• 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
Logo 468x120
Messages
346
Reaction score
85
Location
Lenexa, KS
Messages
346
Reaction score
85
Location
Lenexa, KS
You have to wonder what would've happened if it tracked through Tuscaloosa or Birmingham.
It would have surpassed the death toll of the Hackleburg/Phil Campbell EF5 tornado from that day and even the Joplin EF5 not even a month later. It would of killed hundreds or even thousands. The death toll would have been staggering and absolutely terrifying.
 
Messages
2,157
Reaction score
2,714
Location
Missouri
It would have surpassed the death toll of the Hackleburg/Phil Campbell EF5 tornado from that day and even the Joplin EF5 not even a month later. It would of killed hundreds or even thousands. The death toll would have been staggering and absolutely terrifying.
The more I think about the more I realize Tupelo of 1936 is basically Smithville going through a densely-populated area, so I guess I just answered my own question/speculation there. Still, really amazing all the F/EF5s that narrowly avoided heavily populated areas. One of these days though....
 

pohnpei

Member
Messages
958
Reaction score
1,949
Location
shanghai
I believe the damage photos in this page was from 2007 Trousdales EF3(there will be nice if someone can correct me if I am wrong about this), the big one after Greensburgs EF5, which was 2.2 miles wide. There were some seriously impressive tree debarking here.

-348795b20efb5883.jpg41025c69eac0cba8.jpg-75b7431068e8f29d.jpg66b8e5180269cb72.jpg
 
Last edited:
Messages
2,157
Reaction score
2,714
Location
Missouri
I believe the damage photos in this page was from 2007 Trousdales EF3(there will be nice if someone can correct me if I am wrong about this), the big one after Greensburgs EF5, which was 2.2 miles wide. There were some seriously impressive tree debarking here.

View attachment 3451View attachment 3452View attachment 3453View attachment 3454

Supposedly there's a storm chaser that has the only video documentation of this event somewhere.... wish someone could find it....
 
Messages
2,157
Reaction score
2,714
Location
Missouri
That is an extremely violent tornado. I like how the guy in the vid says that's paper. That is a lot more than paper. I never knew the violence of this tornado until recently.
You really have no idea how impressive this thing is until you really read up on it and consider how unusual its location was and the sheer ferocity of it. Grazulis actually referred to it as a 'maxi-tornado' and very few tornadoes earn that label from him.
 
Messages
346
Reaction score
85
Location
Lenexa, KS
That entire family was all exceptionally violent (and large as well). I got the impression they were basically entire mesocyclones on the ground.
Besides the Greensburg EF5 tornado the other three likely had the ability to do EF4+ damage. That day was a wedge fest for some storm chasers. I wonder what would have happened had these other three wedge tornadoes would have hit a well-built house at peak intensity. Would it have been less, the same, or more intense than other traditional smaller wedge F5/EF5 tornadoes?
 

pohnpei

Member
Messages
958
Reaction score
1,949
Location
shanghai

pohnpei

Member
Messages
958
Reaction score
1,949
Location
shanghai
There was another "Greensburg tornado" happened on May 23 2008. It was a 1.8 mils wide monster wedge tornado and rated EF3. The peak vrot of this thing reached 122KT in terms of overall TVS, even higher than Greensburg in 2007.
I have a good document of this event written by Dodge City NWS saved in my computer but can't find the link of this now. There were 5 mile-wide tornados and 13 half-mile-wide tornados on that day, almost all of them remain on open field, many of these big wedge had peak vrot over 90KT. It has been hard to see such events like 07/5/4 and 08/5/23 in recent years.
 
Last edited:
Messages
2,753
Reaction score
4,291
Location
Madison, WI
There was another "Greensburg tornado" happened on May 23 2008. It was a 1.8 mils wide monster wedge tornado and rated EF3. The peak vrot of this thing reached 122KT in terms of overall TVS, even higher than Greensburg in 2007.
I have a good document of this event written by Dodge City NWS saved in my computer but can't find the link of this now. There were 5 miles wide tornado and 13 half mile wide tornado on that day, almost all of them remain on open field, many of these big wedge had peak vrot over 90KT. It has been hard to see such events like 07/5/4 and 08/5/23 in recent years.

Yeah, I remember watching radar on that day in 2008 and thinking how on edge the people of Greensburg had to be with such a monstrous radar signature in such close proximity yet again just over a year later. Fortunately there was not a similar outcome.
 
Messages
346
Reaction score
85
Location
Lenexa, KS
Messages
2,753
Reaction score
4,291
Location
Madison, WI
Here is an F5 tornado that is not really well known. The Oakfield, Wisconsin tornado on July 18, 1996. It was relatively narrow when it did F5 damage. While definitely not the most intense tornado ever documented it sure packed a punch. https://www.fdlreporter.com/story/n...seen-video-captured-1996-f5-tornado/30414771/

The aluminum can factory was also completely destroyed.

I've always been interested in that tornado, being the most recent official violent tornado to occur in my home state. The rating seems a tad generous especially compared to some of the rationales which have been used to rate tornadoes EF4 instead of EF5 in recent years.
 
Messages
346
Reaction score
85
Location
Lenexa, KS
I've always been interested in that tornado, being the most recent official violent tornado to occur in my home state. The rating seems a tad generous especially compared to some of the rationales which have been used to rate tornadoes EF4 instead of EF5 in recent years.
I would think this tornado would rate at least a high-end EF4 even by todays standards. Though I could be wrong.
 
Messages
346
Reaction score
85
Location
Lenexa, KS
There was another "Greensburg tornado" happened on May 23 2008. It was a 1.8 mils wide monster wedge tornado and rated EF3. The peak vrot of this thing reached 122KT in terms of overall TVS, even higher than Greensburg in 2007.
I have a good document of this event written by Dodge City NWS saved in my computer but can't find the link of this now. There were 5 mile-wide tornados and 13 half-mile-wide tornados on that day, almost all of them remain on open field, many of these big wedge had peak vrot over 90KT. It has been hard to see such events like 07/5/4 and 08/5/23 in recent years.
Two people were killed in their vehicle from one of these tornadoes. http://davieswx.blogspot.com/2008/05/deadly-nighttime-tornado-in-eastern.html
 
Back
Top