2007–2015
To be on this list it would need to have anything that is…
- Damage
- Ground.
- scoured Less then 2 feet deep (Trench digging or severe scouring) – fast forward speed
- scoured up to 2+ feet deep (Trench digging or severe scouring) – average forward speed
- scoured up to 4+ feet deep (Trench digging or severe scouring) – slow forward speed or weak ground.
- Trees:Nothing left.
- Frame house:slab is cracked,broken or pushed.
- Vehicle.
- 1 tonne or less Thrown 4+ miles away.
- 1-9 tonne Thrown 2+ mile away.
- 10+ tonne Thrown 1+ miles away, or never found.
- debris: Granulation of debris so severe that you would think nothing was built.
- Ground.
- Animal-Human Related
- Body deformation
- Visual-Audio (Not used go see the likely list)
- Wind-Velocity
- DOW Wind speed of 270 MPH
- Radar Velocity (Gate to Gate) Delta V of 270mph 234.6knots
- Radar Velocity (TVS) Vrot of 270mph 234.6knots
- Listed
- by Thomas P. Grazulis
- by NWS
- by SPC
- by NOAA
- by Fujita
- Damage survey
- listed of having 207+ mph winds but not EF5?
EF3 Tornado
Pending…
EF4 Tornado
Pending…
EF4 Tornado
Year: 2011
Day: April 27
Country: USA
State: Alabama
Area: Cullman/Arab
Fatalities: 6
Note likely to downgrade on my tier list
| Reason 1 for being in nearly certainly | Several large trees ripped out of the ground and missing. |
Notes:
A violent long track tornado developed on the north side of Lewis Smith Lake.
The tornado tracked northeast into the city of Cullman.
Some of the worst damage occurred just northeast of U.S. Highways 31 and 278.
Several small retail buildings were completely destroyed.
along with the near total destruction of a large church.
Just north of Fairview, 2 homes were destroyed with significant portions of the homes not found. Further northeast, the tornado caused major structural damage to several old (early 1900s) homes. Numerous hardwood trees were debarked.
From Cullman County into extreme southeast Morgan County near the town of Hulaco.
Several cinder block and old construction homes were destroyed, and numerous trees were snapped and sheared toward the base.
Then crossed into northwest Marshall County north of Arab, in the Ruth community, Mount Oak and Frontier Roads were hardest hit where a cinder block/cement home was nearly wiped clean.
Debris from a home on Frontier Road was thrown 50 to 100 yards away.
A trailer was missing and a metal-bolted garage was wiped clean of its foundation.
A large brick home was nearly wiped clean off its foundation with several large trees ripped out of the ground and missing.
Several concrete power poles were bent over, some bent at the base.
A gas station building was completely demolished and two gas pumps were ripped from the ground and missing.
Tree damage in rural areas that was most likely indicative of EF5 intensity.
EF4 Tornado
#5 TVS: Delta V: 240.2 knots (Vrot = 120.1 knots)
# 6 Gate-to-gate: Delta V: 212.2 knots (Vrot = 106.1 knots)
Year: 2011
Day: April 27
Country: USA
State: Alabama
Area: Reform–Oakman–Cordova–Blountsville
Fatalities: 13
| Reason 1 for being in nearly certainly | TVS: Delta V: 240.2 knots (Vrot = 120.1 knots) |
Notes:
One of the mobile home undercarriages was tossed at least 500 yards (460 m). A 5-ton bulldozer was flipped over, a pickup truck was tossed 200 yards (180 m), and a dump truck was tossed 50 yards (46 m) and destroyed. A two-ton trailer was thrown 1 mile (1.6 km) and left a 2.5-foot (0.76 m) deep crater where it impacted the ground. Two double-wide mobile homes were tossed at least 100 yards (91 m).
A cinder block construction home was leveled and a car was thrown 130 yards (120 m). Nearby, an underground storm shelter collapsed onto the occupants sheltering inside as the tornado passed overhead.
EF4+ Tornado
# 2 TVS: Delta V: 249.1 knots (Vrot = 124.55 knots)
#2 Gate-to-gate: Delta V: 243.6 knots (Vrot = 121.8 knots)
Year: 2011
Day: April 27
Country: USA
State: Alabama
Area: Tuscaloosa–Birmingham
Fatalities: 64
| Reason 1 for being in nearly certainly | Listed as EF5 in some source |
| Reason 2 for being in nearly certainly | TVS: Delta V: 249.1 knots (Vrot = 124.55 knots) |
Notes:
Officially rated high-end EF4
though the final rating was a source of controversy
and one survey team rated some of the damage as EF5.
Many homes
a large section of an apartment building
and a clubhouse were swept away
though these structures were either poorly anchored
lacked interior walls
or surrounded by contextual damage not consistent with an EF5 tornado.
A manhole cover was removed from a drain and thrown into a ravine near the clubhouse.
A 34-tonne (74,957 lb) railroad trestle support structure was thrown 100 ft (30 m) up a hill
and a 35.8-tonne (78,925 lb) coal car was thrown 391 ft (119 m) through the air.
EF4 Tornado
Year: 2011
Day: April 27
Country: USA
State: Alabama-Tennessee
Area: Fackler-Stevenson-Bridgeport-Haletown
Fatalities: 1
Note likely to downgrade on my tier list
| Reason 1 for being in nearly certainly | Broken Slab |
Notes:
A well-built home was completely swept away in Bridgeport and a set of concrete stairs was torn from the foundation and left on the slab. The corner of the slab was partially pulled up.
EF4+ Tornado
# 45 TVS: Delta V: 186.4 knots (Vrot = 93.2 knots)
#21 (tie) Gate-to-gate: Delta V: 184.5 knots (Vrot = 92.2 knots)
Year: 2011
Day: May 24
Country: USA
State: Oklahoma
Area: Chickasha–Blanchard–Newcastle
Fatalities: 1
| Reason 1 for being in nearly certainly | Listed as EF5 in some source |
Notes:
Officially rated a high-end EF4 however
the survey conducted by NWS Norman mentions this tornado as being a “plausible EF5”.
Well-built homes with anchor bolts were swept away
pavement was scoured from roads and driveways
and vehicles were thrown up to 600 yd (549 m) away
some of which were torn into multiple pieces or stripped down to their frames.
Trees were reduced to completely debarked stumps
and severe ground scouring occurred
with all grass and several inches of topsoil removed in some areas.
A reinforced concrete dome home was severely damaged and cracked.
EF4+ Tornado
Year: 2011
Day: May 24
Country: USA
State: Oklahoma
Area: Washington–Goldsby
Fatalities: 0
| Reason 1 for being in nearly certainly | Listed as EF5 in some source |
Notes:
Officially a high-end EF4
but rating is disputed.
Large and well-built homes with anchor bolts were swept completely away
extensive ground scouring occurred
and vehicles were thrown long distances and mangled almost beyond recognition.
EF3+ Tornado
# 1 TVS: Delta V: 298.7 knots (Vrot = 149.35 knots)
#3 Gate-to-gate: Delta V: 233.6 knots (Vrot = 116.8 knots)
Year: 2013
Day: May 31
Country: USA
State: Oklahoma
Area: El Reno
Fatalities: 8
| Reason 1 for being in nearly certainly | DOW recorded winds over 290-336 MPH |
| Reason 2 for being in nearly certainly | TVS: Delta V: 298.7 knots (Vrot = 149.35 knots) |
| Reason 3 for being in nearly certainly | Listed as EF5 in some source |
Notes:
Largest tornado on record at 2.6 miles (4.2 km) wide.
Was initially rated EF5 based solely on mobile Doppler radar measurements
which recorded winds over 295 mph (470 km/h).
However
the most significant structural damage was rated EF3
as the tornado did not strike any buildings when the EF5 winds were recorded.
Rating was eventually downgraded to EF3 because of this
though the practicality of the downgrade has been disputed by some meteorologists.
Famous storm chaser Tim Samaras is one of the fatalities.
Tornado also formed from the ground up.
EF4+ Tornado
# 58 TVS: Delta V: 180.7 knots (Vrot = 90.35 knots)
Year: 2014
Day: April 27
Country: USA
State: Arkansas
Area: Vilonia
Fatalities: 16
| Reason 1 for being in nearly certainly | Listed as EF5 in some source |
Notes:
Officially rated high-end EF4
though the rating was a major source of controversy
and meteorologist/civil engineer Timothy P. Marshall noted that the rating assigned was “lower-bound”
and also noted “the possibility that EF5 winds could have occurred” despite the structural flaws responsible for the EF4 rating.
Numerous homes were swept completely away with only bare slabs left
including one that was well-bolted to its foundation
and extensive wind-rowing of debris occurred.
Trees were completely debarked and denuded
shrubs were shredded and debarked
and vehicles were thrown hundreds of yards and stripped down to their frames.
A large 29,998-pound metal fertilizer tank was found approximately 3/4 of a mile away from where it originated.
Extensive ground scouring occurred as well.
Offtopic but this is somthing to look into
2016-2021
EF4+ Tornado
Year: 2016
Day: May 25
Country: USA
State: Kansas
Area: Chapman
Fatalities: 0
Note likely to downgrade/Upgrade on my tier list
| Reason 1 for being in nearly certainly | Broken Slab |
Notes:
An anchor-bolted brick farm home was swept away and was ripped from its foundation so violently that part of the foundation was severely cracked
though the area surrounding the home was not swept completely clean.
Vehicles and large pieces of farm machinery were thrown and mangled beyond recognition
and a section of metal railroad track was bent horizontally by the tornado.
Officially rated very high-end EF4 with winds of 200 mph (320 km/h)
though NWS Topeka damage surveyors later noted that based on the severity of the damage in rural areas
it “could have very well been” rated EF5 had it struck Chapman directly.
Josh's Natural Disaster Info 