2013-05-31 EVENT: KS, OK, MO, IL

[Jeff Duda]

2) I haven't seen anyone comment on the sinusoidal movement of the tornado(s) and its effects on the chasing mess last night. See: http://meteorologicalmusings.blogspot.com/2013/06/comments-about-fridays-storms.html A similar movement occurred with the Cleburne, Texas, tornado recently.

You are wrong. You need to look at this page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycloid

The path was not sinusoidal, it was cycloidal. I have mentioned this a few times in my recent posts that tornadoes can and do make these types of moves. Let's clear this up now. This is nothing new.

 

[Marcus Diaz]

I'm hearing rumors that Tim Samaras, his son, and Carl Young were 3 of the 9 victims in yesterday's tornado near El Reno. I hope to ing God that is wrong and I look like an idiot...

 

[Warren Faidley]

I also don't buy the media BS about 'doing a public service' by broadcasting up close video to supposedly make the danger 'real' to the public so they take the warning seriously. Seems to me, the ramping up of weather porn is having the opposite effect, sending more people out on the roads to hopefully get their crappy video broadcast.

[/QUOTE]

I just heard some horrible news about chasers and the events of May 31, but I'll wait until there is confirmation. If true (I prey to God not), it will send this subject into orbit.

Warren Faidley

 

[Warren Faidley]

I'm hearing rumors that Tim Samaras, his son, and Carl Young were 3 of the 9 victims in yesterday's tornado near El Reno. I hope to ing God that is wrong and I look like an idiot...

I have also heard this but we might be careful until it is confirmed. The mods might want to move this subject to a new thread if true?

A good friend just called and I'm in total shock. I will not be able to sleep unit I find out. Let's hope this is a bad rumor.

Warren

 

[Timothy Finn]

I'm hearing rumors that Tim Samaras, his son, and Carl Young were 3 of the 9 victims in yesterday's tornado near El Reno. I hope to ing God that is wrong and I look like an idiot...

I heard the same rumor. I'm right there with you, hoping like HELL this is wrong.

Tim

 

[Matthew Crowther]

It's not a rumor. This is a sad day for chasing.

 

[Hannah.Taylor]

I'm hearing rumors that Tim Samaras, his son, and Carl Young were 3 of the 9 victims in yesterday's tornado near El Reno. I hope to ing God that is wrong and I look like an idiot...

That's very tragic news to hear. wow.

 

[Caleb Chevalier]

A couple trustworthy chasers on their Facebook pages have stated it's been confirmed by friends.

I don't even know where to begin. So many questions.

 

[Jeff Snyder]

This was at ~2500ft and obviously doesn't represent near-sfc winds of the tornado itself, but it's very impressive nonetheless.

I was with RaXPol (rapid-scan, mobile, polarimetric radar) yesterday with Howie B. and Jana H., and we capture tornadogenesis and relatively quick intensification from our first deployment location ~2 mi NE of the El Reno airport. As the tornado got to our SSW, we undeployed and later redeployed at I40 and Banner Rd. The radial velocity measurements within the tornado as it neared I40 were extreme. Fortunately for the people of El Reno, the tornado stayed in an extremely unpopulated area. As a consequence of this, however, there were an extremely limited number of Damage Indicators (DIs) that could be used to rate a violent tornado that were affected by the strongest winds in the tornado when it was near I40. I haven't seen the official survey results, but the extremely strong winds stayed, it appears, over open ranch and farm lands. Since the EF scale is a damage scale by it's very nature and design, I suspect the EF rating assigned to the tornado based upon damage will be significantly less than the EF rating associated with the peak winds within the tornado. This isn't uncommon, mind you, when significant tornadoes move through rural areas with little in the way of significant structures to damage. The winds on our lowest scans (0-2 degree elevation angle scans at a range of 4-5 km from the radar) seem to support a top-of-the-scale rating, but there needs to be supporting damage for it to be given such a "rare" rating. This is a conflicting consequence of a tornado staying away from population centers (good for the people, bad if one is trying to use damage and the EF scale as a proxy for tornado intensity)...

The El Reno multivortex tornado had a very large radius of maximum winds, was near an extremely strong RFD, and had very intense subvortices. I can guarantee it would have been catastrophic had it moved though El Reno or waited and moved through Yukon and the western OKC metro. This was a major league tornado.

 

[Andy Wehrle]

To my knowledge this is the first instance of legit chasers (as opposed to locals with a camcorder) being directly killed by a tornado in 4 decades of chasing. It seemed inevitable on the face of it, but it couldn't have happened to a more responsible group of people. If it can happen to them, it can happen to anyone. Respect the wind.

 

[Damien49]

This is tragic news. Many hunters were surprised by the tornado of El Reno. Here in purple the approximate location of Tim Samara. We see the sudden change of path of the tornado.

 

[Greg Flint]

If anyone knows of a foundation/fund that has been established by the Samaras or Young family (in lieu of flowers) please post. I cannot imagine what the mother of that family is going through right now. I'm at a loss for words but so many questions indeed.

 

[Stan Rose]

that really sucks.

 

[JamesCaruso]

My understanding from a chaser friend that was on the scene is that TWC's Bettes was actually hit by a satellite tornado, not the main one. If that is accurate, it is a distinction that has not been noted in anything I have seen or read. In my opinion, that does a disservice to the public, who should be made aware that if it was the main tornado, it would not have been survivable, and that satellite vortices can occur right above you even if you think you are away from the main tornado.

Jim

 

[MClarkson]

My understanding from a chaser friend that was on the scene is that TWC's Bettes was actually hit by a satellite tornado, not the main one. If that is accurate, it is a distinction that has not been noted in anything I have seen or read. In my opinion, that does a disservice to the public, who should be made aware that if it was the main tornado, it would not have been survivable, and that satellite vortices can occur right above you even if you think you are away from the main tornado.

Jim

Other spotters were reporting satellite vortices at the time. Still, Bettes was rolled a ways, implying stronger winds than the typical weaker satellite twister. From the look of his video, it looks like the main funnel is quite close. Something large.