The Most Powerful Supercell Storm Challenge

[David Brookshier]

As storm chasers we focus our attention on the great supercell storms that bring us out hundreds of miles each year to see. But of all our combined years in chasing which supercell storm stands out as the greatest and most powerful. I was hoping to find that out through a contest since I can't possibly get the information searching through thousands of web sites. With all the great storm shots and chase logs documented on stormtrack I'm sure we can find out which storm is the best of the best. Oh sure one supercell can stand out in one category such as the most violent tornado produced but which storm can win the most points in many categories. Let the 2007 supercell contest begin, one point will be awarded to the winner of each category and the supercell with the most points will be awarded the honor of most powerful and greatest. Please include photographs or storm reports as evidence of why you awarded a certain storm as the winner in a category. For any storm you choose please include the date, location, and if possible photographs. Please include any additional categories that are crucial to this challenge that I may have missed. This is a chance for us to have some fun and show off our storms.

Greatest number of tornados produced
Most violent tornado produced
Greatest number of tornados on the ground at the same time
Largest avarage hail size (measured in inches)
Largest single hail stone
One or more anticyclonic tornados produced
Longest life span (As a supercell)
Greatest distance traveled (in miles)
Fastest speed traveled
Strongest RFD wind
Strongest wind gust
King of the mountain, greatest storm height

 

[Aaron Kennedy]

How do you plan on determining which tornado is most violent?

 

[Justin E. Reed]

How do you plan on determining which tornado is most violent?

damn EF scale

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

I wasn't there, but I believe June 15, 1992 in north central KS would be up there. Maybe some who were there could chime in on it.

 

[Dan Robinson]

I wasn't there, but I believe June 15, 1992 in north central KS would be up there. Maybe some who were there could chime in on it.

Is that the one with five or six tornadic mesos arranged around various flanks of the storm? I agree, from the stories I've heard, that one could take the prize.

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

Is that the one with five or six tornadic mesos arranged around various flanks of the storm? I agree, from the stories I've heard, that one could take the prize.

Yeah, something like that. I think I was watching a video of Sam Barricklow's and Al Moller was on talking about the thing at some small convergence of theirs(it sounded pretty crazy). Robert Prentice has some video from that day on his DVD. I believe Gene Rhoden and David Gold were on it at some point as well.

From Prentice's page:

Also included is the famous June 15, 1992 tornado outbreak across north central Kansas. This poorly documented outbreak ranks as one of the greatest storm chase events of all time with a rotating cluster of supercells producing multiple tornadoes. A report stated a farmer near Waconda Lake came out from his storm cellar three different times during the evening only to note fresh tornado damage each time. The original supercell from this outbreak contained the largest barrel shaped updraft I have ever seen, either in person or on video tape.
Featured in this segment are the violent, multi-vortex Tipton, Kansas tornado; the multi-vortex Simpson, Kansas tornado; and the Asherville, Kansas rope tornado which crossed US 24 about a half mile to my west.

http://members.cox.net/rprentice/chase_1990-1992.htm

Going to have to watch that video again now.

 

[David Brookshier]

How do you plan on determining which tornado is most violent?

Good point with the new EF scale in effect I didn't even consider that but lets go with the old F scale and award the tornado that had the highest measured windspeed. I just don't have the heart to rate the tornado winner on how much destruction or homes were destroyed.

 

[Bart_Comstock]

Good point with the new EF scale in effect I didn't even consider that but lets go with the old F scale and award the tornado that had the highest measured windspeed. I just don't have the heart to rate the tornado winner on how much destruction or homes were destroyed.

That would make it the May 3rd, 99 tornado followed by Red Rock and then Andover, correct?

 

[Justin E. Reed]

See, this is THE major reason why I do not like this new EF scale. I think in fairness to all tornadoes, they need to go back to 1990, and regrade all tornadoes. Red Rock would be an F-5, as well as Mulhall and a few others. We can only hope they will regrade some of the biggie ones, because my mind will always be stuck on the "old" scale.

 

[David Brookshier]

That would make it the May 3rd, 99 tornado followed by Red Rock and then Andover, correct?

The May 3rd 1999 supercell wins a point for the most violent tornado by means of wind speed. But with all these categories in the challenge can any supercell score points in more than one category to top the May 3rd 1999 storm. A point would have to go to the May 29 2004 central Oklahoma HP supercell this storm had an anticyclonic tornaado and possibly two anticyclonic tornados. I'm still researching this to see if the 2nd one is legitamate.

 

[Bart_Comstock]

I was just simply going by wind speed since you said you would rather go by that instead of physical damage for the most violent tornadoes record.

 

[Justin E. Reed]

I was just simply going by wind speed since you said you would rather go by that instead of physical damage for the most violent tornadoes record.

Yes, the did measure the Mulhall tornado, but I think they said they couldn't get a good enough scan of the tornado, so they left. I don't blame them for ditching the Mulhall tornado, some 2 miles wide and at night, wham bam, no thank you maam, I'd be gone. By looking at the Red Rock footage, it appears to have stronger rotational motion than Andover, but honestly, we can thank the good lord it didn't kill, unlike the Andover one, which I witnessed at McConnell with my parents.

 

[Brian Emfinger]

The May 29, 2004 supercell that tracked all the way across Oklahoma could possibly win points for: One or more anticyclonic tornados produced & Strongest RFD wind which technically might be one of the strongest wind gusts but probably not. Its life span was about 12 hours and it produced baseball and larger size hail too but I dont think either of those will be enough to bring points. I will try and find specifics later unless someone already has!

Heres my report on it:
http://www.realclearwx.com/calumet.htm

And base reflectivity from when it was passing near OKC:
http://www.realclearwx.com/okc.mov

 

[Greg Stumpf]

See, this is THE major reason why I do not like this new EF scale. I think in fairness to all tornadoes, they need to go back to 1990, and regrade all tornadoes. Red Rock would be an F-5, as well as Mulhall and a few others. We can only hope they will regrade some of the biggie ones, because my mind will always be stuck on the "old" scale.

If the major DI used to grade tornadoes prior to 1 Feb 07 were single/double family residences (FR12), of which most of them were (since that was the primary DI used in the F-Scale), then all you need to do as add an "E" in front of the F-scale.

Those few cases you cite were observed by mobile Doppler radars. The EF-scale allows for mobile Doppler winds to be used as a proxy for the tornadic wind speed. However, research is still in progress to determine the correct procedure to reduce the radar-measured winds from the altitude above ground where the measurement was taken, down to ground level. Therefore, you cannot directly assign a mobile-radar measured wind as the actual tornado wind speed at the surface. There will be a reduction factor.

Nonetheless, I remain convinced (IMO) that if the Red Rock OK, Oologah OK, and Winfield KS tornadoes of 26 April 1991 had hit large single/double family residence DIs as did the Andover KS tornado, instead of remaining in open country, they would have all have been rated (E)F-5.

 

[Shane Adams]

My vote for the most powerful RFD winds would go to the May 5, 2002 Happy/Wayside/Lesley, etc etc, TX supercell. Those winds pushed us across dry pavement like we were on ice and lifted the rear wheels off the ground briefly. Anyone who has my "Circus" video can hear what it was like (it was pitch dark so the vid was almost non-existent).