Significant Tornado Events

[OHWX97]

Yup! This brings back memories of searching for tornado pics as a young kid. That photo sequence is one of the first I found. In total, I think it was about 8 photos, starting with the first multiple vortices forming under the wall cloud, consolidating into a huge wedge, and passing right by the photographer.

The guy who took these photos actually had a little website where he had each photo in order, with annotations about each pic in the sequence. I think it was called “Supersite USA - Tornado Photos” or something like that.

Update: I found a good portion of the sequence on the NWS page on this event. For some reason the close up views you posted are missing though. Photographer was Winston Wells.

Oh neat! I didn't realize those were a continuation of the Wells sequence. Makes perfect sense given the last photo on the NWS event page.

 

[eric11]

Here's other photos of the '79 Wichita Falls tornado. Visually, it's about as scary as a tornado gets.View attachment 8883View attachment 8884View attachment 8885

Wichita Falls F4 has one of the most nasty look or motion I've ever seen and I won't doubt it'll be much meaner if it get's higher quality video or photos nowadays, something you'll only see in a few EF5s.But one weird thing is that the damage I was able to find couldn't on par with its scary appearance perfectly. The worst damage seems to have made near McNeil Junior high school and that's the place where the F4 rating applied.

 

[eric11]

More pics for the tornado itself

 

[locomusic01]

I'm headed to bed so my bad if these have already been posted, but here are a few I've got from Wichita Falls. I could've sworn I had the full Wells sequence but I don't see the rest of them in my folder. I'll dig around again tomorrow if someone else doesn't have them.

 

[OHWX97]

Wichita Falls F4 has one of the most nasty look or motion I've ever seen and I won't doubt it'll be much meaner if it get's higher quality video or photos nowadays, something you'll only see in a few EF5s.But one weird thing is that the damage I was able to find couldn't on par with its scary appearance perfectly. The worst damage seems to have made near McNeil Junior high school and that's the place where the F4 rating applied.

While most violent tornadoes have a very narrow corridor of high end damage, Wichita Falls was an exception. It was more similar to, let's say Joplin, where the width of significant damage (F2+) reached or exceeded a half mile wide. Also, the vehicle damage is very impressive. It's no wonder that's where most of the 40+ fatalities occurred.

 

[CheeselandSkies]

While most violent tornadoes have a very narrow corridor of high end damage, Wichita Falls was an exception. It was more similar to, let's say Joplin, where the width of significant damage (F2+) reached or exceeded a half mile wide. Also, the vehicle damage is very impressive. It's no wonder that's where most of the 40+ fatalities occurred.

In some of those photos you can see those lighter "streaks" within the wall of the wedge which seem to be indicative of multiple vortices within. I've only observed this with video of a few tornadoes including Andover '91, Tuscaloosa '11, and the long-track EF4 near Salina, KS on April 14, 2012.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

I t

I wish I'd had time to finish an article on Topeka - I think people often forget what a beast it really was. Another view from the same area:

And of course one of the most spectacular historical tornado photos ever taken:

Dunno why, but the photo crossing Burnett's Mound has always struck me as well:

The videos remind me of sort of a cross between Andover and Tuscaloosa. The violent motion is pretty unmistakable. The damage wasn't necessarily among the most intense you'll ever see, but it was still pretty impressive for such a populated area.

Topeka is an instance of a tornado that was likely weakening as it was going through the city. It's most intense damage was located on the outer fringes of the city limits.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

On April 10th, 1979, Robert Molet took these horrifying photos of the approaching F4 tornado that devastated much of Wichita Falls, TX. Incredibly, Robert lived, only sustaining minor injuries. Unfortunately, others weren't so lucky at the apartment complex across the street.
View attachment 8876
View attachment 8877View attachment 8878View attachment 8879View attachment 8881

Aftermath of the apartment complex:
View attachment 8882

Amazed it took this long for this tornado to get mentioned on this thread. It had easily one of the nastiest appearances of tornadoes of all time but the majority of its damage doesn't seem to have been any higher than F4. The damage to the junior high school was impressive but I'm not sure about the construction quality of it.

Also, this photo of Wichita Falls has been doctored to be a photograph of the Tri-State tornado:



The doctored image:

The Great Tri-State Tornado - WDRB Weather Blog

At approximately 1:00 pm on March 18, 1925 an extremely violent and long lived tornado touched down near the town of Ellington Missouri. During the next three and a half hours, the storm would travel over 200 miles while destroying everything in it's path. At the end of the day,...

fox41blogs.typepad.com

 

[Austin Dawg]

And of course one of the most spectacular historical tornado photos ever taken:

You guys have created an awesome thread, maybe the most awesome tornado thread ever. Every day I recheck this thread to see what awe-inspiring images and information you guys have added but this photo is impressive.

 

[eric11]

While most violent tornadoes have a very narrow corridor of high end damage, Wichita Falls was an exception. It was more similar to, let's say Joplin, where the width of significant damage (F2+) reached or exceeded a half mile wide. Also, the vehicle damage is very impressive. It's no wonder that's where most of the 40+ fatalities occurred.

According to local newspaper, over half of the fatalities were related to vehicle, so it's reasonable to assume that the car moving rate of this tor was exceptionally high though little violent car damage (mangled beyond recognition) could I find
''45 people died in the Wichita Falls tornado. 25 of those deaths were vehicle related. 16 of those 25 vehicle related deaths were from people leaving their homes to escape the tornado."

 

[buckeye05]

I’m now wondering if the Wichita Falls sequence I saw when I was really little was a combination of photos from two photographers, but listed as one. The setting, resolution, and coloration of the Wells sequence photos seem different from the close-up shots with all the flying debris.

 

[Brice]

Amazed it took this long for this tornado to get mentioned on this thread. It had easily one of the nastiest appearances of tornadoes of all time but the majority of its damage doesn't seem to have been any higher than F4. The damage to the junior high school was impressive but I'm not sure about the construction quality of it.

Also, this photo of Wichita Falls has been doctored to be a photograph of the Tri-State tornado:

View attachment 8910

The doctored image:

View attachment 8911

The Great Tri-State Tornado - WDRB Weather Blog

At approximately 1:00 pm on March 18, 1925 an extremely violent and long lived tornado touched down near the town of Ellington Missouri. During the next three and a half hours, the storm would travel over 200 miles while destroying everything in it's path. At the end of the day,...

fox41blogs.typepad.com

I knew about this tornado but I've never seen a picture or video of it until now. And i'm in awe of how violent this thing looks and the motion it probably had looks to be one of the scariest tornado i've ever seen apart from the 2011 El Reno EF5

 

[TH2002]

Amazed it took this long for this tornado to get mentioned on this thread. It had easily one of the nastiest appearances of tornadoes of all time but the majority of its damage doesn't seem to have been any higher than F4. The damage to the junior high school was impressive but I'm not sure about the construction quality of it.

Also, this photo of Wichita Falls has been doctored to be a photograph of the Tri-State tornado:

View attachment 8910

The doctored image:

View attachment 8911

The Great Tri-State Tornado - WDRB Weather Blog

At approximately 1:00 pm on March 18, 1925 an extremely violent and long lived tornado touched down near the town of Ellington Missouri. During the next three and a half hours, the storm would travel over 200 miles while destroying everything in it's path. At the end of the day,...

fox41blogs.typepad.com

While on the topic of altered tornado photographs, a photo circulating as the May 31, 1947 Leedey, OK tornado is actually the May 11, 1982 Altus, OK tornado:

 

[Brice]

Ahh the Crosstown F4 tornado this occured in Missouri, September 22nd, it's pretty unusual but not unheard of for a potent system to be this far north, it was also the last F4 tornado

 

[Brice]

 

[Brice]

 

[Brice]

An F4 tornado with winds estimated near 210 mph, moved through Crosstown, Missouri on September 22, 2006 which created intense damage and destruction to the area. (Photo courtesy: NWS Paducah survey team.) Extracted from September 2006 Storm Data Publication.


This tornado could've been the first EF5 tornado had the Enhanced Fujita scale been enforced 7 months earlier from the Greensburg EF5

 

[buckeye05]

An F4 tornado with winds estimated near 210 mph, moved through Crosstown, Missouri on September 22, 2006 which created intense damage and destruction to the area. (Photo courtesy: NWS Paducah survey team.) Extracted from September 2006 Storm Data Publication.


This tornado could've been the first EF5 tornado had the Enhanced Fujita scale been enforced 7 months earlier from the Greensburg EF5

That’s not what they’re trying to say. It would have been given a lower wind speed estimate on the EF Scale.

As the scales changed over, so did the wind speed estimates for certain degrees of damage.

 

[Brice]

 

[Brice]

That’s not what they’re trying to say. It would have been given a lower wind speed estimate on the EF Scale.

Very true, my mistake