Significant Tornado Events

[joshoctober16]

(this isnt for the squeamish)

Spoiler

Human granulation is a extremely inconsistent contextual because not only is the main killer of tornadoes is debris, but the human granulation is likely caused when a big piece of debris is smashed against the persons body. Or more commonly, smashed against the ground and/or wall.

EDIT: Meant to quote joshoctobers post btw. I dont want this to devolve to chaos.

so ... is that a word for the joplin and hackleburg remains? first time ive herd some one use that word...

also its to note this happen in the el reno 2011 tornado , and there wasn't much debris where this... so call thing happened ... (happened over a highway if your wondering before it even hit the cactus oil rig)

 

[Tornadowritter]

i dont think most of the things you talk about counts , strongest he stated , not longest or widest , like if we took a 100 square meter chunk of each tornadoes strongest point , what area would look the worst?

as for long track tornadoes ....
there's of course hackleburg , the quad state supercell , yazoo city EF4 and one that happened in Canada that isn't in the data but was 110+ mile long and likely a EF3-EF5 , this can be seen on satellite , it stayed over a forest.

But the 1925 tornado was still very strong like around 300 mph across for most of it’s track especially in the Lixville area, West Frankfort, and Griffin, and point is it should be number 1 as it is just as strong as the other tornados on the list, but since it left more destruction and deaths than the other tornados did, so that is why I still consider it to be number 1.

 

[tornadowatch211]

so ... is that a word for the joplin and hackleburg remains? first time ive herd some one use that word...

also its to note this happen in the el reno 2011 tornado , and there wasn't much debris where this... so call thing happened ... (happened over a highway if your wondering before it even hit the cactus oil rig)

Gonna copy the google definition bc why not:

“easily made to feel sick, faint, or disgusted, especially by unpleasant images, such as the sight of blood.”

Also about that piedmont thing, weaker tornadoes (e.g. Wheatland) did similar stuff to Joplin and Hackleburg.
Just not to get off track of the main purpose of this thread, heres some Windsor Locks 1979 photos, mostly Bradley Air Museum:




Swept away house, dunno CMU or concrete:

Had more to upload, but “YOU CAN ONLY ATTACH THESE TYPES OF IMAGE” exists.

 

[Sawmaster]

Sorry for the late reply, been busy dealing with dead vehicles and Helene damage. One thin to remember about Smithville is that it's ground speed was 60+ MPH, meaning the damage was done in a few seconds versus slower tornadoes which may circulate debris and crunch it several times. Smithville is in the top 3 for strength IMHO. And seeing the other replies now you know why I don't do lists in order for tornadoes

 

[joshoctober16]

Sorry for the late reply, been busy dealing with dead vehicles and Helene damage. One thin to remember about Smithville is that it's ground speed was 60+ MPH, meaning the damage was done in a few seconds versus slower tornadoes which may circulate debris and crunch it several times. Smithville is in the top 3 for strength IMHO. And seeing the other replies now you know why I don't do lists in order for tornadoes

now that i think about it is phant not taking into account the forward motion?

smithville and hackleburg took only 2 seconds to make all of the worst damage , while most other tornadoes take more time

how fast/slow was San Justo was it a fast mover? 50+ mph a average speed mover? 16-49 mph? or a slow mover <=15 mph ?

 

[Ivanthetornadoenthusiast]

Damage photos from Mullinville tornado of June 11th, 1915

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

Some Smithville photos I found on Flickr. Really sorry if some are reposts:
Truck that looks like it had its front shaved off with a razor (1st photo). This is near the B&B that got absolutely obliterated. Its hard to explain. Cinder blocks were chopped up like celery, intense debris granulation happened. The first death was here:
View attachment 30478
This is near the E.E. Pickle Funeral Home, where some of the worst damage to a residential structure happened. The funeral home practically vanished. The softwood near the structure suffered some of the worst vegetation damage ever. Not only were they debraked, but some had pieces of the wood ripped off of their trunks. Extreme granulation, wind-rowing, and more was evident, but this is a ground level view of the treefall near the funeral home:
View attachment 30479
Some photos in the middle of town. Low-lying shrubbery and trees alike were not just debarked, but sometimes shredded to mulch, debris was granulated into <1 inch pieces (some of the worst documented). Granulated debris got wind-rowed hundreds of yards, and more:
View attachment 30480View attachment 30481
Others:View attachment 30482View attachment 30483
A mangle of pretty much everything, including farm machinery, debris from houses, and more like a giant sized knot:
View attachment 30484
Near the water tower. The contextuals werent as bad as say; E.E. Pickle, but still well into Bridge Creek territory:
View attachment 30486

Yeah lots of these are on TornadoTalk's Smithville article that's now behind a paywall, thanks for finding this flickr collection.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

Yeah

I recently found some damage photos I’ve never seen before from the Chapman KS 2016 tornado.

Some aerials from areas impacted prior to the tornado crossing I-70. First two show farm implements and machinery thrown, mangled, and torn to pieces along with some intense vegetation damage. The bottom image is of a well-constructed home that was completely swept away.
View attachment 30459View attachment 30460View attachment 30461

This is where the tornado likely peaked in intensity and inflicted its highest-rated damage. This farm was all-but totally destroyed, with some very high-end damage all around. Sturdy hardwood trees and evergreen trees were completely stripped and debarked, heavy farm machinery was thoroughly mangled and tossed long distances, and pronounced ground scouring is evident. Due to some construction flaws, the brick home that was swept clean on the property was assigned an EF4 rating.
View attachment 30462
View attachment 30463View attachment 30464

Finally, some ground-level photos of extreme damage from the previous farmstead.
View attachment 30465
View attachment 30466

Incredible damage to farm machinery on the property. The first photo shows a pickup truck of some sort essentially mangled beyond recognition and caught in the mess of crumpled implements.
View attachment 30467View attachment 30468

Yeah this was discussed way back early in the thread. The combine and other vehicle that were fused together:

Significant Tornado Events

Agreed, but cycloidal markings definitely isn't one of them I suspect a number of the tornadoes rated F5 on the original F-scale were overrated. I think they have done well with rating tornadoes EF5 using the EF-scale though I believe the Chickasha, Goldsby, Vilonia, Rochelle, and Chapman...

talkweather.com

Significant Tornado Events

I always show this video whenever I hear someone say that geography protects their locale from tornadoes. In fact, some studies show that geographical features can enhance the formation of tornadoes. Was this the Cordova tornado? I seem to remember seeing this video way back in 2011 right...

talkweather.com

Significant Tornado Events

It'd be interesting to figure out the deadliest tornado by ranking. Deadliest F0, F1, F2, etc. Also, is this the event you're thinking of? https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-11-16-mn-2326-story.html Yes, that's the one.

talkweather.com

Significant Tornado Events

Some Pittsfield damage photos I found Considering its reputation, it definitely seems to be one of the more poorly-documented Palm Sunday tornadoes.

talkweather.com

 

[TH2002]

Gonna copy the google definition bc why not:

Also about that piedmont thing, weaker tornadoes (e.g. Wheatland) did similar stuff to Joplin and Hackleburg.
Just not to get off track of the main purpose of this thread, heres some Windsor Locks 1979 photos, mostly Bradley Air Museum:
View attachment 30531

View attachment 30534View attachment 30535
View attachment 30537
Swept away house, dunno CMU or concrete:
View attachment 30536
Had more to upload, but “YOU CAN ONLY ATTACH THESE TYPES OF IMAGE” exists.

I feel Windsor Locks could have been rated F5, tbh. High end F4 is fine, but the contextual damage was more impressive than a lot of people realize, and at least one of the homes it swept away was bolted to a solid poured concrete foundation.

 

[tornadowatch211]

I feel Windsor Locks could have been rated F5, tbh. High end F4 is fine, but the contextual damage was more impressive than a lot of people realize, and at least one of the homes it swept away was bolted to a solid poured concrete foundation.

Yeah, IMO its the second most violent tornado in New England (behind Worcester ofc)
Btw heres the photos Talkweather refused to upload (plus some others)



If it happened like 10 years earlier it wouldve gotten F5, no doubt.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

I feel Windsor Locks could have been rated F5, tbh. High end F4 is fine, but the contextual damage was more impressive than a lot of people realize, and at least one of the homes it swept away was bolted to a solid poured concrete foundation.

Windsor Lock reminds me of Pampa in that it had a short path length and was only on the ground for a few minutes and thus didn't have time to hit much. I have a feeling it and Pampa would both have been rated F5 if they'd stayed on the ground longer and hit more things.

 

[tornadowatch211]

Yeah lots of these are on TornadoTalk's Smithville article that's now behind a paywall, thanks for finding this flickr collection.

Yeah theres like 500 damage photos on this tornado alone.
Others for EF5’s counts are:
Greensburg: 1000
Hackleburg: Like 500
Vilonia (not one, but should be): 350
Theres also one picture from Rainsville that shows some insane tree damage. Gonna find it again lol.
(All these counts are only on Flickr)

Edit: Found it. I legit thought it was at the front, but if you look closely, its actually a little more up from the center:

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

Yeah theres like 500 damage photos on this tornado alone.
Others for EF5’s counts are:
Greensburg: 1000
Hackleburg: Like 500
Vilonia (not one, but should be): 350
Theres also one picture from Rainsville that shows some insane tree damage. Gonna find it again lol.
(All these counts are only on Flickr)

extremeplanet has some good stuff too, assuming it's still up.

 

[TH2002]

Windsor Lock reminds me of Pampa in that it had a short path length and was only on the ground for a few minutes and thus didn't have time to hit much. I have a feeling it and Pampa would both have been rated F5 if they'd stayed on the ground longer and hit more things.

The contextual damage produced by Windsor Locks was actually extremely impressive in a less than one mile stretch covering Poquonock Avenue and Settler Circle. This photo speaks for itself:

At least one of the destroyed homes was anchor bolted, namely the Bassett Home as seen in this aerial:

 

[tornadowatch211]

The contextual damage produced by Windsor Locks was actually extremely impressive in a less than one mile stretch covering Poquonock Avenue and Settler Circle. This photo speaks for itself:

At least one of the destroyed homes was anchor bolted, namely the Bassett Home as seen in this aerial:

That first photo is actually pretty close to Worcester in intensity. The scouring, granulation, and more. Yeah, it ABSOLUTELY wouldve gotten F5 in like 1970.

 

[tornadowatch211]

Sorry to go off topic for Windsor Locks, but these are the last 2 Shinnston photos I found:


Back to Windsor Locks, heres some extreme damage photos:
An splintered piece of wood (2x4? tree? power pole?):

This photo (I think?) was taken the night that the tornado happened, so minimal cleanup:

Saint Josephs Cemetery, tombstones here were toppled and I think some were shattered (could be wrong):

Finally, Bradley Air Museum:

Edit: Found 2 more lol

 

[phant]

now that i think about it is phant not taking into account the forward motion?

smithville and hackleburg took only 2 seconds to make all of the worst damage , while most other tornadoes take more time

how fast/slow was San Justo was it a fast mover? 50+ mph a average speed mover? 16-49 mph? or a slow mover <=15 mph ?

Heres my opinion on movement speed:
0-5: Extremely slow
5-15: Slow
16-30: Moderate
31-50: Fast
51+: Very fast

Also important to note how movement speed works:

Slow Movement Speed:
- Structural damage remains the same
- Contexual damage is worse

Fast Movement Speed:
- Aids in damage (structural)
- Harder to scour the ground

Note: Structural damage occurs within the first few moments of contact with the tornado, thus structural damage doesn't really change between movement speed. From what I've seen vehicle and tree damage remains mostly the same as well, but slower tornadoes are likely a little worse in this catagory.

Also, San Justo tracked 1 mile in around 10 minutes, so it's average speed was 6mph. However, structural damage isnt effected by this, and yet it still destroyed some of the most well-built homes ever, but, vehicle damage was likely greatly aided by the very slow movement speed.

 

[joshoctober16]

Heres my opinion on movement speed:
0-5: Extremely slow
5-15: Slow
16-30: Moderate
31-50: Fast
51+: Very fast

Also important to note how movement speed works:

Slow Movement Speed:
- Structural damage remains the same
- Contexual damage is worse

Fast Movement Speed:
- Aids in damage (structural)
- Harder to scour the ground

Note: Structural damage occurs within the first few moments of contact with the tornado, thus structural damage doesn't really change between movement speed. From what I've seen vehicle and tree damage remains mostly the same as well, but slower tornadoes are likely a little worse in this catagory.

Also, San Justo tracked 1 mile in around 10 minutes, so it's average speed was 6mph. However, structural damage isnt effected by this, and yet it still destroyed some of the most well-built homes ever, but, vehicle damage was likely greatly aided by the very slow movement speed.

well then now san justo vehicle damage isnt as impressive if its less then 16 mph.

they were thrown , smash then thrown then smash.... over and over ...

but what is all this fast movement makes homes more badly damaged but slower isnt?

heck i think nws stated for Mayfield tornado speed (unsure how fast it was again) that structural damage isn't at its worst because it was moving too fast

then there are tornadoes like hackleburg , smithville and the philadelphia EF5 that all likely had there EF5 damage made under 2 seconds and not the average 3 second gust so wouldn't at least these 3 and any fast moving EF5 that had a thin EF5 center damage path be more impressive?

also its to note the most medium forward speed of a tornado is around 25-30 mph so that should be in the middle part of the moderate range

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

Heres my opinion on movement speed:
0-5: Extremely slow
5-15: Slow
16-30: Moderate
31-50: Fast
51+: Very fast

Also important to note how movement speed works:

Slow Movement Speed:
- Structural damage remains the same
- Contexual damage is worse

Fast Movement Speed:
- Aids in damage (structural)
- Harder to scour the ground

Note: Structural damage occurs within the first few moments of contact with the tornado, thus structural damage doesn't really change between movement speed. From what I've seen vehicle and tree damage remains mostly the same as well, but slower tornadoes are likely a little worse in this catagory.

Also, San Justo tracked 1 mile in around 10 minutes, so it's average speed was 6mph. However, structural damage isnt effected by this, and yet it still destroyed some of the most well-built homes ever, but, vehicle damage was likely greatly aided by the very slow movement speed.

I don't think forward speed makes scouring harder....look at Smithville, Hackleburg, Guin and the Tri-State for proof of that. If anything, I think fast forward speed makes it easier to yank out grass and scour the ground. Fast winds right at ground level moving along quickly likely hit the grass blades or enter holes in soul quicker and force it upwards faster.

 

[joshoctober16]

I don't think forward speed makes scouring harder....look at Smithville, Hackleburg, Guin and the Tri-State for proof of that. If anything, I think fast forward speed makes it easier to yank out grass and scour the ground. Fast winds right at ground level moving along quickly likely hit the grass blades or enter holes in soul quicker and force it upwards faster.

oh just to be sure there is trench digging that seems to be both less and more impressive then normal ground scouring from what i remembered from most impress to least impress it goes


1:trench digging of 2+ feet
2:real ground scouring and trench digging of 1.5+ feet
3:trench digging less then 1.5 feet

apparently its easier to have trench digging then normal ground scouring if its less then 1.5 , but then the soil pass 1.5 feet gets harder to do then normal ground scouring , im guessing this is why Philadelphia 2+ feet trench digging was rated EF5?

its to note Philadelphia both made trench digging and normal ground scouring in the same field.

also some of Smithville's scouring is really impressive that you might get it mistaken as jarrell
.
there is also some trench digging from smithville but never truly measured but its one of the rare few you can see on google earth years later (along with parkersburg and el reno 2011)