That second picture though. Truly violent looking ground scouring and tree damage there. Reminds me a bit of El Reno 2011.Some damage photos from the Greensburg KS EF5 which I don't think they had ever been published by someone else, mostly in rural areas.I cannot confirm whether these photos are belongs to the south of the town or to the north of the town.
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One more mangled car.
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Significant Tornado Events
- Thread starter locomusic01
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eric11
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Exactly, these hardwood tree damage in rural area truly pointed Greensburg into an at least high end EF4.Also note what seems to be a completely mangled car in the last pic.
The tornado actually completely swept away the top floor of the Greensburg high school, which might be one important factor to make Tim Marshall convinced it was the strongest high school damage he'd ever seen
One thing that always strikes me as incredible about Greensburg is how multiple survivors reported a momentary lull after the first side of the tornado hit, followed by a second wave of violent winds. This implies there was a large “eye” type feature inside the center of the circulation. This is also is somewhat noticeable in the Joplin gas station video.
The original location of the transmission tower that pulled out from the foundation by Bowdle tornado 2010. It actually throw over a hill.
The transmission tower damage made by Bowdle was of exceptional rare for this DI. I don't know the exact weight of this tower, but the average weight of transmission tower would be around 15t.
It's worthy mentioned that the Inner Mongolia tornado July 1 this year likely didn't pull this tower out of the foundation.
a mangled boat
The transmission tower damage made by Bowdle was of exceptional rare for this DI. I don't know the exact weight of this tower, but the average weight of transmission tower would be around 15t.
It's worthy mentioned that the Inner Mongolia tornado July 1 this year likely didn't pull this tower out of the foundation.
a mangled boat
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Juliett Bravo Kilo
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There's also the possibility that the debris on/near the foundation was from another home or building nearby, or at least some of it was from another home. Chickasha and Goldsby were both EF5 candidates that day, and I still think they both should've received an EF5 rating.
Additional EF5 damage from Greensburg:
I suppose it's possible because Tim Marshall rated some homes in Moore that had debris left on the foundations as EF5. Apparently the debris was from another building.
It also proves (I know it has been mentioned MANY times in this thread) that "debris impacts" being used to keep Vilonia from receiving an EF5 rating is pure bull***t.
And back to Chickasha and Goldsby, I am 100% confident both of those tornadoes should have been rated EF5, but Goldsby was the more "obvious" one that swept away numerous properly anchored homes.
edit: Also found a higher resolution version of the second photo I posted. It is likely the same "plausible EF5" home.
CheeselandSkies
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IDK, I've always felt the Chickasha tornado's heavy damage to the "tornado-resistant" monolithic dome house was particularly impressive. However both were, along with Vilonia '14; IMO the three most blatant underratings of a "should've-been" EF5 in the EF-scale era.
Edit: Although according to this article, that house was not a proper "monolithic" dome:
Edit: Although according to this article, that house was not a proper "monolithic" dome:
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I think Tim Marshall himself has reconsidered the rating, as I watched a power point presentation earlier this year where he referred to the Chickasha/Blanchard tornado damage as EF5, particularly at the dome home iirc. I’m at work so I can’t dig it up, but I’m sure someone else has the link.
ARCC
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Just a note; the Hydrant is absolutely knocked down by debris. Still impressive though.
CheeselandSkies
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Today is the eighth anniversary of the November 17, 2013 tornado outbreak. Numerous long-track and intense tornadoes raked across mostly Illinois and Indiana, with widespread wind damage extending throughout MI, OH, WV and PA. The most significant was the deadly Washington, IL EF4.
I remember stepping outside to go to work at 3 AM and knowing something was going to happen because the air felt darn near like a tropical rain forest, in Wisconsin, in late November. A few warnings were issued in southern Wisconsin, although we escaped significant impacts. It was the first live severe weather coverage I was involved in here at the local TV station where I work.
I remember stepping outside to go to work at 3 AM and knowing something was going to happen because the air felt darn near like a tropical rain forest, in Wisconsin, in late November. A few warnings were issued in southern Wisconsin, although we escaped significant impacts. It was the first live severe weather coverage I was involved in here at the local TV station where I work.
Damage pictures from the 12/04/83 Oxford, Alabama F3:
(I also do not know what the deal is with the inconsistency in the reported death toll from this tornado; sources list every number from two to six.)
(I also do not know what the deal is with the inconsistency in the reported death toll from this tornado; sources list every number from two to six.)
locomusic01
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So I've got a new photo of the Beaver Falls should-have-been-F4, taken as it was approaching the south side of Evans City. The quality is.. not ideal, to put it mildly, but it's the only photo I know of (so far) that was taken when the tornado was at/near peak size and intensity.
I also found out recently that, in addition to ripping up a section of the guardrails along I-79 west of Evans City, it also scoured a section of asphalt from Rt. 8 a few miles east of town. Someone had mentioned it before but I didn't really put much stock in it until two other people confirmed it.
And I finally got some good photos from the Tidioute F3, which is another tornado that's been weirdly hard to find much on even by 5/31/85 standards. Here are a couple:
I also found out recently that, in addition to ripping up a section of the guardrails along I-79 west of Evans City, it also scoured a section of asphalt from Rt. 8 a few miles east of town. Someone had mentioned it before but I didn't really put much stock in it until two other people confirmed it.
And I finally got some good photos from the Tidioute F3, which is another tornado that's been weirdly hard to find much on even by 5/31/85 standards. Here are a couple:
Austin Dawg
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That was really close to where I now live. Star marks the spot.
Yeah, I think about it when we have a warning but that was an odd storm it was created from
Good 2021 article with photos
MNTornadoGuy
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Damage from the August 14, 2020, Tangara Brazil EF3 tornado. These damage photos are from Vitor Goede who surveyed the damage. Debris was scattered 200 m from the brick house shown in the photo. The surveyor also noted that this tornado was likely violent and the damage swath was a mile wide at some points. Two boys were in the house when the tornado struck and was thrown 50 meters but only had minor injuries.
locomusic01
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As we've talked about a bunch of times before, the area that gets the most attention after a tornado isn't necessarily the area that was actually hit hardest. I've always wondered whether that was the case with the Albion F4, and now it appears so. Albion itself received virtually all of the attention, to the extent that you'd almost think it touched down at one edge of town and dissipated at the other. That's not surprising, of course, since it's where the majority of the fatalities occurred. And to be fair, there was definitely widespread and significant damage there as well.
But everything I've found so far leads me to believe that the tornado peaked earlier in its path and was already beginning to weaken slightly by the time it reached Albion. I talked to a man who witnessed the tornado's formation just across the Ohio state line in Ashtabula County and he said it was a fairly large cone tornado from the moment it touched down, and it began to grow pretty quickly from there. I also found a woman whose trailer, as far as I can tell, was the first structure hit by the tornado. It blew it apart and scattered it a few hundred yards.
Anyway, the tornado was 300-ish yards wide through Ashtabula, but it exploded shortly after crossing into the northwest corner of Crawford County, PA (which usually isn't even included). It leveled two frame homes and tossed a flatbed trailer ~500 yards as it rapidly grew to just over a half-mile in width. It seems to have shrunk slightly after that, but it also did arguably its most violent damage. It obliterated a couple of farmhouses and trailers, mangled several vehicles and tractors, tore heavy farm equipment to pieces and produced some surprisingly high-end vegetation damage. It also claimed its first two lives in this area, although they're usually counted under Albion.
I don't wanna post everything just yet, but here are a few photos. Unfortunately not the best quality. One woman was sucked out of this car and killed. Also some pretty pronounced scouring in the background:
A trailer frame twisted and wrapped around a tree that's about as debarked as debarked gets:
A tractor that basically had its rear end ripped out:
A savings book from one of the properties here was carried 50 miles and lighter paper debris was later found as far away as the north shore of Canandaigua Lake - 175 miles to the northeast.
Edit: Forgot to add that a bunch of people who saw the tornado in this earlier part of the path described what sounds like multiple large, highly visible subvortices. It honestly sounds pretty wild. There was a Skywarn spotter who used a video camera attached to a tower to spot the tornado and make the first reported sighting; I'd love to know whether he recorded it on tape and whether that tape still exists, but unfortunately he passed away several years ago.
But everything I've found so far leads me to believe that the tornado peaked earlier in its path and was already beginning to weaken slightly by the time it reached Albion. I talked to a man who witnessed the tornado's formation just across the Ohio state line in Ashtabula County and he said it was a fairly large cone tornado from the moment it touched down, and it began to grow pretty quickly from there. I also found a woman whose trailer, as far as I can tell, was the first structure hit by the tornado. It blew it apart and scattered it a few hundred yards.
Anyway, the tornado was 300-ish yards wide through Ashtabula, but it exploded shortly after crossing into the northwest corner of Crawford County, PA (which usually isn't even included). It leveled two frame homes and tossed a flatbed trailer ~500 yards as it rapidly grew to just over a half-mile in width. It seems to have shrunk slightly after that, but it also did arguably its most violent damage. It obliterated a couple of farmhouses and trailers, mangled several vehicles and tractors, tore heavy farm equipment to pieces and produced some surprisingly high-end vegetation damage. It also claimed its first two lives in this area, although they're usually counted under Albion.
I don't wanna post everything just yet, but here are a few photos. Unfortunately not the best quality. One woman was sucked out of this car and killed. Also some pretty pronounced scouring in the background:
A trailer frame twisted and wrapped around a tree that's about as debarked as debarked gets:
A tractor that basically had its rear end ripped out:
A savings book from one of the properties here was carried 50 miles and lighter paper debris was later found as far away as the north shore of Canandaigua Lake - 175 miles to the northeast.
Edit: Forgot to add that a bunch of people who saw the tornado in this earlier part of the path described what sounds like multiple large, highly visible subvortices. It honestly sounds pretty wild. There was a Skywarn spotter who used a video camera attached to a tower to spot the tornado and make the first reported sighting; I'd love to know whether he recorded it on tape and whether that tape still exists, but unfortunately he passed away several years ago.
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Juliett Bravo Kilo
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As we've talked about a bunch of times before, the area that gets the most attention after a tornado isn't necessarily the area that was actually hit hardest. I've always wondered whether that was the case with the Albion F4, and now it appears so. Albion itself received virtually all of the attention, to the extent that you'd almost think it touched down at one edge of town and dissipated at the other. That's not surprising, of course, since it's where the majority of the fatalities occurred. And to be fair, there was definitely widespread and significant damage there as well.
But everything I've found so far leads me to believe that the tornado peaked earlier in its path and was already beginning to weaken slightly by the time it reached Albion. I talked to a man who witnessed the tornado's formation just across the Ohio state line in Ashtabula County and he said it was a fairly large cone tornado from the moment it touched down, and it began to grow pretty quickly from there. I also found a woman whose trailer, as far as I can tell, was the first structure hit by the tornado. It blew it apart and scattered it a few hundred yards.
Anyway, the tornado was 300-ish yards wide through Ashtabula, but it exploded shortly after crossing into the northwest corner of Crawford County, PA (which usually isn't even included). It leveled two frame homes and tossed a flatbed trailer ~500 yards as it rapidly grew to just over a half-mile in width. It seems to have shrunk slightly after that, but it also did arguably its most violent damage. It obliterated a couple of farmhouses and trailers, mangled several vehicles and tractors, tore heavy farm equipment to pieces and produced some surprisingly high-end vegetation damage. It also claimed its first two lives in this area, although they're usually counted under Albion.
I don't wanna post everything just yet, but here are a few photos. Unfortunately not the best quality. One woman was sucked out of this car and killed. Also some pretty pronounced scouring in the background:
A trailer frame twisted and wrapped around a tree that's about as debarked as debarked gets:
A tractor that basically had its rear end ripped out:
A savings book from one of the properties here was carried 50 miles and lighter paper debris was later found as far away as the north shore of Canandaigua Lake - 175 miles to the northeast.
Edit: Forgot to add that a bunch of people who saw the tornado in this earlier part of the path described what sounds like multiple large, highly visible subvortices. It honestly sounds pretty wild. There was a Skywarn spotter who used a video camera attached to a tower to spot the tornado and make the first reported sighting; I'd love to know whether he recorded it on tape and whether that tape still exists, but unfortunately he passed away several years ago.
Really impressive what you keep digging up about this outbreak! It sounds like lots of the tornadoes from this day were of the narrow but violent variety.
locomusic01
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Yeah, a lot of them were quite narrow, but then there's also Moshannon (up to 2.5 miles), Elimsport (1.5 miles), Tionesta (1.25 miles), Atlantic/Kane/Corry (all ~1 mile), etc. Pretty fascinating range. Albion was up to about half a mile at maximum, more like three-tenths of a mile in the area I mentioned and only 200-300 yards through Albion itself (with the worst damage being more like 50-75 yards).
Juliett Bravo Kilo
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Yeah the Moshannon supercell spawned several massive wedges in quick succession; Moshannon is something I'd love to find more forest photographs from but I guess I will in your article (whenever that's finished). I was reading TornadoTalk's article on the Yellowstone-Teton Mountains tornado and apparently Fujita thought it was the worst instance of forest damage he'd ever seen; I guess he never saw Moshannon's aftermath.
locomusic01
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I'm actually not sure if Fujita ever surveyed it tbh. He obviously was still working at that point, but the official surveys were conducted by Greg Forbes, Duane Stiegler and Jim Campbell. Anyway, I'm a little skeptical re: the Teton tornado, although it was clearly an impressive and extremely unique event.
The forest damage in some parts of the Tionesta path may have been even more intense than Moshannon. There were some areas where nearly all of the trees were snapped off just a couple feet above the ground. The mind-boggling size (and the fact that it remained so huge through most of its path) is what really impresses me about Moshannon.
On a different note, I came across yet another report of debris being carried great distances, in this case by the Beaver Falls tornado. The article here says 200 miles, but it's actually a shade under 170. Still a heck of a ride though:
