Significant Tornado Events

[Tempestas Tonitrua]

I found this channel Friday that has a few videos I have never saw before from some of the major tornados on 4/27/11. I’m sure some of you all may have found these previously but sharing here for those that haven’t.



This footage was recorded from a Lawrence County Emergency Agency dome camera of the Hackleburg storm and apparently wasn’t highly viewed.

Also the channel has some videos of the Pisgah, Rainsville, Shoal Creek, Enterprise (which was an absolute beast in the videos) and Cordova tornados.

Ohatchee/Shoal Creek:


Hackleburg Tornado as it was in Hackleburg:


Enterprise Tornado (has a Tuscaloosa-like look here):


And supposedly the Tuscaloosa tornado shortly after touching down, though this can’t be confirmed:


Pisgah Storm:

Pisgah, Alabama EF5 Tornado 4/27/11 (Rare Footage)

On April 27, 2011, the largest and most famous tornado outbreak would unfold across the US. 360 total tornadoes would be confirmed, and 324 people would pass...

youtu.be

 

[HAwkmoon]

my top 10 are as it follows
1:Smithville - Hodges EF5 April 2011
2:El reno - Piedmont - Guthrie EF5 May 2011
3:Sherman F5 May 1896

4:Jarrell F5+ May 1997

5:Hackleburg - Phil campbell - Athens EF5 April 2011
6:Joplin - Duquesne EF5 May 2011
7-9:Bridge creek - Newcastle - Moore F5+ May 1999
7-9: Parkersburg - New Hartford EF5 May 2008
7-9:Fyffe - Rainsville - Sylvania EF5 April 2011
10:Tri-state (Gorham - Murphysboro - West Frankfort) F5+ March 1925 (tied with a bunch of others, but my pc is having issues so im typing fast)

i find the top 3 to likely be the ones to have the strongest winds, and infact be at the same level or greater in terms of severity of jarrell's damage, the thing that makes jarrell seem more impressive is the infact the width of this impressive damage being close to 400 yards wide, while the others were 20-100 yards.

Smithville at number 1? Why is bridge creek below Joplin? Sherman was violent for sure but number 3 I think is just too much speculation.

1. Piedmont - Worst tree/vegetation damage I have ever seen as well as some of the worst ever granulation and vehicle damage. Plus other feats of damage like Cactus make this a no brainer. Cyclodials were also insane.

2. Bridge Creek, if we discount Cactus it would probably be a tie, but nothing I can say can describe the damage as well as what Iocomusic showed. It by far has the worst scouring out of any tornado on record.

3. Smithville - Basically extreme damage all round with a fast forward speed, the worst granulation bar Jarrell and it probably has some of the worst structural damage to family residences. It's vehicle damage is slightly below the previous 2 but at this level its just cherry picking. Tree damage was extreme and probably similar to BC though still not quite as insane as Piedmont.

4. Moore 2013 EF-5. - Besides Smithville and Piedmont easily the most violent EF-5 tornado we have seen. The level of damage at Orr family farm is similar to Bridge creek in its severity.

These top 4 are the only ones I can rank in order with certainty if we include pre 21st century tornadoes. If it is just EF-5s then I would say

5. - Hackleburg

6. Joplin

7. Greensburg

8. Parkersburg

9. Rainsville

10. Philadelphia (the trenching of 2 feet is semi-impressive but it is not true scouring, rather just ripping out clumps of saturated soil).

Other F5s to include would be New Richmond, Tri-state which is possibly a top 5 contender after reading some books, the complete destruction of Peabody Mine #18 which was primarily constructed out of reinforced concrete buildings is particularly impressive. As our numerous other feats. Andover, Brandenburg and Guin should be mentioned as having extremely violent contextuals. As for Jarrell, damage- wise it definitely takes the number 1 spot but it's slow movement speed makes it impossible to determine it's true intensity, though it was evidently violent. (Imagine if Bridge Creek was moving that slow).

 

[jiharris0220]

Smithville at number 1? Why is bridge creek below Joplin? Sherman was violent for sure but number 3 I think is just too much speculation.

1. Piedmont - Worst tree/vegetation damage I have ever seen as well as some of the worst ever granulation and vehicle damage. Plus other feats of damage like Cactus make this a no brainer. Cyclodials were also insane.

2. Bridge Creek, if we discount Cactus it would probably be a tie, but nothing I can say can describe the damage as well as what Iocomusic showed. It by far has the worst scouring out of any tornado on record.

3. Smithville - Basically extreme damage all round with a fast forward speed, the worst granulation bar Jarrell and it probably has some of the worst structural damage to family residences. It's vehicle damage is slightly below the previous 2 but at this level its just cherry picking. Tree damage was extreme and probably similar to BC though still not quite as insane as Piedmont.

4. Moore 2013 EF-5. - Besides Smithville and Piedmont easily the most violent EF-5 tornado we have seen. The level of damage at Orr family farm is similar to Bridge creek in its severity.

These top 4 are the only ones I can rank in order with certainty if we include pre 21st century tornadoes. If it is just EF-5s then I would say

5. - Hackleburg

6. Joplin

7. Greensburg

8. Parkersburg

9. Rainsville

10. Philadelphia (the trenching of 2 feet is semi-impressive but it is not true scouring, rather just ripping out clumps of saturated soil).

Other F5s to include would be New Richmond, Tri-state which is possibly a top 5 contender after reading some books, the complete destruction of Peabody Mine #18 which was primarily constructed out of reinforced concrete buildings is particularly impressive. As our numerous other feats. Andover, Brandenburg and Guin should be mentioned as having extremely violent contextuals. As for Jarrell, damage- wise it definitely takes the number 1 spot but it's slow movement speed makes it impossible to determine it's true intensity, though it was evidently violent. (Imagine if Bridge Creek was moving that slow).

I can see why people question the slow movement argument.

But in my opinion I really don’t think the damage from tornadoes like smithville, bridge creek, or piedmont would be worse than Jarrell if they were slow movers.

The fast movement of these tornadoes would actually enhance their wind speeds and the shear increase in wind and pressure from the fast motion definitely contributes to structures simply imploding.

Especially smithville, a 60-70mph forward motion plus whatever wind speeds it truly had are what undoubtedly contributed to the pipe being ripped up from the ground. I don’t think that phenomenon would’ve happened if it was easing its way through.

If jarrel was a fast mover I’m fairly certain those same physics would still apply and the damage would hardly be any less severe.

 

[Tomcats Forever!]

I wonder if the fast movement combined with extreme wind speeds has a sort of slamming effect.

 

[Western_KS_Wx]

Someone was debating Piedmont and Bridge Creek. What do you guys think was more violent? They were comparing vehicles and vegetation damage I think.

I think they were both about equal in intensity, but I’d have to say Bridge Creek was just a bit more violent. El Reno had more destructive potential, i.e path length, width and duration of EF4+ intensity, but in terms of raw power Bridge Creek was just on another level.

That being said, El Reno ‘11 caused easily some of the most incredible contextual damage I’ve ever seen, and in my opinion produced the most violent contextual damage of any tornado in the EF scale era.





Here’s some incredible vegetation damage from in and around the Piedmont area. The second photo is some of the most remarkable ground scouring and debarking of low-lying vegetation you will ever see.

Here’s some more shots of vehicle damage and vegetation damage.

 

[Western_KS_Wx]

Very unrelated to the current topic on the thread, but while researching the Greensburg tornado I came across a website that had some photos of damage from the 2001 Hoisington Kansas F4. Thing was a legit violent tornado, and produced some pretty nasty damage throughout town during its relatively short-lived peak intensity.

 

[Casuarina Head]

@joshoctober16 @Juliett Bravo Kilo @HAwkmoon @Western_KS_Wx Re: “most violent” tornadoes, I think that maybe these should be sorted into categories by DIs, taking into account variables for each. For example, in addition to structural damage, one category could be for vehicles, accounting not just for aerodynamics and weight, but also model, era (older typically being bulkier), and so on. Another could be for scouring, adjusted to local conditions such as soil-type; another for vegetation, again particularised; a third for granulation; and so on. Variables such as forward speed would supplement the indicators themselves. One could even add novel DIs such as the long-distance lofting and/or mutilation of creatures (I believe that Thomas P. Grazulis gave some indirect weight to this in the case of humans).

Here is but an illustrative starting point, very incomplete (I just picked randomly upon recollection—plenty of other cases can be mentioned in each category):

Worst Ground Scouring:
Sherman, Guin, Bakersfield Valley, Jarrell, Bridge Creek, Philadelphia, Smithville, El Reno 2011
Personally, I think that Sherman and Guin might be be on a par with Jarrell and Smithville, compensating for forward speed as well as context.

Worst Vehicular Damage:
Aberdeen MS/Waco AL (1920), Tri-State, Flint, Plainfield, Stratton, Andover, Jarrell, El Reno 2011
Of these the most extreme examples would probably include Plainfield, Stratton, and Jarrell. Only the latter two literally pulverised entire vehicles.

Worst Granulation:
Pomeroy, New Richmond, Hudsonville, Colfax, Topeka, Xenia, Parkersburg, Joplin, Moore 2013
Many of these caused very similar damage to residential areas, but only Pomeroy, New Richmond, Joplin, and Moore came close to pulverisation.

Worst Debarking:
New Richmond, Fergus Falls, Udall, Brandenburg, Loyal Valley, Harper, Hackleburg, Smithville
This category obviously varies by region and species, among other factors, but the sampling represents a fairly diverse selection in this regard.

Other (Machinery, Railcars, Animals/Humans, Etc.):
Sherman, Pinson, Anselmo, Dunlap (John Deere), Primrose, Tracy, Tuscaloosa, El Reno 2011

 

[Casuarina Head]

My top 5 (post-1989):

1. Jarrell
2. Smithville
3. El Reno '11
4. Bridge Creek Moore (3 and 4 are neck & neck, really):
5. Bakersfield Valley

Honorable mentions: Andover, Red Rock, Pampa and Loyal Valley

For #4, do you mean both 1999 and 2013, or just one of these? Both of these seem to have been very close in terms of maximum intensity, remarkably.

 

[csx1985]

I can see why people question the slow movement argument.

But in my opinion I really don’t think the damage from tornadoes like smithville, bridge creek, or piedmont would be worse than Jarrell if they were slow movers.

The fast movement of these tornadoes would actually enhance their wind speeds and the shear increase in wind and pressure from the fast motion definitely contributes to structures simply imploding.

Especially smithville, a 60-70mph forward motion plus whatever wind speeds it truly had are what undoubtedly contributed to the pipe being ripped up from the ground. I don’t think that phenomenon would’ve happened if it was easing its way through.

If jarrel was a fast mover I’m fairly certain those same physics would still apply and the damage would hardly be any less severe.

Last year I contacted Nelson at Tornado Talk regarding the pipes at L&S Circle and HWY 25. The article had been edited stating the pipes were possibly telephone poles that had been sand blasted by tornado to the extent that they appeared to look like your average sewer pipe. The doubt of this event got me curious…

I decided to do my own research and joined a FB group called “Smithville Tornado Stories.” I inquired with group (picture included) about the possibility of sewer pipes being pulled out of the ground by the tornado at that location. The response I received was from an employee at the Smithville Water Dept stating that the only damage at the location consisted of a missing manhole lid and a fire hydrant ripped from the ground and that the “pipes” were indeed telephone poles.

So take it for what it’s worth but it seems the legend of the Smithville EF5 pulling pipes from underneath the ground is not true.

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[pohnpei]

@joshoctober16 @Juliett Bravo Kilo @HAwkmoon @Western_KS_Wx Re: “most violent” tornadoes, I think that maybe these should be sorted into categories by DIs, taking into account variables for each. For example, in addition to structural damage, one category could be for vehicles, accounting not just for aerodynamics and weight, but also model, era (older typically being bulkier), and so on. Another could be for scouring, adjusted to local conditions such as soil-type; another for vegetation, again particularised; a third for granulation; and so on. Variables such as forward speed would supplement the indicators themselves. One could even add novel DIs such as the long-distance lofting and/or mutilation of creatures (I believe that Thomas P. Grazulis gave some indirect weight to this in the case of humans).

Here is but an illustrative starting point, very incomplete (I just picked randomly upon recollection—plenty of other cases can be mentioned in each category):

Worst Ground Scouring:
Sherman, Guin, Bakersfield Valley, Jarrell, Bridge Creek, Philadelphia, Smithville, El Reno 2011
Personally, I think that Sherman and Guin might be be on a par with Jarrell and Smithville, compensating for forward speed as well as context.

Worst Vehicular Damage:
Aberdeen MS/Waco AL (1920), Tri-State, Flint, Plainfield, Stratton, Andover, Jarrell, El Reno 2011
Of these the most extreme examples would probably include Plainfield, Stratton, and Jarrell. Only the latter two literally pulverised entire vehicles.

Worst Granulation:
Pomeroy, New Richmond, Hudsonville, Colfax, Topeka, Xenia, Parkersburg, Joplin, Moore 2013
Many of these caused very similar damage to residential areas, but only Pomeroy, New Richmond, Joplin, and Moore came close to pulverisation.

Worst Debarking:
New Richmond, Fergus Falls, Udall, Brandenburg, Loyal Valley, Harper, Hackleburg, Smithville
This category obviously varies by region and species, among other factors, but the sampling represents a fairly diverse selection in this regard.

Other (Machinery, Railcars, Animals/Humans, Etc.):
Sherman, Pinson, Anselmo, Dunlap (John Deere), Primrose, Tracy, Tuscaloosa, El Reno 2011

It's very hard to measure "the worst". Like if we just talking about the shear number of trees completely debarked, regardless of species, then Bridge Creek, Moore 13 and El Reno 11 were way way more than Harper or Branenburg. All three tornados literary completely debarkes any sort of trees from beginning to end and I can post each of them at least 50 pics showing trees complete debarked. And amounts of trees debarked by Joplin was incredible. I would normally saved impressive debarking pics of other tornados but I never save Joplin's debarking pics in particular because there were just too many.

Also, if we are just talking about the overall numbers of very high end vehicle damages, then two F/EF5 tornados went Moore really stick out. I have a collection of high end vehicle damage made by Andover 1991 but I would never do one for Moore because there were too many of them.

 

[jiharris0220]

Last year I contacted Nelson at Tornado Talk regarding the pipes at L&S Circle and HWY 25. The article had been edited stating the pipes were possibly telephone poles that had been sand blasted by tornado to the extent that they appeared to look like your average sewer pipe. The doubt of this event got me curious…

I decided to do my own research and joined a FB group called “Smithville Tornado Stories.” I inquired with group (picture included) about the possibility of sewer pipes being pulled out of the ground by the tornado at that location. The response I received was from an employee at the Smithville Water Dept stating that the only damage at the location consisted of a missing manhole lid and a fire hydrant ripped from the ground and that the “pipes” were indeed telephone poles.

So take it for what it’s worth but it seems the legend of the Smithville EF5 pulling pipes from underneath the ground is not true.

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I mean, if it actually is false then it definitely wouldn’t surprise me as that kind of damage most certainly should’ve occurred in other similar intensity tornadoes.

 

[SpotlightForRareTornadoes]

Since it is now the 11th anniversary of the Moore EF5, here is the entire 250-year-long reign of terror of (E)F5 tornadoes

 

[csx1985]

I mean, if it actually is false then it definitely wouldn’t surprise me as that kind of damage most certainly should’ve occurred in other similar intensity tornadoes.

I agree. I previously thought that it was just such an amazing and unique feat of damage but apparently that’s not the case. But the man hold cover and fire hydrant removal is still very impressive that definitely has in other intense tornadoes.

 

[CheeselandSkies]

While May 20, 2019 is better known as the "significant" tornado event that wasn't, it still produced a couple of tornadoes that met the Grazulis definition of "significant." Until 10 minutes ago it was the 5th anniversary. I never previously shared any of my footage from that day because it was so craptacular, but I decided to have a little fun with it...

 

[HAwkmoon]

I think they were both about equal in intensity, but I’d have to say Bridge Creek was just a bit more violent. El Reno had more destructive potential, i.e path length, width and duration of EF4+ intensity, but in terms of raw power Bridge Creek was just on another level.

That being said, El Reno ‘11 caused easily some of the most incredible contextual damage I’ve ever seen, and in my opinion produced the most violent contextual damage of any tornado in the EF scale era.

View attachment 27312
View attachment 27313
View attachment 27314
View attachment 27315
Here’s some incredible vegetation damage from in and around the Piedmont area. The second photo is some of the most remarkable ground scouring and debarking of low-lying vegetation you will ever see.

Here’s some more shots of vehicle damage and vegetation damage.
View attachment 27316
View attachment 27317
View attachment 27318
View attachment 27319
View attachment 27320
View attachment 27321

Fair enough, I think both of them are at the highest level of tornado intensity and so really interchangeable.

 

[HAwkmoon]

@joshoctober16 @Juliett Bravo Kilo @HAwkmoon @Western_KS_Wx Re: “most violent” tornadoes, I think that maybe these should be sorted into categories by DIs, taking into account variables for each. For example, in addition to structural damage, one category could be for vehicles, accounting not just for aerodynamics and weight, but also model, era (older typically being bulkier), and so on. Another could be for scouring, adjusted to local conditions such as soil-type; another for vegetation, again particularised; a third for granulation; and so on. Variables such as forward speed would supplement the indicators themselves. One could even add novel DIs such as the long-distance lofting and/or mutilation of creatures (I believe that Thomas P. Grazulis gave some indirect weight to this in the case of humans).

Here is but an illustrative starting point, very incomplete (I just picked randomly upon recollection—plenty of other cases can be mentioned in each category):

Worst Ground Scouring:
Sherman, Guin, Bakersfield Valley, Jarrell, Bridge Creek, Philadelphia, Smithville, El Reno 2011
Personally, I think that Sherman and Guin might be be on a par with Jarrell and Smithville, compensating for forward speed as well as context.

Worst Vehicular Damage:
Aberdeen MS/Waco AL (1920), Tri-State, Flint, Plainfield, Stratton, Andover, Jarrell, El Reno 2011
Of these the most extreme examples would probably include Plainfield, Stratton, and Jarrell. Only the latter two literally pulverised entire vehicles.

Worst Granulation:
Pomeroy, New Richmond, Hudsonville, Colfax, Topeka, Xenia, Parkersburg, Joplin, Moore 2013
Many of these caused very similar damage to residential areas, but only Pomeroy, New Richmond, Joplin, and Moore came close to pulverisation.

Worst Debarking:
New Richmond, Fergus Falls, Udall, Brandenburg, Loyal Valley, Harper, Hackleburg, Smithville
This category obviously varies by region and species, among other factors, but the sampling represents a fairly diverse selection in this regard.

Other (Machinery, Railcars, Animals/Humans, Etc.):
Sherman, Pinson, Anselmo, Dunlap (John Deere), Primrose, Tracy, Tuscaloosa, El Reno 2011

Bridge Creek in my mind takes scouring, Vehicular damage is a tie between BC and El reno 2011, though the latter might just surpass it. Granulation is probably Smithville though both Piedmont and Joplin had extreme cases. Debarking/ tree damage is quite evidently in my mind Piedmont 2011. Other damage is also in my mind Piedmont with Cactus.

 

[Ivanthetornadoenthusiast]

There are a bunch of really interesting Wisconsin events, especially from the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s. One of my favorites is a pretty complex outbreak on July 3, 1907 that I really need to dig into deeper eventually. There were five significant tornadoes officially (w/three F4s), but that's probably an undercount. Several major tornadoes were on the ground simultaneously at some points.

The first tornado(es) tore a short-ish path through the Tioga and Neillsville areas, causing F4 damage:

The second F4 (probably a family) started southwest of the first and traveled nearly 60 miles, killing 11 people and causing violent damage near Hatfield, Oakdale and Elroy:

All of the pics won't appear for me

 

[Austin Dawg]

Last year I contacted Nelson at Tornado Talk regarding the pipes at L&S Circle and HWY 25. The article had been edited stating the pipes were possibly telephone poles that had been sand blasted by tornado to the extent that they appeared to look like your average sewer pipe. The doubt of this event got me curious…

I decided to do my own research and joined a FB group called “Smithville Tornado Stories.” I inquired with group (picture included) about the possibility of sewer pipes being pulled out of the ground by the tornado at that location. The response I received was from an employee at the Smithville Water Dept stating that the only damage at the location consisted of a missing manhole lid and a fire hydrant ripped from the ground and that the “pipes” were indeed telephone poles.

So take it for what it’s worth but it seems the legend of the Smithville EF5 pulling pipes from underneath the ground is not true.

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I am from Smithville. My family and friends only talked about how they had to start completely over because nothing was left after the storm. They didn't argue about whether pipes were in the ground or not, but I do know they talked about the fire hydrants ripped from the ground and a few have said it lifted a manhole cover. So I can't substantiate your story, either.

Every one of those tornadoes have one thing in common, they were completely catastrophic to the people who live there. I personally think there's an eye Lash difference between all of these F5 storms.

 

[HAwkmoon]

I can see why people question the slow movement argument.

But in my opinion I really don’t think the damage from tornadoes like smithville, bridge creek, or piedmont would be worse than Jarrell if they were slow movers.

The fast movement of these tornadoes would actually enhance their wind speeds and the shear increase in wind and pressure from the fast motion definitely contributes to structures simply imploding.

Especially smithville, a 60-70mph forward motion plus whatever wind speeds it truly had are what undoubtedly contributed to the pipe being ripped up from the ground. I don’t think that phenomenon would’ve happened if it was easing its way through.

If jarrel was a fast mover I’m fairly certain those same physics would still apply and the damage would hardly be any less severe.

I doubt it, Jarrell had over 3 minutes to destroy everything in it's path, it was sure violent, but there is no argument you can make from damage alone to me to justify it being 300+ mph when it had that amount of time to wreak havoc over double creek.

 

[HAwkmoon]

I think they were both about equal in intensity, but I’d have to say Bridge Creek was just a bit more violent. El Reno had more destructive potential, i.e path length, width and duration of EF4+ intensity, but in terms of raw power Bridge Creek was just on another level.

That being said, El Reno ‘11 caused easily some of the most incredible contextual damage I’ve ever seen, and in my opinion produced the most violent contextual damage of any tornado in the EF scale era.

View attachment 27312
View attachment 27313
View attachment 27314
View attachment 27315
Here’s some incredible vegetation damage from in and around the Piedmont area. The second photo is some of the most remarkable ground scouring and debarking of low-lying vegetation you will ever see.

Here’s some more shots of vehicle damage and vegetation damage.
View attachment 27316
View attachment 27317
View attachment 27318
View attachment 27319
View attachment 27320
View attachment 27321

Based on damage I think they are actually fairly equal, both produced equally extreme vehicle damage, Bridge Creek produced worse scouring, granulation for both was extreme though I think Piedmont had worse and tree damage likewise. Structural damage for Bridge Creek was extreme and it also produced more extreme instances of vehicle damage. The one thing for me is Cactus-117 from Piedmont which I think makes it stand out. Plus cyclodials in this area were extreme.