Severe Weather Threat 5.22-5.24.24

[TH2002]

More footage of yesterday's tornado in Toluca, Mexico. Unfortunately hearing of two fatalities.

 

[Tempestas Tonitrua]

Lol

That's all I'm going to say about this constant underrating of tornadoes with radar data, including radar data very close to the ground.

You’re in research at OU, I would guess all of academia up to the highest levels have to be just shaking their heads at this?

 

[andyhb]

You’re in research at OU, I would guess all of academia up to the highest levels have to be just shaking their heads at this?

It's a controversial topic.

 

[Tempestas Tonitrua]

It's a controversial topic.

I can imagine

 

[Clancy]

More footage of yesterday's tornado in Toluca, Mexico. Unfortunately hearing of two fatalities.

Well we can confidently say that the phenomenon of "hey, let me take a video of the violently rotating death pasta" is not limited to the States.

 

[Tomcats Forever!]

Well we can confidently say that the phenomenon of "hey, let me take a video of the violently rotating death pasta" is not limited to the States.

Congratulations, you're the first person in human history to ever put those words together in that order.

 

[Clancy]

Congratulations, you're the first person in human history to ever put those words together in that order.

 

[jiharris0220]

I take back what I said about the sterling tx tornado being mid range ef4, upon closer inspection through numerous photos of the survey, I have no doubt in my mind this was en ef5; I don’t say these things willy nilly either.

Mesquite trees in some of these were actually completely debarked, some photos look like a galactic laser atomized the area. This scouring combined with tree damage puts this thing on par with matador, 2013 Moore, and Chickasaw to name a few.

Keep in mind there’s no debris loading that could’ve enhanced the scoring or debarking, I don’t even want to imagine this hitting a town.

 

[slenker]

I take back what I said about the sterling tx tornado being mid range ef4, upon closer inspection through numerous photos of the survey, I have no doubt in my mind this was en ef5; I don’t say these things willy nilly either.

Mesquite trees in some of these were actually completely debarked, some photos look like a galactic laser atomized the area. This scouring combined with tree damage puts this thing on par with matador, 2013 Moore, and Chickasaw to name a few.

That shrub damage is unbelievably extreme, I’ve never seen anything quite like that in anything remotely recent

 

[TH2002]

I take back what I said about the sterling tx tornado being mid range ef4, upon closer inspection through numerous photos of the survey, I have no doubt in my mind this was en ef5; I don’t say these things willy nilly either.

Mesquite trees in some of these were actually completely debarked, some photos look like a galactic laser atomized the area. This scouring combined with tree damage puts this thing on par with matador, 2013 Moore, and Chickasaw to name a few.

Keep in mind there’s no debris loading that could’ve enhanced the scoring or debarking, I don’t even want to imagine this hitting a town.

"LoW eNd Ef3"

 

[jiharris0220]

"LoW eNd Ef3"

Yeah, west tx surveys once again showing incompetence. The day 140mph winds can cause this level of damage will be the day hell freezes over.

They’re the only ones who don’t rate tree damage ef4, not sure why that is.

 

[TH2002]

Yeah, west tx surveys once again showing incompetence. The day 140mph winds can cause this level of damage will be the day hell freezes over.

They’re the only ones who don’t rate tree damage ef4, not sure why that is.

Like Matador, this is another one of those cases where the main problem isn't even that it didn't get rated EF5, but that it's a blatantly violent tornado rated below the violent threshold. I mean c'mon, even Matador AT LEAST got rated high-end EF3 (which is still too low, but you get the point).

Not the first time this has happened with ridiculously violent tornadoes though, and not even the first time it's happened in Texas. I'm sure many on this forum recall the "low end EF3" that leveled homes and threw vehicles and heavy farm equipment more than a mile near Cisco, TX in 2015.

Unrelated, and dare I say this, but I feel like we'd get along well if we casually ran into each other at a diner somewhere.

 

[tornado examiner]

Can someone repost radar frames of the sterling County tornado?

 

[Casuarina Head]

I take back what I said about the sterling tx tornado being mid range ef4, upon closer inspection through numerous photos of the survey, I have no doubt in my mind this was en ef5; I don’t say these things willy nilly either.

Mesquite trees in some of these were actually completely debarked, some photos look like a galactic laser atomized the area. This scouring combined with tree damage puts this thing on par with matador, 2013 Moore, and Chickasaw to name a few.

Keep in mind there’s no debris loading that could’ve enhanced the scoring or debarking, I don’t even want to imagine this hitting a town.

@jiharris0220 I’m not so sure that these images show such pronounced scouring. In the background the condition of the soil looks to be similar, but the extent of defoliation gives the illusion of scouring. In this case mainly shrubbery and mesquite has been stripped bare, not the actual soil. At least in cases like Matador, Moore, Chickasha, Loyal Valley, and Bakersfield one could see a clear(er) contrast between grassy and scoured surfaces. In this case such a contrast seems less evident. I don’t doubt that this event was capable of stronger damage than officially rated, but I’m not so sure that it belongs on the same level as the other events. Also, in this case there isn’t so much debarking or uprooting, at least not to the same degree.

 

[locomusic01]

Lol

That's all I'm going to say about this constant underrating of tornadoes with radar data, including radar data very close to the ground.

Heaven forbid we violate the sanctity of the historical record, which is famously known for its accuracy and consistency. Wouldn't want to introduce any new variables, y'know.

 

[rushdude]

Storms been rolling in here in north-central TX. Been some suspect rotation too


Edit:
Hopefully it won't amount to much but storms on radar showing.. slight hook?

 

[slenker]

@jiharris0220 I’m not so sure that these images show such pronounced scouring. In the background the condition of the soil looks to be similar, but the extent of defoliation gives the illusion of scouring. In this case mainly shrubbery and mesquite has been stripped bare, not the actual soil. At least in cases like Matador, Moore, Chickasha, Loyal Valley, and Bakersfield one could see a clear(er) contrast between grassy and scoured surfaces. In this case such a contrast seems less evident. I don’t doubt that this event was capable of stronger damage than officially rated, but I’m not so sure that it belongs on the same level as the other events. Also, in this case there isn’t so much debarking or uprooting, at least not to the same degree.

I’m fairly certain in picture 10/13 it shows grassy landscapes in the distance, giving a clear indication of where the ground scouring begins. I’d be hard-pressed to believe that isn’t actual scouring due to the intensity of the shrubbery debarking there. Still, regardless of what it is rated, it still fits the bill for a violent tornado rather easily imo. I don’t think it’ll be rated accordingly - and I honestly wouldn’t be that upset about it. The scale strictly defines rating a tornado based on structural damage it inflicts, which is an annoying and flawed way to do it, but it is objectively how they rate things.

 

[MichelleH]

Tornado warning north Mississippi.

 

[Maxis_s]

Oh my…Sterling Texas from May 22 was violent.

Yeah that's uh... wow.

 

[JPWX]

Tornado warning north Mississippi.

Yep. Whoever wrote severe weather/tornado threat off in May for the Mid-South region needs to rethink.