Significant Tornado Events

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

A small town that luckily had the majority of people were at work. It also was very quick and struck the least populated side of town on the west side of HWY 25. It hit so suddenly and went through the town in about 10 seconds.˜

If it had struck east of 25 you would have had double or triple the fatalities.

Here are a couple of other videos.





This video was from the daughter of a friend of mine who has been a big help with information on the tornado. Her daughter was in Amory and drove to the boat ramp there on the Tenn/Tom Waterway. It is about 5-7 miles directly south of Smithville. The storm had already hit New Wren and was recycling just moments before it hit Smithville. This footage is at the beginning of the video and then she drives into Smithville moments after it hit. She deleted the audio because her daughter knew her family was there and was understandably very upset. This is the only footage I know of that captures the storm forming the F5 life of the tornado.

So the 3rd video, is it taken pretty close around the same time this one was?

 

[buckeye05]

Granbury was rated EF4 due to the anchor bolt spacing being too wide, and due to the fact it was a very slow mover. It sat on that subdivision for several minutes, grinding it to pieces.

 

[J-Rab]

A small town that luckily had the majority of people were at work. It also was very quick and struck the least populated side of town on the west side of HWY 25. It hit so suddenly and went through the town in about 10 seconds.˜

If it had struck east of 25 you would have had double or triple the fatalities.

Here are a couple of other videos.





This video was from the daughter of a friend of mine who has been a big help with information on the tornado. Her daughter was in Amory and drove to the boat ramp there on the Tenn/Tom Waterway. It is about 5-7 miles directly south of Smithville. The storm had already hit New Wren and was recycling just moments before it hit Smithville. This footage is at the beginning of the video and then she drives into Smithville moments after it hit. She deleted the audio because her daughter knew her family was there and was understandably very upset. This is the only footage I know of that captures the storm forming the F5 life of the tornado.

I haven’t seen any of those videos, so I really appreciate finding some more footage. At the end of your second video, you can see the size of it very well. It was big for sure. For that matter, in the police station video you can see from the outside camera just how big it really was.

And yes, I remember seeing aerial shots of Smithville after the storm and thinking that it was probably a good thing that it wasn’t on the other side of the highway.

Incredible to think of just how much damage it caused in so short a time (~10 seconds). What a crazy day that was.

 

[J-Rab]

So the 3rd video, is it taken pretty close around the same time this one was?

That is the video that I had seen. It’s speed is evident. The distance it covers in two minuets is incredible.

 

[Austin Dawg]

So the 3rd video, is it taken pretty close around the same time this one was?

Just a couple of minutes before. It's just a few seconds before the video where the videographer said it's heading to Smithville which is just about 3 or 4 miles from the initial touchdown.

The lock and dam footage is about half a mile from the city limits on the southwestern most edge of town and where the ground scouring occurred.

 

[Austin Dawg]

I haven’t seen any of those videos, so I really appreciate finding some more footage. At the end of your second video, you can see the size of it very well. It was big for sure. For that matter, in the police station video you can see from the outside camera just how big it really was.

And yes, I remember seeing aerial shots of Smithville after the storm and thinking that it was probably a good thing that it wasn’t on the other side of the highway.

Incredible to think of just how much damage it caused in so short a time (~10 seconds). What a crazy day that was.

This is the best radar footage. You can see the life cycle of the storm through Houston, New Wren, Smithville, Shotsville.

The 8:45 mark starts the video of it right as it exited Smithville with one of the most classic debris ball signatures I have ever seen.

If I find any more I will relink. My friends are already on edge of it being the 10th anniversary.

 

[manofthenaders23]

The 06/09/53 Worcester MA F4 is a really interesting event. IMO the only clear cut long-track, violent tornado in New England's history. Produced violent damage in multiple towns besides Worcester and had all the hallmarks of high-end events, ie wind rowing, immense vegetation damage, lofted/mangled vehicles, slabbed homes/neighborhoods, albeit of dubious construction. An event without precedent and easily the most violent tornado NE of the May 31, 1985 cluster. Some aerial photos of the worst damage. I had trouble verifying(so take the locations with a grain of salt) the exact locations but I know they're all from the Worcester tornado.



I have a ton of pictures from the event saved so I might post some ground level shots and some of the more impressive contextual damage later

 

[andyhb]

Wow those Worcester images.

 

[CheeselandSkies]

Grazulis wrote in one of his books that he regrets not upgrading the Worcester tornado to F5 when he had the chance.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

Grazulis wrote in one of his books that he regrets not upgrading the Worcester tornado to F5 when he had the chance.

Have there been confirmed F/EF5 tornadoes in New England? That's probably the most violent tornado damage in New England I've seen. Also, this article has some good damage pictures:

Stormstalker

The weather junkie's fix.

stormstalker.wordpress.com

 

[manofthenaders23]

Have there been confirmed F/EF5 tornadoes in New England? That's probably the most violent tornado damage in New England I've seen. Also, this article has some good damage pictures:

Stormstalker

The weather junkie's fix.

stormstalker.wordpress.com

No, Worcester is the only tornado to approach F5 categorization in the area. IMO, Windsor Locks CT 1979 and Wallingford CT 1878 are the closest things. The former leveled multiple well built homes pretty convincingly and mangled quite a few vintage aircraft. The latter destroyed a brick church and school and left 34 dead over a two mile stretch. Still, not anything approaching the Worcester event. Most of the other New England F4's are kinda iffy. The June 2011 tornado was probably more violent than a few of them honestly

 

[buckeye05]

Worcester absolutely should have been rated F5. Those aerial photos are incredible.

 

[manofthenaders23]

Worcester absolutely should have been rated F5. Those aerial photos are incredible.\

I tend to agree. All these photos are from the Uncatena-Great Brook Valley(Worcester) area where F5 damage very likely occurred. Also where the first two aerial photographs were taken.
This a 12 ton bus that was thrown a great distance. I believe it landed, skidded and then struck the apartment in the photo, killing two people.

Cars lofted from the Norton Co. parking lot
\
Trees appear pretty heavily debarked in the background

 

[buckeye05]

Would anybody here be able to find information on the Chifeng, Inner Mongolia EF4 tornado of August 11, 2017? I’m very curious about that event. Were there other tornadoes in China that day too?

 

[Austin Dawg]

Worcester absolutely should have been rated F5. Those aerial photos are incredible.

How do they rate the older tornadoes with such a difference in building codes for the past 10 years? My brother was there when they were determining the rating and they asked if any of the houses in his neighborhood were built recently. When he pointed out the foundations of a few, the rating guy said that would take it from F4 to F5. That was before they found the other damages to headstones, fire hydrants, and other metal or stone objects and he only talked to one team member.

I was just curious how they can determine the difference between F4 and F5 damage from older storms having to rely on photos and first hand accounts

 

[pohnpei]

Would anybody here be able to find information on the Chifeng, Inner Mongolia EF4 tornado of August 11, 2017? I’m very curious about that event. Were there other tornadoes in China that day too?

There were three tornados that day, all rated EF4 based on a presentation this year made by our researchers. Eric made a detailed analysis in a previous post but overall the details of this event is still limited due to the lack of information disclosure.

http://n.miaopai.com/media/wEZhMbVWGQkXiArmYX-~sWGzhgr5jCuF

In this video some of the large brick house were completely destroied can be noticed.
These tornados were not very long lived and not likely as strong as Funing EF4 in 2016 or EF4s in Pilger event but still a very rare and unimaginable event for this region. The rating of EF4 to these tornados also seems largely appropriate to me.

 

[buckeye05]

There were three tornados that day, all rated EF4 based on a presentation this year made by our researchers. Eric made a detailed analysis in a previous post but overall the details of this event is still limited due to the lack of information disclosure.

http://n.miaopai.com/media/wEZhMbVWGQkXiArmYX-~sWGzhgr5jCuF

In this video some of the large brick house were completely destroied can be noticed.
These tornados were not very long lived and not likely as strong as Funing EF4 in 2016 or EF4s in Pilger event but still a very rare and unimaginable event for this region. The rating of EF4 to these tornados also seems largely appropriate to me.

Oh! Ok I already knew about this event. I just didn’t put two and two together. Thanks!

 

[MNTornadoGuy]

What was likely one of the most intense Montana tornadoes struck rural areas of Cascade County on June 15, 1924. Entire ranches were destroyed, one farmhouse was swept away, a heavy sulky plow was carried for a half-mile, farm machinery was reduced to scrap metal, and a Ford car was carried for 200 yards.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

The 06/09/53 Worcester MA F4 is a really interesting event. IMO the only clear cut long-track, violent tornado in New England's history. Produced violent damage in multiple towns besides Worcester and had all the hallmarks of high-end events, ie wind rowing, immense vegetation damage, lofted/mangled vehicles, slabbed homes/neighborhoods, albeit of dubious construction. An event without precedent and easily the most violent tornado NE of the May 31, 1985 cluster. Some aerial photos of the worst damage. I had trouble verifying(so take the locations with a grain of salt) the exact locations but I know they're all from the Worcester tornado.
View attachment 5427View attachment 5428View attachment 5430View attachment 5431View attachment 5433View attachment 5435
View attachment 5437

I have a ton of pictures from the event saved so I might post some ground level shots and some of the more impressive contextual damage later

Another aerial of the Uncatena Avenue damage. Pretty crazy:

 

[MNTornadoGuy]

Are there any examples of homes with cinder-block foundations being given an F/EF5 rating?