Fillmore, Missouri Tornado Audio and Video

[Mike Peregrine]

Here's what I did ... I slowed the video down to 85% of its full speed so you can get some decent views of this tornado coming at me through the lightning ... and then I edited the audio at regular speed, to cut out most of the wind noise, leaving about a four second clip of the noise the tornado itself was making that the microphone on my camera was able to pick up ... this tornado sound was then looped over and over throughout the duration of the video ... keep in mind that this is what the mic was hearing through the wind, so you'll have to listen to the underlying noise to hear it. In my own ears, the noise was amazing ... but with a handheld mini-DV, there is simply no possible way to duplicate it anywhere near the actual sound. But I can say that you are in fact listening to the sound of a tornado in this video clip.

Enjoy ... I encoded at highest possible quality to avoid resolution or audio loss ... so give it time to download on a high speed connection.

Click on this link to access the file.

Instructions for Download

*There may be a couple of pop-ups that you have to click through (one of them is a box right over the download box ... just X out of this.)

*A timer will appear with a countdown to when you can download the video.

*Once the timer disappears, click on the window that says "Click here to download."

*Hit "Open."

 

[Darren Addy]

It took me a while to figure out that I had to click the "X" to get rid of the ads in the righthand side of the screen so I could see the "download this file" link.

Looping the sound was a good idea. It took me a few times listening to it to hear "back" to the sound of the tornado. Am I right in thinking that the deeper booming is the wind noise and the more consistent (and higher pitched, but more constant) sound behind it is the tornado? Awesome stuff.

Darren Addy
Kearney, NE

 

[Mike Peregrine]

Thanks for letting me know about the ad box - doesn't show up on mine as I'm logged in, so I didn't know about it - -

Yes, that's right ... the deeper booming is the typical wind in the microphone that we always get as we chase, but it shouldn't be mistaken for the actual sound of the tornado itself, which can be heard as the more constant, and a bit higher pitched noise in the background.

This might sound lame, but the sound reminds me of the first episode of the TV show Lost, where the plane crashes but the engine of the jet doesn't shut off and you just keep hearing it over and over for the first ten minutes or so.

Also, watching the video at regular speed on a television, it is apparent that there was a lot more ambient light leftover from sunset than I realized at the time, which also put the tornado in silouette. You can see it clearly on TV ... there is also what appears to be a satellite vortex that rotates around the main funnel. It looks sort of like a rain shaft on the internet version, but on television it looks like this thing may have had some additional vortices.

 

[Ryan McGinnis]

I can gmail it to anyone who wants it. Gmail is the bomb-diggity.

Mike I'm glad I got to see that (he was going to show it at the CPSWS 2006 but the technology setup that the conference used had, shall we say, the usual technical difficulties). Does anyone have a radar grab of that storm at around the time Mike intercepted it? I don't own GRLevel 2. Apparently the storm was not tornado warned and the NWS was as surprised as anyone that there was a tornado tearing up houses as it steamrolled over the Missouri hills at 50+ mph. Since this is such an abnormality, I'd be interested in trying to see if I can ID the tornado on the velocities & reflectivities scans.

 

[Mike Peregrine]

I just made up a rough map of how this chase went with the timings and the order of events Thursday evening - - - you can access it by clicking here.

Along with Ryan, I'd love to see some reflectivities on this cell ... I actually haven't seen one radar capture of it yet. If anyone has anything - or knows a good link - please post it. Thanks -

 

[Laura Duchesne]

Wow thanks for sharing that Mike. That must have been one helluva experience, and I am glad you are ok.

The wind sounds really hallowish!

 

[Jonathan Whitehead]

if that highway traffic like sound of the tornado is indeed the tornado and it looks as if that tornado is at night, then would have to be the most freakish sound I think I would here if I were in that situation. Talk about things that go bump in the night. I can just imagine being in your shoes standing there in the dead of night hearing that sound and if not for the lightning knowing there is a tornado right in front of you but you cant see it, wow that would be very very freaky but in weird twisted sorta way.....such an adrenaline rush at the same time.

 

[Scott Olson]

Radar:

I have plotted your position Mike based on the map you drew. Around this scan you should be between Filmore and the bird incident.



Velocity:



7:13 Mike has already witnessed the tornado and is bareling down south flashing his lights and waving his arms like a crazy guy. Tornado has crossed 71.