Strongest tornado in 2005

[Andy Wehrle]

I saw a poll like this on some chaser's website, for 2004's tornadoes (May 22 Hallam, NE won by a wide margin). What do you think was the most intense tornado in 2005 so far (may have to change it up if there's a big fall outbreak 8) )?

I don't believe there have been any tornadoes rated violent (F4/F5) but there have been several F3s and some tornadoes that probably got underrated due to their not hitting populated areas.

 

[Mikey Gribble]

I don't remember hearing about any F4s this year. Then again I don't pay much attention to assesments unless I was on the storm so I could be mistaken. I voted other. I think the Neosho county F3 has to be right up there. The house it hit lost its roof and had two walls down and this was shortly before the tornado died out so I would think the tornado could have been stronger than the F3 rating it recieved. The second tornado from that storm was quite strong also, but it didn't get real strong until it got rain wrapped and it was over open fields. The 6/12 Kent county storm may have had some strong tornadoes(the multi-vortex and the wedge), but I was never close enough to get a good idea of how intense they were at the surface. BTW does anybody have the link to the ratings for the tornadoes from that day. I did a search and couldn't find it.

edit - Neosho county Kansas(Parsons tornado) F3 was on April 21

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[Andy Wehrle]

What date was the Neosho County F3?

By the way, just for clarification, the May 12 and June 12 options both refer to the "wedge" of the day.

 

[nickgrillo]

While the 6/12 wedge looked like it could have packed some good windspeeds... I don't believe it was ever given a F-rating - since it hit absolutely nothing. As for the 5/12 tornado, I don't think the windspeeds were too much higher then the given rating of F2... Off that list, I'd probably have to say the Stoughton-area tornadoes and Hiwatha were probably some of the more stronger documented tornadoes of the year. The way the structure was obliterated in some of the 6/4 video I've saw... I'd have to say the windspeeds were strong-near violent.

 

[Jeff Snyder]

Originally posted by nickgrillo
While the 6/12 wedge looked like it could have packed some good windspeeds... I don't believe it was ever given a F-rating - since it hit absolutely nothing.

As far as I know, every "official" tornado gets an F-scale rating. A search of Storm Data shows only 1 tornado on 6-12, though this obviously just means that the other reports haven't be put up yet (despite the fact that the "deadline" for Storm Data submissions from 6-12 has passed I think). At any rate, one of the tornadoes that day is outlined at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lub/climate/Local_...ne_12_2005.html and was given an F2 rating by NWSFO LBB.

Search the Storm Data archives (current up to June 30th, 2005) at http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dl...?wwEvent~Storms

Also of note, a search of Storm Data shows that, as of June 30th 2005, there has not been a single tornado rated F4 or F5 in the US this year.

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

This one sounds like it was up there. The WI one would get my vote though.

http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dl...howEvent~581259

Significant damage was done to several farms, outbuildings and trees. One 1500 pound heifer was thrown 1/4 mile. The tornado actually made a loop traveling back west, south then back to the north and it dissipated rather rapidly (from video). Some of the structures were protected in a ravine but still sustained major damage. Several cottonwood trees with six foot diameter trunks were pulled out of the ground. This tornado did high-end F3 damage.

We've got(had) cows! That would be a toss. A cow is a bit different than a car, which has places for the wind to grab ahold. I wonder if this is the same tornado Amos has images of(the white cone crossing the highway). That storm in TX this same day was incredible on radar, supposedly putting that tornado down for like an hour or something. It is rated under F3 however, as it didn't show up on the search of F3 or higher.

 

[David Drummond]

On May 12th, after most of the chaser headed home near dark after seeing one of the ones pictured above, we had both an F2 and an F3 (on the ground at the same time!) rated near Ralls, TX, further south from the earlier event.

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lub/climate/Local_...ay_12_2005.html

The wedge on June 12th was measured by DOW at 179mph but based on the limited amount of damage found it was rated an F2.

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lub/climate/Local_...ne_12_2005.html

We also had the Petersburg, TX tornado out of the supercell that produced 3 confirmed tornadoes (one a wedge) and possible 5 total. One of these I believe was rated F2 due to structural damage to a house, althought they don't have the rating up:

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lub/climate/Local_...une_9_2005.html

 

[Shane Adams]

The 5-12-05 South Plains tornado was large, but definitely wasn't violent.

On a related note, the tornado hand-off between the first and second tornadoes near South Plains that day was very similar to the 5-5-02 Happy, TX tornado handoff. In both cases you had a large (but relatively weak) tornado that slowly fizzled out, while a new tornado formed almost immediately just east. I know this may not sound any different than a typical tornado handoff to read about it, but for anyone who witnessed both events, I think they would understand what I'm talking about.

 

[Joe Nield]

Originally posted by Jeff Snyder
(despite the fact that the \"deadline\" for Storm Data submissions from 6-12 has passed I think)

I'm the Storm Data focal point here at IND. Storm Data is submitted one month at a time, with each month being due 60 days after the end of that particular month. June Storm Data was due at the end of August, and may not appear in any online database for several weeks still.

 

[Bill Tabor]

Originally posted by Jeff Snyder
At any rate, one of the tornadoes that day is outlined at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lub/climate/Local_...ne_12_2005.html and was given an F2 rating by NWSFO LBB.

As I recall that 5:41 tornado report was mine. It was cool because after I called it in I could see the county turn red in Threatnet.

 

[Bill Tabor]

Originally posted by David Drummond

We also had the Petersburg, TX tornado out of the supercell that produced 3 confirmed tornadoes (one a wedge) and possible 5 total. One of these I believe was rated F2 due to structural damage to a house, althought they don't have the rating up:

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lub/climate/Local_interest_events/Tornado_June_9_2005/June_9_2005.html

Yeah I wish I could have been out there earlier David, but I was waiting on David Douglas to get off work. I got up there as soon as I could and at least caught some good lightning action and a weak no condensation funnel landspout norht of Spur. It was fairly decent though because I could see it in the dark illuminated by the lightning. It didn't look like much on our photos though.