Most Impressive or Strongest Tornado of the Last 20 Years?

Definitive F-5 of the Last Twenty Years...


  • Total voters
    4
Having seen both storms in person, I would definately pick Andover over Moore/Bridge Creek. Andover was the most visually impressive storm of the lot, and the damage was incredible, even if it was not spead out over as an extensive area as Moore/Bridge Creek. As for second place, I would probably go with the Lawrence County Tornado (1998 Middle Tennessee).

I would have to say that the Lawrence County Tennessee tornado is probably the most underrated event on the list, considering that it is the only confirmed F5 tornado in Tennessee. The NWS report title for this event says it all:

The Forgotten F5: The Lawrence County Supercell during the Middle Tennessee Tornado Outbreak of April 16, 1998

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ohx/research/f5.htm
 
I voted for 5/3/99 Moore, OK. Just seeing that thing on TV from a live newscam on a building made it all too impressive. I was going to vote for the Plainfield 1990 storm, because I have a connection to some of the vicitms. (My relatives were in the apartment complex that got completely leveled, they were ok :D ) The pictures they took of the damage were just astounding, I should get some from them. This was a rain-wrapped beast of a storm. The Andover storm was a monster too! :shock:
 
Andover cause it was the first big one I studied and sent me into this spiral of severe weather I now obsess over. May 3 gets a real close second for every obvious reason known to man!
 
Had to go with Niles-Wheatland, OH-PA. May 31, 1985. Even though I've seen much more video of both the tornado and the damage from Moore, Andover, and Jerrell, I'll stick with my old favorite descriptive of this tornado and the fact that it produced F5 damage at both ends of it's track. Just wish there was video of it.
 
Something I'm curious about regarding the Andover tornado...where along its path did it do F5 damage? So many sources say the tornado was "at its worst" over the Golden Spur mobile home park, but to the best of my knowledge one can't rate damage to trailers F5. Where did it take well-constructed frame houses securely attached to their foundations, scour them off the foundation, and sweep away the debris?
 
Originally posted by Bobby Eddins
Had to go with Niles-Wheatland, OH-PA. May 31, 1985. Even though I've seen much more video of both the tornado and the damage from Moore, Andover, and Jerrell, I'll stick with my old favorite descriptive of this tornado and the fact that it produced F5 damage at both ends of it's track. Just wish there was video of it.
Actually, there are two videos in existence of the Niles-Wheatland tornado. You can view them both here: http://1985tornado.tripod.com/
 
Originally posted by Andy Wehrle
Something I'm curious about regarding the Andover tornado...where along its path did it do F5 damage?

The F5 damage occured in the Greenwich Heights Subdivision, just to the northeast of McConnell Air Force Base.

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Originally posted by Chris Sokol+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Chris Sokol)</div>
<!--QuoteBegin-Andy Wehrle
Something I'm curious about regarding the Andover tornado...where along its path did it do F5 damage?

The F5 damage occured in the Greenwich Heights Subdivision, just to the northeast of McConnell Air Force Base.[/b]
There was also F5 damage in the subdivision just west of the trailer park, to well-built single-family residences. This was my first violent tornado damage survey of my career.
 
I believe we are in the longest f-5 drought since at aleast the 50's (maybe longer) so we are definantly due for one. I think that is partially due to the fact that some houses these days are made to be able to withstand stronger winds wich would result in less dammage done to them hence a lower F-rating. Just a thought.
 
Originally posted by samuel stone
...some houses these days are made to be able to withstand stronger winds...
Nope....quite the opposite! Houses these days are built like houses of cards. Tim Marshall can attest to this.
 
I heard somthing about structures being built with rubar enforced concrete on TWC, maybe it was just tornado shelters built with it?
 
Originally posted by samuel stone
I heard somthing about structures being built with rubar enforced concrete on TWC, maybe it was just tornado shelters built with it?

Rebar is used for reinforcing concrete. While it is used in residential construction, it is mainly used in the foundation. Safe rooms would also use rebar for reinforcement.
 
I don't see any comparison between the intensity of the Jarrell tornado and any other damage I've ever seen from any other F-5. Certainly the F-5 damage in Moore wasn't nearly as impressive - can't recall seeing anything at Jarrell level at Bridge Creek either, but do recall the damage there looking more impressive than in Moore. Jarrell defined what it meant for a home to be swept clean from the foundation.

Glen
 
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