Freedom, Oklahoma Anticyclonic Tornado - June 6, 1975

On the afternoon of June 6, 1975, I was fortunate enough to capture the first known footage of an anticyclonic (clockwise) rotating tornado. I shot this historical footage on Super 8 film near the small town of Freedom, Oklahoma.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Tornado
• Tornadoes
• Severe
• Weather
• Anticyclonic
• Freedom
• Oklahoma
• 1975
• Storm
• Chasing
• Classic
• Super
• Footage
• Jim
• Leonard

[cyclonejimcom]

Correction: a few tornadoes rotate anticyclonic each year.

[cyclonejimcom]

A few tornadoes each year rotate in the northern hemisphere each year. They are mostly found on the periphery of larger tornadoes within the same measocyclone. With home video prevalent now a days we will see these type of tornadoes each year.

[wataki2]

So anticyclonic basically means that its moving from Right to Left? 

[Lessinath]

@cumulo25 This is because the tornado is not the visible condensation cloud. The tornado is the invisible rotating column of air, which is much, much larger than the condensation cloud. This is a very important distinction - it is possible to get tornadoes with no visible funnel at all, and these are extremely dangerous because people incorrectly assume that it has to have a visible funnel to be a tornado, or that if it has no funnel it must be weak.

[Lessinath]

@fishguru73 Under the proper conditions even a seemingly minor outflow boundary can provide enough forcing for an otherwise strong, but not quite strong enough, updraft to break even a very strong cap.

[AJTwister97]

i thought the tornado at Corn Oklahoma back in 1951 was the first anticyclonic tornado to be filmed.

[fishguru73]

@cyclonejimcom Here in Bartlesville, OK we had a warning on a day with a strong cap and no advancing dry line or cold front. Storms that fell apart in the morning left distinct out flow boundaries and it seems that the rotation came from strong southerly winds against a very pronounced outflow signature on radar. Of course, a super cell updraft is self feeding but do you think that a minor outflow boundary can be a major forcing point? I think that was the reason for Joplin.

[cumulo25]

That's amazing it's so far away from touching douwn and it still sturring up dirt

[AJTwister97]

i feel humbled to be in the presence of a true storm chasing legend.

[Torn80cj]

@passiontwist I hear you, I started chasing in 2008 and Jim's videos had a lot of influence on me to get out to the plains and chase storms. His vids are amazing. We both ended up on the same tornado on May 10, 2010. It was the Wakita tornado. I was east of his location and had to move, the tornado was coming right at me while I was filming it.

[MeanGene79]

Great video of a truly rare event. *****5 Stars*****

[ILovestorms]

This tornado is anticyclonic.