Significant Tornado Events

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

It's been a while since I read FEMA's Mitigation Assessment Team report on the event, but it's puzzling that I don't recall any mention of this. The team did a pretty extensive evaluation of shelters and safe rooms throughout the area, but the only thing I remember them mentioning was one basement shelter in which the concrete floor above collapsed and killed someone inside. I think that was near Birmingham.

I'm not saying this information isn't legit (I'm not a member so I haven't read the article) - just weird that it wasn't mentioned in any of the reports. It's hard for me to imagine that happening to a purpose-built shelter, though I've learned not to rule anything out when it comes to the most violent tornadoes.

I know something with a purpose-built shelter happened with Vilonia; I don't think the shelter was built to proper standards but this is definitely something that happens with extremely violent tornadoes so this is likely an issue that will need to be further investigated in the future.

 

[locomusic01]

I know something with a purpose-built shelter happened with Vilonia; I don't think the shelter was built to proper standards but this is definitely something that happens with extremely violent tornadoes so this is likely an issue that will need to be further investigated in the future.

Yeah, that was a door that wasn't actually designed for wind/impact resistance: https://phys.org/news/2014-08-door-arkansas-tornado.html

Pretty substantial damage nonetheless, but an underground storm shelter being damaged or destroyed is an entirely different order of magnitude. I'm very hesitant to say anything is impossible when it comes to high-end tornadoes, especially if heavy missile impacts are involved, but my first instinct is that we might be missing some key details there.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

Damage photos I found from the 1984 Ivanovo tornado
View attachment 8732
View attachment 8733
View attachment 8734
View attachment 8735
View attachment 8736
View attachment 8737
View attachment 8738

The second and last two photos here are pretty impressive. The second photo shows an impressive amount of debris granulation, and the last two reveal a ton of debris blanketing the ground and what looks to be a mangled vehicle after likely being thrown a considerable distance. This thing may have been more violent than I previously thought. Still, not enough photographic evidence to be entirely sure.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

Hackleburg (Marion County) AL EF5 Tornado – April 27, 2011 – Tornado Talk

www.tornadotalk.com

The first part of Hackleburg torndao's article in Marion County mentioned that there were at least three underground storm shelters were destroyed in Hackleburg including one solidly constructed. There were people sucked out of the basement and killed.
I am also very interested in that likely dried-out five-acre large pond. There were five cars and one tractor left at the bottom of the pond. Was there any ground view photo in this place?
It is also weird to heard there was root canal injure due to the pressure drop of the tornado.
View attachment 8770

So, was this the pond where they supposedly found a vehicle after it was carried over a mile? Or is that just a rumor/hearsay?

 

[buckeye05]

So, was this the pond where they supposedly found a vehicle after it was carried over a mile? Or is that just a rumor/hearsay?

That absolutely did happen, but in was in the Oak Grove community, farther down the path.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

That absolutely did happen, but in was in the Oak Grove community, farther down the path.

So it's been confirmed now? I just wish I could find a picture of it.

 

[buckeye05]

So it's been confirmed now? I just wish I could find a picture of it.

It was confirmed a long time ago on the old Talkweather Forum by a NWS Birmingham damage surveyor named Chris Darden who surveyed the Hackleburg-Phil Campbell tornado. If anybody here knows how to reach him, I'd sure he'd re-tell the story. It's not in any official documents or text though. The only mention of it is the "missing vehicle" brought up in the Oak Grove portion of the survey. That vehicle was the one that was eventually found a mile away in a pond.

 

[speedbump305]

Wow, that tornado sure took care of that vehicle. I never saw vehicular damage that intense with the Hackleburg tornado. Good find!!

I’m actually pretty sure Hackleburg managed to do Vehicle damage just as severe

 

[speedbump305]

Buckeye when a foundation is “ Buckled “ what does that mean?

 

[buckeye05]

Buckeye when a foundation is “ Buckled “ what does that mean?

It essentially means it that it was cracked and broken. This was a steakhouse restaurant that sustained EF5 damage in Mount Hope, AL. Here, the corner of the foundation slab has buckled, and is actually pulled up out of the ground.

 

[speedbump305]

It essentially means it that it was cracked and broken. This was a steakhouse restaurant that sustained EF5 damage in Mount Hope, AL. Here, the corner of the foundation slab has buckled, and is actually pulled up out of the ground.

That’s actually insane- This and the Slab in Smithville probably seen the two worst damage to a poured concrete slab i’ve ever seen

 

[buckeye05]

That’s actually insane- This and the Slab in Smithville probably seen the two worst damage to a poured concrete slab i’ve ever seen

Yup, no doubt.

 

[speedbump305]

Honestly i feel like Hackleburgs intensity is actually underrated in my opinion, but i could be wrong and everyone has their own opinion

 

[buckeye05]

Also, in the above photo, you can actually see grass and pine needles wedged underneath the slab. To me, this indicates that the slab corner was quickly yanked out of the ground as the most violent part of the tornado slammed into the building. Then, as the tornado began to move away, extremely intense low-level inflow winds feeding into the tornado likely blasted shredded bits of vegetation into the space where the corner of the foundation was lifted up. That to me, suggests remarkable intensity. This one little area of damage does make me reconsider my stance on Hackleburg.

 

[speedbump305]

Also, in the above photo, you can actually see grass and pine needles wedged underneath the slab. To me, this indicates that the slab corner was quickly yanked out of the ground as the most violent part of the tornado slammed into the building. Then, as the tornado began to move away, extremely intense low-level inflow winds feeding into the tornado likely blasted shredded bits of vegetation into the space where the corner of the foundation was lifted up. That to me, suggests remarkable intensity. This one little area of damage does make me reconsider my stance on Hackleburg.

For real!

 

[andyhb]

Having read all sorts of outlandish claims in terms of vehicles being lofted crazy distances by tornadoes without much evidence to back it up, is that instance from the Hackleburg tornado the longest that a vehicle has actually been confirmed transported by a tornado on record?

I know the Andover, Jarrell, Bridge Creek, Smithville, and El Reno 2011 tornadoes had some remarkable instances of such phenomenon, but I don't think any of them actually broke the mile mark.

 

[speedbump305]

Having read all sorts of outlandish claims in terms of vehicles being lofted crazy distances by tornadoes without much evidence to back it up, is that instance from the Hackleburg tornado the longest that a vehicle has actually been confirmed transported by a tornado on record?

I know the Andover, Jarrell, Bridge Creek, Smithville, and El Reno 2011 tornadoes had some remarkable instances of such phenomenon, but I don't think any of them actually broke the mile mark.

I would think so!

 

[speedbump305]

I would just love to know if Hackleburg was able to tear anchor bolts off poured concrete slabs like smithville and rainsville were able to do. i have absolutely no doubt it wasn’t able to

 

[buckeye05]

Having read all sorts of outlandish claims in terms of vehicles being lofted crazy distances by tornadoes without much evidence to back it up, is that instance from the Hackleburg tornado the longest that a vehicle has actually been confirmed transported by a tornado on record?

I know the Andover, Jarrell, Bridge Creek, Smithville, and El Reno 2011 tornadoes had some remarkable instances of such phenomenon, but I don't think any of them actually broke the mile mark.

Here an excerpt from the NCDC entry for the Cisco, TX "EF3" (yeah right) of 2015.

"Two cars, one tractor, and several farm implements were tossed over one mile to the east with this tornado"

 

[andyhb]

Here an excerpt from the NCDC entry for the Cisco, TX "EF3" (yeah right) of 2015.

"Two cars, one tractor, and several farm implements were tossed over one mile to the east with this tornado"

Lol yeah Cisco is another case of a severely underrated tornado (I'm not entirely convinced the structural damage it produced was EF3 either). Would love to find pictures of those vehicles.