Shawn Schuman
EF3
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2012
- Messages
- 273
Dr. Fujita examined the "double funnel" in his paper on the Palm Sunday outbreak if you'd like to read it.
http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/098/mwr-098-01-0029.pdf
The short answer is that it's a multivortex tornado, wherein the main vortex of the tornado essentially breaks into two or more subvortices. It's quite common, especially for large, strong tornadoes, but it's not very often that you see such a striking example. Actually several of the tornadoes during the Palm Sunday outbreak were said to have displayed "double funnels" at least briefly, including the tornado that struck the Sunnyside subdivision just to the north in Dunlap, and the same thing has been reported with a number of other historical tornadoes. The Tushka, OK tornado on April 14, 2011 immediately comes to mind as well.
I have larger versions of four of the six Huffman photos on my blog.
http://stormstalker.wordpress.com/2013/01/05/1965-palm-sunday/
Bob Hartig has written about the "twins" as well (including here) and he's very familiar with the event and with Paul Huffman and his photos.
And I believe you mean LBJ visited the damage; it'd be quite miraculous indeed if FDR had come to see for himself.
http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/098/mwr-098-01-0029.pdf
The short answer is that it's a multivortex tornado, wherein the main vortex of the tornado essentially breaks into two or more subvortices. It's quite common, especially for large, strong tornadoes, but it's not very often that you see such a striking example. Actually several of the tornadoes during the Palm Sunday outbreak were said to have displayed "double funnels" at least briefly, including the tornado that struck the Sunnyside subdivision just to the north in Dunlap, and the same thing has been reported with a number of other historical tornadoes. The Tushka, OK tornado on April 14, 2011 immediately comes to mind as well.
I have larger versions of four of the six Huffman photos on my blog.
http://stormstalker.wordpress.com/2013/01/05/1965-palm-sunday/
Bob Hartig has written about the "twins" as well (including here) and he's very familiar with the event and with Paul Huffman and his photos.
And I believe you mean LBJ visited the damage; it'd be quite miraculous indeed if FDR had come to see for himself.