Anyone Complete The New (EF) Cycle...

[Dustin Wilcox]

With the CWS ongoing and baseball the talk of the area, it got me thinking, has any chaser completed the cycle since implementation of the new scale? I know there are plenty who have already accomplished the cycle over the years, but has anyone been lucky enough to complete the cycle using purely tornadoes that were rated using the EF scale? I'm guessing it's quite possible, and likely that one or two have, I am just one away this year, I have everything EF0-EF4, I'm just missing the elusive EF-5.

 

[Shane Adams]

I haven't completed the scale cycle for either system. Still never seen a tornado officially rated F4.

 

[Donald Giuliano]

With the CWS ongoing and baseball the talk of the area, it got me thinking, has any chaser completed the cycle since implementation of the new scale? I know there are plenty who have already accomplished the cycle over the years, but has anyone been lucky enough to complete the cycle using purely tornadoes that were rated using the EF scale? I'm guessing it's quite possible, and likely that one or two have, I am just one away this year, I have everything EF0-EF4, I'm just missing the elusive EF-5.

After considering this for a minute I can say I've completed the cycle. I've been pretty fortunate in that I've seen a lot of tornadoes the last couple years, so here are six whose ratings I can think of offhand:

EF-0: May 5, 2007 (St. John, KS brief spinup)
EF-1: April 21, 2007 (Channing, TX wedge)
EF-2: May 23, 2008 (Quinter, KS #1 barrel/large cone)
EF-3: May 2, 2008 (Earle, AR wedge)
EF-4: May 23, 2008 (Quinter, KS #2 wedge)
EF-5: May 4, 2007 (Greensburg, KS wedge)

Wow, looking over this list really makes me realize how many tornadoes I've seen the last 15 months, as that's just a small slice and I've probably seen 30-40 others as well. Really makes up for getting skunked in both 2005 and 2006.

 

[Michael O'Keeffe]

I have gotten close and would've completed it on Feb 28 2007 or May 23 2008. The Feb 28 incident was caused due to poor positioning so we didn't see the EF-4 near Mound City, KS. The May 23 incident while enroute to the "Quinter storm" a pheasant flew into our windshield busting it out completely forcing us to stop our chase. GRRR. Anyway I have seen plenty of EF0s and EF1s an EF2 on March 28, 2007 near Ensign, KS and an EF3 on that same day near Jetmore, KS. As well as the Greenburg, KS EF5.

On a side note, if anybody is willing to go pheasant hunting please let me know.

 

[Brandon Sullivan]

I have gotten close and would've completed it on Feb 28 2007 or May 23 2008. The Feb 28 incident was caused due to poor positioning so we didn't see the EF-4 near Mound City, KS. The May 23 incident while enroute to the "Quinter storm" a pheasant flew into our windshield busting it out completely forcing us to stop our chase. GRRR. Anyway I have seen plenty of EF0s and EF1s an EF2 on March 28, 2007 near Ensign, KS and an EF3 on that same day near Jetmore, KS. As well as the Greenburg, KS EF5.

On a side note, if anybody is willing to go pheasant hunting please let me know.

Hehe, that sounds eerily familiar.. Ill get the 12gauge.. Lets go...

As for me, Im a ways from cycle.. Got an 0 1 and 2.. Still a newbie tho..

 

[afischer]

I have, mainly by chance (oxymoron?) as I don't see a lot of tornadoes on a regular basis while chasing.

05/04/07 Greensburg KS EF-5
02/28/07 Blue Mound KS EF-4
05/29/08 Glen Elder/Jewell KS EF-3
05/29/08 Kearney NE EF-2
02/28/07 Colony KS EF-1 and others
06/07/08 Portis KS EF-0 and others