El Reno Tornado Analysis - Understanding a Chase Tragedy
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- Опубликовано: 3 июл 2013
- This video has been updated to include the rating change and refined track of the El Reno tornado, as well as the complete chase route of Tim Samaras and crew. Please see the updated version at: • Safety Lessons From El...
This is a series of animations and video analyzing the May 31, 2013 El Reno, Oklahoma EF5 tornado and storm chaser movements around it. In addition to mobile radar measurements that suggest this was the widest tornado on record, also notable of this event is that several groups of storm chasers were impacted by the tornado resulting in damage to vehicles, injuries, and deaths. Using a series of radar animations, synchronized video of the storm, and plots of the tornado and chaser positions, this video is an attempt to understand what happened during this event and what went wrong. Focus is centered on the GPS positions of four groups of chasers that were impacted by the tornado including Brandon Sullivan and Brett Wright, Mike Bettes and his crew from The Weather Channel, Tim and Paul Samaras and Carl Young, and Dan Robinson. The video ends with storm and tornado footage synchronized to the radar and vehicle GPS position.
This video contains some outdated information. Please see the updated version here: ruclips.net/video/bJOjjzHUwsk/видео.html
The saddest portion of this video isn't the moment the red dots stop moving but when you see the green dots slowly approach the stopped red dots when the tornado clears. It makes me really depressed to see them approach the wreckage knowing there is nothing that they can do.
Can i say this as a european i cannot even comprehand from video how big this was this shit is crazy i didnt know about all this went looking for big tornado's on youtube found this i am fucking horrified im gonne say it again its hard for me to comprehand how big this was 2.6 miles is 4.2 KM thats like the distance i travel when i go to work on my bike like WOW !!!!! REALLY!!!!!! Im like you have to see this in real life to comprehand it
Dude...I noticed that as well. Awful....
Some of the vehicles were throw like 100 meters
Maybe visible maybe not
It didn't show any green dots approaching the wreckage.
Seeing all those dots opened my eyes to the actual number of chasers out there.
Appreciate all your analysis as well, thanks for posting.
I would hazard a guess that there where more chasers on this day than what you would have on other days/storms.. seeing as this was not your typical run of the mill storm but a super cell of mega portions makes sense that more chasers headed out.
It's spine-chilling not just to see the red dots stop moving but YOU narrowly escaping one of the strongest tornadoes at its peak.
Biggest tornado in recorded history. Normal EF5s tend to be no more than 1000m wide; El Reno was nearly 4200m wide.
@@DTfan43Ef5s have no size limit
This is a masterpiece of collation and presentation.
I just found this video and I agree.
Indeed
Yes, yes it is.
Agreed
Anyone else glued to the fact that two dots just stop (and sadly we know why :(
Yep
Samaras and who else?
Mike Bettes.
How come the other red dots continue after being hit?
Because those storm chasers were still able to drive their vehicles. The different color is just a way to tell the four groups of chasers this video discusses apart from all the other chasers. It doesn't indicate who didn't make it out of the tornado. Some of those green dots had chasers who were injured or had vehicles disabled by the tornado too. I didn't (and can't) go into detail for all of them.
I've watched TWISTEX on StormChasers and Tim's entire team is always concerned about safety. Given the unusual arching path of the tornado and the rapid expansion of the main circulation, they had little time (probably none, actually) to get out of the way. RIP Tim, Paul & Carl.
Hard to believe that in May of this year it will have been a decade since this beast of a tornado occurred. I can't imagine the amount of grief and sorrow Kathy Samaras experienced because she not only had to bury her husband but also her son. Though to some it's truly amazing Kathy hasn't gone completely insane from grief.
Surprised Tim wasn't like "F*ck it, lets back out of this" because he would always be the guy who'd back out first if the situation was way too dangerous. I'm guessing they didn't know the entire circulation was much larger.
.... Watching dans video, it's VERY CLEAR that this had nothing to do with "bad luck" and everything to do with being irresponsible, and wanting to get close to the tornado... Lets be real, and stop denying the elephant in the room here.. Are they scientists in a sense? Yes, are they also adrenaline junkies, who get a rush, from chasing something FAR greater than they are, and can kill them in a split second? Also yes. Dan, and presumably, from what we know, Carl had time to get out of the way, their poor decisions that day just led to the death of them unfortunately, the only Luck that happened that day was Dan being able to put his peddle to the floor, and not crash, and barely got out of it's circulation. I was there that day chasing this same storm. I see people say "nobody could have predicted what that storm was going to do" which no you can't predict nature, even as the most AMATEUR of all chasers, even I know how to read a radar, and could keep track very well of where it was heading, and I was never in danger, nor was I ever in it's path, and it had nothing to do with luck, I was just watching it's course, and watching how it was developing, and made concise, decisions, not lethargic, mindless decisions, because of the sheer size of that tornado. If you look at the map when this video is first starting, you can clearly see that the overwhelming majority of chasers as myself, was positioned South-East of the tornado, this isn't by mistake, this isn't a Coincidence, this is being smart, and understanding how deadly these storms are.
Safety? They chased in a little tin can car.......
Reed Timer lost the hood to dom 3 on power cables and said the tornado ripped it of the car 🤣🤣🤣
Seems like when Mike Bettes paused briefly during your analysis 8:05 , he was giving his last report of warning to the broadcasted weather channel. Such an outstanding job you did with this video Skip!
He used to be my local meteorologist for the news and nearly drowned during a flash flood when reporting on it. I'm convinced he's an adrenaline junkie.
@@ericarichards8350 he's a reckless idiot.
I'm just happy that Mike Bettes decided that he's better off in the studio than in the field after nearly getting killed by the El Reno, Oklahoma tornado. That being said there's a bit of gallows humor that if Jim Cantore shows up in your town; bad weather is bound to happen.
Not gonna lie... it breaks my heart every time I see those two red dots stop moving.... May those brave weather warriors rest forever in peace. Their sacrifice for our safety in the event of future storms will never be forgotten.
The people that died were all in one dot though.
@@mar__k There were more deaths than just the three
@@nepspartan-7597 There were 8 people killed in total, 4 of which were chasers. At least a minimum of 10 other chasing cars were lucky not to, after being impacted.
@@nepspartan-7597 everyone always forgets the 4th death because he wasn't "famous". Makes me sad.
Why say “Not gonna lie”?
I doubt anyone would think you were lying about that.
Seven years later and I'm still stunned by the accuracy of this report and of course the deaths of Tim, Paul, and Carl. Thank you Skip Talbot!
As sad as the event was I cant help but marvel at the sheer beauty of the tornado.
+Soonerfrk11 Me too. We all do in the chase /spotter world. I'm a newbie to it and won't get that close if I can keep from it.
I vividly remember watching this on my lap top via radar and watching the weather channel's coverage prior to Bettes's roll over. I remember just prior to the incident Bettes saying they're going to continue south, I was like, "NO! Don't do that! You'll be driving right into the path!". While Bettes was looking at the camera during the live shot you could clearly see the tornado heading slightly to the left but getting bigger. That told me it was heading right for the highway. For the most part I can empathize with the chasers to point but at the same time there was a lot of bone headed moves that could've been prevented. Like Bettes doing a live shot when his crew really should've been hauling ass out of there.
Me too. Was completely dumbfounded when I saw Bettes keep rolling south through the core. I was literally watching a distracted, inexperienced chaser doing a core punch on an EF5 tornado right before my eyes. He's lucky he's alive, and I'm amazed more people haven't spoken out about how stupid that was.
Feck Eric-Schmidt
I too remember thinking that very same thing as I watched the weather channel's live coverage. I even remember there being a point where Greg Forbes who was tracking it on radar became very alarmed at Bettes position and he commented on it.
Bettes is a fucking idiot. He belonged back in Atlanta with his $600k a year gig as a "national weatherman" for The Waste-of-time Channel. He was way out of his element, way out of his experience, and one of his employees suffered as a result. He's the Jay Leno of meteorologists, and I genuinely don't think he cares.
@@Gj23jk2 It seemed many were out of their element, including experienced chasers.
I have been watching Storm Chasers lately and it's always so sad to realize two of the men on the screen have died so tragically. You have done a great honor to them by making this time consuming, detailed video. Amazing work.
Still can't believe Bettes core punched from the north and then CONTINUED south directly into the tornado's path. Pure newbie stuff, like they'd never seen an HP cell before and had no idea what to do except keep running in one direction.
And to think he had the gall to blame the NE hook for them getting hit. He got hit BEFORE it made the NE hook! He put his crew in harm's way and got one of his employees severely injured. Unforgivably inept chasing, and all for TV ratings; in a place like OKC, TWC has no purpose except to film disaster porn for the national networks and out-of-state rubberneckers. An outbreak is a big honey pot and nobody wants to miss dipping their finger. The locals all watch their local stations, who have their own perfectly good spotter teams that actually serve a purpose.
Poor Tim, on the other hand, appears to have been trying to lay probes, then ran too late as the tornado turned and expanded. He died for science.
THANK you. For fuck's sake, I watched the guy breathlessly calling out his live-shots on TWC and thinking to myself "This dipshit is going to core punch on an HP and get himself killed on national TV, and everybody's going to call it a tragedy."
I didn't hate the man before El Reno, but I sure as shit hate him now. He can't even own up to his mistake like a man.
Not to mention the fact that he called out so-called "irresponsible chasers" on a live on-air segment not more than a few weeks beforehand.
this comment is still my favorite. couldn't have said it better myself
Yes. When he blamed the NE hook I thought "what? You think we all don't know that's bullshit?" I couldn't believe someone who was considered an expert drove right into it!! Of course, as we found out, he really didn't have that much experience.
Tim Samaris should have taught bettis and crew how to be more safe
Tim Samaras and Carl young were NOT out there to get "the perfect shot"! They were out there to get as much important info from this and other tornadoes...He gathered many ground breaking measurements and information in his career that has been used to save lives!
While this may be correct, I find it completely unnecessary for all those chasers (dots) to be conjesting the roads further and inhibiting the locals and each other from escaping - just for the "perfect shot." Far too many hobbyists vs scientists imho.
LocaButt The chasers weren't the ones who congested the roads and put lives at risk. The roads, mostly back roads were fairly clear, the congestion didn't happen until drivers reached the turnpikes and the areas became parking lots from all of the people trying to leave Oklahoma City. The southern areas were the worst because of the outflows and smaller tornados that never touched down but were ripping trees and small buildings near the turnpikes. The number of chasers were minor compared to the over all volume of traffic.
BTW, in 40 years of storm chasing only 4 chasers have ever died ...all 4 were in 2013.
LocaButt Samaras was a SCIENTIST not a cowboy.
If i lived in the states Id be out there with them
Tim Samaras and all in Twistex were trying to save lives! Tim recorded the largest pressure change inside a tornado with a ground pod. He was the most cautious chaser (also Carl and Paul) and their passing was an absolute shock. For the meteorology community (and of course his family and friends) this event was incalculable...
Its still mind blowing to this day that if that tornado was just 5 miles north, El Reno would’ve been wiped off the map. I lived in El Reno during that time and remember that day clearly. The sky was perfect then suddenly at noon, clouds started forming rapidly, it felt like it rained for days after it was over there was massive flooding and the sky was a deep burnt orange tint.
Imagine if this thing hit OKC. Would’ve made Joplin look like child’s play.
El Reno is still an EF-5 in my mind.
It's chilling how the Samaras/Young incident is very similar to what happened to Carey Elwes and his storm chasing team in *"Twister".*
Oh when jonas died
Right?
@@herisuryadi6885 Only difference is that Jonas died being a total dumbfuck. It was a 2 mile-wide tornado.. but it had a perfectly visible funnel.
Tim Samaras death was completely different since they had absolutely no idea just how inconceivable of an event the El Reno tornado would be. Not only was the thing 2.7 miles wide and hard to see.. but what most people don't know is that with the El Reno tornado.. it's almost as if the entire damn Mesocyclone became the tornado itself. It fooled everyone with the subvortices in the middle making everyone unaware that EF3-level winds were circling within the entire supercell's wall cloud. It wasn't really even a single tornado anymore.. but a giant, rotating mass of air with a hellish blender of subvortices in the middle.
Basically as Pecos Hank described it, it had the literal worst possible conditions for stormchasers safety.
Chances are that a lot of storm chasers have been inspired by "Twister" or they simply thought Helen Hunt was sexy.
@@michaellovely6601 I’m more of a Philip Seymour Hoffman guy myself. Someday I’ll own my very own school-bus DOW…
@@michaellovely6601 Helen Hunt's face is way out of proportion though
Skip, as usual, your analysis is excellent and incredibly valuable. Tim was a legend. But I am a technical diver, and the rule we all have is "If I die because I messed up, honor me, then tell the truth so others can learn."
It would be really important to know if Tim was trying to lay probes. If he was, then his decision to run east across the path is more understandable; he underestimated the size and got caught. Otherwise I simply cannot imagine why they ran east when they saw it hook NE.
It's weird to think all this happens out in Oklahoma, where everything is flat and at least you can generally keep a visual. Here in GA, all the storms are rain wrapped and there's trees and everything else and so stormchasing is pretty much suicidal. Good on you and all of them for what they do.
Thanks for doing this video. I wanted more information on the fate of Tim Samaras as I had followed him since 2009 when he was the featured speaker at the Severe Storms Conference in Des Moines, IA. Gave a great presentation on his work, especially his work on slow motion photography of lightning. He will be missed.
You can see Tim Samaras' car right behind Dan's in the video I post below, I know Dan didn't want to post it, however he inadvertently did. If you fast forward to 4:45 in the video you can see Tim's head lights in Dan's right side passenger mirror (looking backwards view)...
The sped up footage of the storm from your Chase vehicle is one of the most impressive I've ever seen watching the motion of that storm
You literally had a brush with death. 😬 It was so sad to see the storm chasers swallowed up by the huge tornado. Rest In Peace. 🌈
PS I really appreciate your dedication to storm safety and sharing what you have learned. I'm sure barely escaping that tornado was terrifying. ❤️🩹
Thank you, Skip, for this informative video. I recently read "Tornado Hunter," the book by Stefan Bechtel and Tim Samaras. It was written before the tragedy of El Reno. Some of the passages are simply chilling in light of the events of May 31, 2013. Such a tragic end to a truly remarkable life.
Brilliantly produced video - Concise, informative visual content, especially when accompanied by contextual commentary. Thank you very much, Skip Talbot. Stay safe!
This was an absolutely fantastic and mesmerizing presentation. Well done!!
OUTSTANDING presentation....one of the best forensic details of a tornado/chase I've ever seen.
I am absolutely blown away by your knowledge and presentation. Masterpiece, Skip!
I just want to say I appreciate the work put into this video. If you watch one video about the El Reno tornado, this should be the one.
For what i could've saw in some videos about this tornado and how many people was experimenting and feeling in that moment to be inside of this monster,was like be in a horror movie and never expects what would happend on the next sequence of the road and suddenly the factor terror sourprise that nobody expected: those multi-vortexes with scales of f4 speeds tornados moving by all the directions same as the satellite tornados and the highly speed changing the direction route drastically,those factors terror sadly killed the storm chasers and 4 people more,i can't' ve imagine trying to be inside that thing the experience has to be disturbing and shocking at the same,some people were very lucky to survive this and sadly others not,very well done this video,thanks!.
I live in Mustang. I can relate to so much of what is documented in this outstanding video. This is better than any documentary one could see on television. Thank you very much. I stayed home. The traffic was so grid-locked, I had no choice but to hope my house would survive. Thanks again for this great video that really tells the story - so well - of what happened. RIP to those who lost their lives.
This is the first time I've seen this version of your video, I've watched your later safety report several times.
I particularly like the split screen with the GPS map showing your position on one side, and your video on the other.
Amazing video, really well put together. More of these would be really great to see, although hopfully without the tragic events of this storm.
This is amazing work!! I'm a novice chaser at best and you made it so easy to understand the events that transpired that awful day. Thank you Skip you are a credit to your profession!
Thank you for this. Fascinating, informative and heartbreaking for those who were lost.
Really nice job explaining as well as effective utilization of graphics. This has really peaked my interest in understanding the anatomy of these storms.
Best done video on this particular event that I've seen by far Skip.....Well done man
Very informative, we all appreciate the analysis. R.I.P. Tim, Paul, and Carl.
Skip, thanks for all the hard work you put into this detailed and enlightening analysis.
Very informative & very professional upload. Paul, Tim, & Carl will be missed and remembered. I am a NWS trained weather spotter and have studied tornadoes since at least the mid-70s.
Outstanding job sir! Very comprehensive and handled with dignity with regard to the loss of life.
Absolutely amazing video, Skip... Great analysis of this awful event... My heart breaks, too where I see that red dot stop...
Great job! Thanks so much for bringing all this info together and relating your own experiences in such a clear way.
Absolutely fascinating. Thank you for all the work you put into this.
Very well illustrated with clear narration. Well done and glad you made it out safely.
Probably have watch this in total 10 times. I learn something new each time. Very well done
Excellent analysis on this tragedy. This is very helpful for improving safety--your mission was accomplished. I'm taking the lessons-learned from this event with me on future chases. Thank you for your reporting and data analysis.
Great analysis and explanation! Thanks Skip. My heart just sinks when I see the red dot not moving on Radio Rd. :(
Incredible video and analysis Skip (on a tragic day). Stay safe and thank you.
This is such a great video. I've watched it several times throughout the yrs. I'm fascinated with tornados and storms in general. Wish I would've gotten into the whole storm chasing scene. There are just so many amateur storm chasers now. I understand people have the same passion, but I'm sure it can be quite annoying and even dangerous at times.
This is terrific. Very well done. I hope more of this type of analysis happens in the future.
This was incredibly insightful and well put-together. Thank you for the analysis!
Skip, thank you for uploading this. It gives us some understanding of what happened to Tim, Paul and Carl that day. My heart still breaks at their loss.
Excellent analysis. Thanks for all the effort you out into this for a historical event.
Wow! Fascinating video. Nice work, Skip. Thanks for that impressive, detailed recreation of what happened that day.
I've been watching extreme weather videos all day and somehow these little dots have broken my heart the most
Outstanding work, Skip
As a new chaser, this video has been so helpful. Thank you so much.
Thanks for this video. It's a great way to observe the events of the day. I was actually watching Bettes as that happened. This helps put his movements and mistake in context.
Very comprehensive. Excellent attention to detail in the visuals. The event seemed abstract to me as chasers and newsers tried to explain what happened. Now I see where Tim Samaras's car was in relation to the tornado. I'd read that his car was flipped end over end for 1/4 mile, with him strapped into it. It was found flattened on a dirt road. His son and chase partner were blown out the doors for 1/4 mile, one to the East, one to the West. Doubt their cam will ever be found. Sad.
Absolutely loved this presentation! Although at times I would have liked to be able to watch the storm in real time, it was top notch. Thanks for putting in the time and effort.
Terrific and informative analysis of an unusual and sad event. A lot of work went into editing and bringing together the various data streams into the video. Excellent job.
This is one of the best 'dissections' of a tornado that I have ever seen. Thank you for the time that you gave towards this analysis. We honor the legacy of those that gave all for the pursuit of education and safety for humanity.
Wow! Excellent explanation and description. Scary stuff!
Great video. It gave me a perspective I've never had on a storm previously.
I like you're analysis of this event. It was very educational. The loss of the storm chasers Tim Samaras, Carl Young and Paul Samaras is very tragic and upsetting. As I have said in many previous videos, I only hope that TWISTEX's research can help others in the path of these devastating storms and that they rest in peace.
Wonderful video with great visuals and analysis! I appreciate the time you took to make this.
Helluva video. You are incredibly smart and detailed. Best tornado analysis I've ever seen.
Probably the best complete overview of a tornado I've ever seen, sans all the crap docudramas throw around that distracts and pads out the running time.
Very interesting and engaging. Thanks for this.
Amazing job! One of the best break downs of a chase / storm setup I have ever seen! Please do more with future chases!
Very well put together, thank you for your work.
Thanks for the analysis. Even 8.5 years later, still amazing knowledge and root cause analysis for what went wrong. May they continue to be remembered.
(Oh nice, 400,000th View GET)
Love the goob @ 11:21 propped up against that METAL gate out in the open while all the lightning was going on around you. Awesome video, Skip! Very informative.
What a great video! Excellent analysis of the storm!
Very well done! I was on unpaved 15th heading west towards the cyclone (based on radio reports, I thought the tornado was further north). Rain and winds were not that severe. I stopped the truck and while looking at what appeared to be the outline of a smaller tornado, I realized I was looking directly up at the front edge of an enormous cyclonic rotation and I was in its path. I had no time to video the event, but made an immediate J turn and drove east on 15th east. I experienced pockets of debris and gusting winds, and I believe I was just in front of the main tornado as it swung north. I abandoned and headed straight south towards Tuttle.
RC Jones Thanks for the comments, RC. What crossroad were you on or near when you stopped facing west and do you happen to have the time?
***** I'll describe my movements for you. Be advised, I'm not a storm chaser, but a photographer with a fair understanding of weather phenomenon and descriptive vocabulary. That said, I started out from Yukon at the crossroads of 15th and Mustang at about 5:40 south of Yukon. At that time, the south edge of the cell appeared to have a rather stable arcus or "wall cloud" shape that lasted a good 10-15 minutes as I continued moving closer on 15th west. News reports predicted the storm cell was moving northeast, so like many others, I believed I was in a good position on 15th to video the storm moving parallel and away from me. However, as I continued west, this "wall cloud" suddenly began what I can only describe as a large circular "flanking maneuver," as it began swinging southeast and showing signs of dramatically slow rotation (I so wish I caught it on video). I passed reformatory Rd just before 6:00pm and was looking for a particular hilltop location in the roadway that I had used before under similar circumstances as a vantage point for shooting images. I just reached the crest of the hill near Airport Rd, when I saw what I believed was a developing mesocyclone, not realizing it had just given birth to a tornado behind a wall of rain maybe 2 or 3 miles away. There was no other traffic on 15th at this time and I could see headlights of traffic moving south and sticking to the paved roads.
I came to an immediate stop and paused to assess a "stay" or "no stay" decision (about 6:05), scanning the darker bands of rain for the smaller typical vortices as you described. There was no rain where I was stopped. I continued looking for small tornadoes or funnel clouds. It was then that I glanced upward and saw the dramatic cyclonic movement just above my vehicle, and that I mistook as mesocyclone movement. Things began to happen quickly and visibility was worsening for the purposes of photography, so I decided to turn back. I saw no vortices on the horizon and was not thinking of being in any danger at that moment. However, as seconds past and I put the truck into gear for the J turn, I took one last look to the northwest of El Reno airport, and - for just a few intermittent seconds obscured behind the sweeping bands of rain in the distance - I spotted what appeared to be a large spinning "V" shaped vortex. Very surreal. Though alarmed by what I saw, I was not 100% sure I was looking at a wide tornado or if the rain had played tricks with my vision. Still, I decided to go with my gut. I hurriedly performed the J turn and hit the gas pedal. At that time, I still didn't realize the full gravity of my situation until about a minute later when the radio announced that doppler and eye witnesses confirmed a tornado on the ground in El Reno. I suddenly had that "oh shit" feeling that a tornado was on my tail. From the J turn point all the way past Rt 81 towards south Yukon, I experienced side-wind gusts heavily buffeting my truck, flying tree limbs, road debris, increased heavy rain, and some light hail causing poor visibility. (Edit: And now thinking more about it, I believe I turned off 15th around Manning and picked up 29th or 44th, but still experienced pretty dicey driving conditions. At any rate, I returned to Mustang Rd, and got the second radio report that a tornado was spotted on the ground east of Mustang and moving east towards OKC Airport. I turned south believing my best escape route was towards Tuttle. Flash flooding along Mustang Rd was significant, and I spotted quite a bit of debris laying in the road. Once I reached the south side of Mustang, rain began to subside and the storm cell could be seen moving far off to the northeast.
Sorry for the verbose explanation. That's about as accurate as I can get (as memory serves). It appears I must have been behind you on 15th, and though I don't recall turning south earlier, then east, I may have ended up further south on Mustang. I DID get a bit rattled when the winds started buffeting my truck and began doubting the veracity of radio reports. As I said, I'm not a storm chaser per se' but do free lance photography and shoot dramatic weather events. In the future, I'll remember to track and document my time and movement better. Actually, up until I saw your post I had no idea anyone was plotting and illustrating storms in this detail. Awesome! Also, you provided a very objective explanation of events. Again, exceptional job! Hope my account helps.
RC Jones Thanks for the info. I was curious because we passed a truck on 15th and Country Club at about 6:14 that was stopped and facing the tornado. I believe this was one the amateur chaser fatalities on the storm as a fatality was reported at that location and we surveyed a wreck of the same make and model. I'm not sure what happened there but I'd guess the chaser was inexperienced and not aware of what he was looking at or the immediate danger it posed. He was about 90 seconds from impact as we passed him while we were escaping east. Scary stuff.
***** Regrettable the loss of life - and lessons to be hammered into the heads of those of us who follow weather phenomenon. Eight deaths is eight too many. Your video made me realize how close I may have come to meeting my maker.
Normally, I rarely get that close as I'm basically looking for anvil or wall shots where the sun serves as back lighting. It still amazes me how fast the tables turned and I suddenly found myself too close. Like you, I lingered too long. So, question. At 14:30, were you aware you were looking at a funnel? Obviously in fast motion, it looks like a tornado funnel in the video, but at normal speed doesn't it appear more as bands of rain following a shifting cell? From my pov just moments earlier, I thought I was seeing the entire cell making a large swing to the north east. It was only on a hunch that I feared a funnel was hiding behind the rain bands.
Also, last question - mobile radio communication. Among most all storm chasers I've seen, I've rarely seen antennas on vehicles and have seen only a hand full using CB or LMR radio rigs. Even more disturbing, I saw nearly everyone using cell phones! I worked in combat comm in the military and rest assured relying on cell phones is a bad idea. I can't help but wonder how many chasers out there may have spotted the funnel and could have helped ALL chasers by reporting its whereabouts in real time. A lot can happen between doppler sweep updates, and eyes on the ground reporting funnel behavior real time (and tracked via scanner or dedicated channel) is absolutely indispensable. The RF air waves should have been filled with the chatter of funnel reports so anyone with a scanner could plot the storm. Why aren't chasers organized and communicating on radios?
***** - Disregard my previous question in determining a tornado in a rain-wrapped situation. You covered this topic quite well in several other videos.
However, I still believe there is simply not enough use of ground-to-ground mobile comm passing knowledge shared between chasers on a shared "guard frequency" that would have thwarted the deaths of experienced chasers. Since my last msg to you, I've looked at a lot of videos. I found only one chaser tracking HAM radio operators and using a CB to report his position and provide eyes-on storm development. I suspect this comment will get lost amid all the others, but I served in combat comm in the military and know what I'm talking about. If the doomed chasers had received real time updates from other teams like Sullivan/Wright and Farrar/Demco crews (not to mention others watching from unknown vantage points), they would have received valuable supplemental knowledge that their position was compromised and to get out of the rain-wrapped bear's cage by turning north. Without a shared radio frequency for chasers/trackers to plot, you are all flying blind and doomed for this to happen again. A lot can happen between the sweeps of a dopplar radar. My 2 cents.
I think this tornado should have spurred on the development of a new, more comprehensive tornado rating system. The EF scale is okay but not great and its drawbacks have been exposed by this storm.
I agree--it seems a little backwards when property damage shouldn't be the overriding factor. This tornado made that abundantly clear.
Rubbish is a better word for EF scale than okay. It is one of the most nonsensical ways to measure a weather phenomenon that has ever been conceived and only exists because of the difficulty back then of taking any real quantitative measurements of tornados. Now that we have accurate RADAR, pressure, windspeed etc measurement capability the physical characteristics should dictate how its rated, not the completely arbitrary estimation based on damage caused.
We actually don't have accurate radar, pressure, and windspeed measurement capabilities. Only a handful of tornadoes have been sampled by radar, and then only aloft. So we still don't know what's happening at the surface where all damage and human impact occurs. Even fewer have been sampled by some kind of in situ probe, and most of those attempts had limited usefulness. Radar and probes help us understand the tornado process, but they're not yet useful ways for categorizing and comparing all tornadoes. When someone devises a reliable means to directly observe tornadic strength, the system will certainly be revised. Until then, after the fact damage analysis is the only method we have for nearly all tornadoes, and thus it remains the best we can currently do when gauging relative tornado strength.
Remember, Greensburg '07 put an End to the Fujita system. That's why the Enhanced Fujita system was created. That F5 Kansas Tornado wiped 95% of that town of the map.
Fantastic analysis, Skip!
Great video.It helped me understand where everybody was when then EL Reno Tornado hit.Very informative.Thank you.
Yah I was watching this with an ohnoes :"( yall did an amazing job GOD bless ya. you put out so much of what is involved in chasing a tornadic storm, and what its risks sometimes are. thank you for doing what you did. and those who passed on may they RIP
Excellent video! Your description and analysis (of both the tornado's and your actions) was superb. Kudos also for your highly effective use of fast-forward to condense time - AND (at 15:30) to show the "carousel" of sub-vortices - which would have been difficult to see in real time. The split-screen editing of radar (w/GPS animation) correlated with shots from your dashcam and camera were highly appropriate. Skip and Jennifer, this is one of the finest short documentaries I have ever seen.
for no reason at all ive been infatuated with tornados this whole week. this is by far the best video explaining the el reno twister and how those chasers died. bravo,
Great analysis. Thanks for this vid.
Extremely informative, exiting and harrowing.
A very impressive effort, Skip.
Terrific and informative analysis of a an unusual and sad event.
This is Amazing! Thank you for sharing ❤
Excellent analysis Skip
Well done Skip. Very good presentation.
As a follow up: a Florida newspaper did a great story covering the El Reno tornado. According to the story, it seems Tim was indeed running east on a bad road to try and lay probes across it's path, and simply cut the margin way too close.
As for the Weather Channel team, I have no frigging idea what their excuse was. They seemed to have been trying (incompetently) to core punch for better footage, but then blundered directly into the eastbound vortex while southbound on a good road.
Thank You for your wonderful contributation to science. I can only imagine the hours you spend assimilating the info and then displaying it in such an informative way! Well Done! It was Awesome, May GOD bless you and your crew, Happy Hunting!
that must just have been insanely scary, being there in person. great explanation and great video
extremely well done video sir. extremely informative
Very well done Skip!
Very powerful and informative video!
Fantastic presentation! So tragic what happened...but as the number of storm chasers continues to expand its likely that more unfortunate events such as this will happen again.
This was an example of expect the unexpected and hopefully a learning experience for the chasing community.
Great perspective on this historic tornado. Clearest picture to date on what sadly happened to TWISTEX.
Wonderful presentation.thank you so much
Awesome chase and very informative. I don't think I've ever seen such an ominous low lying wall cloud on any chase video. Thanks.
Well done and thorough. Thanks for the insight!
Terrific and informative analysis of an unusual and sad event. A lot of work went into editing and bringing together the various data streams into the video. Excellent job.
The one chaser position that I would be interested in learning was the TIV-Dominator crew who have a a phenomenal video as the storm at EF-3+ strength traversed their position.