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u/Disastrous_Deal3154

Everything You Need to Know About the Damage from Each EF5 Tornado. Volume II, Parkersburg-New Hartford, IA EF5.
▲ 25 r/tornado

Everything You Need to Know About the Damage from Each EF5 Tornado. Volume II, Parkersburg-New Hartford, IA EF5.

Parkersburg-New Hartford, IA EF5 | 25 May 2008.

If there is any important instance/example of damage that I am missing, please feel free to tell me. I will add it to this list.

Structural Damage

  • A total of 17 homes in the tornado's path were assigned EF5 ratings, the maximum-rated structure being rated 205 MPH. 6 of these residences were in Parkersburg proper, whereas 11 were in rural areas (past Parkersburg, New Hartford, etc.)
  • Upon entering the southwestern corner of Parkersburg proper, the tornado impacted a properly-anchored industrial building, in which the structure was swept bare and metal beams were distorted beyond recognition. Official damage contours show that this structure was rated EF4 - it is a misconception that it was rated EF5.
  • Multiple homes in the Parkersburg golf course subdivision, east of Parkersburg, were swept bare, with debris finely granulated and windrowed for extreme distances, potentially hundreds to thousands of yards. One of these homes had the most textbook structural failures in recent history, as sill plates held down by properly-spaced anchor bolts with nuts and washers were ripped away, with the bolts laterally bent (signifying that the home was extremely well-anchored and failed correctly).
  • At this same home, a concrete walkout basement wall was pushed over by a combination of debris impact and tornadic winds. Under an idealized situation, Ethan Moriarty calculated this feat to require ~273 MPH winds. The concrete basement walls inside the home (not the same as the walkout basement wall) cracked at the floor-wall joint in at least one location.
  • In a home near Parkersburg, a rod of #4 rebar was fractured (sheared) at ground level.
  • A CMU-style home in New Hartford was "trenched" - a fatality was recorded in the basement of this home.

Vegetation

  • Hardwood trees in Parkersburg with multiple layers of bark suffered partial debarking. Some less-resistant hardwood trees were fully debarked, denuded, and partially ground to stumps.
  • Between Parkersburg and New Hartford (as well as in New Hartford), large hardwood trees were fully debarked. In one instance, a tree was "shredded" towards the ground, as if the tornado had taken the tree and peeled it outwards in all directions.
  • Non-debris-impact-induced debarking occurred (debarking trees without debris impact is uncommon).
  • Trees were uprooted, lofted, thrown, plastered in debris, etc.

Vehicles

  • Multiple vehicles were thrown hundreds of yards, mangled well beyond recognition, stripped to their bare chassis and embedded in the ground, fragmented into multiple pieces, etc.
  • A vehicle "graveyard" was constructed for the multitudes of vehicles that were beyond repair.
  • In the previously-mentioned "trenched" home in New Hartford, a vehicle was thrown hundreds of yards, with the engine block separated from the frame of the vehicle and thrown hundreds of yards in the opposite direction.
  • One vehicle was reduced to its thin bottom frame (chassis) and tangled in a tree.

Object Displacement

  • Near a granary site east of Parkersburg, heavy machinery was displaced impressive distances. The large granaries at this site (containing corn) were deformed and deroofed.
  • As mentioned previously, vehicles were thrown hundreds of yards and mangled well beyond recognition.

Other

  • Interactions with gravity waves aloft in the atmosphere allowed the Parkersburg supercell to rapidly intensify.
  • Due to inconsistencies in the damage path and damage contours (EF-ratings at specific locations in the tornado's path), it has been determined that the Parkersburg supercell actually cycled around the Cedar Falls area, and once more near Dunkerton. This has significant implications about the tornado's path length, forward speed, maximum width (which was recorded near Dunkerton - the Parkersburg tornado was likely ~0.8 miles wide), media, and meteorological legacy. (Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DewcUnD--8&t=851s )
  • Ridiculously intense cycloidal marks were observed between Parkersburg proper and the granary site. Cycloidal marks were also observed in the other two tornadoes - the famous "S-shaped curve" mark is from the Dunkerton EF2.
  • In the New Hartford area, a graveyard site was impacted. Besides trees being debarked and shredded and mangled/pancaked vehicles being tangled in shrubbery, gravestones were toppled. Toppled headstones at gravesites have also been observed in the 1985 Niles, OH-Wheatland, PA F5, 1985 Beaver Falls, PA F3, 1979 Windsor Locks, CT F4, and 1974 Xenia-Wilberforce, OH F5.
  • Pavement was scoured along Highway 57, between Parkersburg and New Hartford.
u/Disastrous_Deal3154 — 15 days ago
▲ 124 r/tornado

When considering the most intense/"strongest" EF4 tornadoes, I find that Ringgold is occasionally in the discussion, but not exactly for the correct reason. Yes, the damage in Ringgold (particularly Cherokee Valley Road as the tornado was exiting Ringgold) is ridiculously intense - lines of trees debarked and snapped near ground level, EXP-resistance homes powderized to oblivion, with debris windrowed for hundreds of yards, very impressive treefall on slopes and hillsides, perhaps even some moderate ground scouring - but this is not where the tornado was at peak intensity. That would occur in the Tennessee portion of the tornado, near Apison.

In terms of the Ringgold tornado, I find that the TN portion of the tornado near Apison in Cleveland is severely underdiscussed. SSE of Apison, on Bill Jones Road, is actually where the highest-rated DI of the tornado was documented, as a multi-story, anchored home set on a block foundation with brick veneer was swept bare, with nearby large, mature hardwood trees fully uprooted. This site was awarded a rating of 190 MPH. Rather intense ground scouring, treefall and tree debarking, and vehicle damage (including a Lincoln Town Car thrown 225 yds. and severely mangled and multiple other vehicles thrown ≥100 yds.) were also reported in this area.

Media of the tornado in this portion of its life is rather hard to come by, but videos and photographs show a large, dark, condensed stovepipe illuminated as it traverses the hundreds of slopes in the mountainous region of SE Tennessee.

190 MPH DI Home Video SSE of Apison: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMyQ-guYJYQ

Extremely Rare Footage of the Ringgold Tornado Near Apison, TN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEI4noYnmJE

Ringgold Tornado Near Apison, TN (Illuminated at 0:14): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhamF8EO3ks&list=PLIzUV2KTuAGeiBLzZbbdiL4NqR-rPouWP&index=26

Damage Aftermath Near Apison, TN: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/x8nqfRG9mSQ

Ringgold Tornado Near Cleveland, TN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4nQkr_svA4&list=PLIzUV2KTuAGeiBLzZbbdiL4NqR-rPouWP&index=33

Synchronized Videos of the Ringgold Tornado (TN Portion Begins at 7:02): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4vObX3pNak

u/Disastrous_Deal3154 — 17 days ago
▲ 48 r/tornado

Greensburg, KS EF5 | 04 May 2007.

If there is any important instance/example of damage that I am missing, please feel free to tell me. I will add it to this list.

Structural Damage

  • FR12 | DOD10 | EXP-UB = >200-205 MPH for four residences south of Greensburg proper, up-close videos and imagery show the presence of anchor bolts with nuts, washers, and properly applied sill plates.
  • EF5 rating assigned to 7 homes in total, 5 of which were in Greensburg proper.
  • Greensburg high school - triple-wythe unreinforced masonry walls sustained collapse. An MBS structure appendage to the school also sustained damage. Personal estimate: ~195 MPH. Tim Marshall alluded to this structure as being "close to EF5".
  • 95% of Greensburg proper damaged or destroyed.
  • The Greensburg Mennonite Church, a large, brick masonry church, was reduced to rubble.
  • Some foundations in Greensburg may have allegedly suffered damage.

Vegetation

  • Hardwood trees in and surrounding Greensburg were fully debarked, denuded, and in some cases stubbed (reduced to bare stumps).
  • Projectiles, in some cases silverware and sheet metal, were embedded deeply into debarked trees.

Vehicles

  • Multiple vehicles were violently pancaked, flattened, mutilated, mangled, shredded to unrecognizable pieces, fragmented, etc.
  • In one instance, a silver pickup truck was thrown ~1 mile, with only the smashed front frame of the truck recovered.

Object Displacement

  • Multiple large steel tanks, originating ~7 miles south of Greensburg, were found deposited in Greensburg proper, having been carried by the circulation the entire distance. Most of these tanks were mangled or extremely battered.
  • Heavy farm machinery was displaced extreme distances and mangled, including a combine.

Other

  • A segment of railroad tracks north of Greensburg was bent by the tornado.
  • Extreme powderization/atomization of debris - most apparent in the 4 homes swept south of Greensburg.
  • A poorly constructed home in Greensburg proper was so annihilated that it was described as 'trenched'.
  • Manhole covers were uprooted in Greensburg.
  • Scouring several inches deep in loam soil occurred south of Greensburg.
  • Highest radar-indicated Vrot of any EF5 tornado. Occurred in one of the most intense tornadic environments ever recorded.
  • A persistent "hole" in precipitation in the core of the tornado was noted on radar - an extremely rare occurrence, suggesting a ridiculously violent and mature core.
  • Windrowing of debris occurred up to 0.25-0.5 miles away from the core of the tornado.
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u/Disastrous_Deal3154 — 18 days ago