The Strongest Tornado That Wasn't Rated EF5

This is the full story of the Rochelle Tornado that happened on April 9, 2015. This tornado ripped through the Cherry Hills subdivision and went on to impact the north side of Fairdale Illinois. The tornado was given an official rating of EF4 with maximum windspeeds of 200 mph, which was extremely controversial because the EF5 rating starts at 201 mph, just one mph faster. This means that the Rochelle tornado is officially the strongest tornado that wasn’t rated EF5.

Special thanks to @SalticalWx subscribe to his channel!

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#illinois #tornado #documentary

[highriskchris]

Did the Rochelle tornado deserve an EF5 rating?

[TwisterArchival]

Still can’t believe how calm Sam was when that chunky swirl of wind passed 100 feet away from him. I’d be shitting my pants seeing that even if it’s from a mile away.

[eamonwright]

This tornado, the Ringgold Ef4 from 2011, the 2010 Bowdle EF4, and the 2024 Greenfield tornadoes were clear examples of tornadoes that should've been rated EF5. imho

[keithvruno]

Sam Smith was less than 50 yards from the heart of that thing and only said "damn, that's crraazzyy".

[mickandme]

I survived this tornado. I was coming down 251 before it hit Grubsteakers. There was some people going inside to eat and I yelled at them to take shelter and showed them the wedge heading their way. You would be surprised how caught off guard some people were by it. Before this happened the mindset of the area was that a huge tornado like that would never hit here.

[imnotfietan]

9:00 that tornado was big but sam’s balls were bigger

[YippieYerpPerkyJerk]

I love how calm Sam Smith was. "Wow, this is crazy" as a tornado passes RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM. I would freak out for sure 😧

[dannyllerenatv]

One of the most photogenic wedge tornadoes over the last decade. The fact that this formed from an HP supercell and was still this visible and clear is amazing. I think this tornado, Goldsby 2011, and Chickasha 2011 are the three I'd nominate for the "should've been an EF5" club.

[Moneynis]

I still want to know why weather officials are scared to rate a tornado an EF5. What’s so controversial about giving a tornado its deserved rating?

[relaxationmeditation]

I've seen the video of the guy in the car many times. His calm panic always makes me chuckle.

[TheRhythmicStorm]

I was actually on the phone with my cousin earlier and we were actually talking about this tornado, because he lives in Byron, IL which is only like 20 minutes west of Fairdale. He told me how the next day, he and his dad were called by their church organizations as they were rounding up people to help out with the cleanup efforts. He said my uncle even took a photo of a spoon that was driven halfway into a tree. What's even crazier is that this tornado wasn't terribly far from the Byron Nuclear Plant.

Great video as always Chris!!

[watcherdigest]

10:24 felt like i was watching a movie. The fact that when you hear a freight train sound when you aren’t near a railroad is terrifying and you know you’re cooked.

[hammled]

You can really see how fast the tornado is going! That security camera footage was short but you could see the strength. Scary but interesring!

[CJPostal]

Great recap. Myself and Charles Russell were behind it on 64 when it struck Grubsteakers, luckily we had a police car pull out in front of us miles to the west prior to reaching the intersection. We had no clue until the next day that building was a restaurant. Continued moving NE until we were blocked by a tree south of Fairdale, where we watched the satellite begin in the field next to us. Definitely a life changing day.

[jujubeats]

10:07 When i first saw the video, i was living near rochelle. (this was before the tornado.)
so when my mom got a call from one of her friends, they told her about the coming tornado (it was a video call)
she saw and heard her drive frantically away from faredell. *edit: MOM IM BECOMING FAMOUS*

[deelady]

There was a truck driver who saw it coming, stopped around grubstackers and made it into the basement as the tornado hit. I drove the route of the tornado a fee days later and couldn't believe the level of damage. Huge trees were ripped out by the roots. Fair dale was devastated.

[meteorologistclutch]

I actually visited GrubSteakers back in April during a storm chase They spoke to me all about how the rebuilding process went and how scary it was for most of the employees, they have tons of pictures and stuff on the walls of the tornado. It was truly a heartbreaking experience

[weathermanofthenorth]

This was an awesome documentary. This is one of my favorite tornadoes to study. Because you go from a narrow stub of a tornado with a very low wall cloud. To a drillbit tornado with a large high-based wall cloud and photogenic mesocyclone. You can even see about a couple minutes before transition, the inflow tail abruptly change level. As for controversial EF-5's, people always leave out Chickasha and Newcastle May 24 2011. Those two were incredibly powerful! Wish I could link up damage pictures, but youtube hates links.

[calicatsmom]

This took place in my home county. I come from Oregon, but spent a lot of time in Rochelle and the neighboring communities that took a direct hit. Thank you for covering this event with such scientific detail

[jacksonyon]

I was only 12 when this happened but I still remember so much about this day. I was watching the weather channel all day because I knew something was gonna happen based on the forecast. When I saw this tornado on tv I knew it was bad. I was texting my uncle, my cousin, and my brother about it because at the time I was so fascinated with the weather. One of the earliest tornadoes I remember hearing about and seeing in the moment.