-17 Catastrophe Map Viewer.png
    387.6 KB · Views: 0
  • Screenshot_2020-11-17 Catastrophe Map Viewer(2).jpg
    Screenshot_2020-11-17 Catastrophe Map Viewer(2).jpg
    270.7 KB · Views: 0
  • Screenshot_2020-11-17 Catastrophe Map Viewer(1).jpg
    Screenshot_2020-11-17 Catastrophe Map Viewer(1).jpg
    560.3 KB · Views: 0
  • Screenshot_2020-11-17 Catastrophe Map Viewer.jpg
    Screenshot_2020-11-17 Catastrophe Map Viewer.jpg
    423.1 KB · Views: 0

MNTornadoGuy

Member
Messages
1,615
Reaction score
2,570
Location
Apple Valley, MN
New photographs have come out showing extent of damage from the Lake Huntington EF1 pyrotornado (Still haven't found anything new on damage from the Mammoth Pool EF2.)




 

MNTornadoGuy

Member
Messages
1,615
Reaction score
2,570
Location
Apple Valley, MN
I found damage photographs and a pyroCb photograph from the 1923 Tokyo fire tornado which might have killed up to 38,000 people.
 

Attachments

  • unknown10.png
    unknown10.png
    246 KB · Views: 0
  • unknown9.png
    unknown9.png
    268.5 KB · Views: 0
  • unknown5.png
    unknown5.png
    281.9 KB · Views: 0
Back
Top