Pomeroy, IA (07/06/1893)

[Tyler Hudson]

Today is the 124th anniversary of, to me, one of the most violent tornadoes on record. A large, multi-vortex tornado entered Pomeroy, IA as a devestating F5 on July 6, 1893. Well built homes were swept away completely in four counties. There was evidence of ground scouring and a metal bridge was torn from its supports. Also, a well pump and 40 feet of pipe were ripped out of the ground. The damage path was 55 miles long and max width was 500 yards wide. 80% of the homes in Pomeroy were destroyed. 71 people were killed and close to 200 were injured along its path.

More info and photos can be found at:
https://stormstalker.wordpress.com/2013/03/09/pomeroy/

 

[Shawn Schuman]

Hey Tyler, thanks for linking to my blog! The Pomeroy tornado isn't very widely known (for obvious reasons - it happened so long ago and in a relatively obscure place, and it happened just a few years before one of the worst outbreak sequences in history), but I agree with you: based on what I've learned, I consider it to be one of the most violent tornadoes I've ever researched.

There are actually reports of even more extraordinary damage - half a mile of heavy railroad tracks torn up and wrapped around trees like pretzels, entire trains "thrown considerable distances," horses and cows allegedly thrown several miles, etc. - but of course there was no small degree of exaggeration in that period, and it's often hard to separate fact from fiction.

Anyhow, one of the most convincing things to me was that two separate eyewitnesses who had seen the destruction from the 1860 Camanche tornado (itself an exceptionally intense event) both attested that the damage caused in and around Pomeroy was far worse.

 

[Andy Wehrle]

Hey Tyler, thanks for linking to my blog!

Hey Shawn, any more posts forthcoming in the not-too-distant future? This "weather junkie" has been missing his fix for over three years now!

 

[Shawn Schuman]

Haha, thanks Andy. I've actually got three posts in various stages of completion, so I'm hoping to be able to finish at least one of them reasonably soon. I've had a lot going on personally, so I just haven't been able to invest the time it takes to research, dig up photos and write the article(s). I will have more eventually though!