1957-05-20 F5 Ruskin Heights (MO)

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I found an explanation for a minor mystery the night of the Ruskin Heights Tornado.

We were eating dinner at a hamburger joint in Fairway, 10+ miles north of the tornado path. A highway patrolman came in and told us there was a tornado (on the ground he said) and we were in the path and needed to take cover.

At this website, Tornado Talk, https://tornadotalk.com/ruskin-heights-mo-f5-tornado-may-20-1957/ I found this:

"1 funnel sighted aloft and heard as it passed northeastward over Overland Park and Fairway. "

The source for that information is from the Weather Bureau Climatological Data May 1957 vol. 8 no. 5, on page 31 towards the end of the long entry for Kansas.

 
Because it happened to me and made such an impression at the age of five, I've always thought I, perhaps, over-estimated the intensity of this storm. I've personally looked at the damage of four F-5's and looking at the damage of this storm, I'm starting to wonder if Ruskin Heights should receive more attention by the meteorological community.

The intensity of the damage caused by the Ruskin storm is worse than Joplin and at least as strong as Greensburg's and 1999 Moore. It is a shame we cannot apply modern analysis techniques to it.
 
I was just reminded of Ruskin Heights a few days ago when I came across this article in an old engineering journal:

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Needless to say, the highlighted portion especially is a little.. out there, but it made me go back and revisit the event. It really was an extremely intense tornado. Incidentally, Bridge Creek - Moore was the first comparison I thought of in looking through some of the damage.
 
Both Ruskin and Worcester had on-site engineering studies of the damage. Ruskin (F5) supposedly had 500 mph winds. Worcester (F4) 338 mph.

These have always puzzled me because the basic techniques of wind engineering haven't changed all that much. Did engineers not understand that wind force was not linear?

Of course, it seems the EF-scale badly underestimated peak winds (with EF-5 starting at 200 mph), especially based on recent research that was based on DOW measurements.

Does anyone have any insight as to why the '50's measurements were so high? Thank you.
 
NancyM said:
At this website, Tornado Talk, https://tornadotalk.com/ruskin-heights-mo-f5-tornado-may-20-1957/ I found this:

"1 funnel sighted aloft and heard as it passed northeastward over Overland Park and Fairway. "
Click to expand...


Based on my research into the event, including my conversation with the late Joe Augsley (the hero of the tornado), the primary tornado was the only one. I do remember the radio and my parents discussing reports on the radio of funnels all over the metro area. I suspect people were reporting the location from where they were seeing the tornado rather than the location of the tornado.
 
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