tornado examiner
Member
oh jeez.......nws des moine made it to where there was no detailed info on the december 15 2021 tornadoes in their area....every one of them just has "preliminary survey" for there summary on Wikipedia....thats dumb...
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Significant Tornado Events
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Juliett Bravo Kilo
Member
Are you contribute anything to this thread? Or are you just gonna complain about tornado rankings and damage surveys? It's getting annoying.
tornado examiner
Member
okay i'll leave.
MNTornadoGuy
Member
I find the 1913 Easter Sunday tornado outbreak to be a fascinating event due to the unusual time of year it occurred for the Upper Midwest and the sheer intensity of the outbreak. There were 6 F4s during the event along with 2 F3s. However, I've found some evidence that suggests the F3s might have also been violent tornadoes.
Greenwood NE F3 (possibly F4):
This tornado was the first significant event produced by a supercell that would later produce the Omaha F4. Only rural areas were affected by this tornado and no one was killed but the damage was very severe. Hundreds of trees were uprooted with some groves being shredded, a large viaduct was stripped of iron railings and partially wrecked, 2-3 farms were swept away or leveled, and debris was scattered for long distances including a pair of pants which was found two miles away from the former site of the house. 2 people were injured including a hired worker who was reportedly carried 100-300 yards. The tornado was described by eyewitnesses as a "column of light-colored smoke against a black background of storm clouds."
Craig NE F3 (possibly F4):
This tornado moved through the town of Craig where it produced only moderate damage. In rural areas, it was much more intense with a 2-year old "neat and comfortable" home being swept away along with nearby outbuildings, scattering debris into the farm fields. A second farm would also be devastated with the home being reported as "gone" and its contents scattered over acres of the farm.
Greenwood NE F3 (possibly F4):
This tornado was the first significant event produced by a supercell that would later produce the Omaha F4. Only rural areas were affected by this tornado and no one was killed but the damage was very severe. Hundreds of trees were uprooted with some groves being shredded, a large viaduct was stripped of iron railings and partially wrecked, 2-3 farms were swept away or leveled, and debris was scattered for long distances including a pair of pants which was found two miles away from the former site of the house. 2 people were injured including a hired worker who was reportedly carried 100-300 yards. The tornado was described by eyewitnesses as a "column of light-colored smoke against a black background of storm clouds."
Craig NE F3 (possibly F4):
This tornado moved through the town of Craig where it produced only moderate damage. In rural areas, it was much more intense with a 2-year old "neat and comfortable" home being swept away along with nearby outbuildings, scattering debris into the farm fields. A second farm would also be devastated with the home being reported as "gone" and its contents scattered over acres of the farm.
Juliett Bravo Kilo
Member
Also, the damage survey results were accidentally discarded at some point. Sad but true.
I swear there is some footage of before and after damage from this event on some VHS tapes, but not sure which ones....
MNTornadoGuy
Member
March 23, 1913 was a pretty widespread event with tornadoes occurring in Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana, Missouri, Louisiana, and Illinois. Probably the most notable tornado of the eastern area of the outbreak was the Terre Haute IN F4. This large and violent tornado touched down north of Prairietown and moved NE, first devastating the small village of Gardentown. Here all but two buildings were damaged or destroyed with small homes along a riverbank being leveled and debris being scattered throughout the prairie. Then the tornado moved through southern Terre Haute likely at maximum intensity. A 5-block section of homes and buildings was completely leveled, a heavy safe was carried 75 ft, a two-story concrete house was reportedly demolished, a 1/4 inch thick layer of mud was plastered against the walls of buildings and some homes were reportedly swept away. All 21-23 deaths from this tornado occurred in this city. The tornado continued on through rural areas and the small town of Perth where additional buildings were damaged or destroyed.
MNTornadoGuy
Member
Damage photos from the 1965 Dunlap tornado.
MNTornadoGuy
Member
Other photographs from both the Midway and Dunlap tornadoes.
Juliett Bravo Kilo
Member
Most recent post and conversation I had with him: https://talkweather.com/threads/significant-tornado-events.1276/page-311#post-69675
Looks like he's still researching it and hopefully he's nearing completion.
Still don't have a clue why this one was downgraded from F5 in the official database while other much, much lesser candidates remain.
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Does anyone have photos of the intense debarking caused by the 2007 DeLand tornado?
Juliett Bravo Kilo
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Like I've said before, there's easily 5-6 F5 candidates from this day; amazing how 2 were downgraded to F4 and so many extremely marginal F5s from the 60s and 70s are still allowed to remain as such.
It used to be visible on Mike Theiss's old website, but I can't seem to find it now that he re-did his photo gallery. You might be able to wayback machine it. There appears to be some considerable debarking in this photo, but it isn't the one I was thinking of.
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Is this the gallery you were talking about? There is definitely some intense debarking in the last photo at the bottom of the page
Yup, the last photo specifically. Very impressive debarking there. Jim LaDue said that in hindsight, this one probably should have been an EF4 based on the type of tree damage that occurred.
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To think that the Groundhog Day tornadoes were the first tornadoes to be rated with the EF scale and they screwed them up immediately. I get that it's far from the worst lowball ever, but still, what a nice precedent for the (at the time) new scale...
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Those two second to last photos (the slabbed home and what appears to be scouring) are particularly interesting to me. I've seen those photos attributed to Elkhart (Dunlap), is that correct or are those Midway photos?Other photographs from both the Midway and Dunlap tornadoes.
View attachment 12525View attachment 12526View attachment 12527
View attachment 12522View attachment 12523
Didn’t want to be too presumptuous given the black and white photos, but yeah the ground in several pics of Dunlap has that muddy scoured look.
There is a slideshow of color damage photos on locomusic’s blog from Dunlap, and they all but confirm extremely intense scouring occurred. In some, it looks like there is next to no grass left. I’d wager it was the most violent tornado of Palm Sunday 1965.
There is a slideshow of color damage photos on locomusic’s blog from Dunlap, and they all but confirm extremely intense scouring occurred. In some, it looks like there is next to no grass left. I’d wager it was the most violent tornado of Palm Sunday 1965.
MNTornadoGuy
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Follow up post about the NE/MO/IA violent tornadoes from the March 23, 1913 outbreak.
Omaha NE F4:
This tornado was actually likely the weakest out of all the F4s from this event though it was by far the deadliest. This wedge tornado formed SW of the Omaha area and moved through Ralston. In this town, multiple homes were leveled and a large steel safe was reportedly carried 300 ft. The storm then cut a devastating swath through northern and western Omaha. 600 homes (a lot of these were not well-built) were destroyed and several were leveled or swept away, especially near Bemis Park. A pool hall collapsed killing around a dozen people, brick business buildings were severely damaged, and trees were stripped of branches. The tornado then crossed the Missouri River into Iowa. In Iowa, a farmhouse near Beebeetown was leveled killing two children.
Flag Springs MO F4:
An intense tornado would touch down SW of Savannah and move to east of Albany. The tornado likely first produced violent damage near Flag Springs where a house was swept away with the debris pile being deposited 50-60 ft away. Two people were killed here. The storm likely would reach maximum intensity north of King City where an entire farm was completely swept away with "all the contents cleaned from the premises, not leaving apparel or other household goods." Reportedly some of the foundation of the farmhouse was destroyed. The "Greenwall Ford" bridge over a river was destroyed and hurled into the riverbed, with one of the approaches being ripped up. All along the path grass and shrubbery were beaten down.
Council Bluffs IA F4:
This event was the 2nd deadliest tornado of the outbreak and the most poorly documented of the F4s due to it being overshadowed by the Omaha tornado just across the river. It touched down south of Bellvue and crossed the river into Iowa. It devastated small settlements and neighborhoods near Lake Manawa, sweeping away and leveling dozens of small homes. Next, the tornado churned its way through extreme southern Council Bluffs possibly at maximum intensity. A brick farmhouse in the area was reportedly swept away. A group of homes at/along South Ave and White Pole Road were virtually leveled. Multiple homes were completely swept away with only the brick foundations remaining and debris was strewn up to a quarter-mile from these homes. Bits of boards with "sharp cutting edges" were scattered everywhere along with heavier pieces of timber. Standing trees were plastered with mud and "there was scarcely a place where the bark had not been torn off." Clay banks were pitted with "millions of small holes" from debris impacts and 6-inch telephone poles were broken into "stovewood lengths." 17 people died in this part of the path. The tornado then moved through rural areas of Pottawattamie, Harrison, and Shelby Counties, killing 8 other people.
Yutan NE F4:
This major event began 1 mile SE of Mead and rapidly intensified, sweeping away a farm before moving through and devastating the town of Yutan. Very intense damage occurred in this town as a 125-foot high metal water tower collapsed, several homes/buildings in town were swept away including "the finest residence" which had "nothing but the foundation left intact," a cement sidewalk was "curved out of line," and trees were debarked "as smoothly as could be done with a knife." 17 people were killed in Yutan, half of which were children. The tornado continued into northwestern Douglas County still producing violent damage as multiple farms were leveled. Then it moved into Washington County where more violent damage was done as 4 farms were swept away and a school was obliterated with debris being scattered over a 30-acre area. 3 people died in rural areas of Nebraska. The tornado then crossed into Iowa with lesser intensity. Farmhouses in Harrison County, IA were reportedly "blown into splinters" and two people were killed near Logan. A photograph from Yutan was found 81 miles away in Iowa and reportedly a trunk was from town was carried across the Iowa border (>25 miles).
Berlin NE F4:
This massive and violent tornado touched down 4 miles south of Douglas and began to cut a devastating swath through the countryside. Farm after farm was leveled with 3 farms being completely swept away north of Syracuse. The tornado then made a direct hit on the town of Berlin (now Otoe), virtually leveling a large area of the town. Multiple homes were swept away, large trees had bark stripped off "more easily than could be done by hand," the ground was apparently scoured as "it had the appearance of being scoured as much as if a swift stream of water had passed over," and one body was carried a quarter-mile. 12 people were killed in or near Berlin. The tornado continued its devastation, sweeping away 2 farms in Cass County before crossing the river into Mills County Iowa. In Mills County, 10 farms were destroyed with one being completely swept away. The tornado later dissipated east of Macedonia. 5 people were killed in Iowa while at least one was killed in rural areas of Nebraska.
This outbreak was a high-end event and unprecedented in human impact-wise for the area. I believe that the Yutan and Berlin tornadoes are F5 candidates.
Omaha NE F4:
This tornado was actually likely the weakest out of all the F4s from this event though it was by far the deadliest. This wedge tornado formed SW of the Omaha area and moved through Ralston. In this town, multiple homes were leveled and a large steel safe was reportedly carried 300 ft. The storm then cut a devastating swath through northern and western Omaha. 600 homes (a lot of these were not well-built) were destroyed and several were leveled or swept away, especially near Bemis Park. A pool hall collapsed killing around a dozen people, brick business buildings were severely damaged, and trees were stripped of branches. The tornado then crossed the Missouri River into Iowa. In Iowa, a farmhouse near Beebeetown was leveled killing two children.
Flag Springs MO F4:
An intense tornado would touch down SW of Savannah and move to east of Albany. The tornado likely first produced violent damage near Flag Springs where a house was swept away with the debris pile being deposited 50-60 ft away. Two people were killed here. The storm likely would reach maximum intensity north of King City where an entire farm was completely swept away with "all the contents cleaned from the premises, not leaving apparel or other household goods." Reportedly some of the foundation of the farmhouse was destroyed. The "Greenwall Ford" bridge over a river was destroyed and hurled into the riverbed, with one of the approaches being ripped up. All along the path grass and shrubbery were beaten down.
Council Bluffs IA F4:
This event was the 2nd deadliest tornado of the outbreak and the most poorly documented of the F4s due to it being overshadowed by the Omaha tornado just across the river. It touched down south of Bellvue and crossed the river into Iowa. It devastated small settlements and neighborhoods near Lake Manawa, sweeping away and leveling dozens of small homes. Next, the tornado churned its way through extreme southern Council Bluffs possibly at maximum intensity. A brick farmhouse in the area was reportedly swept away. A group of homes at/along South Ave and White Pole Road were virtually leveled. Multiple homes were completely swept away with only the brick foundations remaining and debris was strewn up to a quarter-mile from these homes. Bits of boards with "sharp cutting edges" were scattered everywhere along with heavier pieces of timber. Standing trees were plastered with mud and "there was scarcely a place where the bark had not been torn off." Clay banks were pitted with "millions of small holes" from debris impacts and 6-inch telephone poles were broken into "stovewood lengths." 17 people died in this part of the path. The tornado then moved through rural areas of Pottawattamie, Harrison, and Shelby Counties, killing 8 other people.
Yutan NE F4:
This major event began 1 mile SE of Mead and rapidly intensified, sweeping away a farm before moving through and devastating the town of Yutan. Very intense damage occurred in this town as a 125-foot high metal water tower collapsed, several homes/buildings in town were swept away including "the finest residence" which had "nothing but the foundation left intact," a cement sidewalk was "curved out of line," and trees were debarked "as smoothly as could be done with a knife." 17 people were killed in Yutan, half of which were children. The tornado continued into northwestern Douglas County still producing violent damage as multiple farms were leveled. Then it moved into Washington County where more violent damage was done as 4 farms were swept away and a school was obliterated with debris being scattered over a 30-acre area. 3 people died in rural areas of Nebraska. The tornado then crossed into Iowa with lesser intensity. Farmhouses in Harrison County, IA were reportedly "blown into splinters" and two people were killed near Logan. A photograph from Yutan was found 81 miles away in Iowa and reportedly a trunk was from town was carried across the Iowa border (>25 miles).
Berlin NE F4:
This massive and violent tornado touched down 4 miles south of Douglas and began to cut a devastating swath through the countryside. Farm after farm was leveled with 3 farms being completely swept away north of Syracuse. The tornado then made a direct hit on the town of Berlin (now Otoe), virtually leveling a large area of the town. Multiple homes were swept away, large trees had bark stripped off "more easily than could be done by hand," the ground was apparently scoured as "it had the appearance of being scoured as much as if a swift stream of water had passed over," and one body was carried a quarter-mile. 12 people were killed in or near Berlin. The tornado continued its devastation, sweeping away 2 farms in Cass County before crossing the river into Mills County Iowa. In Mills County, 10 farms were destroyed with one being completely swept away. The tornado later dissipated east of Macedonia. 5 people were killed in Iowa while at least one was killed in rural areas of Nebraska.
This outbreak was a high-end event and unprecedented in human impact-wise for the area. I believe that the Yutan and Berlin tornadoes are F5 candidates.