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Spring madness: The most extreme
tornadoes of the 1990s (Round 1)
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Lazbuddie, Texas during May 1991 (YouTube)
by Aaron Davis and Mitch Feiler
Editor’s note: While this post is intended to be entertaining/educational, there is nothing fun about a
tornado that slams into population. Sadly, many of these events killed people or otherwise destroyed
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tornado that slams into population. Sadly, many of these events killed people or otherwise destroyed
lives. At the same time, as always, we believe being as informed as possible about tornadoes —
including their history, and this is a great look at 1990s history — helps to keep people safer.
In honor of March Madness, we are proud t o int roduce Spring Madness: 90s edition.
Are you t ired of looking at your already ruined March Madness (MM) bracket ? Good! Then t his is
t he perf ect t hing f or you. We sat down and t ook 32 of what we t hought were t he most ext reme
t ornadoes of t he 1990s, gave t hem a seed and a bracket locat ion, and are happy t o share t he
f inal result s.
On t his page you will f ind t he rules, t he bracket , a writ e up of each t ornado, and a vot ing opt ion.
Even if you are not a major weat her junkie, we t hink you’ll be able t o play well. For Round 1,
we’ve done a sport s-st yle writ e up of each t ornado t o give you an idea of how t he mat ch-up
could t urn out . We’ll t ry and do somet hing like t his f or each round, but can’t guarant ee it wit h
work schedules.
If during t he course of t his event you f ind yourself having any issues wit h any of t he images or
links, please cont act Aaron or Mit ch.
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1. Much like a st andard MM bracket , you will print t his one of f , and f ill it out on how you f eel t he
t ournament will go (or you can just look at it , it ’s guidance, what ever is easiest ). But if you f ill it
out you can see how you do in t he end!
2. Unlike t he real MM t ournament , t ornadoes can’t really play each ot her in real lif e (we wish) so
we are leaving it up t o you t o decide t he out come. The bracket is set up just like a real one. So
when vot ing, keep in mind t hat in t his round t he number one seed is playing t he number eight
seed, #2 VS #7, #3 VS #6, and et c.
3. Each mat ch-up may not receive t he same number of vot es, t hough we encourage you t o vot e
f or all. You can come back lat er (bef ore t he deadline!) t o f inish. Winners will be decided on
whichever t ornado in each mat ch-up has t he most vot es. If it ’s a t ie, we’ll be t he t iebreaker.
4. There are no rules, rules are an illusion. This is a f ree-f or-all, t his is Spart a.
5. Disregard #4.
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Feel f ree to tweet your bracket at us @UST ornadoes @AaronWxDavis @daily_wx during
the f irst round f or use in the f inal post that announces the winner.
6 days for voting
Round 1: Thursday Mar 24 11a t hru Wednesday Mar 30 10:59a
Sweet 16: Thursday Mar 31 11a t hru Wednesday Apr 6 10:59a
Elite 8: Thursday Apr 7 11a t hru Wednesday Apr 13 10:59a
3 days for voting
Final 4 : Thursday Apr 14 11a t hru Sunday Apr 17 10:59a
T ornado championship: Monday Apr 18 11a t hru Thursday Apr 21 10:59a
Winner announced: Friday Apr 22 or Monday Apr 25
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#1 Moore, OK 99 VS. #8 Billings, OK 91
There is no quest ion t hat t he undisput ed number one seed t ornado in Moore (1999) will be a
f orce t o be reckon wit h t his year, but it will have t o overcome some very not able mat ch-ups
bef ore it can call it self a champion.
If you know weat her, you know about t he Moore (1999) t ornado. This hist oric t ornado can
claim responsibilit y f or producing a whole new generat ion of met eorologist s given it s raw power
and humbling st at ist ics. This t ornado f ormed as part of t he May 3, 1999 out break, and quickly
became t he most powerf ul and memorable t ornado in recent memory. This t ornado t ore int o
Moore, devast at ing many part s of t he cit y. It ’s a t wist er t hat no opposing t ornado will want t o
f ace in t his bracket .
f ace in t his bracket .
St rengt h: F5
Winds: 300+ MPH
Damage: $1 billion USD
Moore Video: ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=DG1z_llxOFo (Sorry f or t he document ary link)
In t he f irst mat ch-up, Moore (1999) will t ake on one of t he many t ornadoes produced during t he
ext remely f amous 4/26/91 plains out break. While t he Billings t ornado isn’t t he most f amous
t ornado t o come f rom t he April, 1991 event , it cert ainly isn’t one t o sleep on. This gorgeous
st ovepipe t ornado would quickly wedge out , and st ay on t he ground f or a while. It would also
produce t he highest recorded wind speeds at t he t ime. Only t o have t hat record broken by it s
current opponent
St rengt h: F4
Winds: 260+ MPH
Damage: Unknown
Billings Video: ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=Eppc-4pTNAA
#1 Moore, OK 99 VS. #8 Billings, OK 91
#1 Moore, OK 99 (96%, 172 Votes)
#8 Billings, OK 91 (4%, 7 Votes)
Tot al Vot ers: 179
#4 Columbus, NE 98 VS. #5 Winf ield, KS 91
In t his bat t le of t he mega-wedges, we have t wo visually STUNNING t ornadoes.
What we really admire about t he Columbus t ornado is t he size of t he mesocyclone. The whole
t hing appears t o be in cont act wit h t he ground: likewise, t he size of t he hail associat ed wit h t his
monst er t ornado was somet hing else. Now, much like it s opponent , t he Columbus t ornado has a
disput ed rat ing. The t ornado went t hrough mult iple cycles, and had only a f ew damage indicat or.
So t he t rue st rengt h of t his beaut if ul piece of nat ure, much like t he Winf ield t ornado, may not
ever be known.
St rengt h: F2 (disput ed)
Winds: 113+ MPH
Damage: Unknown
Columbus Video: ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=iNOlL5t WxTg
Bot h of t he t ornadoes in t his mat ch-up occurred in very rural areas, so bot h of t hem have very
cont est ed rat ings since t hey didn’t cause major damage over large areas. Many people who
wit nessed t he Winf ield t ornado say t hat had it not occurred in such a rural area, it could have
wit nessed t he Winf ield t ornado say t hat had it not occurred in such a rural area, it could have
easily been t he most not able t ornado of t he April 1991 out break: even more not able t han t he
Andover t ornado.
St rengt h: F4 or F5 (disput ed)
Winds: 207+ MPH est imat ed
Damage: Unknown
Winf ield Video: ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=MVpyLKJVmjs
#4 Columbus, NE 98 VS. #5 Winf ield, KS 91
#4 Columbus, NE 98 (56%, 89 Votes)
#5 Winf ield, KS 91 (44%, 69 Votes)
Tot al Vot ers: 158
#3 Chandler, MN 92 VS #6 Lazbuddie, T X 91
We f ind t his mat ch-up rat her int riguing. In one corner you have a massive F5 t hat is of t en
f orgot t en when t alking about large, dest ruct ive t ornadoes. In t he ot her corner, you have a
t ornadic event t hat produced some of t he st uning home video ever capt ured, complet e wit h
mult iple t ornadoes at once, and t he video is f ull of t hick Texas accent s.
The Chandler t ornado was part of t he hist oric June out break of 1992. Over a period of f our
days, 170 t ornadoes were spawned in various part s of t he Midwest . The Chandler
t ornado f ormed rapidly and wit hin t went y minut es it reached it s peak int ensit y.
St rengt h: F5
Winds: 260+ MPH est imat ed
Damage: $50 million USD
Chandler Video: ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=byXvqMHHxIU
The Lazbuddie event is a complet ely dif f erent st ory. These t ornadoes spawned during an
isolat ed incident , as opposed t o a large out break. The t ornadoes happened in such a rural area,
t hat it ’s dif f icult t o even f ind inf ormat ion on t he event . However, we wouldn’t count Lazbuddie
out just yet . Many people regard t his home video as some of t heir f avorit e ever capt ured.
St rengt h: F2
Winds: 113+ MPH est imat ed
Damage: None???
Lazbuddie Video: ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=uQ0rOXM_ArE
#3 Chandler, MN 92 VS. #6 Lazbuddie, T X 91
#3 Chandler, MN 92 (51%, 80 Votes)
#6 Lazbuddie, TX 91 (49%, 77 Votes)
Tot al Vot ers: 157
#2 Oakf ield, WI 96 VS. #7 Lawrence Co. T N 98
A Wisconsin t ornado f acing a f orgot t en t ornado: who could ask f or a bet t er mat ch-up?
The Oakf ield t ornado is t he product of a Wisconsin-only event t hat produced t welve t ornadoes,
and count less ot her non-t ornadic severe weat her relat ed event s. The t ornado developed and
quickly grew in st rengt h while approaching t he t own of Oakf ield. The t ornado would dest roy 14
percent of t he t own’s homes, sweeping many of f t heir f oundat ion, and heavily damaging
anot her 15 percent .
St rengt h: F5
Winds: 260+ MPH est imat ed
Damage: $40 million USD
Oakf ield Video: ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=MH7RI527PhU
As f or t he opponent of t he Oakf ield t ornado, we f ind what is of t en ref erred t o as t he f orgotten
tornado of Lawrence County. This massive st orm was part of t he April 1998 out break
af f ect ing many sout hern st at es. While t his event is most commonly known f or t he downt own
Nashville t ornado, t his one could have easily been as memorable. This beast spawned f rom a
massive discret e supercell in a relat ively unpopulat ed area. However, t he damage it did cause was
ext ensive. Unf ort unat ely, t here were mult iple report s of homes being swept f rom t heir
f oundat ion, t rees being debarked, and in a f ew isolat ed areas, ground scouring and grass being
t orn out of t he ground. This should be a very int erest ing mat ch-up.
St rengt h: F5
Winds: 260+ MPH est imat ed
Damage: Unknown
Lawrenceville Video: ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=8csvBQ8Fr4U (we can’t conf irm t his
is t he t ornado in quest ion, but it seems t o be!)
#2 Oakf ield, WI 96 VS. #7 Lawrence Co. T N 98
#7 Lawrence Co. TN 98 (60%, 91 Votes)
#2 Oakf ield, WI 96 (40%, 61 Votes)
Tot al Vot ers: 152
#1 Andover, KS 91 VS #8 Miami, FL 97
You’d be hard pressed t o f ind an event t hat produced more memorable home video t han t he
April, 1991 t ornado out break. Much of t he home video f rom t hat day has made it int o numerous
April, 1991 t ornado out break. Much of t he home video f rom t hat day has made it int o numerous
t ornado collect ion videos and document aries. The Andover t ornado is no dif f erent . As f or it s
opponent , t he Miami t ornado is int erest ing because t he t ornado f ormed on land, moved over
wat er, and t hen moved back t o land.
The Andover t ornado is so not able not only because of it s long lived and dest ruct ive nat ure, but
also because it was one of t he most video recorded F5 t ornadoes ever. Mult iple cameras and
angles capt ured t his t ornado as it t ore t hrough McConnell air f orce base, and event ually made it s
way int o Andover where t he cit y suf f ered heavy damage. It ’s really hard t o set up t his t ornado,
because t rut hf ully t he t ornado does t he t alking.
St rengt h: F5
Winds: 260+ MPH est imat ed
Damage: ~$100 million USD
Andover Videos:
1. ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=LkxRaX62Hkk
2. ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=kdNImASqseM
3. ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=sllF4R9IC18
The Miami t ornado on t he ot her hand was relat ively weak, and didn’t cause t hat much damage.
However, what makes t he Miami t ornado unique is t hat it was capt ured live on many downt own
sky cameras, and proved t o be a very hot news t opic in t he f ollowing days. Then of course t here’s
t hat land t o wat er t o land t hing ment ioned earlier.
St rengt h: F1
Winds: 75+ MPH est imat ed
Damage: ~$525,000
Miami Video: ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=DShp7d6yozY
#1 Andover, KS 91 VS #8 Miami, FL 97
#1 Andover, KS 91 (94%, 142 Votes)
#8 Miami, FL 97 (6%, 9 Votes)
Tot al Vot ers: 151
#4 Minco, OK 99 VS. #5 Nashville, T N 98
A t ornado spawned in a major out break, and a t ornado t hat hit a major cit y not named Moore.
This mat ch-up has it all.
The Minco t ornado may be t he st rongest , or second st rongest , t ornado of t he May 3, 1999
out break, depending on who you’re t alking t o. While t he Moore F5 got t he most media coverage
t hat day, t he Minco t ornado is also a piece of May 3 hist ory. A Doppler on Wheels measured a
t hat day, t he Minco t ornado is also a piece of May 3 hist ory. A Doppler on Wheels measured a
circulat ion cont aining winds approaching 100 mph covering a f our mile wide pat h: making it t he
largest t ornado t o ever be quant it at ively measured. The t ornado went t hrough mult iple t owns,
dest roying large pieces of propert y in t he process.
St rengt h: F4 (disput ed F5 by many wit nesses t o it s violent nat ure)
Winds: 210+ MPH Est imat ed
Damage: Unkown
Minco Video: ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=gvyr5lLLjr8
The Nashville t ornado on t he ot her hand is not able f or many ot her reasons: one being t he large
circulat ion of t he t ornado, and t he ot her being t he rain-wrapped nat ure of t he ent ire event . The
t ornado was born just out side of t he cit y, and made it s way direct ly int o downt own Nashville. At
t he t ime, t he cit y had no sirens in place t o warn t he resident s of t he approaching t ornado, and
many people can be seen walking t he st reet s as it approaches. Most of t he video f rom t hat day
comes f rom local report ers who were keen on t hat day’s weat her condit ions.
St rengt h: F3
Winds: 160+ MPH Est imat ed
Damage: ~$100 million USD
Nashville Videos:
1. ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=wYC4bAaU-ik
2. ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=ldjm_mh2P0g
#4 Minco, OK 99 VS. #5 Nashville, T N 98
#4 Minco, OK 99 (53%, 72 Votes)
#5 Nashville, TN 98 (47%, 65 Votes)
Tot al Vot ers: 137
#3 Red Rock, OK 91 VS. #6 Salt Lake City, UT 99
Do you sense a pat t ern yet wit h t hese 1991 t ornadoes? If not , we’ll f ill you in: The Red Rock
t ornado is anot her product of t he April 26, 1991 out break. If all t hese t ornadoes were basket ball
players, t hen t he April 1991 out break would be t he Universit y of Kent ucky.
The Red Rock t ornado isn’t known f or it s dest ruct ive nat ure like t he Andover t ornado is. Inst ead,
t he Red Rock t ornado is f amous because it was t horoughly document ed by severe st orm
researchers, including a t eam f rom t he Universit y of Oklahoma armed wit h a mobile Doppler on
Wheels. This powerhouse of a t ornado was on t he ground f or an hour and a half , and 65+ miles:
making it one of t he longest t ornado pat hs document ed in Oklahoma.
St rengt h: F4
Winds: 270 MPH
Winds: 270 MPH
Damage: Unknown
Red Rock Videos:
1. ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=hoXjHFler9w
2. ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=5zUJJH_MSZI
3. ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=lf 90f 57Pt ZQ
So who could compet e wit h t his monst er? That ’s easy. How about a t ornado no one even
expect ed t o happen? Let alone in a major populat ed cit y. The Salt Lake City t ornado of 1999
really is a rare event . Not only because t he condit ions t hat day weren’t t oo conduct ive f or
t ornadoes around t he cit y, or ever really conduct ive f or t ornadoes in t hat st at e, but also because
it was t he only t ornado report of t he day. Believe it or not , t his t ornado went on t o be t he most
dest ruct ive in Ut ah’s hist ory. While only on t he ground f or 10 minut es, it was able t o dest roy
count less houses, t rees, and various ot her object s. It also f amously put t o rest t he old (f alse)
myt h t hat t ornadoes cannot st rike cit ies downt own.
St rengt h: F2
Winds: 113+ MPH est imat ed
Damage: $170+ Million USD
Salt Lake City Video: ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=80DnMx8ER3Y
#3 Red Rock, OK 91 VS. #6 Salt Lake City, UT 99
#3 Red Rock, OK 91 (65%, 88 Votes)
#6 Salt Lake Cit y, UT 99 (35%, 48 Votes)
Tot al Vot ers: 136
#2 Dimmitt, T X 95 VS. #7 Fritch, T X 92
If t ornadoes could be a basket ball t eam, t he Dimmit t t ornado would be t he 1995 Chicago bulls.
Not necessarily because it will win t his bracket , but because of how well known t his t ornado is
wit hin t he weat her communit y. You could show a phot o of t his t ornado t o any weat her junkie,
and t hey’d be able be able t o t ell you what it is. Coincident ally, t he Dimmit t t ornado happened t o
occur in 1995. I’m not saying t here’s a correlat ion bet ween large Texas t ornadoes and t he Bulls
dest roying t he NBA, but …
Scient if ically, t he Dimmitt t ornado was t he most st udied in hist ory at it s t ime. During t his day,
mult iple VORTEX t eams were deployed in t he area, and were able t o capt ure and st udy all sort s
of scient if ic inf o f rom t his gorgeous st ovepipe. Phot os, video, and even probe inf ormat ion were
all capt ured during t he lif e cycle of t his awesome t ornado.
St rengt h: F4
Winds: 207+ MPH est imat ed
Winds: 207+ MPH est imat ed
Damage: Unknown
Dimmitt Video:
1. ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=5vw6iUXnef 8
2. ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=pJNr3J2Q5Cg
3. ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=vHcIVX27t Ro
The Fritch t ornado, on t he ot her hand, is well known f or some of home video capt ured of it . The
supercell t hat moved t hrough Frit ch produced a t ot al of t hree t ornadoes, wit h t he largest of t he
t hree producing F4 damage. The t ornado was capt ured f rom mult iple dif f erent angles, wit h t he
most f amous being shot by someone st anding in t he door of his mobile home (Video t wo)
St rengt h: F4
Winds: 200+ MPH est imat ed
Damage: Unknown
Fritch Video:
1. ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=lo7c56Bl4e4
2. ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=j5Qf MFIpw54
#2 Dimmitt, T X 95 VS. #7 Fritch, T X 92
#2 Dimmit t , TX 95 (61%, 83 Votes)
#7 Frit ch, TX 92 (39%, 53 Votes)
Tot al Vot ers: 136
#1 Jarrell, T X 97 VS #8 Anderson Hills, AL 95
Two large t ornadoes t hat dest royed subdivisions are meet ing in t his mat ch-up, but we do not
see an upset happening here.
Jarrell is an undisput ed number one seed, and not only because of it s dest ruct ive F5 nat ure. The
Jarrell t ornado f ormed in rat her peculiar circumst ances. It wasn’t a passing f ront , or even a
dryline, t hat creat ed t his t ornado. It was act ually just a local boundary lef t over f rom an MCS
t hat caused t he st orms t o f ire. Jarrell was also unique since it f ormed in a high CAPE, low shear
day. There was copious amount s of energy in t he at mosphere f or t hese st orms t o t ap int o, but
not a lot of spin t he get t he t ornadoes going. Part ly due t o it s peculiar sout hwest movement ,
t he Jarrell st orm overcame t his obst acle t o become one of t he most int ense t ornadoes of t he
1990s. Unf ort unat ely, t he ent ire subdivision of Double Creek Est at es was complet ely leveled,
and t he t ornado produced some of t he most int ense ground scouring ever recorded.
St rengt h: F5
Winds: 261+ MPH est imat ed
Winds: 261+ MPH est imat ed
Damage: $40+ million USD
Jarrell Video: ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=yc1O1d_7HPU
The Anderson Hills t ornado is also known f or dest roying a subdivision, and t oday is apt ly named
f or t he one it dest royed. The t ornado f ormed just out side of At hens, and quickly began it s pat h
of dest ruct ion. As t he t ornado t ore int o t he Anderson Hills area, it was peaking at F4 st rengt h.
Many of t he homes t here were dest royed, causing close t o $1.5 billion in damage.
St rengt h: F4
Winds: 207+ MPH est imat ed
Damage: ~$1.5 billion USD
Anderson Hills Video: None
#1 Jarrell, T X 97 VS #8 Anderson Hills, AL 95
#1 Jarrell, TX 97 (98%, 130 Votes)
#8 Anderson Hills, AL 95 (2%, 2 Votes)
Tot al Vot ers: 132
#4 Kellerville, T X 95 VS. #5 Albion, IL 90
Typically when discussing June 8, 1995, people of t en go st raight t o t he Pampa t ornado.
However, t he Kellerville t ornado was not only much, much, MUCH larger, but pot ent ially more
powerf ul. The Albion t ornado on t he ot her hand is of t en seen, but f orgot t en. We had seen
count less images, video, and post er images of t he t ornado, but honest ly never knew t he exact
name bef ore st art ing t his bracket . This mat ch-up is poised t o go down t o t he wire.
Again, t he Kellerville t ornado is f rom t he same day as t he inf amous Pampa t ornado, so it is
of t en f orgot t en when t alking about June 8, but it really shouldn’t be. This mult i-vort ex t ornado
went on t o become a mile wide, and produced large areas of F4 damage. However, in an
int erest ing t wist , it has been report ed t hat a VORTEX t eam f ound mult iple areas of F5 damage
t hat t he NWS missed, but t he F4 rat ing has st ood.
St rengt h: F4 (disput ed)
Winds: 207+ MPH est imat ed
Damage: Unknown
Kellerville Video: ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=t Jp2TVEM2vI (It ’s a
wweeeddddggggeeee)
The Albion t ornado was part of t he June, 1990 Ohio Valley t ornado out break. The t ornado was
act ually one of t he earliest of t he day, occurring bef ore it t urned int o an overnight event . This
ext remely long t racked t ornado did damage in bot h Indiana and Illinois. It ’s rat her memorable f or
t he horizont al vert ices t he t ornado produces t hroughout it s lif e cycle.
t he horizont al vert ices t he t ornado produces t hroughout it s lif e cycle.
St rengt h: F4
Winds: 207+ MPH Est imat ed
Damage: $10 million USD
Albion Video: ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=TUq7TTRXDSc
#4 Kellerville, T X 95 VS. #5 Albion, IL 90
#5 Albion, IL 90 (57%, 67 Votes)
#4 Kellerville, TX (43%, 50 Votes)
Tot al Vot ers: 117
#3 Spencer, SD 98 VS #6 Kissimmee, FL 98
This will be a mat ch-up t o wat ch going f orward. One of us (Aaron) must admit t hat t here’s a
“sof t spot ” f or t he Spencer t ornado, as it was t he f oundat ion of a large present at ion in school.
Plus, it was part of a t ornado f amily t hat spawned eight of t he t ot al eight een t ornadoes t hat
day. The Kissimmee t ornado on t he ot her hand was part of an out break t hat is st ill t he deadliest
in Florida’s hist ory.
Many people remember t he lat e May, 1998 severe weat her event f or it s large, powerf ul derecho
t hat blast ed part s of t he Midwest wit h 100+ mph winds. However, it is t he Spencer t ornado
t hat makes t he number t hree seed here. Many f orecast s f or t his day called f or an out break.
However, out of t he 18 t ornadoes t o f orm, Spencer was t he only st rong one of t he day. This
t ornado lit erally changed t he t own f orever as it dest royed most of t he buildings t here. Many
people didn’t even bot her t o rebuild, causing t he populat ion of t he t own t o decrease in t he t ime
af t er t he event .
St rengt h: F4
Winds: 207+ MPH Est imat ed
Damage: $18 million USD
Spencer Video: ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=7yaz-gFKHcI
The Kissimmee t ornado, part of t he same-name out break t hat was t he deadliest and most
dest ruct ive in Florida hist ory, was part of a night t ime night mare f or t he region. This out break
also happened t o occur during a st rong El Nino year. The t ornado f ormed only eight miles
sout heast of Disney World bef ore t rekking st raight int o Kissimmee. The t ornado was originally
given an F4 rat ing, but was downgraded t o F3+ (high end F3).
St rengt h: F3
Winds: 158+ MPH Est imat ed
Damage: $55 million USD
Kissimmee Video: None
Kissimmee Video: None
#3 Spencer, SD 98 VS #6 Kissimmee, FL 98
#3 Spencer, SD 98 (79%, 91 Votes)
#6 Kissimmee, FL 98 (21%, 24 Votes)
Tot al Vot ers: 115
#2 Plainf ield, IL 90 VS. #7 Great Barrington, MA 95
Two odd t ornadoes going head-t o-head, but only one can come out on t op. The Plainf ield
t ornado was a massive t ornado t hat devast at ed part s of t he Chicago suburb. The Great
Barringt on t ornado also ravaged t he area it hit . Bot h t ornadoes are considered oddit ies f or
various reasons, ranging f rom t ime of year t o locat ion.
The Plainf ield t ornado is anot her one of t hose anomalies. It , much like t he Jarrell t ornado in
t his bracket , f ormed in an area of ext reme inst abilit y, but lit t le shear. CAPE values at t he t ime
of t he st orm were approaching 8000 J/KG, and dew point s were in t he upper 70s. The t ornado
f ormed f rom a weak cold f ront . It soon exploded. The t ornado t ore int o t he cit y of Plainf ield,
dest roying most everyt hing in it ’s pat h. The t ornado caught many people of f guard, and t he f irst
warning wasn’t issued unt il t en minut es int o t he event .
St rengt h: F5
Winds: 261+ MPH est imat ed
Damage: $140 million USD
Plainf ield Video: None. Due t o t he highly HP nat ure of t his st orm, and t he rat e in which it grew,
t here are no known phot os or video in exist ence.
The Great Barrington t ornado f ormed out of a clust er of t hunderst orms on Memorial Day. The
t ornado occurred lat er in t he evening, and only t raveled a dist ance of 12 miles bef ore dissipat ing.
Even t hough t he f unnel was on t he ground f or a short t ime, is caused F3 and F4 damage in some
places, including t hrowing a car over 1000 f eet f rom it s original locat ion.
St rengt h: F4
Winds: 207+ MPH est imat ed
Damage: $24 million USD
Great Barrington Video: None
#2 Plainf ield, IL 90 VS. #7 Great Barrington, MA 95
#2 Plainf ield, IL 90 (94%, 111 Votes)
#7 Great Barringt on, MA 95 (6%, 7 Votes)
Tot al Vot ers: 118
Tot al Vot ers: 118
#1 Hesston/Goessel, KS 90 VS. #8 Catoosa, OK 93
Much like sport scast ers, t his might be a f avorit e in t his bracket . One of us (Aaron) LOVES t he
Hesst on/Goessel t ornadoes. We decided on t his pair’s number one seeding, and right f ully so. This
supercell produced mult iple t ornadoes on t he ground at once, bot h of which reached F5 st rengt h.
The Hesston/Goessel t ornadoes were part of t he larger March 1990 plains out break t hat
produced a t ot al of 64 t ornadoes. Wait t hough, t wo t ornadoes? Shouldn’t t his be t wo dif f erent
event s? Well, it could, but here’s why it isn’t : The Hesst on t ornado was t he f irst t o t ouch down,
reaching powerf ul F5 st rengt h. During t his t ornado, t he Goessel t ornado f ormed, event ually
merging wit h t he weakening Hesst on t ornado. The Goessel t ornado t hen became an F5 it self . So
while t hey t echnically are t wo t ornadoes, t hey are one cont inuat ion of a single pat h: which is
why many people put t hem t oget her when t alking about t he pair. The NWS described t he damage
at Goessel as “ext reme F5.” Many met eorologist s believed it was t he st rongest recorded ever
t ornado at t he t ime.
St rengt h: Ext reme F5
Winds: 300+ MPH Est imat ed
Damage: Yes
Hesston/Goessel Video:
1. ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=HCUHt yFcRUI
2. ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=PslT4_HwPiM
The Catoosa t ornado f ormed in a local Oklahoma out break, and churned across t he count ryside
bef ore crossing over int erst at e 44 and int o a t ruck st op. Trucks were mangled and dest royed,
and t he st op was devast at ed. It is said t hat t he reason t he t ruck st op sust ained so much damage
is because a second t ornado f ormed right over t he t ruck st op soon af t er t he f irst one passed
t hrough. The t ornado t hen t urned t o Cat oosa, where an est imat ed 75 percent of t he t own’s
businesses were dest royed.
St rengt h: F4
Winds 207+ MPH est imat ed
Damage: Unknown
Catoosa Video: ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=It t 4e5ww31A (Not conf irmed, but believed
t o be video of t he Cat oosa t ornado)
#1 Hesston/Goessel, KS 90 VS. #8 Catoosa, OK 93
#1 Hesst on/Goessel, KS 90 (96%, 113 Votes)
#8 Cat oosa, OK 93 (4%, 5 Votes)
Tot al Vot ers: 118
#4 Piedmont, AL 94 VS #5 Spearman, T X 90
From a f ascinat ing home video, t o a t errif ying st ill phot o, t his is t he t ale of t wo very dif f erent
t ornadoes.
The Piedmont t ornado was part of t he Palm Sunday 1994 out break. What makes t his t ornado
part icularly inf amous is t hat it direct ly hit a church f ull of people. The t ornado complet ely
leveled t he church, t ragically killing t went y. The supercell t hat spawned t his t ornado was t he
longest lived of t he event , t racking 200 miles f rom Alabama t o Sout h Carolina.
St rengt h: F4
Winds: 207+ MPH est imat ed
Damage: Unknown
Piedmont Video: No video exist s of t he Piedmont t ornado. However, t here is a very f right ening
phot o t hat can be f ound online
Piedmont ’s compet it or, on t he ot her hand, wasn’t t hat dest ruct ive at all. As f or amazing
t ornadoes, t he Spearman st orm might t ake t he cake, or at least deserves a piece of t he cake.
While much of t he home video t aken f rom t his day was up close and personal, Howard Bluest ein
f rom t he Universit y of Oklahoma has an amazing phot o of t his st orm f rom a dist ance. The
st ruct ure is amazing, wit h t he cone t ornado being t he cherry on t op. The t ornado weakened as it
ent ered int o downt own Spearman, so t he damage level was kept low
St rengt h: F2
Winds: 40+ MPH
Damage: $500,000
Spearman Video: ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=gH5D7VEluao
#4 Piedmont, AL 94 VS #5 Spearman, T X 90
#4 Piedmont , AL 94 (63%, 73 Votes)
#5 Spearman, TX 90 (37%, 43 Votes)
Tot al Vot ers: 116
#3 Pampa, T X 95 VS. #6 Pond Creek, OK 91
In t his mat ch-up: t wo very memorable event s. The inf amous Pampa video comes f rom t he
dashboard camera of a local sherif f ’s deput y, while t he Pond Creek video comes t hanks t o a
group f rom OU out perf orming research.
The Pampa grinder, shredder, or blender (whichever you pref er), is arguably t he most f amous
t ornado t o come out of t he Texas panhandle during t he 1990s. It s debris laden video has been
f eat ured in count less “t ornado classics” and document ary videos, and it ’s easy t o see why. This
unique t ornado caused massive damage f or it s size, creat ing damage you’d expect t o f ind in a
unique t ornado caused massive damage f or it s size, creat ing damage you’d expect t o f ind in a
much larger t ornado. This t ornado could have been a higher t han a t hree seed, so t his could easily
be t he t op misplacement in t he bracket .
St rengt h: F4
Winds: 207+ MPH est imat ed
Damage: $30 Million USD
Pampa Video: ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=KaFgUzTlFi0 (I never get t ired of Texas
accent s)
As previously st at ed, t he best video t o come f rom t he Pond Creek t ornado came f rom a group
of chaser f rom OU t rying t o perf orm scient if ic st udy on t he st orm. This t ornado occurred in an
isolat ed area, so we were unable t o f ind t oo much inf ormat ion regarding t his st orm. However, it
is int erest ing t o wat ch t he t ornado cycle in t his video. Going t hrough mult iple st ages, and maybe
even what appear t o be mult iple t ornadoes.
St rengt h: F3
Winds: 158+ MPH est imat ed
Damage: Unknown
Pond Creek Video: ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=ROP-ZCVbb_U
#3 Pampa, T X 95 VS. #6 Pond Creek, OK 91
#3 Pampa, TX 95 (82%, 93 Votes)
#6 Pond Creek, OK 91 (18%, 20 Votes)
Tot al Vot ers: 113
#2 Birmingham, AL 98 VS. #7 Grand Island, NE 90
Yet again, here is anot her mat ch-up f eat uring a very st rong, violent t ornado f acing anot her
product of t he March 13, 1990 out break
The Birmingham t ornado was easily t he st rongest t ornado in t he April 6-9, 1998 out break. It
was part of a supercell t hat ended up producing t hree t ornadoes, t wo of which were st rong. The
t ornado plowed int o t he suburbs of Birmingham, leveling every building and st ruct ure in it s pat h.
The t ornado is report ed t o have swept count less buildings of f of t heir f oundat ions, and t hrow
cars large dist ances f rom t heir original locat ion.
St rengt h: F5
Winds: 261+ MPH est imat ed
Damage: Unknown
Birmingham Video: We couldn’t f ind any video of t he act ual t ornado, so have some James
Spann inst ead. ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=J5xMESViHKs
As f or t he Grand Island t ornado, t his product of t he same out break t hat produced my f avorit e
t ornadoes in t his bracket was relat ively less dest ruct ive. This t ornado did however kill a lot of
t he local cat t le, and derail a large t rain passing t hrough t he area.
St rengt h: F3
Winds: 158+ MPH est imat ed
Damage: We lost some burgers
Grand Island Video:
1. ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=UnlVrwkbPeo
2. ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/wat ch?v=6_f 4bhuVUuc
#2 Birmingham, AL 98 VS. #7 Grand Island, NE 90
#2 Birmingham, AL 98 (70%, 82 Votes)
#7 Grand Island, NE 90 (30%, 35 Votes)
Tot al Vot ers: 117
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ht t p://www.wrh.noaa.gov/
ht t p://www.srh.noaa.gov/
ht t p://www.weat her.gov/
ht t ps://news.google.com/newspapers?
nid=1906&dat =19900410&id=b_4f AAAAIBAJ&sjid=Bv8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=5148,4487056&hl=en
ht t p://www.newson6.com/
ht t p://www.t ornadohist oryproject .com/
ht t ps://www.yout ube.com/
ht t p://www.spc.noaa.gov/
ht t p://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/out breaks/
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Aaron Davis is a storm chaser and recent college meteorology graduate. He loves all things weather,
and is currently trying to pursue a career in the National Weather Service. Mitch Feiler has been an avid
weather enthusiast since the age of 5, and is the founder of Daily Weather Updates.
Editor’s note: A previous version of the title included the word “greatest.” That has been changed out for
“most extreme.” Greatest can be a measure of intensity/ability, as the term was used here, but it can also
be misconstrued in any number of other manners.
Bio
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Tagged with: 1990s Tornadoes, March Madness, Poll, Tornado Bracket, Tornado Videos, Weather Videos
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