@jmeier37 It's not uncommon for a supercell that powerful to drop a series of tornadoes, which often build in strength. In this case, the worst of the bunch came first at Parkersburg. But the Hazleton wedge was no piker. I was glad that it didn't hit the town directly.
I was on 218 when it crossed over. I saw this tornado and saw Parkersburg a couple hours after it hit. I hope I never see devastation as bad as this ever again.
I remember being at my grandparents' house, and my friend called me and says "dude, Parkersburg is gone". And I'm like "what?" He's like "it got hit by a tornado, it's gone". I'd been through there a few months earlier for a quiz bowl as a member of an opposing team (we were all freshies at the time, we got 4th up against teams of seniors). But, I remember being in that building, and now it's just gone...
An el-cheapo. It's a Sony TRV260 that I bought used from a buddy of mine for $80. It's a far stretch from one of those $2,000 units, but it's all I could afford, and it does the job for me just fine. In fact, it really came through for me, because at the time I hadn't figured out how to use my brand-new Canon DSLR, and the auto settings were giving me all kinds of grief in low-light conditions. That little, secondhand camcorder saved the day.
Thanks for the info. Yea it is a maze of gravel road SE of Fairbank.
I drove out to Parkersburg 7 weeks after, and it still looked like a town hit by artillery in Bosnia.
The same weekend, I drove along Dunkerton Rd West of Dunkerton, and then the gravel roads NW of Dunkerton, and for miles to the West you could see stand, after stand of shredded trees marking the path towards Fairbank.
Good question, and unfortunately 'm not good at mental record keeping. Where we first encountered the circulation, we were heading south on a paved highway. We got south of the developing tornado, then headed east . The storm was turning right, and we stairstepped to stay southeast of the rotation. Looking at my Street Atlas, I'm going to say that from CR 57, we dropped down to 130th St., and wound up at 140th St. and SR 150. I think that most and maybe all of the video was shot on 130th St.
I was chasing this cell and that day was one of the scariest chase days of my life. I learned to be more calm and patient when the next one comes around.
Feel free to post some of your own original tornado video and show us what scary is all about, Sam. Though frankly, I don't particularly care about "scary." I'm not after some kind of effect, just the storms themselves.
I'm going to go out on a limb and assume you've never been in a tornado, Sammy.
Take it from someone that has when I say it will make you piss yourself.
Although over in less than 30 seconds, the combination of insane wind, deafening noise, change in air pressure, bizzare and hard to describe "electric feel" to the air, and simply knowing what it is that is happening all conspire for about 5 seconds to make you KNOW, not think, you are about to die. It's not scary at all...it's terrifying.
im hoping that NE iowa, around charles city has one, id love to get a video of it, ever since the movie Twister iv been facinated with tornados. i just knew that i was by parkersberg. i followed a couple of chasers for a bit but then went on my own route. i just knew that i wanted to get close but not too close, theres no way id have a chance to get away, well if you get any more footage in iowa id love to see it on here
I am still chastising myself for not staying put in about this very position that this video was taken while I was chasing. I ended up going farther south and could not see anything. Maybe I will get another shot in the future, but the odds are low on getting another day like it was that day.
There is a current study I am doing on where there will be a better chance for tornadoes each year. It is different each year a little bit. I am a meteorologist and soon will have a book out on which years will be more tornado prone for certain areas, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me! I also love chasing storms when I can and also hope that we will see some awesome but non deadly storms!
Thanks for that, DJM! I'm hoping for a few opportunities this year that can at least come close to what I got last year. Wish I had a better video camera, but until I can afford to upgrade, I'll make do with what I've got and be grateful for it.
Just to clarify, this is not the Parkersburg tornado. It is the tornado that followed it--same supercell, but tornado #2. Obviously pretty huge, but it didn't take out half a town.
Jharrington22, I'm sorry your place got hit. That had to have been terrifying for you and your family. I hope you've made good progress rebuilding.
ya she was big, i live in charles city, not to far away from parkersburg, i was following it for awhile i was about 1/2 mile out of parkersburg when it touched down.
This is some of the better footage I have seen of this tornado. The thing was so blasted big and covered in rain-wrap that was really hard to see. It wiped us out just east of New Hartford.
O my gosh, i was sitting @ home when i heard the tornado sirens going off. I was so scared. I dont live in Parkersberg but I live in a town near Parkersberg. My home was damaged but it wasn't as bad as the people of Parkersberg.
i live in independence,ia just 15 miles or so south of hazleton.....ill never forget this day.prolly the biggest tornado ive ever experienced thus far in my life
Just went and viewed my video of this "beast" and from my vantage point 1-3 miles SE of your location you can see the hudge wedge, but only the eastern edge due to how it was buried in the wall cloud, thanks for the great video!
We noticed in some of our video a lightning flash, then a few seconds later a flash from the ground that did not resemble lightning, but poweline flashes. We eventually moved, not knowing that I was looking at a possible wedge due to the poor contrast, how was your view from your area and exactly how far from Fairbank were you?
I was actually chasing this tornado, too. My chase partner Derrick and I were 2.5 miles south of Hazleton, on Hwy 150 on a hill and could not tell actually where the tornado was until I examined my video. The tornado was rain wrapped and with so much humidity in the air it made it very hard to distinguished.
It's hard to see, particularly with the resolution on YouTube. But about halfway through the video, you'll start to see a churning mass of dirt start to emerge.
Yes, that's terrible. It's also an incredible testimony to the character and spirit of the Boy Scouts at that camp. Just for the record, though, that was a different storm; the one in this video was a few weeks earlier.
Yea my earlier post is about Boy Scouts, they were in 2 or 3 groups, 1 was hiking, the others watching a movie, and they were caught unaware, and didnt have a shelter...
Lol, that was the whole state away from me, i live in western Iowa, but i was near (A Few miles) from the tornado at the Boy Scout Camp in Little Sioux, which killed 4, it was really scary, i could see the tornado from my basement window, it happened just a few hours ago, and was my first tornado.
I know! It was Pretty Freaky! I really think that it sould have had a shelter! And since all the tornados happen in Boone (sp) i think they would know that!
I know. It was hard to see what was going on in there at the time. The wall cloud was broad and very low, and the circulation was wrapping in a tremendous amount of dust and rain. You can't see a distinct funnel, though about midway through, you can see a huge, churning blender of dirt emerge beneath the wall cloud. I'm reminded of the Great Tri-State Tornado of 1925, which was described as a fog rolling along the ground with tree limbs in it.
indianola....
coolkillincam 2 weeks ago
lol this is the date raywilliamjohnson joined youtube
lolmagicproductions 2 months ago
i just wanna cry
HaleighS777 2 months ago
The only devastation I saw worse than Parkersburg was Greensburg Kansas. Man they got killed. And at night too.
jmeier37 1 year ago
Its amazing to think that front hit Parkersburg with The Big One, and then pops out a EF-3 right after.
jmeier37 1 year ago
@jmeier37 It's not uncommon for a supercell that powerful to drop a series of tornadoes, which often build in strength. In this case, the worst of the bunch came first at Parkersburg. But the Hazleton wedge was no piker. I was glad that it didn't hit the town directly.
stormhorn1 1 year ago
I was on 218 when it crossed over. I saw this tornado and saw Parkersburg a couple hours after it hit. I hope I never see devastation as bad as this ever again.
emileevm9 1 year ago
I live right by Parkersburg, thank god we weren't hit by it.
FarmerGuy4858 1 year ago
thats the last ef5 that ever hapen
mario927265 1 year ago
some of my family lives in iowa!!
snooki1998 1 year ago
HOLY SMOKES!
MrDropstozero 1 year ago
I live in Des Moines and these were some pretty intense storms that day. We had a lot of flooding in central iowa that year too.
tetra021 2 years ago
@tetra021 i live in Des Moines too. that was a bad storm year
falloutboy752 1 year ago
@falloutboy752 I live in Des Moines too!!!!!!!!!!So cool!
Autumn102096 1 year ago
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that was 3 days before my b-day..wow..hate freakin iowa lol
SakuraJedi 2 years ago
I remember being at my grandparents' house, and my friend called me and says "dude, Parkersburg is gone". And I'm like "what?" He's like "it got hit by a tornado, it's gone". I'd been through there a few months earlier for a quiz bowl as a member of an opposing team (we were all freshies at the time, we got 4th up against teams of seniors). But, I remember being in that building, and now it's just gone...
skyclaw441 2 years ago 2
i remember that i could see that from my house that thing was freakin huge
ziming45 2 years ago 3
An el-cheapo. It's a Sony TRV260 that I bought used from a buddy of mine for $80. It's a far stretch from one of those $2,000 units, but it's all I could afford, and it does the job for me just fine. In fact, it really came through for me, because at the time I hadn't figured out how to use my brand-new Canon DSLR, and the auto settings were giving me all kinds of grief in low-light conditions. That little, secondhand camcorder saved the day.
stormhorn1 2 years ago
What kind of camera did you use?
crk1121 2 years ago
its camoflaged the huge video compression doesnt help but its their on the ground.
NielsShoe 2 years ago
I didnt see anything!
TornadoWatche 2 years ago
trust me there is something there i live in iowa and that was all over the news it was freakin HUGE!!!
lexi50021 2 years ago 2
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Thanks for the info. Yea it is a maze of gravel road SE of Fairbank.
I drove out to Parkersburg 7 weeks after, and it still looked like a town hit by artillery in Bosnia.
The same weekend, I drove along Dunkerton Rd West of Dunkerton, and then the gravel roads NW of Dunkerton, and for miles to the West you could see stand, after stand of shredded trees marking the path towards Fairbank.
rappduane 3 years ago
stormhorn, what road were you on when you guys shot this ? County C57 running E/W to Hazelton, or other gravel roads running E/W ?
rappduane 3 years ago
Good question, and unfortunately 'm not good at mental record keeping. Where we first encountered the circulation, we were heading south on a paved highway. We got south of the developing tornado, then headed east . The storm was turning right, and we stairstepped to stay southeast of the rotation. Looking at my Street Atlas, I'm going to say that from CR 57, we dropped down to 130th St., and wound up at 140th St. and SR 150. I think that most and maybe all of the video was shot on 130th St.
stormhorn1 3 years ago
Its not that scary.
SilentSam94 3 years ago
I was chasing this cell and that day was one of the scariest chase days of my life. I learned to be more calm and patient when the next one comes around.
djmweatherman 3 years ago
Feel free to post some of your own original tornado video and show us what scary is all about, Sam. Though frankly, I don't particularly care about "scary." I'm not after some kind of effect, just the storms themselves.
stormhorn1 3 years ago
I'm going to go out on a limb and assume you've never been in a tornado, Sammy.
Take it from someone that has when I say it will make you piss yourself.
Although over in less than 30 seconds, the combination of insane wind, deafening noise, change in air pressure, bizzare and hard to describe "electric feel" to the air, and simply knowing what it is that is happening all conspire for about 5 seconds to make you KNOW, not think, you are about to die. It's not scary at all...it's terrifying.
ItsMeForAllYouKnow 2 years ago
im hoping that NE iowa, around charles city has one, id love to get a video of it, ever since the movie Twister iv been facinated with tornados. i just knew that i was by parkersberg. i followed a couple of chasers for a bit but then went on my own route. i just knew that i wanted to get close but not too close, theres no way id have a chance to get away, well if you get any more footage in iowa id love to see it on here
JustinHansen6669 3 years ago
I am still chastising myself for not staying put in about this very position that this video was taken while I was chasing. I ended up going farther south and could not see anything. Maybe I will get another shot in the future, but the odds are low on getting another day like it was that day.
djmweatherman 3 years ago
Let's hope for some great, chaseable storms in 2009, eh? And with no communities getting blown away in the process.
stormhorn1 3 years ago
There is a current study I am doing on where there will be a better chance for tornadoes each year. It is different each year a little bit. I am a meteorologist and soon will have a book out on which years will be more tornado prone for certain areas, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me! I also love chasing storms when I can and also hope that we will see some awesome but non deadly storms!
tatertruck124 3 years ago
Just to let you know you have a nice narrative baritone voice that works well on videos of this sort, keep up the good work.
djmweatherman 3 years ago
Thanks for that, DJM! I'm hoping for a few opportunities this year that can at least come close to what I got last year. Wish I had a better video camera, but until I can afford to upgrade, I'll make do with what I've got and be grateful for it.
stormhorn1 3 years ago
Just to clarify, this is not the Parkersburg tornado. It is the tornado that followed it--same supercell, but tornado #2. Obviously pretty huge, but it didn't take out half a town.
Jharrington22, I'm sorry your place got hit. That had to have been terrifying for you and your family. I hope you've made good progress rebuilding.
stormhorn1 3 years ago
ya she was big, i live in charles city, not to far away from parkersburg, i was following it for awhile i was about 1/2 mile out of parkersburg when it touched down.
JustinHansen6669 3 years ago
This is some of the better footage I have seen of this tornado. The thing was so blasted big and covered in rain-wrap that was really hard to see. It wiped us out just east of New Hartford.
jharrington22 3 years ago
lol that is why i live in southeastern iowa
steelstoner 3 years ago
That was a scary tornado. I am so lucky it didn't hit my house. It hit one of my buddy's houses though. :(
emmypotolover222 3 years ago
i watched that girls on same dya and date so there was a torando!!
lollypopbebes123 3 years ago
great video and description. Truly a "monster!"
Honeyman62 3 years ago
O my gosh, i was sitting @ home when i heard the tornado sirens going off. I was so scared. I dont live in Parkersberg but I live in a town near Parkersberg. My home was damaged but it wasn't as bad as the people of Parkersberg.
jhober215 3 years ago
i live in independence,ia just 15 miles or so south of hazleton.....ill never forget this day.prolly the biggest tornado ive ever experienced thus far in my life
comfortablynumb3176 3 years ago
Just went and viewed my video of this "beast" and from my vantage point 1-3 miles SE of your location you can see the hudge wedge, but only the eastern edge due to how it was buried in the wall cloud, thanks for the great video!
djmweatherman 3 years ago
We noticed in some of our video a lightning flash, then a few seconds later a flash from the ground that did not resemble lightning, but poweline flashes. We eventually moved, not knowing that I was looking at a possible wedge due to the poor contrast, how was your view from your area and exactly how far from Fairbank were you?
djmweatherman 3 years ago
I was actually chasing this tornado, too. My chase partner Derrick and I were 2.5 miles south of Hazleton, on Hwy 150 on a hill and could not tell actually where the tornado was until I examined my video. The tornado was rain wrapped and with so much humidity in the air it made it very hard to distinguished.
djmweatherman 3 years ago
Great shooting, and great coolness under fire, dude. I'd love to see the original outside of youtube if you posted it elsewhere.
bloodnsmoke 3 years ago
Thanks, I appreciate that. Sorry, though, I don't have it posted elsewhere. This was in fact my first YouTube posting.
stormhorn1 3 years ago
dude that's my birthday
pansyxrocker 3 years ago
Wait, nevermind. i see it. :D
BlackingInn 3 years ago
It's hard to see, particularly with the resolution on YouTube. But about halfway through the video, you'll start to see a churning mass of dirt start to emerge.
stormhorn1 3 years ago
Call me stupid, or blind...but i can't really see it...
BlackingInn 3 years ago
thats just scary, -.-;
Soulx007 3 years ago
this is absolutely terrifying.
n8r2000 3 years ago
r.i.p 4 boy scouts died in the tornada...
zombie111roblox 3 years ago
Yes, that's terrible. It's also an incredible testimony to the character and spirit of the Boy Scouts at that camp. Just for the record, though, that was a different storm; the one in this video was a few weeks earlier.
stormhorn1 3 years ago
Yea my earlier post is about Boy Scouts, they were in 2 or 3 groups, 1 was hiking, the others watching a movie, and they were caught unaware, and didnt have a shelter...
MichaelSG13 3 years ago
Lol, that was the whole state away from me, i live in western Iowa, but i was near (A Few miles) from the tornado at the Boy Scout Camp in Little Sioux, which killed 4, it was really scary, i could see the tornado from my basement window, it happened just a few hours ago, and was my first tornado.
MichaelSG13 3 years ago
I don't know anything about Iowa but the news states that parts of Iowa are flooded really bad. Is it most of the state or just Rapid City Iowa?
Tellingulikeitis 3 years ago
Well its around Iowa City, some of Des Moines, and Ceder Rapids. It's staying mostly around there.
MichaelSG13 3 years ago
I know! It was Pretty Freaky! I really think that it sould have had a shelter! And since all the tornados happen in Boone (sp) i think they would know that!
Austin4395 3 years ago
yeah i live in iowa, and this was major news!! I feel bad for parkersburg!!!
kcdyorkies 3 years ago
wat town was this in??????????????????????
bmdog101 3 years ago
We intercepted it by Fairbank and tracked with it to just south of Hazleton.
stormhorn1 3 years ago
my unkel was in that tornado with his train... but he dident got hurt thank god....
tornado dident pick ip the train
marcgeerts 3 years ago
I can still barely recognize this as being a tornado. I was heading N out of independance and I did not recognize it though I did see some rotations.
momotous 3 years ago
I know. It was hard to see what was going on in there at the time. The wall cloud was broad and very low, and the circulation was wrapping in a tremendous amount of dust and rain. You can't see a distinct funnel, though about midway through, you can see a huge, churning blender of dirt emerge beneath the wall cloud. I'm reminded of the Great Tri-State Tornado of 1925, which was described as a fog rolling along the ground with tree limbs in it.
stormhorn1 3 years ago
holy mother of god.
trizkutt 3 years ago