Tornadoes with Tentacle Like External Vortices!!

[Dave Gallaher]

I haven't seen this one mentioned in here, yet. A classic in the realm of horizontal vorticies:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUq7TTRXDSc

Thanks for finding that one--I kept remembering one from TVC where the woman's voice said "Isn't that funny looking?"

 

[Bill Tabor]

The Cullman Tornado had even more impressive horizontal fingers than Tuscaloosa, starting at around the 4:45 mark on this tower cam video. They seem to be found on many of the violent tornados from the 27th. At a guess, I'd say you need strong vertical motion to generate them. The actual physics behind these things is probably pretty chaotic.

Wow! That Cullman tornado is INCREDIBLE with all that violent motion chaotic horizontal and multiple vortices interacting! I suspect it must have wreaked some significant damage.

 

[Jeff Wright]

Native peoples have many words for the spawn of Ithaqua (the Wendigo) and Shupnippurkat.

To the Kiowa, he is Man’kayi’a.

In Native Alabama, however the name of the wind-spawn is Mahlikánko.


http://www.marthablake.com/tornado.html
http://www.tapestryinstitute.org/tornado/spiritual.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/588449/a_native_american_myth_about_tornadoes_pg3.html

http://www.bautforum.com/showthread.php/82546-Your-current-weather?p=1885433#post1885433

More on Tuscasloosa
http://www.alabamawx.com/?p=47778
http://www.alabamawx.com/?p=47685

 

[E. Clark]

That is exactly what I was thinking, Bill, was of the horizontal 'satellite' on the Ft. Leonardwood pic- when I watched the Tuscaloosa torn come in on abc33 live feed. I have seen a lot of tornadoes in my lifetime, live and on video with satellites, but I have never seen these 'tentacles' this amazing before this year.

 

[Jeff Duda]

Here's a pretty good example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-tgDx_amc8

 

[Scott A. Kampas]

I forgot about the Brady example; thanks, Jeff. I saw a good example of horizontal subvortices in footage of the El Reno-Piedmont-Guthrie tornado, near the beginning in Jeff Snyder's video. I would look for more as if one occurs on a day, there tend to be more. That was also the case for 13 Mar 1990.

 

[jeremy wilson]

At the end of our Chickasha tornado video these vorticies start to show up. http://youtu.be/avszUNRkV8I

 

[E. Clark]

Wow. I just found this Cullman Tornado footage and it shows multi and spectacular horizontal vortices. http://youtu.be/Z_prZn13JXY

Like you, I have seen a lot of tornadoes; live and on video, and do not ever recall seeing so many or such strong horizontal vortices such as these before. Some wit on Youtube is calling them 'Hornadoes' on another video thread. Sounds silly, but it works.

I believe this can only happen with high ground speed.

 

[Jeff Wright]

It all reminds me of Lovecraft's piece, The Dunwich Horror--the spawn of Yog Sothoth made of "squirmin ropes.'

 

[Todd Renshaw]

If it sprouted some temporary eyes, it could be a shoggoth.

 

[Jeff Wright]

Its an idea for a great horror novella. I had a piece that I call Chase Season, where a lead researcher is actually a resurrected Charles Dexter Ward who has forgotten his ancestry and is doing storm modification with airships. Here, the Tri-State tornado was actually an incarnation of Yog Sothoth, what with airy, rushing presences, and tales of the powers and principalities of the air. The story is set in 2025, a century after tri-state. I'm surprised that more hasn't been done in this vein. Suction vortices as piping flutes--evil spirits that rise and circle and sing...

We see twisters in Poltergeist, Something Wicked This way Comes, and Natural Born Killers? Tall Tale I think, Beavis and Butthead...in a cartoon episode of Emergency! Happy Days, Six Million Dollar Man episode etc. But never in a starring role.

To me what would be most chilling is to have the Weather radio warning broadcast start to break up, and then hearing the computer voice start to chant.. Praise be his comings and goings
http://www.bautforum.com/showthread.php/82546-Your-current-weather?p=1885433#post1885433

Now the hysteria starts
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/06/...d-weather-panic-is-the-new-normal/#more-40695
http://www.bautforum.com/showthread.php/116268-Cold-Air-amp-Tornados?p=1897928#post1897928

 

[Todd Renshaw]

There goes the last of my fragile sanity.

 

[Dave Kaplow]

Now that would make a GREAT tee-shirt... You put a closeup of Cullman at it's weirdest on the front, with a caption underneath reading "Tonadoes With Tentacles!" and then on the back the shirt would read "Miskatonic University Chase Team".

I know I'd buy one!

 

[Jeff Wright]

Now for someone to photoshop one of those horizontal vortices reaching inside a window and pulling someone out...

 

[Kem Poyner]

The first time I seen those horizontal vortices was several years back when Spencer South Dakota was destroyed. That was one mean looking beast. It looked snorting mad and you knew it meant business. Like an angry bull.