Significant Tornado Events

[TH2002]

but hey. does anybody have info on the construction of the park place subdivision homes in black creek? I really wouldn't know where to look.

Typical wood framed homes as are common in the US, with vinyl siding. Weaker than stucco homes (though even stucco homes can't be considered that well constructed if they are tract homes) and brick/stone veneer is going to be the strongest as far as frame homes are concerned.

Even if the homes did have brick or stone veneer, context isn't indicative of anything higher than high EF4, though I think that already correlates perfectly with the quality of construction of the homes that were hit.

 

[OHWX97]

View attachment 13522
This was the only that I specifically could find. I’m sure someone else has others

I posted a number of DAT photos in the event thread.

Post in thread 'April 4th-6th, 2022 Severe Weather Threat'
https://talkweather.com/threads/april-4th-6th-2022-severe-weather-threat.1948/post-74182

Post in thread 'April 4th-6th, 2022 Severe Weather Threat'
https://talkweather.com/threads/april-4th-6th-2022-severe-weather-threat.1948/post-74185

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

Apparently tornado talk has pictures from the worst hit area of Guin that they will show during a future article on that tornado.

Wonder how long until we get to see it? Probably 2024 or so, the 50th anniversary of that outbreak?

 

[TH2002]

One potentially underrated tornado is the 5/23/2008 Cairo, KS EF3. This 1/2 mile wide nighttime wedge tornado threw a vehicle over 500 yards from Highway 54, terribly mangling it and sadly killing the couple inside. Their bodies were not found until the next morning. A truck parked 20 yards behind the vehicle was blown into a ditch, though the occupants survived and escaped with only cuts and bruises. A nearby house was also "destroyed", likely the main basis for the rating.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

So going through my PDF file of the Grazuli's SIGNIFICANT TORNADOES 1880-1989 and I couldn't help but read the entry on Guin again, I'd posting a screenshot of it to generate discussion.



One detail that sticks out here is that Grazulis says it moved up to 75 mph; if so that's the forward speed on record, surpassing even the Tri-State's.
Also, I'm not sure what to make of the statement that says it "passed through a city lot in two seconds, carrying away everything on the lot". I though lots were usually empty and vacant spaces, perhaps it was a garbage dump of some sort? Or maybe a typo on Grazulis' end. He says that the total path length is 102 miles; some sources say 79.5 miles, some 102, and some 103 so who knows which is correct. Given this thing's reputation it's frustrating how difficult it is to find damage photograph and reliable information on it. Perhaps we'll get a massive photo dump one of these days....

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

One potentially underrated tornado is the 5/23/2008 Cairo, KS EF3. This 1/2 mile wide nighttime wedge tornado threw a vehicle over 500 yards from Highway 54, terribly mangling it and sadly killing the couple inside. Their bodies were not found until the next morning. A truck parked 20 yards behind the vehicle was blown into a ditch, though the occupants survived and escaped with only cuts and bruises. A nearby house was also "destroyed", likely the main basis for the rating.

Is this the same outbreak that spawned the Quinter, KS funnel that was taped while crossing I-70? May of 2008 was an exceptionally active month for tornadoes.

 

[TH2002]

So going through my PDF file of the Grazuli's SIGNIFICANT TORNADOES 1880-1989 and I couldn't help but read the entry on Guin again, I'd posting a screenshot of it to generate discussion.

View attachment 13530

One detail that sticks out here is that Grazulis says it moved up to 75 mph; if so that's the forward speed on record, surpassing even the Tri-State's.
Also, I'm not sure what to make of the statement that says it "passed through a city lot in two seconds, carrying away everything on the lot". I though lots were usually empty and vacant spaces, perhaps it was a garbage dump of some sort? Or maybe a typo on Grazulis' end. He says that the total path length is 102 miles; some sources say 79.5 miles, some 102, and some 103 so who knows which is correct. Given this thing's reputation it's frustrating how difficult it is to find damage photograph and reliable information on it. Perhaps we'll get a massive photo dump one of these days....

Grazulis' entry on Guin makes it sound like a carbon copy of Hackleburg (or Hackleburg a carbon copy of Guin?)

Is this the same outbreak that spawned the Quinter, KS funnel that was taped while crossing I-70? May of 2008 was an exceptionally active month for tornadoes.

Yes. Same day, though the Cairo tornado happened after nightfall obviously.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

Grazulis' entry on Guin makes it sound like a carbon copy of Hackleburg (or Hackleburg a carbon copy of Guin?)


Yes. Same day, though the Cairo tornado happened after nightfall obviously.

And of course Guin and Hackleburg could both be carbon copies of the Tri-State.
Really, lots of the fast-moving, rain-wrapped wedges with low cloud bases are all carbon copies of each other (at least in the South).

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

Grazulis' entry on Guin makes it sound like a carbon copy of Hackleburg (or Hackleburg a carbon copy of Guin?)


Yes. Same day, though the Cairo tornado happened after nightfall obviously.

There was also that VLT wedge during the 4/20/1920 outbreak that is virtually identical to Hackleburg in every way, from intensity, fatality rate and path traveled (mostly).

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

Grazulis' entry on Guin makes it sound like a carbon copy of Hackleburg (or Hackleburg a carbon copy of Guin?)


Yes. Same day, though the Cairo tornado happened after nightfall obviously.

The one thing about Guin that makes it different was that it was nocturnal; and yet a surprisingly low number of fatalities. Perhaps it wasn't at full on intensity while going through Guin, or maybe most of Alabama was wide awake due to previous warnings all day?

 

[TH2002]

And of course Guin and Hackleburg could both be carbon copies of the Tri-State.
Really, lots of the fast-moving, rain-wrapped wedges with low cloud bases are all carbon copies of each other (at least in the South).

Which brings me to another question: Why does it seem like drillbit tornadoes are more common in the northern states (especially Minnesota it seems) than in the South and Plains states? Massive wedges with low cloud bases also seem to be a thing that's not necessarily limited to, but definitely more common in the South than anywhere else. I wonder why that is.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

Which brings me to another question: Why does it seem like drillbit tornadoes are more common in the northern states (especially Minnesota it seems) than in the South and Plains states? Massive wedges with low cloud bases also seem to be a thing that's not necessarily limited to, but definitely more common in the South than anywhere else. I wonder why that is.

Condensation; much more Gulf moisture available in the south, tornadoes up north occur in drier areas and times of year.
EDIT: Also, supercells down south are HP (high precipitation) so that allows for rain-wrapped tornadoes and more water vapor to add condensation that gives more room for wedges to form.

 

[TH2002]

There was also that VLT wedge during the 4/20/1920 outbreak that is virtually identical to Hackleburg in every way, from intensity, fatality rate and path traveled (mostly).

Seems that area is a general tornado magnet. The amount of times Harvest has been hit (not just by weak tornadoes) is nothing short of astounding in all the wrong ways.

The one thing about Guin that makes it different was that it was nocturnal; and yet a surprisingly low number of fatalities. Perhaps it wasn't at full on intensity while going through Guin, or maybe most of Alabama was wide awake due to previous warnings all day?

Really does make me wonder, though I say I wouldn't even try to get any sleep if a seemingly endless onslaught of violent tornadoes was impacting my area.

Condensation; much more Gulf moisture available in the south, tornadoes up north occur in drier areas and times of year.
EDIT: Also, supercells done south and during early spring are HP (high precipitation) so that allows for rain-wrapped tornadoes and more water vapor to add condensation that gives more room for wedges to form.

Huh, never occurred to me that it could be something that easily explainable. Feel kinda stupid now.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

Seems that area is a general tornado magnet. The amount of times Harvest has been hit (not just by weak tornadoes) is nothing short of astounding in all the wrong ways.


Really does make me wonder, though I say I wouldn't even try to get any sleep if a seemingly endless onslaught of violent tornadoes was impacting my area.


Huh, never occurred to me that it could be something that easily explainable. Feel kinda stupid now.

I'm sure there's various other factors but those are the main one.
Also, the low-hanging cloud bases are due to the high humidity; areas with humidity tend to have lower-hanging clouds (no clue as to why that is).

The thing I've noticed is that it's specifically the section of northwestern Alabama from Marion and Lamar Counties to Limestone and Madison Counties that seems to be a highway for long-tracked, rain-wrapped and fast moving F/EF4 to F/EF5 tornadoes. These tornadoes also have a tendency to cross into far southern Tennessee (Lincoln and Franklin County, specifically) before dissipating. It must be the perfect balance of geography, climate, local topography, dew points and atmospheric instability.

Also, Sand Mountain in NE Alabama is apparently one of those geographical features that can actually enhance tornado formation. Check out this study on the effects of terrain on the formation and intensity of tornadoes:


Abstract: An Observational Analysis of Potential Terrain Influences on Tornado Behavior (27th Conference on Severe Local Storms)

Source (my post): https://talkweather.com/threads/significant-tornado-events.1276/page-65#post-49430

 

[tornado examiner]

actually. tri-state isn't nearly the fastest of the major tornadoes. the fastest known major tornado was the Pilger Nebraska tornado of June 16, 2014 measured at a crazy 94mph near the end of its life. but tri-state was definitely far more...major.

 

[CheeselandSkies]

actually. tri-state isn't nearly the fastest of the major tornadoes. the fastest known major tornado was the Pilger Nebraska tornado of June 16, 2014 measured at a crazy 94mph near the end of its life. but tri-state was definitely far more...major.

I wouldn't call that speed representative of the Pilger tornado's overall motion, though...that occurred as it roped out and was accelerated around/into the tornado cyclone of the next member in the family. Rather different from a tornado that cruises along at an average 60-70 MPH with its parent supercell for the majority of its lifetime.

 

[tornado examiner]

its still a record...and should be recognized as such imo. not all records have to go to truly historic tornadoes.

 

[tornado examiner]

btw...i wonder if anyone has gotten accurate speed measurements on some of the april 27 2011 tornadoes...

 

[atrainguy]

Can't recall if this video was posted before, thought I'd share just in case. This is a pretty intense video from the east side of downtown Mayfield, inside the tornado, albeit not the most intense part obviously.

 

[MNTornadoGuy]

I finally found clearer photos from the 1936 Ruebens ID F3. The damage swath is extremely narrow.