Significant Tornado Events

[pohnpei]

A while back in the thread buckeye posted what he believed (although he insists not to quote him directly, so I won't) on what led to the F4 as opposed F5 rating, I wish I could access the damage survey but it's behind a paywall and my university doesn't provide access to it; really frustrating.

Significant Tornado Events

Not to pump my own tires too much (especially since Grazulis did most of the work), but y'all should probably check this out. Most of those long-tracked tornadoes from the 1920s in NW WI is from one outbreak, the 4/5/1929 MN-WI-IA outbreak.

talkweather.com

Yes. But I believe the scale wasn't that strict at that time. Like Planfield and Goessel the same year all rated F5 based on very untraditional indicator but It was interesting now we would see Bakersfield and stratton was probably the stronge one that year.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

Yes. But I believe the scale wasn't that strict at that time. Like Planfield and Goessel the same year all rated F5 based on very untraditional indicator but It was interesting now we would see Bakersfield and stratton was probably the stronge one that year.

For 1990 Bakersfield or Stratton get my vote as the strongest tornadoes that year. Hesston, Goessel and Plainfield I don't get being awarded an F5 rating.

 

[MNTornadoGuy]

A while back in the thread buckeye posted what he believed (although he insists not to quote him directly, so I won't) on what led to the F4 as opposed F5 rating, I wish I could access the damage survey but it's behind a paywall and my university doesn't provide access to it; really frustrating.

Significant Tornado Events

Not to pump my own tires too much (especially since Grazulis did most of the work), but y'all should probably check this out. Most of those long-tracked tornadoes from the 1920s in NW WI is from one outbreak, the 4/5/1929 MN-WI-IA outbreak.

talkweather.com

The "2-story well-engineered adobe brick house" was leveled but not swept away which is probably why it wasn't given an F5 rating. Also, something interesting to note about the survey is that they gave an F4 rating to extensive asphalt scouring, vegetation scouring, and oil tanks being rolled 3 miles.

 

[locomusic01]

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agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

I don't know If this was posted before but this was a survey report of Bakersfield Valley 1990 that I can't manage to open.
This tornado always fascinated me because It was Such a mystery for me. Most of its damage photos were very ambiguous but captions about these pics were almost inplausible to understand. Many of the damage It did was beyond Incredible to hard to believe level. I also can't understand If It was really so strong why fujita didn't come out and give It F5 rating.

Here's a link to download the survey. I also have the whole of The Tornado: Its Structure, Dynamics, Prediction, and Hazards somewhere if anyone needs it.

Here's some stuff from Bakersfield Valley if you didn't see it a while back:

Significant Tornado Events

Some additional photos I think are noteworthy of posting: An F3 tornado in the Indaiatuba, Brazil area on May 24th, 2005. This is the same tornado that was caught on the security camera footage. Damage it resulted in: San Justo Photo Dump: A large tornado that was spawned by an...

talkweather.com

That one's really always been an enigma to me. Some of the reported damage almost defies belief, and the photos kinda leave more questions than answers. Either way, no doubt it was an extremely violent tornado.

 

[MNTornadoGuy]

Here's a link to download the survey. I also have the whole of The Tornado: Its Structure, Dynamics, Prediction, and Hazards somewhere if anyone needs it.

Here's some stuff from Bakersfield Valley if you didn't see it a while back:

Significant Tornado Events

Some additional photos I think are noteworthy of posting: An F3 tornado in the Indaiatuba, Brazil area on May 24th, 2005. This is the same tornado that was caught on the security camera footage. Damage it resulted in: San Justo Photo Dump: A large tornado that was spawned by an...

talkweather.com

That one's really always been an enigma to me. Some of the reported damage almost defies belief, and the photos kinda leave more questions than answers. Either way, no doubt it was an extremely violent tornado.

It was definitely the most violent tornado of that year, far more than the Goessel F5 especially. Though the Stratton NE tornado was probably also somewhat close to it in intensity.

 

[CheeselandSkies]

Pop quiz to test your Plains tornado outbreak knowledge: On what date were these warning statements issued?:

1.)
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORMAN HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
NORTHWESTERN CLEVELAND COUNTY IN CENTRAL OKLAHOMA...
NORTHEASTERN GRADY COUNTY IN CENTRAL OKLAHOMA...
NORTHWESTERN MCCLAIN COUNTY IN CENTRAL OKLAHOMA...

* UNTIL 600 PM CDT

* AT 522 PM CDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH A LARGE TORNADO WAS
MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. THIS STORM IS TRAVELING TOWARD
BRIDGE CREEK...NEW CASTLE...MOORE. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS
TORNADO.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE AMBER...BLANCHARD...BRIDGE
CREEK...MIDDLEBERG...MOORE...NEWCASTLE...NORTHWESTERN NORMAN...
SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA CITY...STANLEY DRAPER LAKE AND TABLER.

2.)

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORMAN HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
NORTHWESTERN CLEVELAND COUNTY IN CENTRAL OKLAHOMA...
NORTHWESTERN MCCLAIN COUNTY IN CENTRAL OKLAHOMA...
OKLAHOMA COUNTY IN CENTRAL OKLAHOMA...

* UNTIL 645 PM CDT

* AT 555 PM CDT...A LARGE... VIOLENT TORNADO WAS LOCATED 4 MILES
NORTHEAST OF NEWCASTLE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE ARCADIA...CHOCTAW...DEL CITY...
EASTERN EDMOND...EASTERN OKLAHOMA CITY...FOREST PARK...HARRAH...
JONES...LAKE ALUMA...LUTHER...MIDWEST CITY...MOORE...NEWALLA...
NEWCASTLE...NICOMA PARK...NORTHWESTERN NORMAN...SPENCER...STANLEY
DRAPER LAKE...TINKER AIR FORCE BASE AND VALLEY BROOK.

THIS INCLUDES INTERSTATE 35 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 110 AND 146.

THIS INCLUDES INTERSTATE 40 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 147 AND 172.

THIS INCLUDES INTERSTATE 44 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 105 AND 152.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND LIFE THREATENING SITUATION. IF YOU
ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS LARGE AND DESTRUCTIVE TORNADO... TAKE COVER
IMMEDIATELY. A BASEMENT OR STORM SHELTER IS BEST. OTHERWISE...TAKE
COVER IN AN INTERIOR CLOSET OR BATHROOM AWAY FROM OUTSIDE WALLS AND
WINDOWS. COVER YOUR HEAD WITH PILLOWS AND BLANKETS.

 

[MNTornadoGuy]

AT 555 PM CDT...A LARGE... VIOLENT TORNADO WAS LOCATED 4 MILES
NORTHEAST OF NEWCASTLE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH

5/24/11

 

[CheeselandSkies]

5/24/11

That was quick! I thought it was a good decoy for 5/3/99 or 5/20/13. The Chickasha EF4 was on the verge of being the next Newcastle/Moore EF5, as it was effectively duplicating the path of the 5/3/99 monster just a tad bit to the east (it went over the south side of Chickasha instead of the north, and was paralleling the east side of I-44 instead of the west). It fortunately abruptly weakened and lifted just as it entered Cleveland County, but it only bought them two more years of reprieve from violent tornadoes.

It seems like all the cells on 5/24/11 hit a brick wall along or just west of the I-35 corridor, conditions west of there were clearly extremely conducive to high-end violent tornadoes. Either the favorable warm sector was relatively narrow or there was too much destructive interference with all the storms close together. The OKC metro got extremely fortunate the day played out the way it did, and didn't allow for the storms to maintain high-end tornadic supercell structure for another cycle or two.

 

[pohnpei]

That was quick! I thought it was a good decoy for 5/3/99 or 5/20/13. The Chickasha EF4 was on the verge of being the next Newcastle/Moore EF5, as it was effectively duplicating the path of the 5/3/99 monster just a tad bit to the east (it went over the south side of Chickasha instead of the north, and was paralleling the east side of I-44 instead of the west). It fortunately abruptly weakened and lifted just as it entered Cleveland County, but it only bought them two more years of reprieve from violent tornadoes.

It seems like all the cells on 5/24/11 hit a brick wall along or just west of the I-35 corridor, conditions west of there were clearly extremely conducive to high-end violent tornadoes. Either the favorable warm sector was relatively narrow or there was too much destructive interference with all the storms close together. The OKC metro got extremely fortunate the day played out the way it did, and didn't allow for the storms to maintain high-end tornadic supercell structure for another cycle or two.

Maybe the moving speed of 40mph served as a differentiate feature from 5/3/99 and 5/20/13. 5/24/11 was really unique for like every single supercell was capable of producing extremely violent tornados but fail to cycle. But these violent tornados were all relatively long lived. One trivia fact here was El Reno EF5 actually lived longer than Hackleburg EF5 (109mins vs 105mins) according to tornadotalk.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

Anyone on here have any clue what happened with Grazulis and the SIGNIFICANT TORNADOES update? It was supposed to be published last fall. What happened?

 

[MNTornadoGuy]

Anyone on here have any clue what happened with Grazulis and the SIGNIFICANT TORNADOES update? It was supposed to be published last fall. What happened?

I think pre-order for the book starts in Mar 2022.

 

[CheeselandSkies]

Maybe the moving speed of 40mph served as a differentiate feature from 5/3/99 and 5/20/13. 5/24/11 was really unique for like every single supercell was capable of producing extremely violent tornados but fail to cycle. But these violent tornados were all relatively long lived. One trivia fact here was El Reno EF5 actually lived longer than Hackleburg EF5 (109mins vs 105mins) according to tornadotalk.

Another strange thing about 5/24/11, is that on the radar images of the Goldsby tornado in OUN's outbreak page, another supercell with a hook can be seen to its south. You would think with unimpeded inflow it would be just as intense as the two to its immediate north, yet it didn't produce any tornadoes until later, a relatively brief/weak EF1 near Ravia/Tishomingo.

 

[Casuarina Head]

I just want to say that I don’t even know if any of the slabbed homes in Xenia were were adequately anchored. Even as a local, I haven’t been able to dig up any info to suggest anchor bolts were used at any of the homes in Xenia,

The damage from Washington IL, by comparison, showed many more high-end DIs such as granulation, scouring, debarking, etc. than are evident in Xenia’s case. Xenia did not do any notable damage to vehicles, based on available photographs. Shrubs are still standing next to empty foundations and are not even defoliated, scouring and debarking are notably absent, and available images do not show any pronounced granulation. There was some wind-rowing along U.S. Route 35, but other high-end DIs are lacking.

 

[TH2002]

Though most of the homes in Washington were swept from their subflooring there were at least a few swept from their poured slabs/basement walls and a few were swept from CMU foundations as well:

Though I do wonder about the home in the bottom right corner of the first photo. It almost seems it was under construction at the time of the tornado.

 

[pohnpei]

A small impressive feature that can get overlooked in Moore tornado: an oil tank tossed near one mile get its paint completely inside out. I'm sure whether I've seen anything similar like this before.

 

[TH2002]

Additional high end damage in Washington, IL

 

[CheeselandSkies]

Just finished the two-part, in-depth Tornado Talk summary on El Reno 2011. That 65-mile path might be the most impressive total "body of work" (destruction) produced by any tornado ever surveyed other than Jarrell, and it did it without directly impacting any cities or towns other than Guthrie as it was weakening. Fortunately so, as that's the only reason why it isn't typically ranked among the legendary tornado horrors of Oklahoma's history, other than by those who were directly impacted by it and those close to them; and weather nerds like us who did a little deeper and realize just how uncommonly violent it was. Like Hackleburg, it performed feats indicative of extreme intensity all throughout its long track; and there were clues indicating it probably peaked in intensity on several occasions when it wasn't impacting any structures.

The fact that it damaged and nearly breached multiple above-and-below-ground storm shelters really makes it sound like it could have been the F5 out of Twister (although technically that was the first "F5," that killed Jo's dad).

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

Additional high end damage in Washington, IL

View attachment 11913

That last photo reminds of destruction in Moore 1999 but more complete and more violent.

 

[pohnpei]

Just finished the two-part Tornado Talk summary on El Reno 2011. That 65-mile path might be the most impressive total "body of work" (destruction) produced by any tornado ever surveyed other than Jarrell, and it did it without directly impacting any cities or towns other than Guthrie as it was weakening. Fortunately so, as that's the only reason why it isn't typically ranked among the legendary tornado horrors of Oklahoma's history, other than by those who were directly impacted by it and those close to them; and weather nerds like us who did a little deeper and realize just how uncommonly violent it was.

The fact that it damaged and nearly breached multiple above-and-below-ground storm shelters really makes it sound like it could have been the F5 out of Twister (although technically that was the first "F5," that killed Jo's dad).

I think the most interesting and bewilding thing I learned from this article was the damage It did when RaxPol had its peak measurement(295.5mph/75m solution//22m AGL Btw, solution here was actually much larger than Bridge Creek's 301mph because of longer distance) wasn't that impressive. The damage gradually strengthened after It moved away from radar and was far worse near Calumet factory and Cataus 117.
I honestly don't know what going on here apparently. So here's my guess here.

Possibility one: tornado's velocity would be far higher than 295.5mph If RaxPol was in short range and use low scan strategy near Cataus 117.
Possibility two: winds between 0-3m and 10-30m level can vary siginificantly from one tornado to another. For example, DOW winds of Russell KS tornado 2012 at 5m level was far exceed winds at 10-30m level but the pod whithin Sulphur's circulation was only about 60% of RaxPol's wind at 17-25m level.

My best guess here was both of factors played in a role in this intriguing feature. I have 0 doubt this tornado was much stronger near factory/Cataus 117 than in 295.5mph moment.

Based on his analysis of the Cataus 117 site, It seems to me the rig drill was indeed more than likely being completely lifted for at least a second then blown to the northeast direction. It was even designed for massive mount of rising motion with 200000 down force concentrated on the drilling pipe. Ridiculous! 150t winch also got lifted, flipped over and landed on the platform. Speechless damage. And the site was still 150m from the center of the tornado in closet distance. (a little bit shorter than I guess earlier) The damage to the factory to the west was almost hard to fathom. Just how the whole factory became large amount of entirely crooked garbages.

I have a feeling that the ability of this tornado to throw/toss large objects exceed any tornado in the recorded history after reading these articles. The ratio of vehicles that was tossed in some communities near Piedmont was near 100% based on aerials.

 

[MNTornadoGuy]

That last photo reminds of destruction in Moore 1999 but more complete and more violent.

The last photo doesn’t seem to contain any intense ground scouring unlike the photos of Moore 1999 as it was taken at the edge of town facing an already barren farm-field.