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Significant Tornado Events

Ivanthetornadoenthusiast said:
@locomusic01 (sorry for the mention) Do you have anything on May 14th, 1923 Howard-Mitchell County, Texas F5
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I have a grand total of one, which I apparently don't have any more info on:

HhN3UeT.jpeg


I'm sure there's gotta be more out there, I just haven't gone looking for it.
 
Damage photos from the 1938 Clyde TX F5 I discovered on Ebay; pretty clear vehicle damage!

This tornado is one I put in the same category as a "Texan Grinder" type tornado; slow moving, deviant, and strong, often forming unexpectedly.
 

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NewFoundWeatherNerd said:
Damage photos from the 1938 Clyde TX F5 I discovered on Ebay; pretty clear vehicle damage!

This tornado is one I put in the same category as a "Texan Grinder" type tornado; slow moving, deviant, and strong, often forming unexpectedly.
Click to expand...
Definitely a classic example. Apparently there were multiple photos taken of the tornado at various stages, although this is the only one I've ever seen:

ghcZf97.jpeg


Frustrating that, as usual, most of the photos focused on (relatively) less impressive damage and ignored the hardest-hit areas. Here's some more random stuff, including some high-res aerials from around the school and train tracks:

5ig7Wfa.jpeg


dlWWBQ6.jpeg


8Ai75BV.jpeg


4gbzPKS.jpeg


vIpMCSV.jpeg


WDMaxAr.jpeg


F1WrgRZ.jpeg


0BS4TyB.jpeg


LnvMyNT.jpeg
 
locomusic01 said:
Definitely a classic example. Apparently there were multiple photos taken of the tornado at various stages, although this is the only one I've ever seen:

ghcZf97.jpeg


Frustrating that, as usual, most of the photos focused on (relatively) less impressive damage and ignored the hardest-hit areas. Here's some more random stuff, including some high-res aerials from around the school and train tracks:

5ig7Wfa.jpeg


dlWWBQ6.jpeg


8Ai75BV.jpeg


4gbzPKS.jpeg


vIpMCSV.jpeg


WDMaxAr.jpeg


F1WrgRZ.jpeg


0BS4TyB.jpeg


LnvMyNT.jpeg
Click to expand...
I wonder if there's damage photos from June 5th-6th, 1917 tornado outbreak
 
locomusic01 said:
Definitely a classic example. Apparently there were multiple photos taken of the tornado at various stages, although this is the only one I've ever seen:
Click to expand...
Huh, never knew there were MULTIPLE photos of the Clyde tornado. I thought there was just the one - which, for the record, would absolutely be the subject of some rather off color jokes if it popped up on r/EF5 or something. Seriously, that's a very unfortunate tornado shape.
 
Lake Martin EF4 said:
TBF, you did say that maybe Grazulis was judging some of those old 100 milers too harshly. These two are good examples. (Wilson 1992 is another one worth looking into.)

Also, re: Guin, Tornado Talk actually posits a solid case for it starting in MS despite not having any damage reports or satellite evidence (according to them it was an F0 in these areas, much like Hackleburg, and the rural area explains the lack of damage reports).
Click to expand...

Maybe they had more detail in their paid summary, but what I've read elsewhere about the alleged start near Columbus sounded more like a guess there might have been a tornado than anything really convincing.

For the 1971 outbreak Tornado Talk partly used close aerial photography that was taken two days afterwards, which Grazulis wouldn't have had. Even then the path is faint or not apparent in places. That'll be partly because I mainly looked at previews and only downloaded a few full res pics - whoever at Tornado Talk wrestled with the Earth Explorer had the patience of a saint. But it also partly due to the ground conditions - cleared, a lot of bare ground, and standing water showing rain may have removed soil disturbances. The Rolling Fork tornado was only little more obvious on Sentinel. I do wonder how they determined the path width in some places and as always they're bold with the damage contours. I can see how someone might conclude differently, especially if they didn't have those aerials and had to rely on reports.

With respect to less well documented ones like the Wilson tornado (which there isn't good imagery for) I think a more conservative approach is right most times. You'd know from your examination of the Brandon tornado from the same outbreak. We even have much more recent events (Yazoo City, Hackleburg, Holly Springs) with spurious joins.

The Tornado Talk summaries (I was scouring their Facebook for photos when I wrote my original post) have some other interesting bits - both the Cullman and Trenton 4/27 tornadoes have gaps. The Trenton one is especially interesting, intense tree damage stops abruptly and then resumes initially from a different direction. Can tornadoes skip now? When I've seen authorities say they don't? Should it be considered a new tornado? Not a question likely to be answered with the available radar data or lack of footage.

I'd also be interested in seeing different parties' interpretation of the same events and data, especially from the guys who can find info where I wouldn't even know where to start. For example, the twitter poster who you included showing the gaps in the Yazoo City path has produced a reconstruction of Udall unlike any other I've seen and another showing the Charles City path as being less than ten miles. Be interesting to someone else's takes on the same events.

(do you have info about my question about Cordova and Uniontown?)
 
locomusic01 said:
Definitely a classic example. Apparently there were multiple photos taken of the tornado at various stages, although this is the only one I've ever seen:


Frustrating that, as usual, most of the photos focused on (relatively) less impressive damage and ignored the hardest-hit areas. Here's some more random stuff, including some high-res aerials from around the school and train tracks:
Click to expand...

I have a theory about people not taking pictures of the worst damage in the past. Either they were freelance photographers who weren't from the area and didn't know a structure had been at location X before the tornado blew it away, OR they didn't think people would know what they were looking at unless they showed houses/buildings that still had standing walls. It is a shame so many very strong historical tornadoes didn't have their damage paths properly documented.
 
Here's a picture I found on Facebook in a group called Heart of Ohio or something like that. This is purportedly the 5/10/1973 F3 tornado that - if Tornado Archive is to be believed - traveled well over 80 miles. The picture here is somewhere in south Columbus. This is for all you folks in Columbus who have noticed how Columbus and central Ohio seem to get off easy with tornadoes! I couldn't find a whole lot of info on this tornado.
5_10_1973 tornado.jpg


For good measure, here's a picture of the F3 tornado that struck Willard, OH on the same day.

5_10_73 Willard.jpg
 
Aaron Rider said:
Here's a picture I found on Facebook in a group called Heart of Ohio or something like that. This is purportedly the 5/10/1973 F3 tornado that - if Tornado Archive is to be believed - traveled well over 80 miles. The picture here is somewhere in south Columbus. This is for all you folks in Columbus who have noticed how Columbus and central Ohio seem to get off easy with tornadoes! I couldn't find a whole lot of info on this tornado.
View attachment 41696


For good measure, here's a picture of the F3 tornado that struck Willard, OH on the same day.

View attachment 41697
Click to expand...
Ah, this is the single tornado in my area that surprises me when I see it on Tornado Archive! Luckily we rarely get them. There was an F3 in 1971 (also stands out) that went ~2 miles south of my house through my neighborhood, although I don’t believe photos exist of it. The Lincoln high school darn near got hit by an EF2 last year, and took a roughly same path but a bit east.
 
SGFmoTwister said:
I have a theory about people not taking pictures of the worst damage in the past. Either they were freelance photographers who weren't from the area and didn't know a structure had been at location X before the tornado blew it away, OR they didn't think people would know what they were looking at unless they showed houses/buildings that still had standing walls. It is a shame so many very strong historical tornadoes didn't have their damage paths properly documented.
Click to expand...
Oh yeah, even today if you talk to survivors/witnesses who aren't WX nerds a lot of them are more drawn to partially destroyed structures than ones that are totally obliterated. I kinda get it - it's easier to make sense of a house with its exterior walls collapsed or a multi-story building with the top floors blown off, and it's more visually striking to the average person than a field full of rubble. That's also part of why you see so many reports in the immediate aftermath of a tornado about houses "leveled" or "blown away" that turn out to be like.. EF2 or EF3.
 
Does anyone have any scholarly or more serious analysis of the 6/23/44 Appalachians tornado outbreak? They call it Appalachian but I also just realized it dropped an F3 on the Maryland Eastern Shore. It somewhat reminds me of the La Plata event.
 
locomusic01 said:
Definitely a classic example. Apparently there were multiple photos taken of the tornado at various stages, although this is the only one I've ever seen:

ghcZf97.jpeg


Frustrating that, as usual, most of the photos focused on (relatively) less impressive damage and ignored the hardest-hit areas. Here's some more random stuff, including some high-res aerials from around the school and train tracks:

5ig7Wfa.jpeg


dlWWBQ6.jpeg


8Ai75BV.jpeg


4gbzPKS.jpeg


vIpMCSV.jpeg


WDMaxAr.jpeg


F1WrgRZ.jpeg


0BS4TyB.jpeg


LnvMyNT.jpeg
Click to expand...
Second photo, bottom left. I don’t think even Tuscaloosa tossed railcars as far as the one in that photograph. Modern railcars are a lot heavier but this is still extremely impressive.
 
A Guy said:
Maybe they had more detail in their paid summary, but what I've read elsewhere about the alleged start near Columbus sounded more like a guess there might have been a tornado than anything really convincing.

For the 1971 outbreak Tornado Talk partly used close aerial photography that was taken two days afterwards, which Grazulis wouldn't have had. Even then the path is faint or not apparent in places. That'll be partly because I mainly looked at previews and only downloaded a few full res pics - whoever at Tornado Talk wrestled with the Earth Explorer had the patience of a saint. But it also partly due to the ground conditions - cleared, a lot of bare ground, and standing water showing rain may have removed soil disturbances. The Rolling Fork tornado was only little more obvious on Sentinel. I do wonder how they determined the path width in some places and as always they're bold with the damage contours. I can see how someone might conclude differently, especially if they didn't have those aerials and had to rely on reports.

With respect to less well documented ones like the Wilson tornado (which there isn't good imagery for) I think a more conservative approach is right most times. You'd know from your examination of the Brandon tornado from the same outbreak. We even have much more recent events (Yazoo City, Hackleburg, Holly Springs) with spurious joins.

The Tornado Talk summaries (I was scouring their Facebook for photos when I wrote my original post) have some other interesting bits - both the Cullman and Trenton 4/27 tornadoes have gaps. The Trenton one is especially interesting, intense tree damage stops abruptly and then resumes initially from a different direction. Can tornadoes skip now? When I've seen authorities say they don't? Should it be considered a new tornado? Not a question likely to be answered with the available radar data or lack of footage.

I'd also be interested in seeing different parties' interpretation of the same events and data, especially from the guys who can find info where I wouldn't even know where to start. For example, the twitter poster who you included showing the gaps in the Yazoo City path has produced a reconstruction of Udall unlike any other I've seen and another showing the Charles City path as being less than ten miles. Be interesting to someone else's takes on the same events.

(do you have info about my question about Cordova and Uniontown?)
Click to expand...
I believe the skips that you’re referring to was when the Trenton tornado ascended a hill or ridge and did not inflict any damage on the far side of the apex. I could be wrong but i’ll have to go back and read the article again to be sure. 4/27 footage is probably the best we’ve seen of strong tornadoes excelling over hilly and mountainous terrain.
 
TH2002 said:
Ok I'm sorry, but might as well say what many of us are probably thinking...

What on earth is the "Theoretical Fujita Scale" and why even mention it here?

Not calling anyone out in particular, but I don't think I'm alone in my opinion that lately, this site has been getting clogged with minimal effort, uninformed, garbage posts that don't contribute jack. So many that I haven't even been able to keep up with the site in recent weeks...

I'm starting to agree with a user who said that "Talkweather seems to be slowly morphing into r/tornado and I personally don't think that's a good thing"...

(I'll add that this thread hasn't suffered quite as bad as some of the other ones on this site, but said low-effort posts have still become pretty pervasive here...)
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Agreed. The OTD posts need to go in there own thread, it’s completely clogging this thread up because it’s spring and you can do multiple tornado events in history every single day.

I stopped checking this thread because instead of in depth breakdowns of events, it’s just surface based factoids of whatever happened 50 years ago. Happy to see it’s slowly returning to original form now.
 
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