FASTEST MOVING TORNADO - New World Record

Introducing the fastest moving tornado ever recorded. In this video we discuss 5 scary fast tornadoes, each one with a forward moving velocity faster than the previous including a mind blowing NEW world record for the fastest tornado ever recorded.

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Over the last couple decades, I’ve found myself trying to outrun some fast tornadoes. But what exactly is considered a fast tornado? And how fast can tornadoes move? The majority of tornadoes I encounter track roughly 25-30 mph. For me, anything slower than that, I consider slow and anything faster than 39 mph, I consider a fast tornado. But tornadoes can move much faster than that. Ride along with this scientific mission to uncover how the fastest tornado yet documented was discovered and how we calculated its ground speed.

The Fastest Moving Tornado Calculations
On June 16, 2016 twin EF4 tornadoes terrorized Nebraska. One of these EF4 directly impacted the town of Pilger. Besides being extremely unusual and visually stunning, this event is also scientifically intriguing. Our team applied photogrammetry techniques to analyze multiple videos. By carefully mapping the fast moving Pilger tornado's passage past features seen in each video, we calculated its speed between each marked point. This refined Skip Talbot's earlier work. A newly acquired damage scar from google earth allowed us to fix the tornadoes position with precision.

At 4:42 Central Time, the tornado is moving at just 20 miles per hour and slowly accelerates to 33 mph minutes later. Then, after briefly slowing to 26 miles per hour It begins a pulsing acceleration to about 62 mph at 4:46 PM, when the intense positive lightning bolt occurs. The vortex then accelerates extremely rapidly, gaining another 30 mph in just 10 seconds and at 4:47 pm, we fix its fastest ground speed at 94.6 miles per hour sustained over 5.33 seconds before equally rapid deceleration starts. We therefore conclude that this tornado, being the end stage of the Pilger Nebraska EF4 tornado that formed 46 minutes earlier. Should be recognized as the fastest moving tornado yet documented.

TEAM VIDEO & PHOTOGRAPHY:
Jennifer Brindley Ubl
Hank Schyma
Dr. Anton Seimon
Dr. Tracie Seimon
Skip Talbot

ADDITIONAL STORM VIDEO:
Simon Brewer
Rob Hurkes
Josh Vanden Top

ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE CONTRIBUTIONS:
Dr. Anton Seimon - Appalachian State University
Dr. Leigh Orf - University of Wisconsin

University of Oklahoma:
Dr. Howard Bluestein
Dr Kyle Thiem
Dr Jeffrey Snyder
Dr Jana Houser

American Meteorological Society
Figure 2 from Bluestein, H. B., Thiem, K. J., Snyder, J. C., & Houser, J. B. (2018). The multiple-vortex structure of the El Reno, Oklahoma, tornado on 31 May 2013. Monthly Weather Review, 146(8), 2483-2502, , (c) 2018 American Meteorological Society and used with the permission of the American Meteorological Society. 

NOAA
NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit

Electronic Journal of
Severe Storms Meteorology
Johns, R. H., D. W. Burgess, C. A. Doswell III, M. S. Gilmore, J. A. Hart, and S. F. Piltz, 2013: The 1925 Tri- State tornado damage path and associated storm system. Electronic J. Severe Storms Meteor., 8 (2), 1–33.

STILL PHOTOGRAPHY
Jennifer Brindley Ubl
Hank Schyma

EDITED by Hank Schyma

GRAPHICS
Dr. Leigh Orf
Hank Schyma
Dr. Anton Seimon
Dr. Tracie Seimon
Skip Talbot

MUSIC
“Deep River” Piano performance by Anton Seimon
“March of the Serpents” by Pecos Hank
“La male'diction de la danse du poulet” by Pecos Hank
Background music by Hank Schyma

[toshley]

Imagine doing 90mph down the highway and being passed by a tornado

[lakb]

My grandmother survived the tri-state tornado of 1925. She was 10 and talked about it the rest of her life. They had NO warning. She said the common person didn’t know what a tornado was. She also remembers watching her town, Murphysboro, IL burn throughout the night. Those horrific images were always sharp in her brain to the point that even though she is gone now, I can tell her stories.

[ania]

The Internet has truly killed television because this is one of the best tornado documentaries around.

[RWFidelity]

That satellite tornado slingshot by the El Reno tornado right at the chasers was genuinely one of the most terrifying things I’ve seen. The speed at which it grew as it came closer was insane.

[roberthoffhines]

It's simple, the Pilger tornado has the shit scared outa it by that lightning bolt. I can relate.

[Pokkeli_]

Watching this with captions made me realize how deadly burritos can be.

[theabyss]

I can't imagine how terrifying it must be to be chasing a fast tornado and realize that it's coming straight at you.

[jefflindeman]

That graphic at 13:23 of the El Reno showing the moving chaser positions is incredible! I had to watch it over and over. I feelings of panic are palpable! This channel has become so much better than anything you might see on television.

[CodyBPyrotechnics]

Am I dreaming or did Pecos Hank literally just post?

[whitenoise]

The El Reno tornado was easily the craziest storm I've ever seen. It barely even looked like a tornado. It just looked like the sky was smudged into the ground, destroying everything.

[Jgawalters]

Jennifer's voice, especially when speaking directly to the camera, is perfect for narration. Hank's voice is also a perfect voice for narration. You guys rock.

[RoySATX]

Great footage, as always. I was rather confused at first, though, closed captions kept replacing "tornado" with "Burrito". Especially since I've experienced a few fast moving burritos, and at least one I couldn't outrun. Very dangerous, those.

[jmoney]

this is probably the most organized and articulate top 5 video i have ever seen

[mebrithiel]

"We heard you liked tornadoes so we put tornadoes around your tornadoes and within your tornadoes"

[sandeegrey]

When Pecos Hank uploads a video it feels like Christmas Day.

[TheHazbinMisfits]

Several of my friends have told me that storm chasers have no reason to chase tornados, and that it’s just suicide instead of science. I’m glad that I’ve seen your videos, otherwise I wouldn’t have my hobby of researching weather. Thank you so much for posting these online, because I watch your videos everyday of my life.

[newssbluebubbims]

captions are a must on this, every time someone says tornado it gets replaced with burrito and its godly

[zappedcobwebs]

By the title i can tell this is gonna be a hell of a tornado.

[grr]

30 mph is one hell of a fast burrito, Hank

[scotthudson]

I have been a side line storm enthusiast for years now. 58 btw. When I was in high school got made fun of because I wanted and did chase storms in my 1970 Chrysler New Yorker . This is the first video I have watched of yours and I will say hands down it is wonderfully presented. Your a gifted orator. All the other folks on here are fantastic. I know you posted this years ago but this should be part of a meteorological curriculum. Well done, thank you for all your work and you have another fan for life.