Significant Tornado Events

[locomusic01]

Btw, I was looking around this morning to see if these photos are still hosted anywhere and it seems most of them aren't, but! There are like 8-9 that were recently uploaded to TTU's digital repository: https://ttu-ir.tdl.org/handle/2346/2101

They're mostly ones I already had, but at least it gives me a little hope that someday more will be added.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

Looks like you can see the remains of a tractor that was more or less dismantled like with Loyal Valley.



This tree's branches are as debarked as can be.





Part of a roof truss from a home that was located ~500 yards away, with the nail plates partially sheared off.



This photo shows just how complete the destruction was, even all the asphalt/pavement from the roads and driveways is completely scoured away.




I'd love to find a higher-def pic of this engine block from a vehicle that was apparently never found.

 

[MNTornadoGuy]

This video has a lot of footage from San Justo 1973. This photo in particular has some high-end vegetation damage with stripped shrubbery and debarked trees.

 

[warneagle]

Every time I see photos of San Justo I'm really impressed. It's got to be the strongest tornado ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere, right?

 

[MNTornadoGuy]

Every time I see photos of San Justo I'm really impressed. It's got to be the strongest tornado ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere, right?

By far. No other Southern Hemisphere tornado comes close.

 

[locomusic01]

View attachment 17310

This photo shows just how complete the destruction was, even all the asphalt/pavement from the roads and driveways is completely scoured away.

A lot of them were dirt roads, though there was very extensive scouring where the tornado crossed CR 308, CR 305 & CR 307. IIRC the longest single swath was like 500 ft, but CR 305 especially was scoured in multiple places. In any case, it's definitely the most complete and widespread asphalt scouring I can think of in any tornado.

Anyway, some more random Jarrell stuff since we're still on the topic. I can't remember if this used to be a dump truck or semi-truck - I think the former?

Another truck that had a no good, very bad day:

Hardly a blade of grass to be found:

On the Tonn farm near CR 304, the roof of the storm cellar was torn off (though I'm not sure it was all that secure by the look of it):

A few more photos from the Tonn farm:

The Moehring family home before the tornado:

I swear, some of the shots from Jarrell look straight out of the Battle of Passchendaele:

 

[locomusic01]

Might as well include a few shots of the tornado itself:

 

[Austin Dawg]

It's not very far from me here in Williamson county. Jarrell always makes me think of this.

 

[Lake Martin EF4]

Might as well include a few shots of the tornado itself:

That's a pretty decent picture....of the Red Rock tornado. Seriously, look at the video in the link. The cars in the foreground and the road sign are the exact same. This used to be Wikipedia's page image, but it was changed because it simply wasn't Jarrell.

 

[locomusic01]

That's a pretty decent picture....of the Red Rock tornado. Seriously, look at the video in the link. The cars in the foreground and the road sign are the exact same. This used to be Wikipedia's page image, but it was changed because it simply wasn't Jarrell.

Damn, thanks for catching it. I probably should've known because it looked a bit off for Jarrell.

Edit: Turns out I had basically the same photo in my Red Rock folder, so I definitely should've realized lol

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

A lot of them were dirt roads, though there was very extensive scouring where the tornado crossed CR 308, CR 305 & CR 307. IIRC the longest single swath was like 500 ft, but CR 305 especially was scoured in multiple places. In any case, it's definitely the most complete and widespread asphalt scouring I can think of in any tornado.

Anyway, some more random Jarrell stuff since we're still on the topic. I can't remember if this used to be a dump truck or semi-truck - I think the former?

Another truck that had a no good, very bad day:

Hardly a blade of grass to be found:

On the Tonn farm near CR 304, the roof of the storm cellar was torn off (though I'm not sure it was all that secure by the look of it):

A few more photos from the Tonn farm:

The Moehring family home before the tornado:

I swear, some of the shots from Jarrell look straight out of the Battle of Passchendaele:

This photo:



Reminds me of this one from Loyal Valley (especially with the tree damage in the background). Both photos look like something was dragged across the landscape and more or less plowed everything away:




Also can't forget these 2 other pics of Jarrell:


Electric wires embedded into tree:




Bumper from car embedded into soil:



To me Jarrell is the only tornado that can be said to have truly disintegrated vehicles into nothing. I know a few others tornadoes that that's alleged to have happened but haven't seen any proof of it.

 

[locomusic01]

One event that I think is way overlooked is the May 18-21, 1918 outbreak sequence, and especially the Iowa outbreak on May 21. At least 18 significant tornadoes occurred in Iowa that day, including an F5 and two F4s.

The first F4, which Grazulis considers a possible F5, killed 9 people along a 30+ mile path, with most of the damage occurring in Boone, IA:

 

[locomusic01]

The second F4 demolished several homes south of Garber, IA:

And then crossed the border, destroying much of Lone Rock, WI and killing four people (plus another four further NE):

 

[locomusic01]

And the F5 tore a 37-mile path through several Iowa communities, including Denison, Carroll, Westside and Arcadia:

 

[CheeselandSkies]

Lone Rock isn't just across the WI side of the Mississippi from Iowa, either. It's about 50 miles in. That was either a family, or an exceptionally long-track tornado for the region. Based on the map it should have gone through or very near Fennimore, as well.

 

[locomusic01]

Lone Rock isn't just across the WI side of the Mississippi from Iowa, either. It's about 50 miles in. That was either a family, or an exceptionally long-track tornado for the region. Based on the map it should have gone through or very near Fennimore, as well.

Yeah, the total path length is ~80 miles. I haven't mapped out the event in detail so I'm not sure how continuous it was, but Grazulis mentions light damage throughout Grant County (maybe indicating one or more short breaks).

 

[locomusic01]

Speaking of Lone Rock, looks like I forgot a few:

 

[Austin Dawg]

And the F5 tore a 37-mile path through several Iowa communities, including Denison, Carroll, Westside and Arcadia:

Speaking of Lone Rock, looks like I forgot a few:w

I am amazed at how many violent tornadoes that have occurred in Wisconsin. My dad retired to central "Wisky" and told me of the storms they had but it never clicked how much severe weather can occur in that part of our country.

 

[A Guy]

I am amazed at how many violent tornadoes that have occurred in Wisconsin. My dad retired to central "Wisky" and told me of the storms they had but it never clicked how much severe weather can occur in that part of our country.

I suspect the fact there hasn't been one since Oakfield in '96 might contribute to your former impression. I wasn't even alive then. They mostly seem to be pre-1980.

That said my dad was impressed at how violent the run-of-the-mill spring thunderstorms were when he stayed there in the nineties, much more lightning rich than the storms here in Australia.

 

[CheeselandSkies]

I am amazed at how many violent tornadoes that have occurred in Wisconsin. My dad retired to central "Wisky" and told me of the storms they had but it never clicked how much severe weather can occur in that part of our country.

It's interesting that most of them seem to have occurred pre-Fujita/the official forecasting-warning-surveying-documenting era. As was pointed out, none since Oakfield in 1996. Stoughton 2005 was considered for an F4 rating, but not only was that in the heart of the "first wave" era of ultraconservative surveys caused by La Plata syndrome, I actually agree that high-end F3 was the right call for it based on my own personal observations of the damage.