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- Tornado Talk Weekly (August 21, 2023)
Tornado Talk Weekly (August 21, 2023)
New Free Summary Release!
Company Updates!
From Owner, Jen Narramore
We have a new FREE summary on the website written by Nelson Tucker! During the evening of June 5, 2005, a massive, discrete supercell meandered across the arid plains of west-central Texas. With a forward speed of just 5 mph, it spent more than five hours over almost total wilderness in Borden and Howard Counties. The storm produced six tornadoes, the strongest of which is the focus of this summary.
Debarked vegetation just west of County Road 41. Photo from the NWS Midland/Odessa.
This Week In Tornado History!
August 21: In 1888, an F2 tornado moved east-northeast from 6 miles SW of Wilmington, DE, passing one mile south of the city. One man was killed at Hares Corner. Approximately 40 buildings were damaged/destroyed including five homes.
August 22: 14 tornadoes are recorded in the SPC Database for August 22, 1964. They hit parts of Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin. The strongest was an F4 that crossed through parts of Ozaukee County, WI and the town of Port Washington. One home was split in two, “as if by a giant axe.” A sleeping baby near the split was not disturbed. Read our summary!
Image from newspapers.com.
August 23: On this day in 2011, an EF2 tornado ripped a 7-mile path through Clark and Wood Counties in Central Wisconsin. Two people were injured. The worst damage occurred near Chili, where several homes and barns were damaged or destroyed.
Photo of the tornado via NWS La Crosse.
August 24: In 1901, an estimated F2 tornado tracked 11 miles across portions of Richmond County, NY into Union and Hudson Counties in NJ. Three people were injured. Approximately 200 homes had roof damage, mainly in Jersey City.
August 25: Tropical Storm Fay dropped an EF2 tornado in Cleburne County, AL, on August 25, 2008. It was on the ground for only 0.36. miles, but heavily damaged a gas station, an autobody shop, and downed numerous trees.
August 26: On this day in 1864: Approximately 30 people were injured, some serious, when an Indianapolis & Cincinnati Railroad was derailed by a tornado. The three passenger cars, “made two complete revolutions, and landed with their wheels uppermost.”
August 27: We have a summary about the first tornado on record to cause fatalities in Arizona. It occurred on August 27, 1964. It was a quick-hitting twister, later rated F2 and moved through a Native American Settlement near the San Xavier Mission about 4 miles from Tucson. Mrs. Lucy Norris and her 9-month-old son, Marcian were killed.
Image from newspapers.com.
Twister Tales!
On December 3, 1978, an F4 tornado pushed 6.2 miles striking Bossier City, LA. Ted Fujita, with colleagues Robert Abbey and James McDonald and Official-in-Charge Ernest Ethridge of the National Weather Service surveyed the damage and produced a detailed survey.
From Fujita’s preliminary report after the survey: “From a meteorological and engineering point of view, the Bossier City tornado has provided us with new knowledge on tornado winds:
“The infrared temperature and the area of the parent cloud were not as significant as that of other clouds in the squall line.”
“The six I-beams which supported the roof of the Meadowview Elementary School became airborne. The I-beam missiles, each weighing 700 lbs (300 kg), became lodged in the ground or house after traveling up to 350 m (1100 ft) from original locations.”
“The tornado was characterized by a high-core and a fast tangential velocity. In the Meadowview area, the core radius was reduced to 15 m (50 ft) while the maximum tangential velocity was estimated to be over 150 mph.”
“A 40 mph translation motion of the tornado will induce peak winds lasting only one to two seconds. Most of the structural damage must have been completed within such a short time.”
Overview of the Bossier City tornado track. Colors indicate the tornado's intensity. From NWS Shreveport. (Modified from Fujita, 1979)
Article of the Week!
California hasn't been hit by a tropical storm in 84 years
A great overview of the history of tropical systems that have had an impact on Southern California over the years.
Tropical cyclone tracks approaching southern California since 1949. Image via AccuWeather.
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