Significant Tornado Events

[Shakespeare 2016]

We have been very lucky this season for tornadoes.

That day likely could have had several long tracked EF3 and EF4 tornadoes. Possibly even an EF5 tornado had everything come together for a historic tornado outbreak.

 

[SouthFLwx]

We have been very lucky this season for tornadoes.

There have been several destructive tornadoes so far this year.

 

[Shakespeare 2016]

There have been several destructive tornadoes so far this year.

It hasn’t been extreme but yes there have been multiple destructive tornadoes this year.

 

[TH2002]

This one:

Image Colorizer

Add color to old family photos and historic images, or bring an old film back to life with colorization.

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I used it for Guin damage pics extensively.

For the hell of it, I popped some damage pics in there. Most of them didn't turn out great, but these two (first from the 1895 Halstead, KS tornado and the second from the 1957 Robecco Pavese, Italy tornado) came out decent:

 

[Tanner]

There have been several destructive tornadoes so far this year.

Yeah? But think of how much worse it could have been.

 

[Shakespeare 2016]

Yeah? But think of how much worse it could have been.

Yeah, had it have performed to its ceiling there would have been several intense(EF3) and several violent(EF4+) long tracked tornadoes.

 

[csx1985]

Seems like some of the WFO offices such as Mobile/Pensacola are willing to revisit past events and possibly upgrade some ratings. I hope that Memphis WFO will take another look at the New Wren, MS EF3 of 2011.

If only we could go back in time and have more documentation…

 

[Shakespeare 2016]

Seems like some of the WFO offices such as Mobile/Pensacola are willing to revisit past events and possibly upgrade some ratings. I hope that Memphis WFO will take another look at the New Wren, MS EF3 of 2011.

If only we could go back in time and have more documentation…

MEG doesn’t care. Their surveys are generally half a**ed.

 

[HAwkmoon]

Someone was debating Piedmont and Bridge Creek. What do you guys think was more violent? They were comparing vehicles and vegetation damage I think.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

For the hell of it, I popped some damage pics in there. Most of them didn't turn out great, but these two (first from the 1895 Halstead, KS tornado and the second from the 1957 Robecco Pavese, Italy tornado) came out decent:
View attachment 27204
View attachment 27199

More colorized Tri-State pics that likely show ground scouring and the like. These are all from Illinois:

Near Plumfield:


Near Parrish:




The railroad tracks at Gorham:




DeSoto:

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

Colorized pics from Sherman that reveal ground scouring, debarked trees and shredded, low-lying vegetation:




Addendum, this pic you can these low-lying remnants of shrubs, small trees, not sure that are bent towards a center and completely stripped bare, I've made an arrow pointing to them:

 

[locomusic01]

Someone was debating Piedmont and Bridge Creek. What do you guys think was more violent? They were comparing vehicles and vegetation damage I think.

In my mind, they're both among the small group of tornadoes that are basically as violent as it gets. At a certain point the damage is so extreme that you can reasonably justify rating them in almost any order (as long as Jarrell is at the top of the list).

If I were forced to choose I'd probably say Bridge Creek, though. The combination of scouring + tree damage + vehicle damage is insane (including multiple confirmable instances of vehicles being thrown > 1 mile). Like.. there were parts of multiple cars and trucks in this little windbreak alone, and you have to look pretty hard to even identify anything that's vaguely recognizable as belonging to a vehicle.

(I know I've shared most of these here and/or in my article already, but they never fail to blow me away.)

A bunch of random vehicles in a chewed-up field, including some that've been stripped to nothing more than the frame/chassis:

Obviously one of the classic images of the event:

More assorted vehicle parts:

 

[locomusic01]

And of course the vegetation damage goes without saying.. although I guess I'm mentioning it anyway lol.

The narrow, well-defined centerline here reminds me a bit of Smithville:

 

[locomusic01]

Oh! Speaking of 5/3/99, a few things I forgot to share before. First, a couple of very low-quality photos from the Apache-Stecker F3 (this particular property was near Stecker):

And a video of some of the damage from the F3 that struck Stroud:



A few from the Haysville F4:

And a random shot from the DeKalb, TX F3 the following day:

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

Someone was debating Piedmont and Bridge Creek. What do you guys think was more violent? They were comparing vehicles and vegetation damage I think.

Bit of a trick question; Bridge Creek-Moore 1999 definitely did much more extreme damage in the community of Bridge Creek but weakened quite a bit by the time it reached Moore. El Reno 2011 was at peak intensity for practically it's entire path, it stayed on the ground 65 miles for nearly 2 hours; that's extremely rare for plains tornadoes. I'd say Bridge Creek did more intense damage in a small area but El Reno 2011 was much more intense for its entire existence.
Hell 2011 was the year of the tornado. So many (Smithville, Hackleburg, El Reno, Joplin) that set many records; never been a year like it.

 

[Juliett Bravo Kilo]

In my mind, they're both among the small group of tornadoes that are basically as violent as it gets. At a certain point the damage is so extreme that you can reasonably justify rating them in almost any order (as long as Jarrell is at the top of the list).

If I were forced to choose I'd probably say Bridge Creek, though. The combination of scouring + tree damage + vehicle damage is insane (including multiple confirmable instances of vehicles being thrown > 1 mile). Like.. there were parts of multiple cars and trucks in this little windbreak alone, and you have to look pretty hard to even identify anything that's vaguely recognizable as belonging to a vehicle.

(I know I've shared most of these here and/or in my article already, but they never fail to blow me away.)

A bunch of random vehicles in a chewed-up field, including some that've been stripped to nothing more than the frame/chassis:

Obviously one of the classic images of the event:

More assorted vehicle parts:

My top 5 (post-1989):

1. Jarrell
2. Smithville
3. El Reno '11
4. Bridge Creek Moore (3 and 4 are neck & neck, really):
5. Bakersfield Valley

Honorable mentions: Andover, Red Rock, Pampa and Loyal Valley

 

[Shakespeare 2016]

In my mind, they're both among the small group of tornadoes that are basically as violent as it gets. At a certain point the damage is so extreme that you can reasonably justify rating them in almost any order (as long as Jarrell is at the top of the list).

If I were forced to choose I'd probably say Bridge Creek, though. The combination of scouring + tree damage + vehicle damage is insane (including multiple confirmable instances of vehicles being thrown > 1 mile). Like.. there were parts of multiple cars and trucks in this little windbreak alone, and you have to look pretty hard to even identify anything that's vaguely recognizable as belonging to a vehicle.

(I know I've shared most of these here and/or in my article already, but they never fail to blow me away.)

A bunch of random vehicles in a chewed-up field, including some that've been stripped to nothing more than the frame/chassis:

Obviously one of the classic images of the event:

More assorted vehicle parts:

I thought they were thrown for 1/2 mile. Maybe some were thrown further.

 

[Shakespeare 2016]

My top 5 (post-1989):

1. Jarrell
2. Smithville
3. El Reno '11
4. Bridge Creek Moore (3 and 4 are neck & neck, really):
5. Bakersfield Valley

Honorable mentions: Andover, Red Rock, Pampa and Loyal Valley

The Andover 1991 F5 tornado did vehicle damage very similar to this

 

[locomusic01]

I thought they were thrown for 1/2 mile. Maybe some were thrown further.

I talked to a number of people whose vehicles were lofted and was able to map out their start + end points. I think four of them ended up right around a mile. I'd have to take screenshots of the others, but here's one I have saved:

That was this car, which was parked in a driveway just south of SE 94th and landed in a pond:

One that I wasn't able to map out precisely was Kevin Weber's car, which was near the 16th St. overpass. I was given like three different locations where it was supposed to have been found and I'm not sure which one is correct, but they're all in the same general area and all right around a mile away, give or take maybe 200 yards.

Same deal with one of the cars in Bridge Creek except I know where it landed but there's some uncertainty (within like 100-200 yards maybe) about exactly where it was parked. I'd have to go through my notes again but I think it may've been this one?

 

[HAwkmoon]

I talked to a number of people whose vehicles were lofted and was able to map out their start + end points. I think four of them ended up right around a mile. I'd have to take screenshots of the others, but here's one I have saved:

That was this car, which was parked in a driveway just south of SE 94th and landed in a pond:

One that I wasn't able to map out precisely was Kevin Weber's car, which was near the 16th St. overpass. I was given like three different locations where it was supposed to have been found and I'm not sure which one is correct, but they're all in the same general area and all right around a mile away, give or take maybe 200 yards.

Same deal with one of the cars in Bridge Creek except I know where it landed but there's some uncertainty (within like 100-200 yards maybe) about exactly where it was parked. I'd have to go through my notes again but I think it may've been this one?

Yeah I agree, I think they are pretty much interchangeable, Bridge Creek certainly had more examples of extreme vehicle damage, however the severity of it was a similar level to Piedmont. Vegetation wise Tornado talk had some extreme images of scouring and cyclodial marks as well as the most impressive tree damage I have ever seen. Coupled with Cactus i think either of these tornadoes are on par. Jarrell at number 1 for damage is definitely valid although it was moving extremely slow so I question it's intensity compared to Bridge Creek and Piedmont.