Significant Tornado Events

[Western_KS_Wx]

Would love to see some of the photos @Western_KS_Wx has from the other Greensburg family tornadoes, but based on the few photos I have from Trousdale, it was definitely an EF5.
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Lol I was going to use those images of that swept away house near Trousdale I think I posted that several times on my Twitter account. Here’s what I’ve got from the three tornadoes.
Trousdale:
(This first image is the front yard of that brick home that was swept clean, you can see a large debarked tree ripped entirely out by the roots and a shelter belt off in the distance behind it that was literally razed to the ground with probable grass scouring)



Another interesting thing about Trousdale is damage within the actual town itself was pretty significant with a couple homes losing roofs and the church having to be demolished due to heavy damage. This is amazing because the town was 2 miles away from the center of the tornado and wasn’t included in the official damage path though damage was clearly identifiable in town, indicating it may have been even wider than its official width.

Hopewell:
(This first image you can see the remains of a vehicle that was launched 3/4 mile behind the tree where that tire is sticking up)





(The images of the farmhouse and farmstead damage are where a fatality took place)

Macksville:

 

[TH2002]

Lol I was going to use those images of that swept away house near Trousdale I think I posted that several times on my Twitter account. Here’s what I’ve got from the three tornadoes.
Trousdale:
(This first image is the front yard of that brick home that was swept clean, you can see a large debarked tree ripped entirely out by the roots and a shelter belt off in the distance behind it that was literally razed to the ground with probable grass scouring)
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Another interesting thing about Trousdale is damage within the actual town itself was pretty significant with a couple homes losing roofs and the church having to be demolished due to heavy damage. This is amazing because the town was 2 miles away from the center of the tornado and wasn’t included in the official damage path though damage was clearly identifiable in town, indicating it may have been even wider than its official width.

Hopewell:
(This first image you can see the remains of a vehicle that was launched 3/4 mile behind the tree where that tire is sticking up)
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(The images of the farmhouse and farmstead damage are where a fatality took place)

Macksville:
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I was actually emailed those pics from Trousdale so I wasn't actually sure where they originally came from haha!

But yeah, based on these other photos you just posted it's pretty clear that all of the Greensburg family tornadoes were either definite EF5's, or at least EF5 capable at some point; what actually happened that night was bad enough but I can't imagine what the outcome would have been had this tornado family occurred in a consistently populated area.

 

[Western_KS_Wx]

Do you have any damage pics of Greensburg's path across the plains before it hit town? Did it much scouring or vegetation/tree damage in open country?

Also came away with some more damage south of Greensburg even before it reached Highway 183, not sure the exact location but it was called “tornado damage north of Coldwater” very specific. But these are rather impressive as this was very early in the Greensburg tornadoes life and it was still doing some pretty intense damage.

 

[Western_KS_Wx]

I was actually emailed those pics from Trousdale so I wasn't actually sure where they originally came from haha!

But yeah, based on these other photos you just posted it's pretty clear that all of the Greensburg family tornadoes were either definite EF5's, or at least EF5 capable at some point; what actually happened that night was bad enough but I can't imagine what the outcome would have been had this tornado family occurred in a consistently populated area.

Lol yeah those were images I posted on my Twitter account a while back and I’m not sure if you can tell but there’s actually a random filter on them that’s how I knew that’s where they got them from because the original photos I had were so bad quality that I tried “enhancing them” with a Twitter filter…genius idea.
Here’s the original images with much better quality:




Anyways, all 3 of those tornadoes were definitely violent especially Trousdale and Hopewell, contextual damage and even some of the structural damage just screams violent intensity and im quite shocked none of them were rated higher than EF3. Good thing that part of Kansas is pretty rural.

 

[pohnpei]

Lol I was going to use those images of that swept away house near Trousdale I think I posted that several times on my Twitter account. Here’s what I’ve got from the three tornadoes.
Trousdale:
(This first image is the front yard of that brick home that was swept clean, you can see a large debarked tree ripped entirely out by the roots and a shelter belt off in the distance behind it that was literally razed to the ground with probable grass scouring)
View attachment 16308
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View attachment 16310
Another interesting thing about Trousdale is damage within the actual town itself was pretty significant with a couple homes losing roofs and the church having to be demolished due to heavy damage. This is amazing because the town was 2 miles away from the center of the tornado and wasn’t included in the official damage path though damage was clearly identifiable in town, indicating it may have been even wider than its official width.

Hopewell:
(This first image you can see the remains of a vehicle that was launched 3/4 mile behind the tree where that tire is sticking up)
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(The images of the farmhouse and farmstead damage are where a fatality took place)

Macksville:
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Was there any damage pics inside of Trousdale town?

 

[Western_KS_Wx]

Was there any damage pics inside of Trousdale town?

Yep:






I’d say most of it was EF1-low EF2 but still definite tornado damage, even 2 miles away from the center of the tornado.
Also noticed something I missed from trousdale where that house was swept away, there’s actually a vehicle that was tossed a good distance near that shelter belt that was obliterated:

 

[pohnpei]

Lol yeah those were images I posted on my Twitter account a while back and I’m not sure if you can tell but there’s actually a random filter on them that’s how I knew that’s where they got them from because the original photos I had were so bad quality that I tried “enhancing them” with a Twitter filter…genius idea.
Here’s the original images with much better quality:
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Anyways, all 3 of those tornadoes were definitely violent especially Trousdale and Hopewell, contextual damage and even some of the structural damage just screams violent intensity and im quite shocked none of them were rated higher than EF3. Good thing that part of Kansas is pretty rural.

Is it possible to know there this swepted house locate relative to the path of the tornado? Like whether it was when tornado peaked of its width or whether it was near the center of the path?

 

[Western_KS_Wx]

I’m pretty confident it’s this house located at 37°46'34"N 99°07'15"W

The circular little driveway they have up to the house and the small hill matches up pretty well with the photo, there also aren’t any other homes with similar driveways in the tornado path.

It’s also directly in the center of the path where the max width was reached too.

 

[locomusic01]

Years ago I was hired to write a short article on the Greensburg tornado, and while I was doing research I talked to someone who emailed me a photo from the Trousdale* tornado. I don't think I saved it because at the time I was only focused on Greensburg, but man I would love to find it again. It showed a combine just completely mangled and torn apart and wrapped around a large hardwood tree that was pretty much 100% debarked. IIRC it looked like there'd been significant scouring as well.

*Actually I'm doubting my memory now lol. I'm pretty sure it was Trousdale though. Either way, it was some of the most violent damage to a combine I've ever seen.

 

[pohnpei]

Years ago I was hired to write a short article on the Greensburg tornado, and while I was doing research I talked to someone who emailed me a photo from the Trousdale* tornado. I don't think I saved it because at the time I was only focused on Greensburg, but man I would love to find it again. It showed a combine just completely mangled and torn apart and wrapped around a large hardwood tree that was pretty much 100% debarked. IIRC it looked like there'd been significant scouring as well.

*Actually I'm doubting my memory now lol. I'm pretty sure it was Trousdale though. Either way, it was some of the most violent damage to a combine I've ever seen.

Wiki did mentioned a combine was tossed 1/4 of a mile and smashed to pieces by this tornado and I always about this. It was said it happened near beginning of the track.

 

[Lake Martin EF4]

On a side note Sigtor 2022 SHOULD HOPEFULLY be releasing tomorrow.

 

[Lake Martin EF4]

Yeah, sorry, double post, but this is one of those times where you just want to sigh.

EDIT: OHHH oops. I'm a dumbdumb. He means that Xenia was the first tornado to be both photographed and having the wind sounds recorded. Duuuuuuuurrrr

 

[Western_KS_Wx]

Years ago I was hired to write a short article on the Greensburg tornado, and while I was doing research I talked to someone who emailed me a photo from the Trousdale* tornado. I don't think I saved it because at the time I was only focused on Greensburg, but man I would love to find it again. It showed a combine just completely mangled and torn apart and wrapped around a large hardwood tree that was pretty much 100% debarked. IIRC it looked like there'd been significant scouring as well.

*Actually I'm doubting my memory now lol. I'm pretty sure it was Trousdale though. Either way, it was some of the most violent damage to a combine I've ever seen.

That would’ve definitely been from Trousdale. There’s no damage descriptions or images I’ve seen from Hopewell or Macksville showing a combine or harvester being thrown significant distances and mangled. Also in this damage picture of Trousdale with the total tree destruction you can also see some sort of farm implement caught up in that mess, whether it was a combine I have no clue but the only tornado from that night that threw and mangled a combine would’ve been Trousdale. What’s also worth noting is the BTI Company in Greensburg was impacted by solid EF3 winds and some of the combines likely experienced some low-end EF4 winds as well, however only a few were actually thrown and the farthest I’ve seen was maybe 50-75 yards, so for Trousdale to do that lofting it 1/4 mile and smashing it to pieces suggests significantly higher wind speeds.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

That would’ve definitely been from Trousdale. There’s no damage descriptions or images I’ve seen from Hopewell or Macksville showing a combine or harvester being thrown significant distances and mangled. Also in this damage picture of Trousdale with the total tree destruction you can also see some sort of farm implement caught up in that mess, whether it was a combine I have no clue but the only tornado from that night that threw and mangled a combine would’ve been Trousdale. What’s also worth noting is the BTI Company in Greensburg was impacted by solid EF3 winds and some of the combines likely experienced some low-end EF4 winds as well, however only a few were actually thrown and the farthest I’ve seen was maybe 50-75 yards, so for Trousdale to do that lofting it 1/4 mile and smashing it to pieces suggests significantly higher wind speeds. View attachment 16349

Macksville threw a Chevy Blazer 3/4 of a mile and this was the result:

Significant Tornado Events

Also, off topic, but has anyone seen the trailer for 13 Minutes? Heard the film itself isn't that good, but that has got to be the most realistic CGI wedge tornado I have ever seen. Even has a collar cloud! Somebody really did their homework. Most Hollywood tornado scenes have that unrealistic...

talkweather.com

Was Hopewell the same tornado as Macksville? If so, some other info on it:

Significant Tornado Events

It didn't scour asphalt it scoured the surface of gravel roads which is not unusual in intense tornadoes and it doesn't take much. Yes, you are right. It also rolled large tank very long distance like 3 miles or something similar to Bakersfield Valley, but not carried it over a hill like...

talkweather.com

This was an incredible wedge tornado family, I have a feeling most of the EF3 wedges following Greensburg achieved EF5 intensity, just didn't hit any DIs capable of registering it.

 

[TH2002]

Yeah, sorry, double post, but this is one of those times where you just want to sigh.
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EDIT: OHHH oops. I'm a dumbdumb. He means that Xenia was the first tornado to be both photographed and having the wind sounds recorded. Duuuuuuuurrrr

I'm pretty sure Hudsonville is the earliest tornado of which there is an audio recording (and if my memory is correct, the earliest color footage of a tornado AND the earliest footage of subvortices).

 

[Western_KS_Wx]

Macksville threw a Chevy Blazer 3/4 of a mile and this was the result:

Significant Tornado Events

Also, off topic, but has anyone seen the trailer for 13 Minutes? Heard the film itself isn't that good, but that has got to be the most realistic CGI wedge tornado I have ever seen. Even has a collar cloud! Somebody really did their homework. Most Hollywood tornado scenes have that unrealistic...

talkweather.com

Was Hopewell the same tornado as Macksville? If so, some other info on it:

Significant Tornado Events

It didn't scour asphalt it scoured the surface of gravel roads which is not unusual in intense tornadoes and it doesn't take much. Yes, you are right. It also rolled large tank very long distance like 3 miles or something similar to Bakersfield Valley, but not carried it over a hill like...

talkweather.com

This was an incredible wedge tornado family, I have a feeling most of the EF3 wedges following Greensburg achieved EF5 intensity, just didn't hit any DIs capable of registering it.

I’ve been looking for that picture forever I knew it was in the storm data publication but couldn’t find it anywhere, thanks. I knew Hopewell threw a blazer 3/4 mile but from what I’ve heard it didn’t throw any combines like Trousdale is what I was more getting at. I still think Greensburg probably threw a vehicle the furthest out of that tornado family with the pickup that was thrown a full mile. Hopewell and Macksville were two different tornadoes:

I think out of the 3 tornadoes that got slapped with an EF3 rating Macksville was the one I could understand getting hit with that rating as it was clearly the weakest out of the 3 and had a relatively short peak intensity around Highway 50, not to say it wasn’t violent. Hopewell and Trousdale arguably were of similar intensities and were clearly insanely violent as well as enormous and likely of EF5 strength. Both also swept away homes and completely debarked trees and probably deserved at least an EF4 rating.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

I’ve been looking for that picture forever I knew it was in the storm data publication but couldn’t find it anywhere, thanks. I knew Hopewell threw a blazer 3/4 mile but from what I’ve heard it didn’t throw any combines like Trousdale is what I was more getting at. I still think Greensburg probably threw a vehicle the furthest out of that tornado family with the pickup that was thrown a full mile. Hopewell and Macksville were two different tornadoes:
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I think out of the 3 tornadoes that got slapped with an EF3 rating Macksville was the one I could understand getting hit with that rating as it was clearly the weakest out of the 3 and had a relatively short peak intensity around Highway 50, not to say it wasn’t violent. Hopewell and Trousdale arguably were of similar intensities and were clearly insanely violent as well as enormous and likely of EF5 strength. Both also swept away homes and completely debarked trees and probably deserved at least an EF4 rating.

Hopewell and Macksville were so close together I confuse them frequently.
Yeah Macksville probably wasn't strong compared to Trousdale and Hopwell.

 

[locomusic01]

It's events like Greensburg and 5/23/2008 that make me desperately wish we had better documentation on some of the Kansas outbreaks in the distant past. Events like 5/17/1896 and 5/29/1879 immediately come to mind (although the latter is pretty well-documented for its time), but there are lots of others as well. Who knows how many absolute monster tornadoes have gone unrecognized over the years out in the open plains.

 

[Western_KS_Wx]

It's events like Greensburg and 5/23/2008 that make me desperately wish we had better documentation on some of the Kansas outbreaks in the distant past. Events like 5/17/1896 and 5/29/1879 immediately come to mind (although the latter is pretty well-documented for its time), but there are lots of others as well. Who knows how many absolute monster tornadoes have gone unrecognized over the years out in the open plains.

May 23, 2008 prior to April 27th set a national state record for tornadoes in a 24 hour period with 69 tornadoes in Kansas. It’s another pretty poorly documented outbreak other than the Quinter tornadoes. Supercells that day were incredibly cyclic and prolific with multiple large-violent wedge tornadoes from single cells. The supercell that spawned the monstrous Clark State Lake 1.8 mile wide EF3 also dropped another likely violent and massive tornado that was pretty much a carbon-copy of the 2007 Hopewell tornado, this time passing west of Hopewell and Macksville. Here’s a picture of that tornado:

 

[locomusic01]

May 23, 2008 prior to April 27th set a national state record for tornadoes in a 24 hour period with 69 tornadoes in Kansas. It’s another pretty poorly documented outbreak other than the Quinter tornadoes. Supercells that day were incredibly cyclic and prolific with multiple large-violent wedge tornadoes from single cells. The supercell that spawned the monstrous Clark State Lake 1.8 mile wide EF3 also dropped another likely violent and massive tornado that was pretty much a carbon-copy of the 2007 Hopewell tornado, this time passing west of Hopewell and Macksville. Here’s a picture of that tornado:
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Yeah, it's incredible how many massive and likely violent tornadoes just sort of slip through the cracks in Kansas because there's so little to hit. True for other parts of the plains too of course, but Kansas just seems to have a thing for beefy wedges.