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🌪️ Tornado Talk Updates!

• We are approaching the 40th anniversary of the May 31, 1985 Great Lakes Tornado Outbreak. We have an overview of the event on our website. Over the next month, Zach and I will be working with Nick Wilkes to produce more detailed narratives about some of the tornadoes for this event. These will be published for Patreon members as an early release perk and then will be free to the public!

• On Saturday, May 31, I will have the honor of joining Dr. Greg Forbes, in Warren, OH for a presentation about this event with a focus on the Niles-Wheatland F5.

• Have you joined our channel on Spotify? Each week, I produce “This Week In Tornado History” - A look back at tornadoes of the past. We have also produced audio versions of some of our detailed summaries! Don’t have time to read through an event? I will read it to you! Hoping to add more of those in the future!

• We are still in the review stage of the Guin narrative! It has been released to Patreon members at the $5 level and higher and to some of our contributors. We will continue to implement any feedback through Mid May.

• May is organization month for Tornado Talk! We will be working on miscellaneous projects to get organized for the Virtual Memorial Project. We are also working on smaller narratives and other updates! So, there will be plenty to explore and read!

🌪️ This Week In Tornado History

April 28, 2011 - Virginia: One of the worst tornadoes in Virginia history tore through the Appalachian Mountains and a thriving country town. At a maximum width of 2,320 yards (1.32 miles), it is by far the widest the state has ever seen and wreaked havoc across a 24-mile path. More than a remarkable meteorological event for the region, this twister reshaped hundreds of lives, particularly in the community of Glade Spring.

April 29, 2017 - Texas: An EF4 tornado tracked for 21 miles through Henderson and Van Zandt Counties in Texas. Two people were killed, and 25 were injured as several homes were leveled near Eustace and Canton..

April 30, 1909 - Georgia:  An F3 tornado moved 30 miles through portions of Haralson, Polk, Paulding, and Bartow Counties in Georgia. Seven people were killed in homes in Felton. Five others died south and east of Rockmart. South of Cartersville, another person was killed in a home. 40 were injured along the path.

May 1, 1953 - Alabama: This tornado traveled 12.1 miles through parts of Clay County, AL. It moved ENE from 2 miles North of Millerville, passing 3 miles South of Ashland, to 2 miles South of Lineville. There were 12 injuries and 7 fatalities reported. 19 homes were destroyed and 50 damaged. 36 other buildings were destroyed and 57 damaged. Many chickens were killed, stripped of their feathers.

May 2, 1929 - Virginia: A tragic event occurred due to a tornado at Rye Cove, VA. Here is the account from Thomas Grazulis, “The primary damage was to the school, which sat on a knoll in the center of a valley. The funnel cloud was seen approaching the school, but the teachers and principal did not want to “start a panic,” so nothing was said, hoping it would miss the school. About 155 students were in attendance. Most were at recess outside the two-story building, when it was hit by the tornado. The building fell over, collapsed, and was scattered. Pieces were found up to two miles away, but the entire building was not actually blown apart. Twelve students and a teacher were crushed to death, another 42 were hospitalized.”

May 3, 1948 - Texas: An F3 tornado moved 7 miles through parts of Collin County, TX. It moved through portions of McKinney. “The swath through the south side of that town was 600 yards wide and two miles long.” 600 buildings were heavily damaged. “The most spectacular damage was at the textile mills, where the upper floors were either sheared off or collapsed, exposing the interior to rain. Damage at the mills totaled near $1,000,000.” Three were killed in residential areas. Source: Thomas Grazulis

May 4 ,2007 - Kansas: The first tornado to be given an EF5 rating under the new Enhanced Fujita Scale occurred on this day. It wiped out 95% of Greensburg, KS. Eleven people were killed, some in their basements. The max width of the tornado was 1.7 miles. From an article about the Greensburg tornado by US Tornadoes, “Despite great warning, Greensburg is only about 1.5 miles wide at its widest. So the tornado impacted the whole town in some way. The scene was perhaps better described as post-apocalyptic than post-tornado.” We have a premium summary about this event. We also covered this event in our podcast days. Here is that archived show!

🌪️ Twister Time: Bonus Round

On Sunday, April 27, 2025, severe thunderstorms swept across the Nebraska Panhandle, producing multiple tornadoes, large hail, and a major train derailment along Highway 2 west of Ashby. The storms intensified rapidly, resulting in significant damage across the region. A particularly large and powerful tornado near Hyannis, Nebraska, drew widespread attention from storm chasers, who referred to it as the "tornado of the year" due to its immense size and impact.

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Thank you so much for supporting and promoting our work! - Jen Narramore, Owner Tornado Talk