Bob Schafer
EF5
This seems to be a new video. It was just posted June 1, and everyone should watch it:
P.S. Did it actually reach 250 mph winds, or was that just media sensationalism? Most sources seem to be saying that peak winds were around 210 mph.
It seems very possible. Honestly if every tornado that exceeded 200 mph was rated EF5, we'd probably see several every year. 2011 might have seen 10 or even 15, while even 2013 might have seen three or four (Moore, Bennington, El Reno, and possibly New Minden).That said, I'm of the opinion that the winds in the most violent of tornadoes often far exceed 200 mph.
I thought they started issuing PDS tornado warnings starting with April 14th, 2012. Then again, that was when it was still experimental.As I recall 2012 is when the TE became a formal NWS product.
There have been volumes written about the Joplin tornado in regards to intensity and freak damage reports. I will say of all the storm damage I have encountered in over 35 years of journalism / storm photography, Joplin was by far the most extreme. This includes damage from all three Moore, OK tornadoes I surveyed. I believe the most impressive damage from Joplin was the hospital being rotated 4 inches off the foundation. I personally believe individual vortices reached well over 300 mph.
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This. It is a travesty to me that Joplin's EF5 rating is marked "disputed" on the Wikipedia list of F5 and EF5 tornadoes based on the ASCE study. Barring a worst-case scenario like tracking along a gridlocked freeway at rush hour or hitting a packed sporting event or concert venue, a tornado simply does not kill >150 people in this day and age without being exceptionally violent.
There have been volumes written about the Joplin tornado in regards to intensity and freak damage reports. I will say of all the storm damage I have encountered in over 35 years of journalism / storm photography, Joplin was by far the most extreme. This includes damage from all three Moore, OK tornadoes I surveyed. I believe the most impressive damage from Joplin was the hospital being rotated 4 inches off the foundation. I personally believe individual vortices reached well over 300 mph.
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