Drew.Gardonia
you're right, this one was one was WORSE.
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- 2010s
you're right, this one was one was WORSE.
Robert Dewey
EF5
Nice. You agree with him, and then make a comparison.
I'm not sure what the problem with comparing the numbers is. Scientists do it. Climatologists do it. Statisticians do it.
Jennifer Palmer
EF1
I know from what I have seen from pictures (I haven't been to that part of damaged area myself) but in Ringgold there are some homes that were wiped clean from their foundation in the Cherokee Valley Road area, and the same is true into Tennessee in Apison.
Both areas were rated EF4 (this was the same tornado, btw).
Simon Andersen
EF2
Philadelphia EF5 Tornado Damage
I put the Jackson WFO survey video up on Youtube for easier viewing as I had trouble viewing it myself. I think this clip gives an interesting glimpse into an investigation and the peculiar ground scouring noted NW of Preston, Missippi:
Watch video >
http://www.youtube.com/user/daylightdiskLast edited by a moderator:
Greg Ansel
EF1
Looking at all of the video, with so much debris, I was wondering if the EF scale can be "skewed" because of what the storm picks up rather than the wind speeds. In other words, when a tornado like the Tuscaloosa one picks up a lot of debris, it wouldn't require as high a wind speed to do a greater amount of damage than the same tornado going through a less industrious area. It would be easier to level a brick house with flying bricks and steel than it would with flying wood given the same speed. Just wondering if that works into the equation when figuring out storm speed and damage.
Be careful saying things like that, Greg. You might just open Pandora's box of endless debate with a statement like that. I think you're getting at one of the deficiencies of the EF-scale, but I'll refer to other threads on this forum for a further discussion.
Ryan McGinnis
EF5
Since the scale itself is a primarily a damage scale and not a windspeed scale, it couldn't be skewed. EF-0 tornadoes are not all weak, but the scale only measures damage.
The correlating windspeed to each EF category may not be terribly accurate in all situations, but I don't know enough about the topic to make an intelligent comment about it. Hopefully someone familiar with doing damage surveys will jump in.
Kevin Walters
EF2
If the top soil was heavily saturated it might have something to do with how easily the area was gouged. In July 1993 we had a severe storm with 90mph winds. The winds actually peeled back areas of sod next to some of our landscaping. The soil was very wet and once the sod let go it just rolled back several inches deep.Todd Webb
When all the reports are finally finished at some point in the future, I'll be very curious to read the conclusions as to why the number of fatalities are apparently higher than the Super Outbreak, given all the technological advances in weather forecasting, communications, etc. since that event.
Zack Hargrove
EF2
Well, for one, these storms hit much more densely populated areas... Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, Huntsville, Chattanooga...
Andy Jackson
EF3
Here's an article I stumbled on:
Washington Post
It is an interesting point of view. I wonder if NWS broadcast towers have power backup? Population density is still a good factor as well, if anyone hasn't seen the "Dallas tornado" scenario they always talk about on the weather channel shows, they mention hundreds of fatalities is a possibility.Last edited by a moderator:
Rob Wadsworth
EF5
Increased urban sprawl/population density, as well as the particular paths that the tornadoes took.
RWilbanks
EF0
That video from Philadelphia, Miss., is incredible. This is very similar to what happened in Hillsdale and Lenawee Counties in Lower Michigan, on Palm Sunday in 1965. Apparently, the ground in two locations was gouged like this.Elaine Spencer
EF3
Here's another incredible image:
http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscienc...atellite-shows-the-darkness-after-the-storms/
It shows a satellite image of nighttime lighting over the mid-South, before and after the tornadoes... much of northern Alabama looks about as dark as North Korea in this image.
Tim Cook
Enthusiast
Wow...amazing video. The view outside that guy's place when he looks out at the height of the storm is truly frightening. Thanks for the link.Similar threads
