Ft. Leonard Wood tornado picture perplexing

[Danny Neal]

I wonder if Leonard is within the military and/or used a different name? My cousin is stationed in Ft. Leonard Wood. She is a drill Sergeant there. Although she may have been recently transferred to a base in Georgia. I am not sure how much she would know, or release to me.

 

[James Hammett]

For sake of arguing, what would the smudge be on? The Camera? A piece of glass? Car window?

I personally, if going to allow a percentage of possibility it's not part of the storm (and I do allow for the possibility) I certainly think it could only be on the camera end.

I too allow for the possibility that it's not a part of the storm, but I still lean the other way with the info we have so far. I think we could rule out a smudge on an outside lens as it would be way too diffuse. This would also apply to a cell phone camera (any obstruction is extremely diffuse and appears over half or more of the image in my testing). If we knew what kind of camera it was we could find out whether it even HAS an accessible mirror or sensor.

 

[Bob Hartig]

Since the photo was taken at the Air Force base, I'm assuming that the photographer is an enlistee. I've just tried the operator there at the base, who patched me through to a number that rang and rang with neither a person nor voice mail picking up. I don't know whether she tried to connect me with Leonard Morrow or with someone who could have put me through to him. I'll try again in a while.

 

[Scott Weberpal]

Hundreds of civilians that work on the Army base as well. The public regional airport is part of the base and is open to the public.

There is a public listing for a Leonard Morrow who lives in Edgar Springs, MO; which is less than 20 miles from the base. There is a good chance he may be a civilian worker somewhere on the base or at the airport.

Leonard Morrow
17850 State Route M
Edgar Springs, MO

Danny, give your cousin a shout and see if she can identify where the picture was taken on the base; it might help with the search for the photographer.

 

[Danny Neal]

Just received a reply from my cousin.

No I was out of town when it hit but yes it looks like the marine barracks that got hit. The tornado started out at range 6 and made its way in towards post and did a lot of damage to the housing area some barracks and motor pools and of course our ranges that we use for training. I have some pics of the aftermath. Remember I am stationed down here at fort leonard wood

I replied back to ask her if she recognized any buildings in the photo and can provide me with any type of cross streets or anything like that. But from that message it leads me to believe it was near the marine barracks? Will confirm or deny whenever she writes me back.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=e...d=200239865374019496653.00049a9ef1759dc283009 I made a crude map with possible places this photo was taken.... based on the track, and the fact that guy may or may not have been near the airport. I could be way off.

 

[Bob Hartig]

Just a reminder, with talk of Army bases and Marine barracks, that the photo was taken from the Air Force building. Also--and I know I'm stating the obvious, but just to be clear--based on the apparent motion of the tornado, which is angling in from right to left (SW to NE), the view would be to the south.

 

[Dennis Dennison]

I can state with 100% certainty that the video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3cyzHAgC6s&feature=player_embedded
and this photo

were both shot from this location

37.733178,-92.136959 - shooting SSW down the road towards the water tower


I spent several hours looking at Google maps and Google Earth-and unless the pics used in them are really old-I absolutely cannot find a location on the base that the picture below was taken from despite the claim of it being shot from the U.S. Air Force building at Fort Leonard Wood - I just cant seem to find this location.
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/sgf/events/December%2031%202010%20Tornadoes/ftwood3.jpg

I did find another video of the tornado
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uti4OAtn_-g

 

[Scott Weberpal]

Just a reminder, with talk of Army bases and Marine barracks, that the photo was taken from the Air Force building. Also--and I know I'm stating the obvious, but just to be clear--based on the apparent motion of the tornado, which is angling in from right to left (SW to NE), the view would be to the south.

Yes, I think we understand that, just stating that FLW is an Army base, not an Air Force Base; therefore, there is likely only a few Air Force buildings on the base and likely near the airport (which it looks like I was wrong about).

According to this http://www.wood.army.mil/images/flw1-300.GIF (please note the map is sideways with north to the right)
and this
http://www.wood.army.mil/mapndx1.htm
the Air Force Detachment building is on Cooley Ave. which is on the northeast side of the base, essentially opposite the airport.

Now that we know where the AF building is, this should be easy to pinpoint

 

[Nicholas Peshek]

Yes, I think we understand that, just stating that FLW is an Army base, not an Air Force Base; therefore, there is likely only a few Air Force buildings on the base and likely near the airport (which it looks like I was wrong about).

According to this http://www.wood.army.mil/images/flw1-300.GIF (please note the map is sideways with north to the right)
and this
http://www.wood.army.mil/mapndx1.htm
the Air Force Detachment building is on Cooley Ave. which is on the northeast side of the base, essentially opposite the airport.

Now that we know where the AF building is, this should be easy to pinpoint

I still can't figure out how to get the sheds and the parking lot in the picture while still taking the shot from the Air Force Building. My best guess is that the photo was taken right outside the door of the Air Force HQ building, and the tornado is in the parking lot just near Kansas Ave.

 

[Jason Foster]

If you you use Bing's bird's eye....sometimes that's more clear. I'd do it if I had time....maybe tonight if now one finds it before me.

ADD:

This photo album on page two has the picture. Not sure if it's the taker (it's out of sequence, so I'm guessing not), but it labeled as being taken from "The Air Force Detachment and is further away than it appears"

http://airforce.smugmug.com/Weather/Fort-Leonard-Wood-Tornado-New/15317814_RMLH5#1148096123_2cRUj

On the base's map previously attached....that is #3 on the map, which is off Cooley Avenue (look near the intersection of Michigan and Minnesota). More accurately I would say it was taken near #47 the Specker Gymnasium. Look at this link:

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=37.754807,-92.106022&spn=0.002481,0.006995&t=k&z=18

Looking back and fourth at the image and the likely location of the photographer, they would have been standing to the SW corner of the NE building, looking ESE. The building in the photo would be on the left, and the parking lot orientation matches. Also, on the east end of the parking row of the lot you can see three small white boxes in the google image linked above. I believe those to be the three masard roof sheds seen in the image. Also....looking in the distance of the photo at the horizon line, left of the tornado and right of the tan cargo/storage trailer, you can see small white box like items...which I believe to be the structures in the distance to the ESE of the gymnasium toward Goethal and Jadwin Drives scene in the google aerial images.

Here is the NWS survey path for the tornado:
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/sgf/?n=event_2010dec31_survey


So...unless anyone things this might not be the spot...we should at least have a much smaller window of time to look through the video or other photos for comparison.

 

[Dennis Dennison]

Jason, excellent job of searching for details. I believe you were close. I looked over your google location, and by side by side comparison of the photo and google maps, I believe the spot was exactly 37.752765,-92.10603.
I used my architecture training to match the layout of the parking lot and those sheds-which all matchup with the map and picture.
I also found another photo that clearly shows that second funnel.


a closer look at it

 

[Danny Neal]

Jason, excellent job of searching for details. I believe you were close. I looked over your google location, and by side by side comparison of the photo and google maps, I believe the spot was exactly 37.752765,-92.10603.
I used my architecture training to match the layout of the parking lot and those sheds-which all matchup with the map and picture.
I also found another photo that clearly shows that second funnel.
View attachment 5531

a closer look at it
View attachment 5532

Where is this second funnel? I see nothing.

I haven't heard back from my cousin yet, but I am confident the location has already been discovered.

 

[Skip Talbot]

That clearly shows the second funnel? The tornado is 20 pixels tall in that image. You can barely make out the tornado itself let alone a small subfeature. The picture is also shot from a completely different angle, notice how the funnel is not angled. I'm guess this "feature" if it existed would be on the other side of the tornado, away from the photographer. I see what you're talking about though. There does appear to be a plume of dust/debris ahead of the main condensation funnel, but there is also a similar feature in the debated image that is not contested, and in my opinion is not associated with the anomaly. This image does not show a perfectly linear, laminar feature jutting out the side of the tornado. You're reading too closely between the pixels if you can infer that anomaly exists given the lack of data in this image.

 

[Rocky Watson]

http://airforce.smugmug.com/Weather...nado-New/15317814_RMLH5#1148104445_qF4C5-A-LB

ok here is someone's path of the tornado with some number locations with cirlces, note the arrow at the top of the picture for where due North is but this might help with location, if you can get the rest of the information on this picture map for the location numbers


the DOS NADOS caper lives on!


ok look at this video of the tornado, go to the 4:05 area of the storm, looks alot alike to me without the smudge!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uti4OAtn_-g

 

[Scott Weberpal]

http://airforce.smugmug.com/Weather...nado-New/15317814_RMLH5#1148104445_qF4C5-A-LB

ok here is someone's path of the tornado with some number locations with cirlces, note the arrow at the top of the picture for where due North is but this might help with location, if you can get the rest of the information on this picture map for the location numbers


the DOS NADOS caper lives on!


ok look at this video of the tornado, go to the 4:05 area of the storm, looks alot alike to me without the smudge!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uti4OAtn_-g

Wow, thanks for the link to the photo gallery! It appears the owner of the gallery is stationed at the base, so I left a comment on the gallery asking if he has more information in regard to the tornado pic in question. Hopefully I hear something back!