The Andover, KS Tornado

[Justin E. Reed]

This tornado was the very first one I could remember, I was only 4 at the time, and since then, I have always questioned, pondered, and wondered about this beast. Lets go ahead and establish the well-known. It was a classic, long-track tornado, as it was on the ground for about an hour and ten minutes and for close to 46 miles, not too shabby. Most of its time it spent as either F-2 or F-3, but by the time it moved into S. Wichita/Haysville, solid F-3. Then it slid its way into McConnell AFB, and the show started. Video shows it making all sorts of weird figures, especially at 45 to almost 50 degree bend mid way thru the funnel. Anyways, it makes it way thru the housing area causing a whole lotta shat. As it passes behind the 3 or 4 story barracks, you can see, just barely, multiple vorticies rotating around it. This is where my questions start. Why did suddenly at least 5 of them just show up basically, at this point it was approaching F-4 strength. Is there any footage showing the complete transition from single vortex to the wedge monster? It heads for Andover, my god what motion it produced, let alone peeking out its large multiple vorticies. Debris is just being shot out ahead of it, and almost appears to snap back towards it, and throw around the backside, like a teatherball. From there, I have yet to see any further footage than was taken from the angle by the Terradyne Country Club, any more exist? I'm looking for every scrap of footage I can possibly get, hell, I'll buy some as well from some people if thats what it takes! I want the original sound too from that video angle, not scary music from Tornadoes The Entity, although it seems quite fitting. I'm still very intreagued by it, honestly, I'll watch the video from the north at least once a week, trying to spot something new. The motion alone is enough to make me drool, but watching how the debris acts is very scary and interesting. Prior to hitting Andover, a huge roof is flying thru the air, thats the elementary school it hit, very close to Greenwich Heights subdivison(F-4 damage). If this had not dissipated and hit El Dorado the same it beat Andover to its knees, my god. Its a very good stroke of luck and chance that it didn't widen to maximum in the City of Wichita. Also, what caused it to just increase in strength and force so quickly, in less than 3 miles it grew by over half, almost three-quarters it hade been for the previous 20 or 30 some odd miles. What are your takes on my favorite tornado and any links or messages or whatever is greatly appreciated.

 

[Mike Johnston]

Well, unfortunately I don't have any new video footage for you, but do have some comments. Although I had long sinced moved from the area by 4/26/1991, my boyhood home was in the path of this tornado, so I am well familiar with the area and was able to receive some accounts through relatives and friends surviving the event. I lived in an outlying neighborhood called Springdale - about midway between Greenwich Heights and Andover. Approximately the southeastern 1/3 of houses in Springdale were hit by the tornado. I went to church at St. Vincent de Paul, the church right on Andover road that was destroyed immediately prior to the storm destroying the trailer park.

Now, one thing I don't understand is that you mentioned a roof from an elementary school near Greenwich Heights being visible in the Terradyne Country Club video. May I ask what your source of information on this was? Terradyne is approximately 3.5 miles east and 2.0 miles north of Greenwich Heights, so this would have been a very considerable distance for a large span roof to remaine airborne. Also, the closest elementary school in the tornado path during this stage would have been Seltzer E.S. located on 127th street. However, Seltzer was not hit. Just curious where this info came from.

Regarding the observation that it didn't widen in the City of Wichita, on its actual path it really would not have had a chance to impact the populated areas in the city proper. Exiting McConnell moving NE it would have been near Rock Road, south of Pawnee Road. The next community in the path is indeed Greenwich Heights near Greenwich and Pawnee Rds. From there, was over mainly farmland for ~ 2 miles before hitting the aforementioned Springdale neighborhood. Then, more rural area for another mile until it crossed U.S. 54 very near the Sedgwick/Butler County line just before entering Andover.

 

[Shane Adams]

Anyone who knows me will tell you, whenever 'all time great tornadoes" come up in the conversation, I have held the Andover, KS tornado as #1 all-world since the day it happened. I have still never seen such utter chaos and violence in a tornado. The air in the funnel rises faster than it rotates, which is a testament to the true violence of that updraft. Les Lemon talked about supercells being much the same way last week on HI, with faster vertical motions than rotational ones.

The scene where it's moving from right to left behind that row of white town homes is the ultimate. IMO Earl Evans has the all-time best violent tornado video ever shot, from a purely tornado perspective (no death-defying hype and Hollywood up close stuff). If I was given the chance to go back in time and chase a historic tornado, Andover would be #2 on my list behind only the April 10, 1979 Wichita Falls tornado (the one that started my obsession).

 

[Justin E. Reed]

Oh, hmm. Well, some big roof was airborne in the area of Greenwich Heights. You can see in the video on Tornadoes The Entity, I have no clue, but i tried to overlay the path on google and road maps, so, lol, that was a guess. Any pictures or anything to help me out would be great to everybody on here. I'm writing a paper for Forecasting School for the Navy, its to get some extra brownie points basically. Thats it, Earl Evans' video is the one I wanna see pure and raw, no music, no nothing, just the plain footage!

 

[Tony Laubach]

I couldn't help but chime in on this as Andover was THE tornado that moved me to chase. I'll never forget watching the Weather Channel that day seeing the McConnell Air Force base video. That, to me, is the best tornado video shot. Shane's description of the tornado behind the houses isn't far behind!

There is no question, nor do I expect there to be a question, that the Andover tornado will be the all-time best video to ever be shot. It was an unbelievable storm that I still watch in awe even to this day.

 

[Danny Neal]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=vx-Eos-DKeM - Very interesting point of view that I have never seen before. Kind of wish the video didn't cut out at the end, but if I saw what he was seeing at that time I would have ran for cover as well.

 

[Jeff Miller]

This was the tornado that provoked me to begin thinking about storm chasing at age 14. (Micheal O'Keefe, you are lucky!) Being at home I was not allowed to chase of course, so I used the rest of my teenage years to study severe weather.

This tornado was the one that fascinated me above all others, and to this day is the icon for tornadoes in my mind.

 

[Justin E. Reed]

Old reliable

of course, this is the one that started it all. You can hear it all, including profanity! HOLY *****, lol seemed to be the words of choice. And the F bomb. Oh well, I'd say em all and some if i saw that.\

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2veLsNZrlSw
In this video, you clearly hear it all and see it all. They get nearly knocked down by the wrap around RFD and/or inflow jet. Also, you can see wayyy off in the distance near Andover, and reveals incredible structure, like you could almost touch God! You can see how it flares its base out and suddenly multiple vorticies are visible, wild stuff, and right before it cuts away, you can see it rapidly growing. Absolutely the single best video EVER, and noone can not say that.

 

[John Olexa]

I couldn't help but chime in on this as Andover was THE tornado that moved me to chase. I'll never forget watching the Weather Channel that day seeing the McConnell Air Force base video.

Just the other day I watched one of the Tornado Video Classics from the Tornado Project. I'm still amazed every time I watch that footage.

But my favorite video is of the Cordell OK, tornado 22 May 1981. where a gust front from the parent thunderstorm hits the bottom part of the tornado and moves it to the right. AWESOME!!

 

[Joel Wright]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=vx-Eos-DKeM - Very interesting point of view that I have never seen before. Kind of wish the video didn't cut out at the end, but if I saw what he was seeing at that time I would have ran for cover as well.

Holy crap!! That's a very interesting video right there. After seeing the original McConnell vid so many times over the years it's very interesting to see the same thing from a different perspective.

I think what makes it even more interesting is knowing that the spot where the vid is getting shot from eventually gets nailed. Kind of gives you a sense of what it'd be like if a tornado was bearing down on your own home. Extremely erie.

Nice find!

 

[Justin E. Reed]

The infamous Earl Evans video!

Here's a snip of Earl Evan's video of the tornado. Taken from TVC, still, what an intense S.O.B this baby was. Mother Nature musta been really good and pissed that day, especially at Andover, geez. I'm still amazed to this day how storng it was, and very grateful this tornado killed as few as it did for its size. Like I said, throw this size 10 miles back and move the track 5 miles further north, we woulda had something far worse then the Moore F5, far far worse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAmKvxIEY20

 

[Jay Cazel]

Here's a snip of Earl Evan's video of the tornado. Taken from TVC, still, what an intense S.O.B this baby was. Mother Nature musta been really good and pissed that day, especially at Andover, geez. I'm still amazed to this day how storng it was, and very grateful this tornado killed as few as it did for its size. Like I said, throw this size 10 miles back and move the track 5 miles further north, we woulda had something far worse then the Moore F5, far far worse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAmKvxIEY20

I remember that day all to well....I was one Rock Road just at the south edge of MAFB. I was with a friend of mine and we where not out really chasing that day but he just found the pictures of that day as soon as I get them scanned in I will post them. Thoses houses in that video clip a friend of mine and his family lived in one of them, they watched it coming right for them. Then it just made a right turn and went on. There is a video of an Andover police officer driving thru that park about 5 minites before it hit, I only saw it once but then he heads back to the police station, left the camera on and you can see it go right thru. My wife lost a coworker in that trailer park.

 

[Megan Kotulak]

go to youtube, a guy under the name of Vortexva has the vid with no music or nothing.

 

[Jeff Wright]

The 2011 Tuscaloosa Tornadoe reminded me a lot of Andover in one scene behind homes with its shaggy appearance. It beat Red Rock hands down on horizontal vortices--that and Cullman

 

[Shawn Schuman]

I assume you're probably referring to this particular piece of video, Jeff?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=nhrLea3sUe8#t=732s

If it weren't for the 90s-esque video tape, I'd almost think I was watching the Tuscaloosa tornado. The 5/31/85 Niles - Wheatland F5 had a very similar appearance in one video as well.