Significant Tornado Events

[CheeselandSkies]

I always found it rather hard to believe how, for example, Smithville in 2011 became extremely violent so quickly after developing. Then I saw Keota with my own eyes. These 90 seconds span a little less than four minutes of real time according to my DSLR timestamps.

 

[locomusic01]

Some barely surveyed houses along Tower Rd near Vilonia. They only have one EF3 150 DI to represent them, despite the fact that one large house was completely swept away, while another one across the street was reduced to a pile of rubble. These houses were built at some point between 1990-2000 per satellite imagery.
View attachment 19985

Another homesite along Stacy Grove. This house was extremely new (it wasn't there in the 2010 imagery) and note how it was swept away despite the intense core of ground scouring missing it, a sign of an extremely violent multiple vortex tornado. DI's are not welcome here.
View attachment 19986

Autumnbrook Ln. Wait, you mean slabbed houses are supposed to have DI's?
View attachment 19988

Noticing a pattern yet?
View attachment 19989

...I have run out of things to say
View attachment 19990

Whenever I'm not feeling confident in my work, at least I can always take solace that I'll never be this bad at my job.

 

[locomusic01]

I always found it rather hard to believe how, for example, Smithville in 2011 became extremely violent so quickly after developing. Then I saw Keota with my own eyes. These 90 seconds span a little less than four minutes of real time according to my DSLR timestamps.

Honestly one of the most spectacular tornado videos I've ever seen. The overall structure is gorgeous, but there are so many fascinating details as it evolves.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

I always found it rather hard to believe how, for example, Smithville in 2011 became extremely violent so quickly after developing. Then I saw Keota with my own eyes. These 90 seconds span a little less than four minutes of real time according to my DSLR timestamps.

Smithville is incredible; likely achieved at least EF4 intensity within seconds of touchdown. Barrie, Ontario did something similar. Lots of extreme outbreaks have tornadoes that rapidly intensify and achieve it until the very end. Quite a few F/EF5 tornadoes have been at that intensity until literally the last couple hundred yards or so of their path. It's incredible.

 

[andyhb]

Some barely surveyed houses along Tower Rd near Vilonia. They only have one EF3 150 DI to represent them, despite the fact that one large house was completely swept away, while another one across the street was reduced to a pile of rubble. These houses were built at some point between 1990-2000 per satellite imagery.
View attachment 19985

Another homesite along Stacy Grove. This house was extremely new (it wasn't there in the 2010 imagery) and note how it was swept away despite the intense core of ground scouring missing it, a sign of an extremely violent multiple vortex tornado. DI's are not welcome here.
View attachment 19986

Autumnbrook Ln. Wait, you mean slabbed houses are supposed to have DI's?
View attachment 19988

Noticing a pattern yet?
View attachment 19989

...I have run out of things to say
View attachment 19990

I still can't fathom how this entire neighborhood of homes that are likely EF4/EF5 candidates was not given a single DI on Cemetery Street (to the right of the downtown strip in this image).

 

[andyhb]

View attachment 19989

Just FYI, that house two to the left of Cornerstone Customz is this via Streetview image from 2007...



I swear I find more terrible stuff from this survey each new time I look at the path and geolocate. The house in between this one and Cornerstone Customz wasn't yet built in 2007.

 

[TH2002]

Just FYI, that house two to the left of Cornerstone Customz is this via Streetview image from 2007...

View attachment 19991

I swear I find more terrible stuff from this survey each new time I look at the path and geolocate. The house in between this one and Cornerstone Customz wasn't yet built in 2007.

Built in 2004-2005 per satellite view, so there's a decent chance it was well-built. Either way, we'll probably never know for sure...

(Although I do take note the empty foundation of that house remains there to this day... so by the off chance any one of us is visiting Vilonia any time soon, perhaps the mystery can be solved!)

 

[jiharris0220]

It’s been almost been 9 years since vilonia and yet here we are, STILL uncovering the utter tomfoolery that this survey was. Absurd really…

 

[CheeselandSkies]

Events like Vilonia are exactly why I no longer assign much importance to specific tornado ratings. Even today, when we should (and do) know better, too many surveys are so sloppily done that we're not a whole lot better off than when Fujita's grad students were retroactively assigning ratings by pouring over microfilm archives of grainy damage photos and hyperbole-laden descriptions from newspapers.

The three commonly-used divisions of "weak," "strong" and "violent" are useful enough for most climatological studies, but the individual ratings within those bins don't hold much value anymore IMO, if indeed they ever did.

 

[ColdFront]

Events like Vilonia are exactly why I no longer assign much importance to specific tornado ratings. Even today, when we should (and do) know better, too many surveys are so sloppily done that we're not a whole lot better off than when Fujita's grad students were retroactively assigning ratings by pouring over microfilm archives of grainy damage photos and hyperbole-laden descriptions from newspapers.

The three commonly-used divisions of "weak," "strong" and "violent" are useful enough for most climatological studies, but the individual ratings within those bins don't hold much value anymore IMO, if indeed they ever did.

I agree with this. I don’t want to overuse a popular term, but it seems now looking back on Vilonia, and even the ridiculous ASCE nitpick of Joplin, was exactly when the EF scale “jumped the shark”

I can’t remember the specific meteorologist, maybe Wurman or Timmer, that was saying getting the ratings right was so important for the tornado database and future climate studies, but as you note above, Strong/Violent/Weak seem to be the best, least subjective scores we have to work with.

Edit: words

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

Events like Vilonia are exactly why I no longer assign much importance to specific tornado ratings. Even today, when we should (and do) know better, too many surveys are so sloppily done that we're not a whole lot better off than when Fujita's grad students were retroactively assigning ratings by pouring over microfilm archives of grainy damage photos and hyperbole-laden descriptions from newspapers.

The three commonly-used divisions of "weak," "strong" and "violent" are useful enough for most climatological studies, but the individual ratings within those bins don't hold much value anymore IMO, if indeed they ever did.

Yeah, damage surveys are falling prey to another "La Plata syndrome" like what happened in the 2000s and partly what led to the creation of the EF scale. Now it seems like we need an EEF scale...

 

[ColdFront]

Yeah, damage surveys are falling prey to another "La Plata syndrome" like what happened in the 2000s and partly what led to the creation of the EF scale. Now it seems like we need an EEF scale...

Unfortunately, the same people and prominent “minds” that were on those original steering committees for the EF scale are still in those spots for the “latest update”

 

[TH2002]

While not as bad as the "survey" (I hesitate to call it that, because LZK really didn't survey much of anything) of Vilonia, NWS Jackson's survey of the Louisville tornado from the same outbreak was hardly something to ride home about. Thankfully they improved after this, but regardless:

An entire row of brick homes along Eiland Avenue (including some that were leveled) only got a single EF3 165 DI to represent them:


One well built brick home along McCullough Rd was completely slabbed, yet got a 165MPH EF3 rating:

Along S Church Ave, the well built home of Felisha Mitchell was swept away with no DI.



The Calvary Apostolic Faith Church immediately northeast of the Eiland apartments was also not surveyed.

From top: Eiland Plaza, leveled large building (not sure what it was) and the Calvary Church

At least one home was destroyed along Hartness Rd with no DI:


Tree damage in this area, which they did at least survey:

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

While not as bad as the "survey" (I hesitate to call it that, because LZK really didn't survey much of anything) of Vilonia, NWS Jackson's survey of the Louisville tornado from the same outbreak was hardly something to ride home about. Thankfully they improved after this, but regardless:

An entire row of brick homes along Eiland Avenue (including some that were leveled) only got a single EF3 165 DI to represent them:
View attachment 19992

One well built brick home along McCullough Rd was completely slabbed, yet got a 165MPH EF3 rating:

Along S Church Ave, the well built home of Felisha Mitchell was swept away with no DI.



The Calvary Apostolic Faith Church immediately northeast of the Eiland apartments was also not surveyed.
View attachment 19997
From top: Eiland Plaza, leveled large building (not sure what it was) and the Calvary Church

At least one home was destroyed along Hartness Rd with no DI:
View attachment 20001

Tree damage in this area, which they did at least survey:

Is this the one that supposedly slabbed a two-story apartment building? I do wonder how well put together the apartment was, if that did happen....

 

[TH2002]

Is this the one that supposedly slabbed a two-story apartment building? I do wonder how well put together the apartment was, if that did happen....

Eiland Plaza was the apartment building. Not sure about construction but Google recently released street view imagery from near where the slabs remain today; you can see what appears to be sill plating still on them.

 

[buckeye05]

The Eiland Plaza apartments and Felisha Mitchell's house definitely make me go "hmmm". In that interview video, it appears that her house in the background was anchored with large bolts. Now with that said, I have seen other photos of that completely slabbed home in the second photo, and it had no anchor bolts, so high-end EF3 isn't unreasonable for that residence.

But overall, I consider Louisville 2014 to be the most questionable JAN survey. I can't help but wonder if their thinking was "Well if Vilonia wasn't an EF5, there's no way we can rate this one higher". Bad surveys set bad precedents, and these are the consequences that stem from that.

 

[Ivanthetornadoenthusiast]

Eiland Plaza was the apartment building. Not sure about construction but Google recently released street view imagery from near where the slabs remain today; you can see what appears to be sill plating still on them.

Coordinates for the Eiland plaza?

 

[TH2002]

Coordinates for the Eiland plaza?

33° 6'29.40"N 89° 2'51.12"W

 

[andyhb]

Built in 2004-2005 per satellite view, so there's a decent chance it was well-built. Either way, we'll probably never know for sure...

(Although I do take note the empty foundation of that house remains there to this day... so by the off chance any one of us is visiting Vilonia any time soon, perhaps the mystery can be solved!)

So is the foundation from the house on S Beryl Road that was swept away, along with a number of others.

 

[andyhb]

Here's a better view of the multiple EF4/5 candidates on Cemetery Road that were not surveyed. Just total destruction.