2004 - The Most Insane Tornado Season In History

May 22nd, 2004. Residents of the small town of Hallam, Nebraska are enjoying a much needed break after a long week of hard work in the muggy late spring air. Yet in less than 30 minutes, a tornado measuring over 2 miles wide will destroy nearly every structure in the town. Another community has fallen victim to the worst tornado season in American history.

This is the story of the 2004 tornado season, the most active tornado season in US history spawning an incredible 1817 tornadoes across the United States from a series of devastating tornado outbreaks and hurricanes.

F Scale explanations:
F0 Light Damage (40-72mph)
F1 Moderate Damage (73-112mph)
F2 Significant Damage (113-157mph)
F3 Severe Damage (158-206mph)
F4 Devastating Damage (207-260mph)
F5 Incredible Damage (261-318mph)

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Sources:
Tornado Archive

[tornadotrx]

Hallam being 2.5 miles wide is NOT talked about enough! For reference El Reno was 2.6 miles wide. Crazy tornado and year.

[Oz_Darkrdr]

July 14th 2004 I was a 14 year old kid in Campbelltown, Pennsylvania. I was outside riding my bike when I noticed the sky darkening and lightning in the distance. I rushed home and got in the house then I noticed the sky had a green hue to it. I remember thinking this can't be good! 5 minutes later I see a F-3 tornado tear through the country squire housing development in Campbelltown PA. It carved a 7 and a half mile swath of destruction in a small town in Pennsylvania packing 180mph winds. This moment is what started my lifelong passion for weather. It changed my life forever. Thankfully no one was killed only some injured. That 2004 season was wild!

[Salvador_but_he_plays_gd]

12:10
I actually want to mention that the person who surveyed this tornado actually regretted not giving this tornado an F5 rating, they said that had they had the tools of the EF scale, the tornado would have gotten the F5 rating

So calling the Marion tornado an F5, isn't wrong

In fact I would actually like to see the tornado get the rerate

[Dakotert]

9:07 There's something so unsettling about there being a rainbow next to a tornado while it's relentlessly tearing apart the victim's houses.

[highriskchris]

Unreal how everybody at the Parsons manufacturing plant survived completely uninjured, yet we still have deaths occur nowadays like at the candle factory and the Amazon warehouse in Dec 2021

[aslightlysanescientist]

The NWS has gone on record regretting having not rated the Harper tornado as an F5.

[UpperlevelJeffstream]

I was raised in Harper county. My Dad was a deputy and mom a dispatcher. I was only 3 at the time so I don’t remember much other than taking a ride in dads patrol car over to a friends house. I remember when it got dark we had to go to the basement. Looking into it later on I realized what was coming for us in that darkness. Glad it never came to be. We knew the people who got hit south of town. Forgot their names but they were okay. Fyi that house was a brand new, sturdy brick farm home and well, you saw the pictures. Of course, those were the days before the EF scale. I agree there shoulda been a maximum rating. On some of the Attica footage you can spot my old man (silver crown Vic with the window lights if you’re down for a scavenger hunt). All in all, while sitting in that candlelit basement, playing with my tonka trucks and listening to the scanner. I never thought that night and more to come (Greensburg). Would be the spark that lit my insatiable hunger for meteorological knowledge.

[TJB]

As a kid i can’t tell you how many times the sirens went off in 2004 in my town. At least 5-6 tornado warnings that year along with countless severe T-storm warning. As much as I loved that spring/summer, I never wanted fall to get there so fast lol. Awesome video man!

[CeltonHenderson]

Had to get this up before hurricane Milton knocks my power out for the next week lol

[ambernoyb]

The 2004 tornado in Green Lake County really cemented my fears for tornadoes. I was 9. I was scared of them before, but I became terrified after that day.
The tornado that killed the gentleman funneled right over our house and we lived on AW, maybe 5 miles from Gallenbeck's farm (the couple's last name). I remember screaming and crying for my mom to come downstairs because she was watching it in the living room. I have never seen green, rolling clouds like that since then.
After it was over, we drove to Waupun (Wah-Pahn) to make sure some family friends who owned a restaurant on Main Street were okay. I was extreemly grateful we didn't lose our house or anything around it, but I was really sad for the people who did.

[MesoscaleMikeyChasing]

Epic video man!
2:20 - I must say, Harper CO/Anthony, KS is a EXTREMELY underrated tornado magnet in my opinion.
With 2004 featuring 3 major outbreaks/events of violent and/or photogenic tornadoes, a big outbreak of boundary tornadoes in 2012, and the supercell this year with multiple spinups including the boundary interaction EF2. Actually where I saw and filmed my 2nd and 3rd tornadoes this year.

[eiya]

I love how you opened this video by stating a gigantic tornado happened the exact day i was born

[tornadoclips]

1 mile wide is insane
2 mile wide is unbelievable
2.5 miles wide is unfathomable

[tornadostories]

Great research, graphics and interesting sidenotes throughout the video. What a year 🌪️

[glennichols]

2:29 FINALLY I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS FOOTAGE FOR YEARS

[MesoShed]

Roanoke Tornado is what got me interested in extreme weather. I grew up just 10 miles away from the Parson’s plant

[JBullock]

Great video man! 2024 looked like it had a chance to top the record, but due to the lack of activity in late summer, it’s likely gonna fall short, barring any November/December outbreaks

[charlesshaw]

Grew up in Anthony south of Harper, the 12th was my first chase day ever as a 15 weather nerd. sat in the parking lot of the high school that sits between the 2 towns and watched the entire thing

[JohnnyMinecraft-yp]

these videos are fun to watch when i’m in california like 1000 miles away from a tornado

[viridescentfen]

funny to me that the year i was born in was the year with the most tornadoes on record, since im currently in college to try to get a degree in meteorology and am super hyperfixated on tornadoes lol
love your work celton!