List of F5's and EF5 sine 1999 May 3, 1999 F5 Bridge Creek - Moore, Oklahoma June 22, 2007 Elie, Manitoba F5 Canada still uses the Orginal f scale Ef5's May 4, 2007 Greensburg, Kansas May 25, 2008 Parkersburg - New Hartford, Iowa April 27, 2011 Smithville, MS - Shottsville, AL April 27, 2011 Hackleburg, AL - Huntland, TN April 27, 2011 Philadelphia, Mississippi April 27, 2011 Rainsville, Alabama May 22, 2011 Joplin, Missouri May 24, 2011 Calumet - El Reno - Guthrie, Oklahoma
i thought it was a power flash as it hit Greensburg?... either way amazing shot. Drove through Greensburg in 2008 a year later.. and there was nothing there.
I would say that St. Louis is the major city that gets the most tornadoes. There was a huge one in the 60s and in the 20s as well. also there was one in the late 1800s that killed tons of people.
@TheLograsso If St.Louis is number 1, then Birmingham has to be number 2. Alabama gets hit by tornadoes just as often as any Tornado Alley state. This year was just the unlucky year where the strongest outbreak was in Alabama and Georgia.
On new years eve 2010 i was in a Tornado in the St. Louis area. It was an F3 In the middle of winter. It destroyed about 20 homes and damaged about 100 homes and businesses on a path about 5 -7 miles i think.Just a few days ago our airport got hit by a tornado and about 100 homes were destroyed completely. IDK how many were just damaged. These tornadoes paths were maybe 20 miles apart.
TX is also ginormus compared to KS or OK. I would like to see how many they get per square mile, I bet KS and OK are pretty even with TX and TX does not seem to get a lot of the massive wedge F5s
Text book massive hook echo. May as well have a neon sign on it saying RUUUUUUN!
You know it's bad when you suddenly start to to see radar returns in an area that is normally clear, sure sign the storm has gone through a town and is lofting debris.
a person who use to work with my aunt survived this tornado, she and her son survived because they held on to the toilet, god was watching over them, god bless greensburg
this is really one of the most moving videos on youtube. These people just lost their house and are thanking the meteorologist for saving their lives.
Mr Prater...I admit that i'm normally a KWCH viewer but I have to commend you on this coverage. This was very accurate and you kept calm during this as i'm sure that helps in keeping panic levels down. Well done.
@jayhoyt28 I have to agree with you! He kept his composure and got the information out quickly and accurately. Well done indeed! I remember, as a kid, waking up to sirens and turning on the TV to see someone on the air describing (T shirt clad) what was happening. That, along with KFDI, gives Kansas residents the information we need when severe weather is near. People that complain about show interruptions and such really don't get it. People whine until that information saves their lives.
Central OK is..BY FAR...the area that gets the most Tornadoes. Central OK in May would be the place and the time to see a tornado climatological speaking.
Tornado alley stretches from center of Tx up to right about southern South Dakota. I think everyone learns this in 3rd grade.
@RedSharkMan when you say disgusting hook echo did you mean well defined and like wow or just saying not defined at all? since reason lost all the well defined hook echo near greensburg is gone is because all the debris in the air.
Congrats on the lady doing what Jay Prater said. He did a good job of not freaking out and by not making the public freak out. He in missouri the meteorologist will freak out telling you this and that.
This hit about 9 in the evening correct? How was there enough light to capture a tornado picture like at 4:47 unless there was lightning? I'm assuming lightning was the reason we can see it?
@chrisz71 It was with lightning yes, there is also a video of storm chasers following the tornado then encountering injured people and claiming a gas smell in the air due to the tornado ripping up the roads , they quit chasing and decided to help.
I would freak out if my whole house was destroyed, other than the room I was in.I everything was obliterated and the room I was in was untouched, then I would faint.
A Tornado Emergency is issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) in the United States when a large, violent tornado is expected to impact a populated area.
It is a tornado warning that is issued when a large, violent tornado is expected to hit a population center. Because of the size (EF5+) of this tornado, the NWS had no other choice BUT to release a tornado emergency
I lived in Wichita for four years before moving to the southwest last July. My family was coming home from Disney World the day of the tornado. Looking back, I can't believe how much destruction it made. Luckily, we were never hit by any tornados in the four years we lived in Wichita. I can't wait to go back.
I live in Richmond too. Richmond has been very lucky by not being hit by tornadoes. Most of that tornadic action happens to the east of Richmond. Whenever Metro Richmond gets a tornado warning, nothing really happens so we've been fortunate. The tornadoes VA gets are usually EF0 or EF2 or EF1.
the rotation on the dopplar radar is very clear. i live in illinois and we are still in tornado alley and we also see alot of tornadoes but i have never seen one on the dopplar radar with rotation this distinct. and lila or whatever her name is, that is truely a miracle that her and her husband survived. if they had not gone in that closet they would have died. God bless all of the victims of this storm and for those that are of different faith than catholic...stay safe
I live in Illinois also. This may not be "tornado alley" as much as Kansas or Oklahoma but we definitely get tornadoes. I was in Springfield 3 years ago when a storm somewhat like this hit -- obvious hook echo, large wedge tornado on the ground. Luckily, the tornado was "only" F-2 and no one was killed. However, one of the local NWS meteorogists later said that if the atmosphere had been just a little more unstable that one could have been F-5 also.
I too live in Illinois... anyone who says we do not get tornado's is naive. I tracked a 1/2 mile wide wedge in Will County/Southern Cook County near Richton Park last year.
I was also one of the MABAS emergency response USAR (Urban Search And Rescue) members that responded to the Utica, IL F-3 in 2004. We haven't had our our F-5 and luckily we haven't had a strong tornado in the populated areas, but our time will come and I hope people heed the warnings and advice.
Odgen, Illinois was virtually destroyed by an F3 tornado in 1996. The only structure in the village that was not damaged in any way was the water tower.
What about the most "infamous" tornado in world history? The Tri-State tornado killed more people (695) and traveled the longest. Some people described it as just a wall of dust and dirt that stretched as far as the eye could see.. It at one point traveled at 73 mph! Xenia, Ohio was also struck by one of the strongest F-5's in history. With almost every major tornado outbreak, Illinois has been in the thick of it.
HA Great news coverage but i know one day a EF5 Tornado will strike Dallas,Texas someday and im worried about our Emergency Siren System here In Dallas,TX but for right now it works fine on test day and the sirens that Dallas mostily consists are Federal Thunderbolt 1000's and Federal SRNB's that are brand new.
imagine waking up to that storm i'm from greensburg born and raised i rode it out in a truck and watched the convience store 2 my south get wiped out then hit me and my parents i will never forget the south when the windshield exploded
Texas is very prone to tornadoes. The reason its the number 1 state in tornadoes is its shear size. Texas is much larger in size than oklahoma or kansas, therefor that is the reason texas is number one in tornadoes. If you look at the amount of tornadoes divided by the size of the state than oklahoma and kansas are at the top of the list. Example: California gets 5 tornadoes and Rhode Island gets 2. Overall, Rhode Island has more tornadoes per square mile than California does.
Yea, when i saw that for the first time on the Planet Green special on the rebuilding efforts the weather forecaster and the radar map behind him i was shocked speechless. I've monitored severe weather situations many times, but this left me totally shocked when i saw that rotation signature.
List of F5's and EF5 sine 1999 May 3, 1999 F5 Bridge Creek - Moore, Oklahoma June 22, 2007 Elie, Manitoba F5 Canada still uses the Orginal f scale Ef5's May 4, 2007 Greensburg, Kansas May 25, 2008 Parkersburg - New Hartford, Iowa April 27, 2011 Smithville, MS - Shottsville, AL April 27, 2011 Hackleburg, AL - Huntland, TN April 27, 2011 Philadelphia, Mississippi April 27, 2011 Rainsville, Alabama May 22, 2011 Joplin, Missouri May 24, 2011 Calumet - El Reno - Guthrie, Oklahoma
topthrilldragster20 6 months ago
i thought it was a power flash as it hit Greensburg?... either way amazing shot. Drove through Greensburg in 2008 a year later.. and there was nothing there.
Greg4fun 9 months ago
this is some intense coverage. Thanks for sharing.
bugalaman 9 months ago
I would say that St. Louis is the major city that gets the most tornadoes. There was a huge one in the 60s and in the 20s as well. also there was one in the late 1800s that killed tons of people.
TheLograsso 10 months ago
@TheLograsso If St.Louis is number 1, then Birmingham has to be number 2. Alabama gets hit by tornadoes just as often as any Tornado Alley state. This year was just the unlucky year where the strongest outbreak was in Alabama and Georgia.
GAdawgsfan93 9 months ago
On new years eve 2010 i was in a Tornado in the St. Louis area. It was an F3 In the middle of winter. It destroyed about 20 homes and damaged about 100 homes and businesses on a path about 5 -7 miles i think.Just a few days ago our airport got hit by a tornado and about 100 homes were destroyed completely. IDK how many were just damaged. These tornadoes paths were maybe 20 miles apart.
TheLograsso 10 months ago
@TheLograsso Tornadoes are far less common during the winter, in colder temperatures.
MIKON8ERISBACK 8 months ago
TX is also ginormus compared to KS or OK. I would like to see how many they get per square mile, I bet KS and OK are pretty even with TX and TX does not seem to get a lot of the massive wedge F5s
Zoomer30 1 year ago
Text book massive hook echo. May as well have a neon sign on it saying RUUUUUUN!
You know it's bad when you suddenly start to to see radar returns in an area that is normally clear, sure sign the storm has gone through a town and is lofting debris.
Zoomer30 1 year ago
a person who use to work with my aunt survived this tornado, she and her son survived because they held on to the toilet, god was watching over them, god bless greensburg
blazingsaddle14 1 year ago
this is really one of the most moving videos on youtube. These people just lost their house and are thanking the meteorologist for saving their lives.
bugalaman 1 year ago
Mr Prater...I admit that i'm normally a KWCH viewer but I have to commend you on this coverage. This was very accurate and you kept calm during this as i'm sure that helps in keeping panic levels down. Well done.
jayhoyt28 1 year ago
@jayhoyt28 I have to agree with you! He kept his composure and got the information out quickly and accurately. Well done indeed! I remember, as a kid, waking up to sirens and turning on the TV to see someone on the air describing (T shirt clad) what was happening. That, along with KFDI, gives Kansas residents the information we need when severe weather is near. People that complain about show interruptions and such really don't get it. People whine until that information saves their lives.
Charlie5loadclr 1 year ago
Central OK is..BY FAR...the area that gets the most Tornadoes. Central OK in May would be the place and the time to see a tornado climatological speaking.
Tornado alley stretches from center of Tx up to right about southern South Dakota. I think everyone learns this in 3rd grade.
Detroiter18 1 year ago
@Detroiter18 Texas gets by far the most amount of tornadoes in the united states per year.
BigMattLikesMetal 1 year ago
@BigMattLikesMetal Texas is huge in comparison for land mass so of course it would have the most tornadoes.
Mojorisinhi 11 months ago
@BigMattLikesMetal
Per unit area Florida gets the most. Oklahoma gets the most strong tornadoes per unit area, Iowa gets the most EF-5 tornadoes per unit area.
mongoose704 10 months ago
once it gets too an F5 its hardly a tornado anymore. its basically a solid wall.
Bulldogs168 1 year ago
Wow, that thing had a disgusting hook echo
RedSharkMan 1 year ago
@RedSharkMan no kidding.
Bulldogs168 1 year ago
@RedSharkMan when you say disgusting hook echo did you mean well defined and like wow or just saying not defined at all? since reason lost all the well defined hook echo near greensburg is gone is because all the debris in the air.
justintime2989 1 year ago
Kansas
ferrarimike23 1 year ago
Congrats on the lady doing what Jay Prater said. He did a good job of not freaking out and by not making the public freak out. He in missouri the meteorologist will freak out telling you this and that.
train2589 1 year ago
This hit about 9 in the evening correct? How was there enough light to capture a tornado picture like at 4:47 unless there was lightning? I'm assuming lightning was the reason we can see it?
chrisz71 2 years ago
It struck closer to 10pm Central. Yes, that was a still frame taken from video, during a lightning flash.
PraterWX 2 years ago
@PraterWX 4:46 tornado warning until 2:45 A.M i would be scared if i was in that county basically because it is in the early hours of the morning
masterland52 1 year ago
@chrisz71 It was with lightning yes, there is also a video of storm chasers following the tornado then encountering injured people and claiming a gas smell in the air due to the tornado ripping up the roads , they quit chasing and decided to help.
MrAmericanAce 2 years ago
@chrisz71 yes lightning lit it up at times, and also the power flashes would light one part of the tornado.
justintime2989 1 year ago
@chrisz71 powerflashes can also allow you to see the tornado.
TheMightykaz 6 months ago
I would freak out if my whole house was destroyed, other than the room I was in.I everything was obliterated and the room I was in was untouched, then I would faint.
Salien1999 2 years ago
What a calm and kind manner you have....that is rare, and you should be so proud of that ability. Blessed be
danagasta1 2 years ago
The National Weather Service issued the first "tornado emergency" during the OKC tornado May 3, 1999.
Yarndt 2 years ago
Ok, whats a tornado emergency?
daughtryfan458 2 years ago
A Tornado Emergency is issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) in the United States when a large, violent tornado is expected to impact a populated area.
kutiefun 2 years ago
its when a large and violent tornado is expected to hit a populated area.
softballerchick08 2 years ago
A tornado emergency is when a large and dangerous tornado is heading toward a highly populated area.
XtremeWeirdo 2 years ago
It is a tornado warning that is issued when a large, violent tornado is expected to hit a population center. Because of the size (EF5+) of this tornado, the NWS had no other choice BUT to release a tornado emergency
-response to daughtryfan458
statboy08 2 years ago
I lived in Wichita for four years before moving to the southwest last July. My family was coming home from Disney World the day of the tornado. Looking back, I can't believe how much destruction it made. Luckily, we were never hit by any tornados in the four years we lived in Wichita. I can't wait to go back.
froggygirl3795 2 years ago
The strongest tornado in Virginia was in 1993 and it was an F-4 but nothing near as strong as this.
SteelerJeff2009 3 years ago
I live in Richmond too. Richmond has been very lucky by not being hit by tornadoes. Most of that tornadic action happens to the east of Richmond. Whenever Metro Richmond gets a tornado warning, nothing really happens so we've been fortunate. The tornadoes VA gets are usually EF0 or EF2 or EF1.
nerdface92 2 years ago
Same with me here in California - EF0 to EF1. But ALL of them get on the news as top stories LOL
-response to nerdface92
statboy08 2 years ago
the rotation on the dopplar radar is very clear. i live in illinois and we are still in tornado alley and we also see alot of tornadoes but i have never seen one on the dopplar radar with rotation this distinct. and lila or whatever her name is, that is truely a miracle that her and her husband survived. if they had not gone in that closet they would have died. God bless all of the victims of this storm and for those that are of different faith than catholic...stay safe
bearsfan213 3 years ago
Illinois is not in tornado alley i live here
neptune76499 3 years ago
I live in Illinois also. This may not be "tornado alley" as much as Kansas or Oklahoma but we definitely get tornadoes. I was in Springfield 3 years ago when a storm somewhat like this hit -- obvious hook echo, large wedge tornado on the ground. Luckily, the tornado was "only" F-2 and no one was killed. However, one of the local NWS meteorogists later said that if the atmosphere had been just a little more unstable that one could have been F-5 also.
ekrewer 2 years ago
I too live in Illinois... anyone who says we do not get tornado's is naive. I tracked a 1/2 mile wide wedge in Will County/Southern Cook County near Richton Park last year.
I was also one of the MABAS emergency response USAR (Urban Search And Rescue) members that responded to the Utica, IL F-3 in 2004. We haven't had our our F-5 and luckily we haven't had a strong tornado in the populated areas, but our time will come and I hope people heed the warnings and advice.
Cooterrob 2 years ago
We haven't had a F-5?? I think you forgot about the Plainfield, IL Tornado in 1990!
sloppy182 2 years ago
Odgen, Illinois was virtually destroyed by an F3 tornado in 1996. The only structure in the village that was not damaged in any way was the water tower.
AaronApolloCamp 2 years ago
What about the most "infamous" tornado in world history? The Tri-State tornado killed more people (695) and traveled the longest. Some people described it as just a wall of dust and dirt that stretched as far as the eye could see.. It at one point traveled at 73 mph! Xenia, Ohio was also struck by one of the strongest F-5's in history. With almost every major tornado outbreak, Illinois has been in the thick of it.
waynestang 2 years ago
HA Great news coverage but i know one day a EF5 Tornado will strike Dallas,Texas someday and im worried about our Emergency Siren System here In Dallas,TX but for right now it works fine on test day and the sirens that Dallas mostily consists are Federal Thunderbolt 1000's and Federal SRNB's that are brand new.
Crazzytrav2385 3 years ago
i remember this night i live close to greensburg and it was soooo sad and scary
SouljaSk8er 3 years ago
imagine waking up to that storm i'm from greensburg born and raised i rode it out in a truck and watched the convience store 2 my south get wiped out then hit me and my parents i will never forget the south when the windshield exploded
imeep21 3 years ago
WOW. Never in my life have I seen a hook echo/velocity signature that pronounced. Even the Moore, OK tornado's signature is DWARFED by this.
ExVash 3 years ago
glad i dont live in kansas, oklahoma, nebreska, south dakota, or iowa
1050HzSineWaveTone 3 years ago
same here, especially oklahoma.
TaintedCandy21 3 years ago
What about Texas? Texas gets the most tornadoes in the entire world
Chrisrotary12 2 years ago
Texas is very prone to tornadoes. The reason its the number 1 state in tornadoes is its shear size. Texas is much larger in size than oklahoma or kansas, therefor that is the reason texas is number one in tornadoes. If you look at the amount of tornadoes divided by the size of the state than oklahoma and kansas are at the top of the list. Example: California gets 5 tornadoes and Rhode Island gets 2. Overall, Rhode Island has more tornadoes per square mile than California does.
tatertruck124 2 years ago
Hey what about Oklahoma?
moonprincess500 2 years ago
@moonprincess500 MoonPrincess, Oklahoma is the tornado capital of the world, more than kansas and texas.
MrAmericanAce 2 years ago
@MrAmericanAce
You are incorrect. Kansas and Texas average more tornadoes/year than Oklahoma. Stop being a homer.
broncoj20 1 year ago
@broncoj20 until 1995, Texas topped the state with the most tornadoes in a year. Kansas,Oklahoma and Tennesee now top that.
Tornado1994 1 year ago
@broncoj20
Oklahoma is #2 after Texas.
bigleague5 1 year ago
@Chrisrotary12 only because its 4 times bigger than kansas and doesnt get even twice as many tornados :p
MrAmericanAce 2 years ago
@Chrisrotary12 just because it has more land mass than oklahoma or kansas.
burtonfan2 1 year ago
Yea, when i saw that for the first time on the Planet Green special on the rebuilding efforts the weather forecaster and the radar map behind him i was shocked speechless. I've monitored severe weather situations many times, but this left me totally shocked when i saw that rotation signature.
ibook133 3 years ago
tho im not in that area i would like to shake taht mans hand who was the weather man there, that is what America is all about
jr98racer 3 years ago
i have never seen the rotation that distinct on the doppler velocity
tomcat2285 3 years ago
i know its freaky!
jackassguy111 3 years ago
nether have i im meterolgist thats some strong rotaiton
jackassguy111 3 years ago
that doppler velocity is completely shocking!
Kevinimages 3 years ago