Nice cloud shelf with a huge anvil and it's kicked out about 4 or 5 little fingers so far. But it just can't seem to get going and they fizzle after a second or two.

Whole system is moving away from me and out over the water so if it does get it together it will most likely be a waterspout.

When I looked up and saw a dark shelf contrasted with a blue sky and a lot of cloud boil I knew things looked familar. Walked outside and it was cold on a hot day.

Scanned the shelf and there were several trying to get going at about 3 different points.

Kinda cool since I'm safe and they probably would be a F1 at best. Reminds me of Iowa.

Interesting factoid, Florida actually gets more Tornados than any other state but they are short lived and usually associated with Hurricanes which produce them by the dozens.

pack your Ruby slippers..

Taffy

Quoted: Nice cloud shelf with a huge anvil and it's kicked out about 4 or 5 little fingers so far. But it just can't seem to get going and they fizzle after a second or two. Whole system is moving away from me and out over the water so if it does get it together it will most likely be a waterspout. When I looked up and saw a dark shelf contrasted with a blue sky and a lot of cloud boil I knew things looked familar. Walked outside and it was cold on a hot day. Scanned the shelf and there were several trying to get going at about 3 different points. Kinda cool since I'm safe and they probably would be a F1 at best. Reminds me of Iowa. Interesting factoid, Florida actually gets more Tornados than any other state but they are short lived and usually associated with Hurricanes which produce them by the dozens.

Pics!

Oh, and, stay safe.

-Storm

Quoted: Quoted: Interesting factoid, Florida actually gets more Tornados than any other state but they are short lived and usually associated with Hurricanes which produce them by the dozens. NOAA shows that Texas has almost 3x as many reported tornadoes as Florida as well as more per sq. mile. Mississippi beats us in the average number of deaths though. www.nssl.noaa.gov/NWSTornado/pic14.jpg

Well my source is local news (they tell us every year) so it is entirely possible you are right.

Of course hurricane spawned tornadoes probably don't qualify as "reported" so maybe they are "technically" correct.

Quoted: Quoted: Post pic's and get the video camera ready! Auntie M, Auntie M ... it's a twister ... it's a twister! Yeah, pics would be nice. I've always wanted to see a twister and I'm still waiting. I'm fascinated by them....

Was waiting. Everytime I tried it fizzed. Now the shelf is gone. I was hoping for pics.

Hope it doesn't turn into this....The most powerful tornado on record Moore, OK..... May 1999. A few miles from where I live now.

Quoted: Hope it doesn't turn into this....The most powerful tornado on record Moore, OK..... May 1999. A few miles from where I live now. img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-9/832380/QYOLO-moore2.jpg

wasn't that the one that was rated an F6 ( or at least damn close )

Quoted: Quoted: Hope it doesn't turn into this....The most powerful tornado on record Moore, OK..... May 1999. A few miles from where I live now. img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-9/832380/QYOLO-moore2.jpg wasn't that the one that was rated an F6 ( or at least damn close )

There isn't an F6 rating...give me a bit and I'll find a link with some info about it.

-Storm

Alright here we go

www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/

I heard the Oklahoma City tornado was almost "F6." Is that a real level on the scale? Only in untested theory. Fujita plotted hypothetical winds higher than F5; but as mentioned in the previous answer above, they were only guesses. Even if a winds measured by portable Doppler radar (slightly above ground level) had been over 318 mph, the tornado would still be rated "only" F5 since F5 is the most intense possible damage level.

-Storm

Some more interresting links and differing viewpoints. (Growing up in Northeast OK, tornados became a study intrest for me for some time)

www.tornadoproject.com/fscale/fscale.htm#top

www.tornadoproject.com/

www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/papers/overpass.html

www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/papers/overpass.html

I'm about 25 miles southwest of SteyrAUG and watched this storm front wafting in from the west.
It was beautiful. Blues like the sea with gray deep as charcoal. A 25mph wind quickly hopped up and clouds starting swirling to the NW of me out near Markham Park. I didn't see if it touched down, but it was dropping.

I was about to jump in my Jeep and drive towards the Interstate but my doors were off.

It all happened pretty fast. My youngest daughter was driving her Jeep outside and I had to fetch her.

It's just slowing down, but the lightning storm right now is really cool.

HS1  

Just a heads up SteyrAUG, fights are on tonight 9PM UFC on Spike TV.
        Backerdown.

The F-Scale actually goes all the way up to like F12 or thereabouts.

But the highest tornado rating ever given is F5. The reason, an F5's damage is so complete that you couldn't distinguish higher wind damage, even if it existed. An F5 will pick a well built home off it's foundation, disentegrate it, then scatter it around the neighborhood, leaving a bare foundation. As you can see, there's not much more damage that could be done at that point, so there would be no way to estimate higher wind speeds based on damage.

Also, that 318 mph top wind speed that was measured by The Doppler on Wheels team (and often cited by the media) doesn't necessarily mean the tornado was an F6. That windspeed is right at the top of the F5 scale. But this windspeed measurement was taken several hundred feet above ground, not at ground level. In a tornado, the winds are always higher above ground level than at ground level. That's why they recommend lying in a ditch or low spot if you're caught out in the open. A tornadoes wind speeds are less the closer to ground level you get. Friction between the tornado and the ground are the reason for this.

Quoted: Quoted: Interesting factoid, Florida actually gets more Tornados than any other state but they are short lived and usually associated with Hurricanes which produce them by the dozens. NOAA shows that Texas has almost 3x as many reported tornadoes as Florida as well as more per sq. mile. Mississippi beats us in the average number of deaths though.

Mississippi has more trailer parks..thats why!

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Interesting factoid, Florida actually gets more Tornados than any other state but they are short lived and usually associated with Hurricanes which produce them by the dozens. NOAA shows that Texas has almost 3x as many reported tornadoes as Florida as well as more per sq. mile. Mississippi beats us in the average number of deaths though. Mississippi has more trailer parks..thats why!

Mississppi also has problems with water tables, thus, many homes have no basements. In addition to lots of poor folks who live in the southern US and lots of mobile homes, not being able to dig a basement because it would turn into a lake also makes the people who live there more vulnerable.

Quoted: Hope it doesn't turn into this....The most powerful tornado on record Moore, OK..... May 1999. A few miles from where I live now. img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-9/832380/QYOLO-moore2.jpg

Not a chance, you guys get REAL tornados out there.

twisters are cool!

I saw a water spout once and it was really cool!

For some reason I have night mares about them constantly!  I just know that one day a twister will take me out<!