Pictures of F5 tornadoes

[HurricaneBill]

I like to collect tornado pictures, so I thought I'd treat you to some from my collection.

I've found 20 pictures of F5 tornadoes. (Note: The locations listed below are the areas hardest hit, not necessarily where the tornado was photographed.)

Here they are:

April 3, 1956: Grand Rapids, Michigan

May 20, 1957: Ruskin Heights, Missouri

June 20, 1957: Fargo, North Dakota

April 3, 1964: Wichita Falls, Texas

June 8, 1966: Topeka, Kansas

May 15, 1968: Charles City, Iowa

June 13, 1968: Tracy, Minnesota

April 3, 1974: Xenia, Ohio

April 3, 1974: Sayler Park, Ohio

June 13, 1976: Jordan, Iowa

May 31, 1985: Niles, Ohio

March 13, 1990: Hesston, Kansas

April 26, 1991: Andover, Kansas

June 16, 1992: Chandler, Minnesota

July 18, 1996: Oakfield, Wisconsin

May 27, 1997: Jarrell, Texas

April 16, 1998: Waynesboro, Tennessee

May 3, 1999: Moore, Oklahoma

May 4, 2007: Greensburg, Kansas

June 22, 2007: Elie, Manitoba, Canada

[WindRunner]

Absolutely beautiful! It's a nice reprieve from all this bland rain on every front that isn't severe any more but isn't snow yet.

[Extremeweatherguy]

Very cool pictures. However, I recived a pretty weird message when I clicked on the "March 13, 1990: Hesston, Kansas" link. Here is what it said...

SORRY - YOUR IP ADDRESS HAS BEEN BANNED -

Thank you for not stalking!

Did anyone else see this message?

[CajunMama]

Yeah, i got the same message ewg.

[HurricaneBill]

I just changed the Hesston link to a "friendlier" link. It should work now.

[MiamiensisWx]

Does anyone have an image of the Guin, Alabama F5 from April 3, 1974? It has been noted as one of the strongest AL tornadoes, but information has been quite sparse. It was the longest-lived F5 from the Super Outbreak.

By the way, here is a great site that contains rarer images of several tornadoes from the Super Outbreak. It includes some F4 and F5 events.

http://www.april31974.com/

You forgot the Brandenburg, KY F5 from April 3, 1974. It stripped bark from trees. Additionally, it was among the longest-lived F5 tornadoes from the outbreak.

Information and great images:

http://www.april31974.com/brandenburg_ky_april_3_1974.htm

http://www.april31974.com/our_meade_county_heritage.htm

http://www.april31974.com/overall_destruction_brandenburg.htm

http://www.april31974.com/survivor_stories_from_brandenburg.htm

http://www.april31974.com/more_tornado_stories.htm

http://www.april31974.com/f5_tornado_survior_stories_brandenburg.htm

http://www.april31974.com/f5_tornado_brandenburg.htm

That was a powerful event.

[Cyclenall]

Awesome topic since I love tornadoes so much.

To the topic creator, the 4th photo I've seen similar ones before with a man running and the F5 in the background just like that. The 1st and 2nd photos are one's I've never seen before but that 2nd one looks wicked because it's so vintage!

I haven't seen a lot of those pictures for some reason.

[HarlequinBoy]

Wow, impressive and scary.

I'd never seen a picture of the Waynesboro, TN tornado.

[MiamiensisWx]

This video includes information and several images about the Guin, AL F5.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmfk0ItQjBE

[Calasanjy]

The images I find the most impressive are the ones of the '64 Wichita Falls twister and the 1998 Lawrence Co., TN wedge. In that photo the Wichita Falls tornado looks so immense in comparison to the city below. Are there any motion footage videos of that one available online? Also, it's fortunate that the Waynesboro tornado remained over open countryside for the majority of its lifetime. Although it caused a couple fatalities, by the looks of it it certainly had the potential to wreak serious havoc. If there is any video footage of that one I'd also be very interested in seeing it.

[HurricaneBill]

Although probably not as well-known as the infamous 1979 F4 tornado, the 1964 Wichita Falls F5 tornado is significant in its own right. It was one of the first tornadoes broadcasted live on television.

The 1966 Topeka F5 tornado was the first tornado to to cause $100 million in damage. If adjusted to inflation, it remains one of the costliest tornadoes in the U.S.

According to a local Native American legend, a hill called Burnett's Mound was supposed to protect the city of Topeka from tornadoes. The F5 tornado moved up and passed directly over Burnett's Mound, and then moved down the hill into Topeka.

The 1968 Tracy, MN tornado is a good example of how a rope tornado can produce F5 damage.

The 1985 Niles, OH tornado was one of only 3 F5 tornadoes during the 1980s. The other two F5s were the Broken Bow, OK tornado of 1982, and the Barneveld, WI tornado of 1984.

[Category 5]

It's cool how they come in all shapes and sizes, when most would picture an F5 as a mile wide bulldozer.

[Calasanjy]

It's cool how they come in all shapes and sizes, when most would picture an F5 as a mile wide bulldozer.

Absolutely. I find it remarkable how even a small rope funnel can produce F5 level damage. The Tracy, MN tornado of June 1968 and the Oakfield, WI tornado of July 1996 are prime examples of smaller-sized twisters doing F5 damage.

By the way, has anyone seen any photos of the Broken Bow, OK F5 or the March 1966 "Candlestick Park" F5 in Jackson, MS? Also, does anyone know where to find footage from the TV broadcast of the '64 Wichita Falls twister?

Also, is there any veracity to the hypothesis that the quicker the "twisting motion" of the funnel the stronger the winds will be?

[Calasanjy]

Also, here are links to a few interesting F5 tornado videos I found on YouTube:

June 20, 1957 Fargo, ND F5 tornado:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-3RlwNSYPk

June 8, 1966 Topeka, KS F5 tornado:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4dgRgYFyoM

May 31, 1985 F5 tornado at Wheatland, PA:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qfxGYbfVPQ

[Cyclenall]

Also, is there any veracity to the hypothesis that the quicker the "twisting motion" of the funnel the stronger the winds will be?

I think there is IMO since the Elie Manitoba tornado of this year was a rope F5 and there is video of it twisting extremly fast. It's been described as a "drillpress" type.

[Calasanjy]

I think there is IMO since the Elie Manitoba tornado of this year was a rope F5 and there is video of it twisting extremly fast. It's been described as a "drillpress" type.

I assume that would be the case because the speed of rotation would probably correlate to the wind speed. However, it may be difficult to notice this in larger "wedge" tornadoes where the most intense rotation could be obscured by the surrounding condensation funnel, IMO.

While discussing F5 tornadoes, how many true F5s do you believe have occurred since 1950??? Some ratings are debatable, such as the April 26, 1991 Red Rock, OK F4 and the May 4, 2003 Franklin, MO area tornado. In addition, are meteorologists positive that some tornadoes passing over farm country that received only F1, F2, or F3 ratings may not have been significantly stronger at some point where they were not damaging structures?

[Cyclenall]

In addition, are meteorologists positive that some tornadoes passing over farm country that received only F1, F2, or F3 ratings may not have been significantly stronger at some point where they were not damaging structures?

I thought of that about a few tornadoes that have occurred this year including the other major tornado that hit Manitoba like the Elie one which was rated F3 but I thought it looked way stronger like a F4 or F5. When it looked like that at the time, it wasn't near any stuctures or trees so I suspect that maximum strength could have been stronger.

[ohiostorm]

It's crazy seeing Ohio having that many F5s.