Significant Tornado Events

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

Since we were on the subject earlier, I figured I'd start working on uploading and posting some of the stuff I've collected from relatively lesser-known 4/27/11 tornadoes. No idea what may have been posted here before, so my bad if I'm repeating anything. Here's the Bridgeport, AL EF4 to start:

The 3rd to last photo....is that ground scouring near the house?

Also, one thing I've always loved about Dixie tornadoes is that due to the dense forest throughout the South their paths are widely visible, oftentimes for years if not decades with EF4-5 events. Have any estimates been done on many acres of forest were downed on that day? I'm sure in total it probably adds up to 10,000+ acres.

 

[locomusic01]

The 3rd to last photo....is that ground scouring near the house?

Also, one thing I've always loved about Dixie tornadoes is that due to the dense forest throughout the South their paths are widely visible, oftentimes for years if not decades with EF4-5 events. Have any estimates been done on many acres of forest were downed on that day? I'm sure in total it probably adds up to 10,000+ acres.

There are spots in a few of the photos that look like possible scouring, but it's hard to say for sure. Also, forgot to include this one of a semi truck that had a pretty bad day:

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

There are spots in a few of the photos that look like possible scouring, but it's hard to say for sure. Also, forgot to include this one of a semi truck that had a pretty bad day:

That semi got off easy compared to what Smithville did to semis....

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

There are spots in a few of the photos that look like possible scouring, but it's hard to say for sure. Also, forgot to include this one of a semi truck that had a pretty bad day:

What was the tornado from that day that ripped up a concrete step/porch and was only rated EF3?

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

You're right up until you bunch 4/3/74 with "at least a dozen F5s". Broadview was actually downgraded because the F5 damage was flat out unverifiable, and of the 7 remaining -

One is a literal typo (Tanner 2, should be F4)
One has a very borderline case (Xenia)
And two have damage that wouldn't pass muster for EF5 today. (Sayler Park, DePauw).
That leaves Guin, Brandenburg and Tanner 1 - aka 3, which would be less impressive than 4/27/11.

2011 however did indeed likely have over 10 EF5s.

The more I think about the closest comparison to 4/27/11 is 4/20/1920; yeah much less documented tornadoes but the sheer amount of F4s and the descriptions of their damage from that day all scream F5. Also, so many of them had paths virtually identical to many tornadoes on 4/27/11. The scale is smaller but it wouldn't surprise if there were numerous F4+ tornadoes that day that went undocumented.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

On the topic of 4/27/11, I'd love to find more damage pics from Enterprise, MS/Uniontown, AL and Cordova. Given what we know about Hackleburg actually being two tornadoes I wonder if there's evidence of Cordova or Enterprise being 2 or 3 separate tornadoes that were erroneously lumped together.

 

[TH2002]

On the topic of 4/27/11, I'd love to find more damage pics from Enterprise, MS/Uniontown, AL and Cordova. Given what we know about Hackleburg actually being two tornadoes I wonder if there's evidence of Cordova or Enterprise being 2 or 3 separate tornadoes that were erroneously lumped together.

A few days ago I mapped out the centerline of the Cordova tornado. There is one area southeast of Parrish about 1.5 miles in length where any kind of damage path is extremely difficult to discern, but after spending about half an hour carefully studying that area I WAS able to map out the centerline. The official survey mentions the tornado was only at EF0 intensity in this area, and it would make complete sense that EF0 damage is simply hard to discern from aerial imagery, but at the same time I can't rule out the possibility that the cell may have cycled there. Everything else was definitely a continuous path though.

 

[Sawmaster]

A few days ago I mapped out the centerline of the Cordova tornado. There is one area southeast of Parrish about 1.5 miles in length where any kind of damage path is extremely difficult to discern, but after spending about half an hour carefully studying that area I WAS able to map out the centerline. The official survey mentions the tornado was only at EF0 intensity in this area, and it would make complete sense that EF0 damage is simply hard to discern from aerial imagery, but at the same time I can't rule out the possibility that the cell may have cycled there. Everything else was definitely a continuous path though.

That would have been roughly 90 seconds to cycle, so I'm more inclined to think varying strength.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

A few days ago I mapped out the centerline of the Cordova tornado. There is one area southeast of Parrish about 1.5 miles in length where any kind of damage path is extremely difficult to discern, but after spending about half an hour carefully studying that area I WAS able to map out the centerline. The official survey mentions the tornado was only at EF0 intensity in this area, and it would make complete sense that EF0 damage is simply hard to discern from aerial imagery, but at the same time I can't rule out the possibility that the cell may have cycled there. Everything else was definitely a continuous path though.

For some reason I thought one of these tornadoes had a long stretch of EF0-EF1 damage (like Hackleburg) that was later revealed to be the gap between the two tornadoes but I'll have to look at aerial imagery again sometime.
EDIT: I wonder if Yazoo City of 2010 was a tornado family erroneously lumped together as one. Given how poorly documented so much its path was it wouldn't surprise me if it cycled once or twice out in remote forestland.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

That would have been roughly 90 seconds to cycle, so I'm more inclined to think varying strength.

Some times cycling can be extremely rapid, like one tornado dissipating while another forms no more than a mile away from it, so that could have happened here, but yeah more likely just varying strength/failed occlusion.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

Anyone got any impressive pics from Ringgold, Shoal Creek-Ohatchee Valley or Pisgah-Flat Rock-Higdon-Trenton? A couple of these things strike me as being underrated in spots but not enough ground level photos for my liking.

 

[Equus]

A few days ago I mapped out the centerline of the Cordova tornado. There is one area southeast of Parrish about 1.5 miles in length where any kind of damage path is extremely difficult to discern, but after spending about half an hour carefully studying that area I WAS able to map out the centerline. The official survey mentions the tornado was only at EF0 intensity in this area, and it would make complete sense that EF0 damage is simply hard to discern from aerial imagery, but at the same time I can't rule out the possibility that the cell may have cycled there. Everything else was definitely a continuous path though.

Ironically, Brian Peters (former BMX WCM who was chasing for 33/40 on 4/27) was on the cell near and just after that point and specifically mentioned he thought there was very possibly an extremely quick cycle there when talking about the event in future discussions, but could've also been a multi-vortex situation as there wasn't too much of a break in the visual presentation

 

[locomusic01]

Anyone got any impressive pics from Ringgold, Shoal Creek-Ohatchee Valley or Pisgah-Flat Rock-Higdon-Trenton? A couple of these things strike me as being underrated in spots but not enough ground level photos for my liking.

Still gotta upload tons more, but here's a bunch of random stuff from Shoal Creek-Ohatchee (mostly around the Ohatchee area). I'll upload more + some Flat Rock stuff later.

 

[Sawmaster]

Ironically, Brian Peters (former BMX WCM who was chasing for 33/40 on 4/27) was on the cell near and just after that point and specifically mentioned he thought there was very possibly an extremely quick cycle there when talking about the event in future discussions, but could've also been a multi-vortex situation as there wasn't too much of a break in the visual presentation

I'm not sure either way. It could have weakened as it choked off the "flanking" tornado to the left, then intensified afterward. A very dynamic cell whatever happened!

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

I'm not sure either way. It could have weakened as it choked off the "flanking" tornado to the left, then intensified afterward. A very dynamic cell whatever happened!

I'm wondering if it may have been a merging/occlusion like what happened with Hesston/Goessel in 1990.

 

[Sawmaster]

I'm wondering if it may have been a merging/occlusion like what happened with Hesston/Goessel in 1990.

Could be. It's at least as likely as any other explanation so far and the video could be showing that too.

 

[TH2002]

I need to scan in some of this stuff at some point, but regarding Goessel the presence of this (at the time) recently built, well anchored house makes me believe that tornado was an F5 after all.


Previous post with additional information: https://talkweather.com/threads/significant-tornado-events.1276/post-74380

The Emporia tornado during the same year also reduced well constructed houes to their basements, yet somehow got slapped with an F2 rating...

 

[Lake Martin EF4]

I need to scan in some of this stuff at some point, but regarding Goessel the presence of this (at the time) recently built, well anchored house makes me believe that tornado was an F5 after all.
View attachment 15816

Previous post with additional information: https://talkweather.com/threads/significant-tornado-events.1276/post-74380

The Emporia tornado during the same year also reduced well constructed houes to their basements, yet somehow got slapped with an F2 rating...
View attachment 15814

That Emporia pic.........holy hell. That's, at minimum, F4. That might even be F5 damage!

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

I need to scan in some of this stuff at some point, but regarding Goessel the presence of this (at the time) recently built, well anchored house makes me believe that tornado was an F5 after all.
View attachment 15816

Previous post with additional information: https://talkweather.com/threads/significant-tornado-events.1276/post-74380

The Emporia tornado during the same year also reduced well constructed houes to their basements, yet somehow got slapped with an F2 rating...
View attachment 15814

What on Earth happened with this Emporia survey? Might be the most underrated tornado of the F-scale era!

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

Still gotta upload tons more, but here's a bunch of random stuff from Shoal Creek-Ohatchee (mostly around the Ohatchee area). I'll upload more + some Flat Rock stuff later.

Do you have any damage photographs from Red Rock that hardly anyone knows about? I'd love to get photos of the toppled well pumps, destroyed oil tanks, demolished houses, the scoured asphalt or the toppled oil rig. Amazing how obscure damage from this thing is, even if most of its path was over remote, open country.