The only thing I don't like about some of those vids is they make the damage path look so narrow, when in fact at ground level it's a completely different story.
***Official 2024 Weather Thread***
- Thread starter wxman1
- Start date
The only thing I don't like about some of those vids is they make the damage path look so narrow, when in fact at ground level it's a completely different story.
We were without power for about 8 or 9 hours, but my fridge never got above 43°F. We did not open the doors, though. Deep freeze got up to +3°F. Was getting nervous, though.
What was pouring out of that white building at the beginning of the video? Water?
My first thought was some of that "blown in" insulation that is mostly particulate.
Conversely, it also helps quell the hyperbole whenever something this massive happens to a small town. I kept seeing a lot of social media posts like "Greenfield just got wiped off the map" -- no it didn't. The town is still there. It did some absolutely massive damage but it is still, in fact, a town.
I expect adults to be able to understand the hyperbole but it filters down to younger kids like mine who have high anxiety about this sort of thing when they hear it from classmates who heard it from other adults, and it's tough to explain to them that "tornado sirens" doesn't mean that they're about to die to a tornado, it means that they need to take shelter *just in case*.
It's hard to capture this stuff no matter what. I remember after the derecho driving along Highway 30 and seeing the houses destroyed and knowing that there were dozens and dozens that I couldn't see. And that was even before I hit Cedar Rapids.
But you can clearly see buildings in the town that are still standing. Everything we heard was that the entire town of Greenfield was destroyed. That video shows otherwise.
Not minimalizing the disaster because it's still devastating to the town and people there.
Preliminary reports officially list the Greenfield tornado as EF-3
The damage looks much worse than EF-3 IMO
The damage looks much worse than EF-3 IMO
Very good perspective, had not thought about that. I don't follow the Twitterverse and stuff so hadn't seen the hyperbole or how it was being portrayed. You are all absolutely right that these do help put things into perspective of where the extreme damage is, and unfortunately it's hard to visually capture both that and the tertiary damage at ground level.
I mean, it's driven by likes and social media attention. It happened before the internet too. Flooding is a big one too, the news only focuses on the dramatic scenes. During the 2008 flood in Des Moines I had relatives reaching out asking if the entire town was underwater. Ground level pictures just doesn't capture the whole story. It's just one part of the equation.
To be fair, the tornado was a very narrow tornado. Which is good and bad. Think of a figure skater who is spinning. If their arms are extended, they spin slowly. Once they bring their arms in and are compact, they spin faster.
So if the tornado was wider, the wind speed likely would had been lower, but more buildings may had sustained damage. But since the tornado was compact, the winds were much stronger leading to catastrophic damages, but only in a narrow path.
Very susceptible until roof is decked. And yes, wall sheathing, or wind braces need to be cut into the walls
I would agree but also I HIGHLY doubt they have done much if any in depth survey analysis in Greenfield itself. They essentially go door to door evaluating the damage and the build quality of each structure.
I'm not sure if this is one path, two paths, or just a cell that was throwing funnels willy nilly. What I could gather from flipping the local channels is that a funnel was verified north of Waukee, it progressed to near the Grimes area and crossed Saylorville just south of the mile long bridge. From there is passed south of Huxley and hit White Oak. I'm unsure whether this is the same funnel that flipped the semi's at the I-35 rest area or not. Probably so. From there it passed Cambridge and crossed US30 just east of Nevada. At that point I had to disengage for other distractions.
Last edited:
I guess I'd missed the news that one of the deceased yesterday was a storm chaser.
Honest question, do real weather people and local authorities find these folks helpful, or is it just weather porn for gawkers on the internet? Or somewhere in between?
Honest question, do real weather people and local authorities find these folks helpful, or is it just weather porn for gawkers on the internet? Or somewhere in between?
Really depends. I think I found out about the Greenfield tornado before KCCI or WHO picked up on it by watching Ryan Hall's stream. Storm spotters are integral to alerting the news whether a tornado has been sighted. "Radar indicated" warnings only help so much, but having eyes on a situation can be immensely valuable to first responders who need to know where help might be needed most.
I'd imagine some of them are super useful. Being able to visually confirm a tornado is on the ground is really useful. It changes how the NWS categorizes the warnings.
The answer is it depends. Level of training, knowledge, assistance on navigation just to name a few factors. There are a TON that go out for the fun of it and that is okay if you know what you are doing. I saw a picture that a chaser took yesterday. With the amount of headlights on what is likely a normally lonely rural highway it looked like University Ave after a night game.
