Tornado Anniversaries

Juliett Bravo Kilo · May 26, 2025

AJS said:
You know what fair enough. It really is a tie for them honestly. One day I might say Smithville, and the next day I might say Piedmont.

However, one thing I will forever hold the opinion on until the day I die is the fact that no other EF5 since the scale was implemented has produced such extraordinary debarking like El Reno/Piedmont did at it’s peak.

What's the most intense tree from El Reno/Piedmont you know of?

This from Smithville is insane, El Reno managed to top it?

Lake Martin EF4 · May 26, 2025

The most major May 26th event I'll be discussing today is...

5/26/1917: A major tornado outbreak took place across the Midwest. The most notable tornado of the event was the Charleston-Mattoon tornado. Initially considered a single 293 mile long tornado, with windspeeds over 400 mph, the main Charleston-Mattoon is now considered to have tracked 155 miles or even less. Nonetheless, the tornado was still particularly deadly and destructive, and its family is still the longest tracked on record. Other violent tornadoes took place in the Chicagoland area and in Indiana.

The Mattoon-Charleston Tornado Disaster of May 26, 1917

There was also the Keefeton, OK F4 in 1973 that killed 6 members of one family, and another F4 tornado on the same day in Jonesboro, AR.

Keefeton, OK F4 Tornado – May 26, 1973 – Tornado Talk

www.tornadotalk.com

The map:

AJS · May 26, 2025

Juliett Bravo Kilo said:
What's the most intense tree from El Reno/Piedmont you know of?

This from Smithville is insane, El Reno managed to top it?

I’ll need to find it. There’s a couple of images I used to have. Let me pull some up if I can find them.

Kds86z · May 27, 2025

One of the craziest tornadoes ever. First responders who responded to the aftermath needed counseling because what was seen was so disturbing. The F5 stalled right over the subdivision it hit for 3 minutes with incomprehensible damage and killing 27. Human remains unrecognizable.

Check this one out @Atlantic

Lake Martin EF4 · May 27, 2025

Oh man. May 27th.

1896: The St. Louis, MO F4. Putting an end to "perhaps the most violent single week of tornado activity in US history" according to Tommy G., this tornado killed at least 255 people and caused 12 million dollars in damage along its 12 mile path. Damage in East St. Louis, IL neared F5 intensity. This tornado, if it happened today, would be the costliest on record with $5.92 billion in damages. Multiple other F4 tornadoes occurred across Missouri and Illinois, including one in New Minden which would later be hit again in 2013.

On This Day: The Great St. Louis Tornado of 1896

What remains the third most deadly tornado in U.S. history struck St. Louis, Missouri, on the afternoon of May 27, 1896.

www.ncei.noaa.gov

The Great Cyclone of 1896

In the late afternoon of May 27, 1896, a meteorologist by the name of Irl Hicks looked out the window of his observatory on 22nd street in St. Louis. He watched anxiously as black clouds and green…

www.distilledhistory.com

Home - Great Cyclone

tornados.slpl.org

1973: A "very long track" tornado destroyed much of Brent and Centreville, Alabama. The NWS office in Centreville took a direct hit. Brent experienced near F5 damage, and the windspeed range for the tornado breaks into F5 territory. This tornado is the "longest tracked tornado in Alabama state history". (Yeah, bulls

t.)

Centreville Tornado May 27 1973

Centreville Radar « The Brent Tornado 1973

web.archive.org

50 years later: Brent still bears memories of devastating tornado

May 27, 1973, was a red letter day in the books of Alabama severe weather events. A number of tornadoes touched down across the north and central sections of the

www.wvua23.com

May 27, 1973: Two Monster Tornadoes Ravage Parts Of Central Alabama : The Alabama Weather Blog

www.alabamawx.com

Heros are made, not born

by: John Brasher They say heroes are made, not born. Ordinary people caught up in extraordinary circumstances. In Bibb County, Alabama, on the evening of May 27, 1973, many heroes were made. People…

brenttornado.wordpress.com

1997: A tornado that needs no introduction. Though its extraordinary damage was likely compounded by its slow forward speed, the Jarrell, Texas F5 was most certainly one of the strongest tornadoes on record and the strongest landspout/landspout-adjacent tornado ever recorded. Another F4 tornado took aim at Lake Travis, followed by a wispy, debris-filled F3 in the city of Cedar Park.

May 27, 1997 — The Jarrell, Texas Tornado

[Click photos to view larger versions.] Nestled in the Blackland Prairies at the edge of Central Texas’ Hill Country lies the small community of Jarrell. It’s a land of contrasts, with…

stormstalker.wordpress.com

Tornado Outbreak - May 27-28, 2019

Inside the National Weather Service during 2019 tornado outbreak

DAYTON, Ohio (WKEF) -

dayton247now.com

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https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bUMp0e09Tgw&pp=ygUTbWF5IDI3IDIwMTkgaW5kaWFuYQ== (Fairly certain this is the Roll-Montpelier tornado)

Several other notable events have occurred on this date, including an F4 in Jefferson and Blount Counties in Alabama in 1917.

The map:

https://www.reddit.com/r/tornado/comments/1kwwps0/strongest_tornado_on_this_day_in_history_by/

DetectiveWX · May 28, 2025

Nothing significant, until you realize it marked the end of the 1st known Outbreak Sequence in history and the deadliest of its kind.

Aaron Rider · May 28, 2025

DetectiveWX said:
Nothing significant, until you realize it marked the end of the 1st known Outbreak Sequence in history and the deadliest of its kind.

Two of those were in my Adams County, PA. I'll have to research this

Lake Martin EF4 · May 28, 2025

May 28th is another relatively quiet tornado date.

1896: the end of the outbreak sequence, as mentioned above.

1996: the Bullit County, KY F4.

May 28, 1996 Tornadoes

2013: Bennington. To be honest, I think this one should have kept its EF4 rating.

May 28th, 2013 Ottawa County EF-3 Tornado

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AIKgjnipeFQ

Map:
https://www.reddit.com/r/tornado/comments/1kxu3et/strongest_tornado_on_this_day_in_history_by/

Lake Martin EF4 · May 29, 2025

And now we enter May 29th.

1909: Zephyr, TX F4:

Zephyr, TX Tornado, May 1909 | Ware

Los Angeles Herald 31 May 1909 — California Digital Newspaper Collection

California Digital Newspaper Collection

cdnc.ucr.edu

https://www.nytimes.com/1909/05/31/archives/texas-tornado-takes-30-lives-seventy-also-wounded-when-village-of.html

1953: Fort Rice, ND F5:

F5 Tornado Destroys The Town of Fort Rice May 29, 1953

Fort Rice, ND F5 Tornado – May 29, 1953 – Tornado Talk

www.tornadotalk.com

Fort Rice, ND F5 Tornado of May 29, 1953 — Highways & Hailstones

Cataloguing the F5 that struck Fort Rice, North Dakota in 1953

highwaysandhailstones.com

1982: Marion, IL F4

1982 Marion Illinois Tornado

1982 Tornado Kills 10 and Creates Major Damage to Marion, Illinois

“Local folklore said that a tornado would never hit Marion, Illinois, because the city of 14,000 lies in a bowl-like depression and a tornado would “skip right over Marion.” That was proven wrong on Saturday, May 29, 1982, at 3:15 … Continue reading →

www.mihp.org

Marion honors tornado victims with Tower Square bell ceremony

MARION, Ill. (WSIL) -- The City of Marion will honor the 10 lives lost in the devastating F-4 "Marion Tornado" by ringing the bell 10 times at Tower Square Plaza

www.wsiltv.com

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-UGmipadMXQ&pp=ygUTbWFyaW9uIHRvcm5hZG8gMTk4Mg==
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2Pbvr9L3zVY&pp=ygUTbWFyaW9uIHRvcm5hZG8gMTk4Mg==
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fBy9ToJ2_Zc&pp=ygUTbWFyaW9uIHRvcm5hZG8gMTk4Mg==
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GnfJvKtpKiA&pp=ygUTbWFyaW9uIHRvcm5hZG8gMTk4Mg==
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wLlkD3sGKWk&pp=ygUTbWFyaW9uIHRvcm5hZG8gMTk4MtIHCQmwCQGHKiGM7w==

1995: Great Barrington, MA F4

25th Anniversary Great Barrington Tornado

Historical Society commemorates 30th anniversary of Great Barrington tornado - The Berkshire Edge

“To put this exhibit together, what we did was put the call out to the community for any kind of memorabilia they may have about the tornado,” Historical Society Executive Director Robert Krol told The Berkshire Edge.

theberkshireedge.com

30 years since strong tornado struck Great Barrington, Massachusetts

30 years ago, one of the strongest tornadoes in New England history hit western Massachusetts.

turnto10.com

Former Great Barrington fire chief recalls challenges spawned from 1995 tornado

Mike Fitzpatrick was the fire chief in Great Barrington in 1995, when a deadly F4 tornado hit the town.

wnyt.com

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=h2E3ePD0utE
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6RhbBIor2Y4

2004: Harper/Sumner Counties, KS tornadoes (including 2 F3s) and Weatherby, MO F4

May 29-30, 2004 Tornadoes in Oklahoma

May 29th 2004 Harper & Sumner county tornadoes...

Severe Weather Outbreak - May 29th, 2004 - NWS Topeka, KS

https://www.weather.gov/media/pah/Top10Events/2004/LateMay2004.pdf

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jgDHIEi7E1o&pp=ygUTbWF5IDI5IDIwMDQgdG9ybmFkbw==
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0HX_L-FDLCc&pp=ygUTbWF5IDI5IDIwMDQgdG9ybmFkbw==
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ec2tUpc1qGc&pp=ygUTbWF5IDI5IDIwMDQgdG9ybmFkbw==
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=91SZ1D_nzlY&pp=ygUTbWF5IDI5IDIwMDQgdG9ybmFkbw==
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=M_tkbnojZKs&pp=ygUTbWF5IDI5IDIwMDQgdG9ybmFkbw==

Violent Weather Leaves Four Dead In Missouri - Missourinet

The Memorial Day holiday will be remembered as a weekend of wicked weather for many Missourians. Three people were killed Saturday when a tornado struck Weatherby and Santa Rosa in northwest Missouri. Several other people were injured in Saturday’s storms. The dangerous weather continued Sunday...

www.missourinet.com

EF4 tornado on May. 29, 2004 21:30 PM CDT

Large F4 tornado touched down 2 miles south of Weatherby and moved east northeast. The tornado killed 3 persons near Weatherby. The 80 and 60 year old fatalities occurred in a destroyed frame house. Two mobile homes were destroyed with one having the 54 year old fatality. The tornado crossed...

data.news-leader.com

Map:
https://www.reddit.com/r/tornado/comments/1kyml9s/this_day_in_tornado_history_by_county_may_29th/

Kds86z · May 31, 2025

Lake Martin EF4 · May 31, 2025

Kds86z said:
.

Little known fact: There was actually a fifth storm chaser killed in El Reno, as revealed by Skip Talbot on Stormtrack. He didn't name the individual but after looking at all the victims I've concluded that fifth chaser was most likely Dustin Bridges.

Source:

There was a fifth chaser fatality on El Reno. It was not reported in the media as such and he was unknown among most chaser circles as far I can tell. But through our own work with the El Reno Survey, it became apparent he was indeed driving out to the storm with the intent of documenting/witnessing the tornado, and this was not his first chase either. Not sure what criteria we're using for the above list, or if there are privacy concerns, so I'll leave the name off for now. But happy to share what I know if you contact me, and maybe we can add that if there are no pending issues.

This makes me think that there are probably a number of additional fatalities, injuries, and incidents we don't know about because the chaser is not known to the community or it simply went unreported.

And a mention of him in the Oklahoman:

El Reno tornado survivor tells of others' deaths

El Reno man tried to outrun tornado rather than go to storm cellar.

www.oklahoman.com

Bonilla survived, helping to free an injured driver, Dustin Heath Bridges, from a nearby pickup.

Bridges, 32, of Wilburton, lasted only a few minutes more. He died of multiple blunt force injuries, the medical examiner reported.

Kds86z · May 31, 2025

@Ozonelayer

May 31, 1985: A tornado outbreak out of place - ustornadoes.com

You might expect a volley of violent tornadoes in the Plains or the South, but not in Pennsylvania and surrounds. This event stands out for the country as a whole, and was truly exceptional for where it occurred.

www.ustornadoes.com

@OH-IOan

Kds86z · May 31, 2025

Kds86z said:
@Ozonelayer

It’s a weird day in Pa today. Sunny semi stormy and very windy.. eerie

Kds86z · May 31, 2025

May 31, 1985: A tornado outbreak out of place - ustornadoes.com

You might expect a volley of violent tornadoes in the Plains or the South, but not in Pennsylvania and surrounds. This event stands out for the country as a whole, and was truly exceptional for where it occurred.

www.ustornadoes.com

Great meteorological breakdown. Odds of it happening again are 1 in 75,000.

Kds86z · May 31, 2025

Wow..

Lake Martin EF4 · May 31, 2025

Kds86z said:
Wow..

Pictured: NOT the Albion tornado. Albion and Corry were entirely separate events.

My lord, these captions...

Kds86z · May 31, 2025

Lake Martin EF4 said:
Pictured: NOT the Albion tornado. Albion and Corry were entirely separate events.

My lord, these captions...

Know which it is? @Lake Martin EF4

Lake Martin EF4 · May 31, 2025

Kds86z said:
Know which it is? @Lake Martin EF4

Yeah - the Corry F4. The post seemed to indicate the Albion tornado continued to Corry.

Kds86z · May 31, 2025

Lake Martin EF4 · May 31, 2025

Then came the last day of May.

1947: In a year of incredibly powerful tornadoes, what was likely the most violent of them all essentially wiped out the town of Leedey, Oklahoma. Though not as deadly as the ruinous Woodward tornado from earlier that year, what the Leedey storm lacked in victims it made up for in sheer strength. @locomusic01 flat out compared it to Jarrell.

Leedey May 31, 1947

okgenweb.net

Leedey | The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture

www.okhistory.org

Leedey to Look Back on Deadly Twister

BIOG:NAME:UPD: 19970530 -TEXT- LEEDEY - When people in this small western Oklahoma town launch an unusual celebration Saturday, they'll look to the skies and see a funnel cloud. Rather, they'll imagi…

www.oklahoman.com

1985: There were, quite literally, only two single days that seemingly prevented 1985 from going down as one of the worst chase seasons ever: May 10th in the Great Plains, and this. In one of the greatest spectacles in weather history, a borderline Super Outbreak unfolded over.....the Northeast US and Ontario, of all places. Officially there are 9 violent tornadoes including an F5, but there is compelling evidence that it actually produced at least 12 violent tornadoes and 2 F5s. An outbreak of this magnitude and location may never occur again in our lifetimes.

May 31, 1985 Tornado Outbreak: 35th Anniversary

https://stormstalker.wordpress.com/2022/06/08/may-31-1985-the-united-states-canada-outbreak/

May 31, 1985 Great Lakes Tornado Outbreak – Tornado Talk

www.tornadotalk.com

May 31, 1985: A tornado outbreak out of place - ustornadoes.com

You might expect a volley of violent tornadoes in the Plains or the South, but not in Pennsylvania and surrounds. This event stands out for the country as a whole, and was truly exceptional for where it occurred.

www.ustornadoes.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgjM6-mV1ls
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m47QYaISG-w

1998: I forgot about this one initially. A derecho turns back into the tornado outbreak it started from, producing multiple intense tornadoes across New York and Pennsylvania. It remains the only SPC High Risk ever issued for the Northeast.

The Southern Great Lakes Derecho of 1998

25th Anniversary: May 31st, 1998 - Severe Outbreak

WRGB CBS 6 News, Albany

On this day in 1998, a destructive tornado ripped through Stillwater and Mechanicville, leaving behind a swath of chaos....

www.facebook.com

The Destructive Mechanicville-Stillwater Tornado - Today In Weather History May 31, 1998

Major Severe Thunderstorm and Tornado Outbreak, Sunday May 31, 1998 - Violent F-3 Mechanicville-Stillwater Tornado. Like a bomb went off, that's how the damage in the Viall Hill neighborhood in Stillwater (shown below) and surrounding areas was described after a fast moving violent tornado...

cbs6albany.com

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2013: The darkest day. An erratic, 2.6 mile wide EF3 kills 9 people near El Reno, Oklahoma, including not one, not two, or even three, but five storm chasers. The TWISTEX team -Tim Samaras, Paul Samaras and Carl Young - become the first professional chasers to be killed by a tornado in the field. Two others - Richard Henderson and Dustin Bridges - are also killed in their vehicles. Doppler radar estimates winds over 300 mph in its 175 mph forward speed (!) subvorticies, which are used to rate it EF5, before the NWS changes their minds for some damn reason. Whether it will ever regain its EF5 rating is largely dependent on if the revised EF scale incorporates wind speed observations into final ratings.

The May 31-June 1, 2013 Tornado and Flash Flooding Event

Up next: June. Featuring a forgotten Massachusetts violent tornado.....and one of the strongest tornadoes ever.

Tornado Anniversaries

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