2011: The Year of The EF5



EF5s. Rising to the top of the Enhanced Fujita Scale, EF5s are the most powerful classification a tornado can possibly get and their destructive power is incredible. With estimated winds in excess of 200mph, EF5s are the most violent wind storms on planet Earth, and are capable of leveling everything in their path, tossing cars hundreds of yards, and carving deep scars into the ground. They are the kings of our skies and one of the most destructive forces on our planet.

Since the implementation of the Enhanced Fujita Scale in 2007 there have been a total of 9 Tornadoes that have officially reached this terrifying metric. Remarkably 6 of them are from one year alone..
This is the story of one of the most violent years for tornadoes in modern history. 2011: The Year of The EF5.

This video discusses the 6 EF5s that occurred during 2011 tornado season in chronological order including:
Philadelphia MS EF5
Phil Campbell-Hackleburg AL EF5
Smithville MS EF5
Rainsville AL EF5
Joplin MO EF5
El Reno-Piedmont OK EF5

EF Scale explanation:
EF0 Light Damage (65-85mph)
EF1 Moderate Damage (86-110mph)
EF2 Considerable Damage (111-135mph)
EF3 Severe Damage (136-165mph)
EF4 Devastating Damage (166-200mph)
EF5 Incredible Damage (201mph+)

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20 thoughts on “2011: The Year of The EF5”

  1. Trust me, there were more EF-5s than that in 2011. The idiots at the NWS just refused to tack on another 5mph on the wind speed that was, in reality, far more than any 200mph. The Tuscaloosa killer was one of them, and there are STILL scars on the landscape to this day from that one.

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  2. Just remember this whenever you hear things about how “severe weather” is increasing due to climate change…. It’s been a decade since the US saw an EF5 tornado and nothing has come close to the incredible destruction of 2011 in a single month of that year THANK GOD 🙏🏻remember the difference between weather and climate.

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  3. good video, but at 11:12 that was the 2013 El Reno tornado which produced those speeds, not the 2011 El Reno-Piedmont tornado which maxed out at 251mph measured winds (still insanely high). I was also able to trace the image of the DOW, which was also from 2013 from the University of Oklahoma during the May 18-21 outbreak. I could not find which day specifically.

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  4. i did a project of the natural disasters of 2011, 2 were ef5 tornadoes (one was joplin, other was the alabama outbreak in general) and i got an award for it bc it wasnt for a grade, im js rlly interested in natural disasters, especially ones that happened months before i was born

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  5. Another spring and summer season has come to a close HERE in Minnesota, but the Eden Prairie, Edina, Bloomington and Richfield area of the twin cities. We're WAY past overdue for a major tornado event, it's just a matter of time. To date the ONLY F-5 or EF-5 tornado in Minnesota history? 1992 in Chandler Minnesota, near the Minnesota, South Dakota state line.

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  6. I witnessed the Smithville tornado
    It was a wall of roaring,twisting, darkness that swept over the town, decimating anything it touched.
    The town was relatively wooded before. After it was basically just open field. I still have nightmares about the day. It looked like what only I can describe as a nuke went off.

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  7. 2:05 The force it would take to dig a 2 foot deep trench and rip the asphalt off the ground is mind boggling. That is a whole different level of destruction compared to almost every other tornado. Great work Celton!!!

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