Significant Tornado Events

[Shelby]

Let’s not get carried away. Haven’t seen anything Smithville-level yet. As bad as it is, it can be worse. I do agree that this was an EF5 event overall though.

Man going to have to disagree. So Smithville was as violent as they get so using Smithville as a gauge for an EF-5 wouldn’t be fair.

However, a few videos I have seen showed extreme damage consistent with EF-5. A few I could compare with Smithville. The drone footage in Buena Vista, KY along the lake is some of the worst I have ever seen. These were large 3 story houses that were swept away. The tree damage and ground scouring in this area is also incredible. An area around Dawson Creek, KY had some extreme tree damage with swept away houses. The tree damage is reminiscent of the tree damage in Smithville next to the funeral home that was swept away. Like almost all EF-5 tornadoes there is usually a streak of extreme damage followed by surrounding areas of lesser damage. Smithville was no different.

Another video that caught my attention was the cycloidial ground scouring in Hayti, Mo. Keep in mind this tornado was on the ground for a long time mostly in rural areas. More than likely it didn’t peak in a city or town. Maybe it did. I’m sure they will uncover some more ef-5 damage that has yet to be seen. Just my opinion.

 

[Shelby]

Man going to have to disagree. So Smithville was as violent as they get so using Smithville as a gauge for an EF-5 wouldn’t be fair.

However, a few videos I have seen showed extreme damage consistent with EF-5. A few I could compare with Smithville. The drone footage in Buena Vista, KY along the lake is some of the worst I have ever seen. These were large 3 story houses that were swept away. The tree damage and ground scouring in this area is also incredible. An area around Dawson Creek, KY had some extreme tree damage with swept away houses. The tree damage is reminiscent of the tree damage in Smithville next to the funeral home that was swept away. Like almost all EF-5 tornadoes there is usually a streak of extreme damage followed by surrounding areas of lesser damage. Smithville was no different.

Another video that caught my attention was the cycloidial ground scouring in Hayti, Mo. Keep in mind this tornado was on the ground for a long time mostly in rural areas. More than likely it didn’t peak in a city or town. Maybe it did. I’m sure they will uncover some more ef-5 damage that has yet to be seen. Just my opinion.

I will also add Princeton, KY area as potential EF-5.

 

[OHWX97]

@gregassagraf Please don't feel as if you're spamming. Most of us on this forum being from the United States, we love learning about tornadic events from outside of our country, but often times information has been difficult to come across. Any information you provide from Brazil and South America is invaluable and much appreciated. Same goes to all the other members from around the world. It's really a great honor having you all here.

 

[A Guy]

I've found these compilations of ABC raw news footage from the Super Outbreak including interviews with those affected, complete with multiple takes and the reader fluffing their lines, and seventies hairstyles. As is normal there isn't much of the really high end damage, but it's stuff I haven't seen before and an interesting document. In my experience channels hosting a lot of news footage are vulnerable to takedowns, so we'll see how long it lasts.

Video 1 contains shots of minor to moderate damage from Louisville


2 contains interviews and shots of minor to major damage from Brandenburg


3 is a continuation from Brandenburg, including aerial footage of the tornado's path through the town


4 is from Huntsville (I think)


5 is from Xenia, including aerial footage of the path through the city

 

[A Guy]

6 is mainly displaced people in Xenia


7 is a further continuation from Xenia


8 is mainly of affected people from Guin


9 is a continuation from Guin, including the mobile home plant

 

[buckeye05]

Speaking of South American tornadoes, it seems like there weren't any truly significant events in that region this year, at least that I've heard of. That's unusual, because there's usually at least one. Are there some that occurred but we just haven't heard of?

 

[gregassagraf]

Well, not one I can remember from my head.

Speaking of South American tornadoes, it seems like there weren't any truly significant events in that region this year, at least that I've heard of. That's unusual, because there's usually at least one. Are there some that occurred but we just haven't heard of?

well… actually, Argentina and south Brazil had some tornadoes this Sunday and Monday .
But yeah, there were no events of widespread damage or where someone actually captured a photo of a big tornado. There were some pretty ones though!
Like this one in Camaquã, Brazil


Or this one in Mendonza Argentina:


But about the most recent event, on Sunday a tornado caused significant damage in San Jorge, province of Santa Fe, Argentina:


But it’s weird see those rare events where you have tornado activity in both south and North America, maybe with one or two days of difference.

 

[gregassagraf]

Yeah, but I wouldn’t discount this year as over for South American tornadoes. South & southeast Brazil is basically a sauna righ-now. 3 hours ago where I’m currently at, the temperature was 22 degrees and I was sweating like it was thirty! Dew point was at 21 degrees.
And this isn’t from the ocean: if you go to the beach in Southern-south Brazil you will find that the waters ar actually pretty cold. What drives most of tornadogenesis here is the, at least for the humidity is the Amazon Rain Forest!
Well… I’m getting a little worried because is so humid (at least where I am), and it isn’t raining profusely like I would expect for a situation like this. If the sun comes out tomorrow, I’m worried that things might go boom.

 

[buckeye05]

Well, not one I can remember from my head.

well… actually, Argentina and south Brazil had some tornadoes this Sunday and Monday .
But yeah, there were no events of widespread damage or where someone actually captured a photo of a big tornado. There were some pretty ones though!
Like this one in Camaquã, Brazil
View attachment 11050

Or this one in Mendonza Argentina:
View attachment 11051

But about the most recent event, on Sunday a tornado caused significant damage in San Jorge, province of Santa Fe, Argentina:


But it’s weird see those rare events where you have tornado activity in both south and North America, maybe with one or two days of difference.

That damage in Santa Fe, Argentina looks to be fairly significant. Definitely a strong tornado. All I really meant by significant was F2 or higher, and I'd say this meets the criteria.

 

[TH2002]

Bringing some discussion over to this thread. I know there have been posts about Goldsby before, but the damage is so obviously EF5 (along with a few other tornadoes like Vilonia) that I just want to scream when I am reminded it got a high end EF4 rating.

 

[tornado examiner]

yep. nws is bad.

 

[Brice]

Bringing some discussion over to this thread. I know there have been posts about Goldsby before, but the damage is so obviously EF5 (along with a few other tornadoes like Vilonia) that I just want to scream when I am reminded it got a high end EF4 rating.
View attachment 11083
View attachment 11084
View attachment 11085
View attachment 11086
View attachment 11087
View attachment 11088
View attachment 11090

The 1st and last images reminds me of what the intensity was like in Piedmont of 2011.

 

[TH2002]

The 1st and last images reminds me of what the intensity was like in Piedmont of 2011.

This tornado was from the same outbreak. I guess Norman just decided "well we already got two EF5 tornadoes from this outbreak, and we don't want there to be too many EF5 tornadoes in the books so let's lowball the other violent tornadoes that mostly remained in rural areas and hope no one will notice."

 

[TH2002]

yep. nws is bad.

Not all WFO's are but there are so many NWS offices that nitpick construction quality to death and pick and choose their tornadoes that it is impossible to get a tornado rated EF5 anymore. EF4's are endangered, EF5's are extinct.

 

[Brice]

This tornado was from the same outbreak. I guess Norman just decided "well we already got two EF5 tornadoes from this outbreak, and we don't want there to be too many EF5 tornadoes in the books so let's lowball the other violent tornadoes that mostly remained in rural areas and hope no one will notice."

Wonder how that's working for them. It's crazy how it's not one local NWS that rates these violent tornadoes so poorly. It's most of them, Vilonia, Chapman, and now Mayfield come into my mind, as, "Do these tornadoes need to destroy the mantle to be an EF5?" Only thing I've gotta say.... Despicable. Period.

 

[tornado examiner]

Not all WFO's are but there are so many NWS offices that nitpick construction quality to death and pick and choose their tornadoes that it is impossible to get a tornado rated EF5 anymore. EF4's are endangered, EF5's are extinct.

the only way we are gonna see an EF-5 now is if a tornado tears through new york city bringing down skyscrapers. but then again the nws is gonna say THOSE SKYSCRAPERS ARE over 50 years old, low end EF-4.....

 

[TH2002]

the only way we are gonna see an EF-5 now is if a tornado tears through new york city bringing down skyscrapers. but then again the nws is gonna say THOSE SKYSCRAPERS ARE over 50 years old, low end EF-4.....

I've got this EF scale figured out:

EF0/EF1 - Great rating!
EF2 - Add +1 if some walls are down. Always use if the home has just a few interior walls left standing.
EF3 - The new violent tornado category. Add +2 for homes that are swept completely away.
EF4 - The new rating for the 2013 Moore tornado.
EF5 - What is this? I guess the hypothetical tornado that Fujita said was not possible.

 

[Brice]

I've got this EF scale figured out:

EF0/EF1 - Great rating!
EF2 - Add +1 if some walls are down. Always use if the home has just a few interior walls left standing.
EF3 - The new violent tornado category. Add +2 for homes that are swept completely away.
EF4 - The new rating for the 2013 Moore tornado.
EF5 - What is this? I guess the hypothetical tornado that Fujita said was not possible.

Sounds like TH has created the new and modified EF scale

 

[tornado examiner]

how are they gonna mess this up?

 

[TH2002]

The 2015 Rowlett-Garland tornado was extremely violent. A three story apartment building and large storage facility were completely leveled and partially swept clean, large homes were obliterated, grass was scoured from the ground, and vehicles thrown from the George Bush Turnpike (where most of the fatalities occurred) were purportedly recovered mangled beyond recognition and caked in mud.