I grew up 5 miles from Vilonia. In the hills just North of there off of Highway 107. Everytime i head East from Oklahoma on I-40, i exit at Conway and drive through Vilonia, Ward, Cabot, Jacksonville, Sherlock and North Little Rick for a little nostalgia trip down memory lane, before returning to I-40 by using the Protho Junction on ramp from 67/167 to 440. I miss living there. Such down to earth and good and honest people. It is the ideal picture of small town America and to see it devastated like that just breaks my heart!!
I was visiting family near Pinnacle Mountain when this hit and it was insane. When the warning came through it literally said "Mile wide+ tornado confirmed on the ground per spotters." I'll never forget those sirens. It missed us by about a mile and we could see the inflow go by above the trees in the backyard. It was like the entire meso was on the ground for most of it and there's hardly any good video of it due to that. It was a surreal day, you could tell in the morning there was something in the atmosphere, and then the Weather Channel(back when they used to actually cover weather) showed up with their crew to report live from Little Rock. We had gone shopping late in the afternoon and I remember overhearing one of the managers in the store on the phone with the company's store in Hot Springs and they were discussing closing early due to the severe weather on the way. We went home, the skies weren't bad and it was fairly clear, a bit overcast if anything. Started watching TV, it was relatively quiet, then my phone started going nuts and the tornado warning came through. While I was reading that the sirens went off and it just turned into an absolute nightmare scenario. We watched that tornado go on for a long time, it had all the energy that it needed to just keep on going. The worst part was we still had the chance of tornadoes going into the night so it was nearly impossible to go to sleep after that experience.
Thank you for sharing your story. I live in Missouri and feel like until people live through a tornado warning, they won't grasp the horrific fear that can overcome you when the sirens go off. It helps put things in perspective when a well constructed story like yours is shared.
Nope. Not the only one. The fact that this young lady can talk about horrible destruction and at the same time relax you enough to hypnotize you is quite a skill.
I just want to say how much I love you always mention the victims. Too many people seem to forget that these storms affect real people and real lives. While we haven't had any official EF-5's, there have been so many that haven't been labeled as such but have done so much damage: Vilonia, Mayfield, Rolling Fork, Greenfield. It's shown that, even though it's arguably(staying out of it since I'm not a met so not qualified to make that determination), the best we have, they've shown the limitations of the EF scale.
These we can consider to be "unofficial ef5s." The scale now measures damage done to determine a rating, but it really doesn't capture how severe some of these storms have been. Safe to say there hasn't been as much of a lull in activity. Ef4s are still monsters.
When I see these videos, (which means every one of Carly's) I try to make sure to say a prayers for the victims and their loved ones. Also, I think there's been an EF-4 drift, where 5's are being labeled 4s.
This storm was headed to our house and then turned. We were watching the radar and saw it outside of Hot Springs. I told my husband that this storm was going to be HUGE and we needed to definitely get to shelter. I hated being right that day.
gosh I'm so glad you and your family are okay. You were definitely right, this was such a horrific one. It still feels so recent too I'm sure, after all 10 years isn't that long ago! (that makes me feel old just saying it)
@carlyannawx The fact that this was the SECOND time a tornado went in almost the same exact path... we were all re-traumatized that day. We moved from outside of Conway to Sherwood and were almost hit by that tornado too. Then we moved to East Texas right before Hurricane Beryl. Needless to say, I now take anxiety medication even during just regular thunderstorms 🙃 and my family is now obsessively hypervigilant of the weather. Thank you for shedding light on the mental health impact.🤍
I live in Vilonia. One of the brothers that died was in my daughter’s class. It was absolutely heartbreaking. The 2011 tornado destroyed my parent’s farm. The 2014 tornado missed by yards. It was an absolutely horrible experience.
I'm 2 minutes in and holy moly Carly - the production values on your vids just keep getting better and better. A little token of my respect for the work you do.
Josh you did not need to do that, that is SO kind of you. Thank you, and I very much appreciate your kind words!! I am definitely working hard to keep the visual production looking better each time, so it makes me happy to hear you're enjoying it:) I'll keep working at it!!
@@carlyannawxthx for your work and the way you explain things. I have a question, what do the three lines on the graphs you show represent??? I know one is cape--what are the other 2??? BTW--i think you're beautiful 😊😊
I was a college student in Searcy, AR during this event - the sirens started going off when the storm crossed into White County, before the same supercell would produce the EF-2 on the west side of town. When we ran into our communications building to take shelter, a bus full of high school students were quickly being loaded in and we pulled them into the interior hallway with us. Their chaperones explained that these kids were the Moore High School choir, visiting from Moore, Oklahoma, to perform at our university. They were having to take shelter, once again, almost one year after May 20, 2013. I could not believe the coincidence. Their teachers had seen the report posted about a mile-wide tornado heading through Vilonia with no further news about that tornado lifting, so we believed it was still violent and on track to hit us up in Searcy. I’ve never been so scared but to see the fear on the faces of those kids who’d already been through so much will stick with me forever. We were very lucky it never came close but hurt for those who were actually in the path. Thank you for giving a voice to those lost in this storm.
@makeitmacabre Those poor kids!! I bet their parents were horrified when they found out their babies had to shelter from another potential killer tornado.
@@mrtman28 Gradient pressure drops can pull such doors open easily, for one. Should that happen, whoever is on the inside is totally exposed, whereas inwards opening doors can be barricaded effectively. It is a tough decision to make.
I have tickets to see Twisters tomorrow. Very excited. I just this week discovered your content because you covered the Plainfield, IL tornado. That tornado somehow skipped hitting my grandparents' home, they lived on Rt 30. My mom said she watched it touchdown in the field behind her (she lived in a trailer on the property - I did not live in Plainfield at the time) and she knew she was not going to make it to the storm shelter. Thankfully it jumped over the house, but I remember watching coverage on the news crying at the devastation. That event, and the release of Twister got me into storm chasing. And now, 34 years later, I am finally pursuing my passion of storms and going back to university to study meterology! I very much enjoy that you put a human face to these storms. As you have said, it is easy to just look at the numbers when it comes to the fatalities.
Jenn, I hate to hear that you and your grandparents had such a personal story to tell for the Plainfield tornado -- but I'm glad you're here! That will likely always be the most memorable tornado for me. The entire event was just so odd, and so tragic. I'm really glad to hear they made it out okay against all odds. How exciting that you're going to study meteorology!!! I'm so excited for you!! I don't envy all the math involved haha, but I love to hear stories like that so much:) you're going to do great!
Your voice is soothing. Some of us have insomnia. I put your videos on my playlist and listen to them all night long so I can sleep. You are a life saver. I hope you have an inkling of an idea how important you are .I love you. Thank you.
I'm so glad you covered this tornado, it seems to have been forgotten in the broader scope of tornadoes. I'm glad these stories are being recognized more. Edit: good video but I recommend a change to the thumbnail, try taking your style from the last tornado video.
I've been watching your channel for a while and I am so impressed and proud of your work. Providing multiple contexts and honoring the victims is something that your channel does best. The way you combine science and empathy for each storm is admirable. Please continue and elevate the work that you do. As a victim of a tornado that killed a friend , I appreciate this channel in a way that is indescribably benefical to me and others. You are aimply awesome.
I will never forget this day. I live 14 miles south of Vilonia and this tornado was so strong, that it caused the gas mains to burst here! The sirens were going off here, so we got in our storm shelter and listened to the news from our phones. Once it was clear that the tornado had just passed Vilonia, we got out of our shelter and all we could hear was this super loud whooshing sound in distance. Sounded like air forcefully blowing out, but it wasn’t constant, it was like in bursts. We were so unsure of what was happening, and still so shook up, that we thought it was another tornado forming, so we quickly hopped back down in the shelter until we found out what had happened. That’s when we heard that the Vilonia tornado was so violent that it caused the gas mains to burst 14 miles away. The Vilonia tornado and the tornado that just went through Little Rock in 2023, will forever be remembered. Both days were unbelievably scary and both tornadoes came so close to our home.
I’m taking my 11 year old niece to see Twisters. I showed her the first one and she was hooked lol. She definitely got interested in severe weather after showing her your content as well & firsthand experience in having an EF3 develop in Midland Texas late may of this year. It was a rain wrapped wedge. Thank God it went around town and into rural areas. No fatalities. 🙏
Thank you so much for covering this tornado. I’m from the very nearby town of Conway and remember this day very well. Close friends lost their daughter to this tornado and the grief seems to be glossed over in the weather community a lot. Thank you, and best wishes
I lived in Conway, Arkansas, until September 2019. Occasionally, I would drive through Mayflower, and the damage left by the tornado was obvious even years later--trees snapped off and just beginning to grow back. It was an awful night in my old home state, and I'm glad Mayflower and Vilonia have had a number of calm years.
I traveled through Mayflower on I40 a few days after that tornado blew through. You never _truly_ know what that destruction is like until you see it in person. I felt the same after traveling Little Rock after their March 2023. And that was only a low end EF3. Can’t imagine EF5 damage.
I grew up in Vilonia. I was a senior in high school when this happened. It was so devastating, and this brought back so many memories from that time. I helped to clean up a lot of those areas that you showed. I can’t believe it’s been so long. Also thank you for talking about the victims. They are dearly missed in the community.❤
She did it! I asked for this at least 4-6 months ago and knew she would make a great production on it when no one else would! Thank you Carly. I was with my sisters by myself watching these storms pass over my home and hit their grandmas house
Making this comment before I watch the video. I remember this day and the days after so vividly. I live in Conway, which is 14 or so miles west of Vilonia. I had just started the first day of my first job at Kroger, I was actually outside the store most of the day pushing carts. I remember noticing how diabolical the storm looked as it grew to the south, and looking back this was probably about the time it was going through Mayflower to the south, I got to watch most of the life of the storm that day. After I got new of how hard Vilonia got hit, my friend group and I immediately volunteered for search and rescue. Some of things I saw still haunt me to this day, what haunts me the most was the smell, a mixture of fresh wood, natural gas, ozone, and sewage. Makes me nauseated just by the memory of it. And I unfortunately got to relive a lot of those memories during the 2023 Little Rock EF-3 tornado.
A coworker at the time and her family survived only because the only room standing was their safe room. As for the 2023 Little Rock was, I was on the edge (though at work) with damage at the complex but nothing like the destruction just 1/2 block away. You are right about the smell - and the silence of no birds singing afterwards plus the never ending sound of chainsaws for weeks. The meteorologists saved countless lives March 31. 2023. “Shelter NOW! Shelter NOW!”
I'm also from Conway. I was living just east of Lake Conway and my house took a direct hit by the F-2 which hit in 1982. No one was hurt at our place, but it hit so quickly it was terrifying. I was at home during both of the Mayflower/Vilonia storms. The anxiety of watching them heading our direction on tv weather coverage made it that much worse. For those who were directly involved.....I can't even imagine what was going through their minds. My heart goes out to everyone affected.
My dad was working in the body shop behind Sam's club during that.. I couldn't get in contact with him for a while, I was worried, scared.. he was okay, but I didn't know if Sherwood had been bit yet. I went to help one of my friends in Jacksonville after I got off work, brought them back to my place while Jacksonville waited for power to be restored.
Yay new video! I only discovered you fairly recently (maybe 3-4 months ago) and I watched all the old videos and then I had no more! I appreciate all the time and care you put into them, the production value is very high, but that's why I want more so badly! Great job, and yay new kitten.
Insane to see this on such a big channel. Went to HS in Vilonia when this happened. I think the thing that stuck with me the most was the trauma a lot of kids showed in the following months and years. I recall seeing a kid having a full on breakdown and anxiety attack when we would have drills later on. No one talks about that kind of stuff.
This video was very humbling for me. During this time I was a resident of maumelle, just a few miles away. As I was just 8 years old I had no idea what was going on, which was definitely for the better, only hiding in my sister’s closet, our safe space. I had no idea how lucky I am until now, and you did an excellent job of explaining what happened in a very respectful and informative manner.
Simply brilliant work as always, the production quality is just getting exponentially better, your human touch is the capstone of your work. Had many a discussion with others like me, members of the weather enterprise, that the hesitancy of the NWS to rate major and catastrophic tornadoes since 2013 has political implication to it. Hope to see the new Twisters movie and my suggestion for the new kitter, Frost. ❤️🥰🌪️
Phenomenal job as always, Carly. The documentaries keep getting better all the time. Villonia 2014 often gets overshadowed, do I'm glad you covered this one. On a side note, I'll be watching twister tomorrow, really looking forward to it!
Have lived just south of Vilonia for over a decade. Watched the entirely rain-wrapped tornado from my front porch as it hit Vilonia and toured the damage multiple times. I will never forget how dark green the sky was as it tracked to my north, and just how messy the storm looked. Ended up touring the damage multiple times afterwards and the completeness of the destruction was truly mesmerizing. I have driven through Mayfield, Bowling Green, Rolling Fork, and Little Rock '23 right after their recent high-end tornadoes, and Vilonia is without a doubt in a different league than all of them.
Thank you for covering this! I feel like I remember hearing a friend of mine at school talk about this after it happend as she has family out there she lived with. It's also great to see more Arkansas tornados being covered as I feel like not enough do get the attention
I remember coming out of my shelter that night in Heber. I came out and looked up over the trees, just seeing this menacing white rotating cloud. Ten years later it still plays in my head.
We remember that night very well. Our home is about 15 miles from Mayflower and Vilonia. Thank You for this reminder of how tragic tornadoes can be. Scott and Sandra just north of Conway AR
Arkansasan! Glad to see a sister so close. That night gives me flashbacks...the scars in the earth...the calm and devestation afterwards was what I suspect what ppl in Japan felt after the bombs fell. It was otherworldly. Also, RIP Mayflower diner...you will be missed.
It’s crazy to me how monstrous this tornado was it got really big in it’s life cycle but, also you couldn’t see it because it was rain wrapped as well and it was already getting dark, which is why we don’t see a lot of of this tornado. The destruction with violent intensity and damage reminds me of Mayfield. Could be even worse. Great Video and analysis As always!!
The EF system is fine for what its designed to do, but we really need an additional rating system that is purely based on measured observations from instrumentation and weather radar. Judging a tornado's strength by the damage it does to human built structures has far too many variables always to reflect reality and it hurting the science IMO. I am glad the NWS is planning on making some changes to the EF system, we will see what comes of that. Like I said, I think the EF system should stay as is, but have another rating to go with it with the idea of slowly phasing out the EF system.
You dont know where tonadoes will form and by radar isnt really capable of accurate wind speeds. Maybe if our govenment invested a little money but very little funding for something that effects everyone's lives every second of everyday!
What you people who claim we should have a system based on wind measurements don't seem to get through your skulls is that such a system also has flaws. Flaws that make it more functionally useless than the Fujita system. For one, the near unanimity of the Doppler radars in this country are fixed position and there are only so many mobile units available that would have to be deployed to the correct spot at the correct time to get a better reading. Which begs the question, what are you measuring and why? A Doppler radar that is ten miles away, versus 25, versus 50 or greater is going to be taking measurements from different slices of the thunderstorm. In almost all cases, this is going to be at an altitude several hundred feet off the ground where unless the tornado hits a downtown area filled with skyscrapers, there will be no impact on human life. Wind speeds at these altitudes are higher than at the ground. The whole point of the Fujita scale is to measure this ground level impact on human life, so it can be used as a guide on how to build better building structures. Structures that will still fail in an EF4 or higher, but will fare better against the roughly 99% of tornadoes EF3 or lower. So to those of you who want a wind measurement based ratings system, two questions. 1. What is your reasoning that such would be an improvement over the Fujita scale? 2. How do you plan to smooth out the variables in dealing with such a system? Just as the Fujita scale doesn't get to decide whether a tornado plows through a populated area or an open field, a wind based scale doesn't get to decide if it passes with ten miles of a measuring device or not.
I was in mayflower/conway (mayway) when this happened it's a night that I won't forget. Fantastic documentary on the tornado, there was a lot of info I wasn't aware of. Keep up the great work!
I live in the River Plantation and was home this day. Very scary event. I was amazed only one life was lost here in the neighborhood. Great work on the video!
So happy to see how far you’ve come! I remember back when you had literally only a couple thousand subscribers. The fact you now have 52K now is fantastic! Love your videos, keep up the great work!
One of my friends lived in Mayflower at the time. They were glanced by the tornado, and came out of their storm shelter to several power poles sticking out of their roof. They were all fine, thankfully
Cameron Here, This tornado gave birth to the page (Arkansas Weather Watchers) that we currently have that helps keep people informed and safe during events like this! We will never forget this tragic event and will continue to help save lives to our best ability!
Thank you for covering this. Not many people seem to cover Arkansas tornadoes. I was in college in Conway when this tornado hit and remember when they issued the tornado warning for Faulkner County. My apartment was next to the ambulance depot and I heard the sirens all night-- I would hear them in my head for weeks after. The next morning, I walked to campus and there were bits of insulation in the trees and on the sidewalks and I almost broke down when I realized that those were likely bits of someone's home. I later heard about some football players from my school who couldn't get in touch with one of their friends who lived in Mayflower, so they drove down there and got stopped at a roadblock. They noticed that they were letting utility trucks through and those were mostly plain white pickup trucks, so they drove back to campus, piled into one other other players' plain white pickup and drove back down and got through the roadblock. Several years later, I did a program at an elementary school near Mayflower and a tornado warning was issued while I was there. It was well south of the school and not aimed to come near it, but a teacher let me know about it before I left. I was shocked that they hadn't made an announcement or anything and they explained to me that the staff communicates tornado warnings in ways the students won't hear because so many of their children were still struggling with PTSD from the tornado.
I'm glad you made this video. This tornado gets overlooked way too much for the damage that it did and the lives it changed. It's been a decade since this tornado and if you drive through Mayflower even till this day there's still trees that are twisted with debris still in them from that long ago and concrete slabs where buildings used to be in Voliana
@@Cinerarydefinitely, the “Enhanced” scale almost seems like some kind of PR move, and often blatantly contradicts itself. So many obvious EF-5 damage sites being rated a 4, when simultaneously the scale claims an EF-5 has expected wind speeds of 200mph, which is laughably low. Most EF4 tornadoes *exceed* that speed and EF-5s often approach 300mph
Since I discovered your channel, I have really enjoyed your work. Your in depth analysis and all the stories of these weather disasters and how we can learn from them help me a lot. Please keep up the great work you have been doing Carly!!! 💝🐱💝
My in-laws lived through both Vilonia tornadoes. The first one (EF2), which killed their next-door neighbor, caused them to get a storm shelter installed, which is why they survived this second one (EF4).
I wonder if you are familiar with the May 6, 1965 tornado event around the Twin Cities metro area. There were only six tornadoes, but four of them were F4 strength. Despite the date, the air raid sirens were effectively utilized, and a radio station did excellent coverage to help warn people, saving many lives.
I experienced an EF-2 tornado in Northern Mississippi in 2009, I lived on the road that it crossed on and hearing it was terrifying. That tornado has forever changed my life and has impacted how I respond to every storm now especially if conditions are favorable for a tornado
I've grown up in OK my entire life. I used to live in NE OK though I moved to Central OK several years back. I just returned home to see family and we went and saw Twisters. It was such a strange feeling...I grew up watching Twister and not to mention, my hometown was hit by an EF3 in May. I personally really enjoyed the movie though! I was worried that it wasn't going to do the og Twister justice, but I definitely think it did.
Im happy to see this content. I lived less than a mile from the school that was destroyed. It was an awful day. I saw it with my own eyes, it was huge. Kid i went school with passed away trying to save his dog. RIP Jeff Hunter
Carly, this is about the 25th video I've watched of yours. I don't comment much but I always hit the like button. But I got to tell you, your work and content is great. Keep on doing what you're doing. Somehow in death and destruction you have a soothing way of telling the tales of these tragic tornadoes. And I know you do a lot with mental health. As someone that struggles with that side of things I just want to say thank you for everything you do❤️🙏
Very informative. Thank you for the work that you put into these videos and the way you tell the story. There's so much valuable information to be learned from these tornadoes and the damage they're capable of. The story of the loss of life due to an improper storm shelter door is so tragic and just goes to show how important it is to follow building codes and hopefully encourages construction workers or any DIYers out there to not "beat around the bush" or go the cheap route when it comes to storm shelters. Had that been an even more powerful tornado it absolutely could've ripped that door off.
Carly - I absolutely love your videos and the perspective you decide to cover and highlight. This video is no different, and I want to thank you for taking the time to create and share this with the community! I’ve watched every single one of your videos (some more than once lol), but I don’t think I’ve ever taken the time to comment! I think I can say pretty confidently, that while many of us weather/tornado nerds love a good tornado tale of destruction, the human/individual/family/societal impact of the re-telling of these events are all too often lost in translation, removing the important humanizing aspects of them. Thank you for always reminding us to go back to the human aspects of these events, or maybe even teaching us about them, for perhaps, the first time. You’re doing some important work, whether you realize it or not, ensuring the souls and lives of those lost or impacted are not forgotten ❤ I will be seeing Twisters on Sunday! I hope you will be doing a live event after it’s been out a bit for all of us to chat about it, I would love to join! I’m about to go order some merch, but sadly won’t have it in time before I see the movie. But I will totally still rock it whenever I get it! 😊
Growing up in Conway, I remember going out to Vilonia a couple days after this Tornado to help clean up. I was only 12 at the time so I couldn’t really do much as far the actual clean up, but I remember playing with a boy that was about my age. Two people, one with a perfectly fine house and one that just had theirs destroyed. I didn’t know it at the time but looking back on it, very humbling.
I grew up in Maumelle and was home at the time when this tornado hit. It went about a mile north of us and I knew several people who were impacted. This event sparked my interest in weather and made me a life long weather nerd. Thank you for your excellent coverage of this event!
I grew up in Maumelle. This was the tornado that changed my life and made me obsessive about tornado season every single year even though ive moved north and never see them (although that is changing too). I check national weather every single day from spring-fall
Awesome breakdown, Carly! I haven't seen much of you in recent months and this was just what I needed today-excellent tornado analysis and to hear your voice again. All my best ❤😊
Thanks for the video! Congrats on the cute little kitten too! My cat is an old man too and has raised several kittens, even letting them play with his tail when he gets too tired to run around playing with them himself.
I have survived several tornadoes in this area of Arkansas over my lifetime. The one most memorable to me was in the late 1990s when a tornado hit Beebe and McRae Arkansas. I was sitting in a friend's house as we were watching the weather alerts on TV. When the news said Beebe was hit, and I told my friend, "I'm leaving". I made it two blocks onto the main highway 367 heading northeast towards my family's farm when debris started landing in the road in front of me. I made it to my great grandmother's house, rushed her into a bedroom, and we got under a bed together. Within a few minutes, it had passed by. So I went back to McRae to see what had happened, and half of the town was missing. One of my friends was stuck under the frame of a mobile home, and she had extensive damage to her legs. Another friend had their baby ripped out of their hands and was missing. It was devastating. We picked up debris on our farm land and the neighbors farm land for 6 months afterward. We were finding personal items from towns over 30 miles away.
As always Carly Anna you present a comprehensive analysis that not only highlights the often unpredictable anatomy of severe and/or tornadic meteorology but perhaps even more importantly approached life alerting consequences of severe weather with the utmost care and concern for those communities and individuals directly affected. The deep dives of all aspects of tornadic weather from causes to effects is a wealth of knowledge and education the intent and purpose, of which, will surely be a source of vital information and essential resources to those viewing your potentially life saving content. Bravo!! I wonder if you have considered producing a segment on the 1967 Belvidere, IL. tornado tragedy? I know it has, in the past, had some exposé but i know your subscribers would absolutely be fascinated by your channels focus on such a horrific catastrophic weather event that occurred at a time when weather forecasting and community preparedness was very much in its genesis. I was a two week old infant at the time beginning life in the neighboring city of Rockford/ Loves Park and have heard stories my whole life from my parents and other family members who witnessed the funnel that tragic day. Many years later as a young man i had a coworker who was actually on of of the school busses that afternoon as was his future wife.
Another fantastic video, thanks for all your efforts and dedication to this topic, and especially for your humanity and compassion when discussing the real world impacts of the storms you profile. Brava!
Thanks for covering this! The Wind Institute at Texas Tech is awesome! I had the pleasure of studying under the professors who run it and remember them discussing this case in my Forensic Engineering class!
Before 2024, the widest tornado on record for Arkansas was the 2011 Vilonia EF-2 at 1.6 miles wide. On May 26, 2024, the Decatur EF-3 topped out at a maximum width of 1.8 miles wide.
Remarkable job as always. I am surprised some media folks have not swept you up, but I fear if they do. Please, never lose your gifts of knowledge, kindness, empathy, and warmth.
Good explanation of why shelters must be up to specs. We have an above ground shelter similar to what is illustrated in your presentation. Below ground is not possible where we live, in a swampy area. A similar shelter in Louisville MS survived an F4 - also in April in the superoutbreak. Since we live in a double wide trailer and there is no shelter available in the area, it's the best we could do. We rely on prayer to get us through the storms. Object lesson from your discussion - stay sitting down in the back of the "cube" with pillows for protection. Thank you for another excellent presentation.
I moved to Arkansas over 2 years ago and I always hear about the Vilonia storm whenever there’s a threat of tornadoes. All I knew was that it was a bad storm so I’m appreciative for the breakdown!
I lived 11 miles from Vilonia then- remember that night- sky turned green and the clouds hung low over my house- the tornado passed 5 miles from my house headed to Vilonia. I was the only one in my neighborhood that had a tornado shelter. I had that put in after the 2011 tornado in Vilonia. Mayflower got hit hard that night in 2014 also. Glad I moved up in the hills, tornadoes don’t seem to be as bad.
Great video Carly! I got to see Twisters at the Moore Warren theater on Wednesday. There must have been more meteorologists in that audience than any other movie premiere ever. There were even 3 meteorologists that had cameos in the movie.
i remember that day in El Paso. it was horrifying to see the aftermath every day. we lived on a road that had a slight incline, and because of that the tornado narrowly missed us. very amazing video.
it was years before my mother would drive through Vilonia again. she would just sob, the places we went as kids to get donuts, so many memories wiped out
Vilonia is my childhood town, and I was 4 at the time of this tornado and turned 5 a couple days after. This tornado traumatized me of weather for like a good 8 years, and now im super into weather, and tornadoes. I remember blasting down the highway in the middle seat of my uncles truck as i looked back and seen this HUGE tornado. It still cannot get out of my head.
Hey i live there...weird to see my area in a video. I remember this Tornado extremely well. Spent 6 days cutting trees up and it completely wiped out the houses north of the high school. I am a volunteer first responder and it was awful, like a warzone. I have great videos of the Tornado. The same area has been hit by 3 Tornadoes. 2 of them were back to back years. Past years ive been out as a chaser to help get information on the storms in real time. Glad your covering it
Thank u for this. Not too many ppl on here talk bout this tornado. I was in conway when this happened. I had a friend who lived in mayflower, it did damage his house but it didn't knock it down. My parents were down the road in maumelle and we're blowing my phone up bout this. In conway I wasn't too far from wherever was tracking on its way to vilonia. All we heard was this loud roar and watch my plants outside get blown away. My daughter had came home from her friends house in vilonia earlier that day. That day was just crazy.
Brilliant mix of science, research, communication and compassion as always. I sometimes find myself wishing I could do what you do for Covid, but the scale of that is beyond any one person's ability to research and cover. Then again, the research and synthesis you do to put these videos together on huge events with equally huge documentation is considerable. But I don't have the medical degree (although I have the autoimmune vulnerability that makes me pay attention to COVID news & research after the media and public have moved on to treating it as history, something tornado victims and people in tornado-vulnerable areas experience while to them tornadoes remain part of current events). I'm glad people impacted by tornadoes have champions like you remembering them and covering the science. I do not mean to take the focus off the victims of the Vilona tornado in ANY way. I just admire what you do and wish we had storytellers who could do the same for another type of disaster to raise awareness, remember victims as more than statistics, explore and report on important ongoing discoveries, and get the word out about mitigation measures like storm shelters that have proven effective enough to be worth the cost (UV filters on ventilation systems, eg).
I love my town Vilonia, lost my house because of this tornado EDIT: I remember when the intermediate School was destroyed. Right after they rebuilt it, they made a concrete storm shelter right after. I used to go in it for detention and music class
I love all your videos! You're so thorough from a meteorological perspective, a historical one, and a human one. I'll be seeing Twisters in the theater in 13 hours...but who's counting? 😆
I’m saving this for my next workout day to get hyped. I’m in a tornado mood lull and it’s so depressing! I never not wanna be in a tornado mood, especially with Twisters premiering this weekend lol
I grew up in vilonia. It's a very small town but the old town is all gone. It's good to see so spotlight on it
I just drove through Salesville. It looks like a war zone. I've never seen tornado damage before. And to think it is often much worse is unreal.
@@TaurusMoon-hu3pdit’s bad when you see it on TV but actually seeing what it can do is devastating.
@@Hopeforus24 exactly
Where did u blow away to
I grew up 5 miles from Vilonia. In the hills just North of there off of Highway 107. Everytime i head East from Oklahoma on I-40, i exit at Conway and drive through Vilonia, Ward, Cabot, Jacksonville, Sherlock and North Little Rick for a little nostalgia trip down memory lane, before returning to I-40 by using the Protho Junction on ramp from 67/167 to 440. I miss living there. Such down to earth and good and honest people. It is the ideal picture of small town America and to see it devastated like that just breaks my heart!!
I was visiting family near Pinnacle Mountain when this hit and it was insane. When the warning came through it literally said "Mile wide+ tornado confirmed on the ground per spotters." I'll never forget those sirens. It missed us by about a mile and we could see the inflow go by above the trees in the backyard. It was like the entire meso was on the ground for most of it and there's hardly any good video of it due to that.
It was a surreal day, you could tell in the morning there was something in the atmosphere, and then the Weather Channel(back when they used to actually cover weather) showed up with their crew to report live from Little Rock. We had gone shopping late in the afternoon and I remember overhearing one of the managers in the store on the phone with the company's store in Hot Springs and they were discussing closing early due to the severe weather on the way. We went home, the skies weren't bad and it was fairly clear, a bit overcast if anything. Started watching TV, it was relatively quiet, then my phone started going nuts and the tornado warning came through. While I was reading that the sirens went off and it just turned into an absolute nightmare scenario. We watched that tornado go on for a long time, it had all the energy that it needed to just keep on going. The worst part was we still had the chance of tornadoes going into the night so it was nearly impossible to go to sleep after that experience.
Thank you for sharing your story. I live in Missouri and feel like until people live through a tornado warning, they won't grasp the horrific fear that can overcome you when the sirens go off. It helps put things in perspective when a well constructed story like yours is shared.
Am I the only one that despite the fact that she is narrating unfortunately about destruction and death....find her voice to be so soothing ??
I was just about to write this comment
Nope. Not the only one. The fact that this young lady can talk about horrible destruction and at the same time relax you enough to hypnotize you is quite a skill.
Carly is top notch .
It’s part of what keeps me around, I imagine it’s really hard to keep composure when you talk about these behemoths
Huge empathy and massive emotional (& intellectual) intelligence. Carly Anna has earned all my trust.
I just want to say how much I love you always mention the victims. Too many people seem to forget that these storms affect real people and real lives.
While we haven't had any official EF-5's, there have been so many that haven't been labeled as such but have done so much damage: Vilonia, Mayfield, Rolling Fork, Greenfield. It's shown that, even though it's arguably(staying out of it since I'm not a met so not qualified to make that determination), the best we have, they've shown the limitations of the EF scale.
out of the examples that you shared, vilonia and rolling fork really should have been EF5's
These we can consider to be "unofficial ef5s." The scale now measures damage done to determine a rating, but it really doesn't capture how severe some of these storms have been. Safe to say there hasn't been as much of a lull in activity. Ef4s are still monsters.
@davidchambers44 a massive amount of recent ef4s have also been rated as f5s as their windspeeds have often exceeded the 200mph threshold
When I see these videos, (which means every one of Carly's) I try to make sure to say a prayers for the victims and their loved ones. Also, I think there's been an EF-4 drift, where 5's are being labeled 4s.
@@staticoniz3452 yeah, greenfield had apparently 300+ mph winds (from what i saw on x). Could you imagine what that would do to a populated area?
This storm was headed to our house and then turned. We were watching the radar and saw it outside of Hot Springs. I told my husband that this storm was going to be HUGE and we needed to definitely get to shelter. I hated being right that day.
gosh I'm so glad you and your family are okay. You were definitely right, this was such a horrific one. It still feels so recent too I'm sure, after all 10 years isn't that long ago! (that makes me feel old just saying it)
@carlyannawx The fact that this was the SECOND time a tornado went in almost the same exact path... we were all re-traumatized that day. We moved from outside of Conway to Sherwood and were almost hit by that tornado too. Then we moved to East Texas right before Hurricane Beryl. Needless to say, I now take anxiety medication even during just regular thunderstorms 🙃 and my family is now obsessively hypervigilant of the weather. Thank you for shedding light on the mental health impact.🤍
I am in NLR, and this brought me back. Glad you are OK, too.
hot springs is so far away from violnia, its gotta be an hour
I live in Vilonia. One of the brothers that died was in my daughter’s class. It was absolutely heartbreaking. The 2011 tornado destroyed my parent’s farm. The 2014 tornado missed by yards. It was an absolutely horrible experience.
How is your family doing today
I'm 2 minutes in and holy moly Carly - the production values on your vids just keep getting better and better. A little token of my respect for the work you do.
Josh you did not need to do that, that is SO kind of you. Thank you, and I very much appreciate your kind words!! I am definitely working hard to keep the visual production looking better each time, so it makes me happy to hear you're enjoying it:) I'll keep working at it!!
Joshc1977 that awful nice of you to give him a 50$ dollars 💸 💵 💲 money to donate 😉
@@carlyannawxthx for your work and the way you explain things.
I have a question, what do the three lines on the graphs you show represent??? I know one is cape--what are the other 2???
BTW--i think you're beautiful 😊😊
Really Jed. This isn't a dating site
@@liampicton5262 i like the girl, sorry.
I was a college student in Searcy, AR during this event - the sirens started going off when the storm crossed into White County, before the same supercell would produce the EF-2 on the west side of town.
When we ran into our communications building to take shelter, a bus full of high school students were quickly being loaded in and we pulled them into the interior hallway with us. Their chaperones explained that these kids were the Moore High School choir, visiting from Moore, Oklahoma, to perform at our university. They were having to take shelter, once again, almost one year after May 20, 2013.
I could not believe the coincidence.
Their teachers had seen the report posted about a mile-wide tornado heading through Vilonia with no further news about that tornado lifting, so we believed it was still violent and on track to hit us up in Searcy.
I’ve never been so scared but to see the fear on the faces of those kids who’d already been through so much will stick with me forever.
We were very lucky it never came close but hurt for those who were actually in the path.
Thank you for giving a voice to those lost in this storm.
Harding university?
@makeitmacabre Those poor kids!! I bet their parents were horrified when they found out their babies had to shelter from another potential killer tornado.
I wonder why they didn’t construct the shelter door to open outward? That should make it harder for the door to be opened by the winds and debris
@@mrtman28
Gradient pressure drops can pull such doors open easily, for one. Should that happen, whoever is on the inside is totally exposed, whereas inwards opening doors can be barricaded effectively.
It is a tough decision to make.
I have tickets to see Twisters tomorrow. Very excited.
I just this week discovered your content because you covered the Plainfield, IL tornado. That tornado somehow skipped hitting my grandparents' home, they lived on Rt 30. My mom said she watched it touchdown in the field behind her (she lived in a trailer on the property - I did not live in Plainfield at the time) and she knew she was not going to make it to the storm shelter.
Thankfully it jumped over the house, but I remember watching coverage on the news crying at the devastation. That event, and the release of Twister got me into storm chasing. And now, 34 years later, I am finally pursuing my passion of storms and going back to university to study meterology!
I very much enjoy that you put a human face to these storms. As you have said, it is easy to just look at the numbers when it comes to the fatalities.
Jenn, I hate to hear that you and your grandparents had such a personal story to tell for the Plainfield tornado -- but I'm glad you're here! That will likely always be the most memorable tornado for me. The entire event was just so odd, and so tragic. I'm really glad to hear they made it out okay against all odds. How exciting that you're going to study meteorology!!! I'm so excited for you!! I don't envy all the math involved haha, but I love to hear stories like that so much:) you're going to do great!
Your voice is soothing. Some of us have insomnia. I put your videos on my playlist and listen to them all night long so I can sleep. You are a life saver. I hope you have an inkling of an idea how important you are .I love you. Thank you.
Her verbage is so thorough and her voice quiet and soothing....❤
I'm so glad you covered this tornado, it seems to have been forgotten in the broader scope of tornadoes. I'm glad these stories are being recognized more.
Edit: good video but I recommend a change to the thumbnail, try taking your style from the last tornado video.
I've been watching your channel for a while and I am so impressed and proud of your work. Providing multiple contexts and honoring the victims is something that your channel does best. The way you combine science and empathy for each storm is admirable. Please continue and elevate the work that you do. As a victim of a tornado that killed a friend , I appreciate this channel in a way that is indescribably benefical to me and others. You are aimply awesome.
I will never forget this day. I live 14 miles south of Vilonia and this tornado was so strong, that it caused the gas mains to burst here! The sirens were going off here, so we got in our storm shelter and listened to the news from our phones. Once it was clear that the tornado had just passed Vilonia, we got out of our shelter and all we could hear was this super loud whooshing sound in distance. Sounded like air forcefully blowing out, but it wasn’t constant, it was like in bursts. We were so unsure of what was happening, and still so shook up, that we thought it was another tornado forming, so we quickly hopped back down in the shelter until we found out what had happened. That’s when we heard that the Vilonia tornado was so violent that it caused the gas mains to burst 14 miles away. The Vilonia tornado and the tornado that just went through Little Rock in 2023, will forever be remembered. Both days were unbelievably scary and both tornadoes came so close to our home.
I’m taking my 11 year old niece to see Twisters. I showed her the first one and she was hooked lol. She definitely got interested in severe weather after showing her your content as well & firsthand experience in having an EF3 develop in Midland Texas late may of this year. It was a rain wrapped wedge. Thank God it went around town and into rural areas. No fatalities. 🙏
Thank you so much for covering this tornado. I’m from the very nearby town of Conway and remember this day very well. Close friends lost their daughter to this tornado and the grief seems to be glossed over in the weather community a lot. Thank you, and best wishes
I lived in Conway, Arkansas, until September 2019. Occasionally, I would drive through Mayflower, and the damage left by the tornado was obvious even years later--trees snapped off and just beginning to grow back. It was an awful night in my old home state, and I'm glad Mayflower and Vilonia have had a number of calm years.
I traveled through Mayflower on I40 a few days after that tornado blew through. You never _truly_ know what that destruction is like until you see it in person. I felt the same after traveling Little Rock after their March 2023. And that was only a low end EF3. Can’t imagine EF5 damage.
I grew up in Vilonia. I was a senior in high school when this happened. It was so devastating, and this brought back so many memories from that time. I helped to clean up a lot of those areas that you showed. I can’t believe it’s been so long. Also thank you for talking about the victims. They are dearly missed in the community.❤
We probably went to school together, I graduated Vilonia in 11
She did it! I asked for this at least 4-6 months ago and knew she would make a great production on it when no one else would! Thank you Carly. I was with my sisters by myself watching these storms pass over my home and hit their grandmas house
Making this comment before I watch the video. I remember this day and the days after so vividly. I live in Conway, which is 14 or so miles west of Vilonia. I had just started the first day of my first job at Kroger, I was actually outside the store most of the day pushing carts. I remember noticing how diabolical the storm looked as it grew to the south, and looking back this was probably about the time it was going through Mayflower to the south, I got to watch most of the life of the storm that day. After I got new of how hard Vilonia got hit, my friend group and I immediately volunteered for search and rescue. Some of things I saw still haunt me to this day, what haunts me the most was the smell, a mixture of fresh wood, natural gas, ozone, and sewage. Makes me nauseated just by the memory of it. And I unfortunately got to relive a lot of those memories during the 2023 Little Rock EF-3 tornado.
A coworker at the time and her family survived only because the only room standing was their safe room. As for the 2023 Little Rock was, I was on the edge (though at work) with damage at the complex but nothing like the destruction just 1/2 block away. You are right about the smell - and the silence of no birds singing afterwards plus the never ending sound of chainsaws for weeks. The meteorologists saved countless lives March 31. 2023. “Shelter NOW! Shelter NOW!”
@@LibbyASmith Were you over off Chenal? One of my friends works at Bale Chevy and they just got barely missed by it.
@@IShallNotFall of course I won’t give too much info, but near Walnut Valley.
I'm also from Conway. I was living just east of Lake Conway and my house took a direct hit by the F-2 which hit in 1982. No one was hurt at our place, but it hit so quickly it was terrifying. I was at home during both of the Mayflower/Vilonia storms. The anxiety of watching them heading our direction on tv weather coverage made it that much worse. For those who were directly involved.....I can't even imagine what was going through their minds. My heart goes out to everyone affected.
My dad was working in the body shop behind Sam's club during that.. I couldn't get in contact with him for a while, I was worried, scared.. he was okay, but I didn't know if Sherwood had been bit yet. I went to help one of my friends in Jacksonville after I got off work, brought them back to my place while Jacksonville waited for power to be restored.
Yay new video! I only discovered you fairly recently (maybe 3-4 months ago) and I watched all the old videos and then I had no more! I appreciate all the time and care you put into them, the production value is very high, but that's why I want more so badly! Great job, and yay new kitten.
Insane to see this on such a big channel. Went to HS in Vilonia when this happened. I think the thing that stuck with me the most was the trauma a lot of kids showed in the following months and years. I recall seeing a kid having a full on breakdown and anxiety attack when we would have drills later on. No one talks about that kind of stuff.
This video was very humbling for me. During this time I was a resident of maumelle, just a few miles away. As I was just 8 years old I had no idea what was going on, which was definitely for the better, only hiding in my sister’s closet, our safe space. I had no idea how lucky I am until now, and you did an excellent job of explaining what happened in a very respectful and informative manner.
Simply brilliant work as always, the production quality is just getting exponentially better, your human touch is the capstone of your work. Had many a discussion with others like me, members of the weather enterprise, that the hesitancy of the NWS to rate major and catastrophic tornadoes since 2013 has political implication to it. Hope to see the new Twisters movie and my suggestion for the new kitter, Frost. ❤️🥰🌪️
A time traveler.
@LampHatScott Patreon or something more likely.
Comment 17 hours ago yet video uploaded 3 hours ago? How that possible?
@@harryparsons2750 Like I just said, Patreon/membership/etc. Members get early access to videos.
@@RT-qd8yl I was making a joke.
Phenomenal job as always, Carly. The documentaries keep getting better all the time. Villonia 2014 often gets overshadowed, do I'm glad you covered this one.
On a side note, I'll be watching twister tomorrow, really looking forward to it!
Great presentation as usual Carly . Thanks so much for the links in the description I really like reading those reports
I love how deep into detail you go on these events. You’re amazing at what you do Carly.
Have lived just south of Vilonia for over a decade. Watched the entirely rain-wrapped tornado from my front porch as it hit Vilonia and toured the damage multiple times. I will never forget how dark green the sky was as it tracked to my north, and just how messy the storm looked. Ended up touring the damage multiple times afterwards and the completeness of the destruction was truly mesmerizing. I have driven through Mayfield, Bowling Green, Rolling Fork, and Little Rock '23 right after their recent high-end tornadoes, and Vilonia is without a doubt in a different league than all of them.
What about Greenfield?
Thank you for covering this! I feel like I remember hearing a friend of mine at school talk about this after it happend as she has family out there she lived with. It's also great to see more Arkansas tornados being covered as I feel like not enough do get the attention
I remember coming out of my shelter that night in Heber. I came out and looked up over the trees, just seeing this menacing white rotating cloud. Ten years later it still plays in my head.
We remember that night very well. Our home is about 15 miles from Mayflower and Vilonia. Thank You for this reminder of how tragic tornadoes can be. Scott and Sandra just north of Conway AR
Arkansasan! Glad to see a sister so close. That night gives me flashbacks...the scars in the earth...the calm and devestation afterwards was what I suspect what ppl in Japan felt after the bombs fell. It was otherworldly.
Also, RIP Mayflower diner...you will be missed.
Thank you so much Carly. I felt so bad for the people affected by this tornado which was about 7 miles from my home.
It’s crazy to me how monstrous this tornado was it got really big in it’s life cycle but, also you couldn’t see it because it was rain wrapped as well and it was already getting dark, which is why we don’t see a lot of of this tornado. The destruction with violent intensity and damage reminds me of Mayfield. Could be even worse. Great Video and analysis As always!!
My birthday today. What a nice treat to wake up to a new video. Thank you for your compassionate coverage. ❤❤❤
Happy birthday 🎉
Happy B day😊
Happy Birthday! 🎉
The EF system is fine for what its designed to do, but we really need an additional rating system that is purely based on measured observations from instrumentation and weather radar. Judging a tornado's strength by the damage it does to human built structures has far too many variables always to reflect reality and it hurting the science IMO.
I am glad the NWS is planning on making some changes to the EF system, we will see what comes of that. Like I said, I think the EF system should stay as is, but have another rating to go with it with the idea of slowly phasing out the EF system.
You dont know where tonadoes will form and by radar isnt really capable of accurate wind speeds. Maybe if our govenment invested a little money but very little funding for something that effects everyone's lives every second of everyday!
I have always tried to advocate that they should pair EF and original Fujita. EF4/F5 should be an official description.
I’ve been saying for years. A hybrid scale of the EF and F scale. Actual wind speed measurements should count for something.
What you people who claim we should have a system based on wind measurements don't seem to get through your skulls is that such a system also has flaws. Flaws that make it more functionally useless than the Fujita system.
For one, the near unanimity of the Doppler radars in this country are fixed position and there are only so many mobile units available that would have to be deployed to the correct spot at the correct time to get a better reading.
Which begs the question, what are you measuring and why? A Doppler radar that is ten miles away, versus 25, versus 50 or greater is going to be taking measurements from different slices of the thunderstorm. In almost all cases, this is going to be at an altitude several hundred feet off the ground where unless the tornado hits a downtown area filled with skyscrapers, there will be no impact on human life. Wind speeds at these altitudes are higher than at the ground.
The whole point of the Fujita scale is to measure this ground level impact on human life, so it can be used as a guide on how to build better building structures. Structures that will still fail in an EF4 or higher, but will fare better against the roughly 99% of tornadoes EF3 or lower.
So to those of you who want a wind measurement based ratings system, two questions.
1. What is your reasoning that such would be an improvement over the Fujita scale?
2. How do you plan to smooth out the variables in dealing with such a system? Just as the Fujita scale doesn't get to decide whether a tornado plows through a populated area or an open field, a wind based scale doesn't get to decide if it passes with ten miles of a measuring device or not.
@@scarpfish That why I said to keep both. 🤷♂
I was in mayflower/conway (mayway) when this happened it's a night that I won't forget.
Fantastic documentary on the tornado, there was a lot of info I wasn't aware of. Keep up the great work!
I live in the River Plantation and was home this day. Very scary event. I was amazed only one life was lost here in the neighborhood. Great work on the video!
This is a storm I’ve never heard of.
But your work is next level.
I hope you are doing well!
Much respect to you!
Thanks! Loved this documentary 🙏🏻🙏🏻❤️
This video appeared in my suggestions and I'm glad I tuned in. Storms are incredibly fascinating and I enjoyed learning about this one. Subscribed!
So happy to see how far you’ve come! I remember back when you had literally only a couple thousand subscribers. The fact you now have 52K now is fantastic! Love your videos, keep up the great work!
been here since the jarrell documentary and WOW has the quality increased, keep it up
One of my friends lived in Mayflower at the time. They were glanced by the tornado, and came out of their storm shelter to several power poles sticking out of their roof. They were all fine, thankfully
Cameron Here, This tornado gave birth to the page (Arkansas Weather Watchers) that we currently have that helps keep people informed and safe during events like this!
We will never forget this tragic event and will continue to help save lives to our best ability!
Thank you for covering this. Not many people seem to cover Arkansas tornadoes. I was in college in Conway when this tornado hit and remember when they issued the tornado warning for Faulkner County. My apartment was next to the ambulance depot and I heard the sirens all night-- I would hear them in my head for weeks after. The next morning, I walked to campus and there were bits of insulation in the trees and on the sidewalks and I almost broke down when I realized that those were likely bits of someone's home.
I later heard about some football players from my school who couldn't get in touch with one of their friends who lived in Mayflower, so they drove down there and got stopped at a roadblock. They noticed that they were letting utility trucks through and those were mostly plain white pickup trucks, so they drove back to campus, piled into one other other players' plain white pickup and drove back down and got through the roadblock.
Several years later, I did a program at an elementary school near Mayflower and a tornado warning was issued while I was there. It was well south of the school and not aimed to come near it, but a teacher let me know about it before I left. I was shocked that they hadn't made an announcement or anything and they explained to me that the staff communicates tornado warnings in ways the students won't hear because so many of their children were still struggling with PTSD from the tornado.
I'm glad you made this video. This tornado gets overlooked way too much for the damage that it did and the lives it changed.
It's been a decade since this tornado and if you drive through Mayflower even till this day there's still trees that are twisted with debris still in them from that long ago and concrete slabs where buildings used to be in Voliana
If Vilonia was in Oklahoma it would have been rated an EF5 before it even dissipated.
@@Cinerary exactly
@@Cinerarydefinitely, the “Enhanced” scale almost seems like some kind of PR move, and often blatantly contradicts itself. So many obvious EF-5 damage sites being rated a 4, when simultaneously the scale claims an EF-5 has expected wind speeds of 200mph, which is laughably low. Most EF4 tornadoes *exceed* that speed and EF-5s often approach 300mph
Since I discovered your channel, I have really enjoyed your work. Your in depth analysis and all the stories of these weather disasters and how we can learn from them help me a lot. Please keep up the great work you have been doing Carly!!! 💝🐱💝
Great work as always! I live about an hour from Vilonia/Mayflower and that's one night we will never forget! Thank you for covering this one!
My in-laws lived through both Vilonia tornadoes. The first one (EF2), which killed their next-door neighbor, caused them to get a storm shelter installed, which is why they survived this second one (EF4).
Excellent content. This puts some major tv documentaries i have seen to shame. Great work!
I wonder if you are familiar with the May 6, 1965 tornado event around the Twin Cities metro area. There were only six tornadoes, but four of them were F4 strength. Despite the date, the air raid sirens were effectively utilized, and a radio station did excellent coverage to help warn people, saving many lives.
Great video Carly, as always! It's crazy that it's been 10 years already!
I experienced an EF-2 tornado in Northern Mississippi in 2009, I lived on the road that it crossed on and hearing it was terrifying. That tornado has forever changed my life and has impacted how I respond to every storm now especially if conditions are favorable for a tornado
Where in northern Mississippi? I live in northeast Mississippi
Been waiting for this upload for ages! I enjoy you covering these destructive cases. I love the new introduction too so well done
I've grown up in OK my entire life. I used to live in NE OK though I moved to Central OK several years back. I just returned home to see family and we went and saw Twisters. It was such a strange feeling...I grew up watching Twister and not to mention, my hometown was hit by an EF3 in May. I personally really enjoyed the movie though! I was worried that it wasn't going to do the og Twister justice, but I definitely think it did.
Im happy to see this content. I lived less than a mile from the school that was destroyed. It was an awful day. I saw it with my own eyes, it was huge. Kid i went school with passed away trying to save his dog. RIP Jeff Hunter
Carly, this is about the 25th video I've watched of yours. I don't comment much but I always hit the like button. But I got to tell you, your work and content is great. Keep on doing what you're doing. Somehow in death and destruction you have a soothing way of telling the tales of these tragic tornadoes. And I know you do a lot with mental health. As someone that struggles with that side of things I just want to say thank you for everything you do❤️🙏
Another great video! Your production just gets better and better. Love the fonts and effects you used on this one.
Very informative. Thank you for the work that you put into these videos and the way you tell the story. There's so much valuable information to be learned from these tornadoes and the damage they're capable of. The story of the loss of life due to an improper storm shelter door is so tragic and just goes to show how important it is to follow building codes and hopefully encourages construction workers or any DIYers out there to not "beat around the bush" or go the cheap route when it comes to storm shelters. Had that been an even more powerful tornado it absolutely could've ripped that door off.
Great narration! Definitely subscribing
Carly - I absolutely love your videos and the perspective you decide to cover and highlight. This video is no different, and I want to thank you for taking the time to create and share this with the community!
I’ve watched every single one of your videos (some more than once lol), but I don’t think I’ve ever taken the time to comment!
I think I can say pretty confidently, that while many of us weather/tornado nerds love a good tornado tale of destruction, the human/individual/family/societal impact of the re-telling of these events are all too often lost in translation, removing the important humanizing aspects of them.
Thank you for always reminding us to go back to the human aspects of these events, or maybe even teaching us about them, for perhaps, the first time. You’re doing some important work, whether you realize it or not, ensuring the souls and lives of those lost or impacted are not forgotten ❤
I will be seeing Twisters on Sunday! I hope you will be doing a live event after it’s been out a bit for all of us to chat about it, I would love to join!
I’m about to go order some merch, but sadly won’t have it in time before I see the movie. But I will totally still rock it whenever I get it! 😊
Growing up in Conway, I remember going out to Vilonia a couple days after this Tornado to help clean up. I was only 12 at the time so I couldn’t really do much as far the actual clean up, but I remember playing with a boy that was about my age. Two people, one with a perfectly fine house and one that just had theirs destroyed. I didn’t know it at the time but looking back on it, very humbling.
I remember messaging you on twitter hoping youd cover this tornado. Great job as always Carly!!
I grew up in Maumelle and was home at the time when this tornado hit. It went about a mile north of us and I knew several people who were impacted. This event sparked my interest in weather and made me a life long weather nerd. Thank you for your excellent coverage of this event!
I grew up in Maumelle. This was the tornado that changed my life and made me obsessive about tornado season every single year even though ive moved north and never see them (although that is changing too). I check national weather every single day from spring-fall
I've been watching your videos for a while & your story telling on this video is amazing!! Major props on the narrative & editing.
Yet another excellent, well-researched piece. Thank you.
Awesome breakdown, Carly! I haven't seen much of you in recent months and this was just what I needed today-excellent tornado analysis and to hear your voice again. All my best ❤😊
Thanks for the video! Congrats on the cute little kitten too! My cat is an old man too and has raised several kittens, even letting them play with his tail when he gets too tired to run around playing with them himself.
I have survived several tornadoes in this area of Arkansas over my lifetime. The one most memorable to me was in the late 1990s when a tornado hit Beebe and McRae Arkansas.
I was sitting in a friend's house as we were watching the weather alerts on TV. When the news said Beebe was hit, and I told my friend, "I'm leaving". I made it two blocks onto the main highway 367 heading northeast towards my family's farm when debris started landing in the road in front of me.
I made it to my great grandmother's house, rushed her into a bedroom, and we got under a bed together. Within a few minutes, it had passed by.
So I went back to McRae to see what had happened, and half of the town was missing. One of my friends was stuck under the frame of a mobile home, and she had extensive damage to her legs. Another friend had their baby ripped out of their hands and was missing.
It was devastating. We picked up debris on our farm land and the neighbors farm land for 6 months afterward. We were finding personal items from towns over 30 miles away.
@@LeadStarDude January 21, 1999. I made a video about that outbreak on my channel, Mapstronaut.
As always Carly Anna you present a comprehensive analysis that not only highlights the often unpredictable anatomy of severe and/or tornadic meteorology but perhaps even more importantly approached life alerting consequences of severe weather with the utmost care and concern for those communities and individuals directly affected. The deep dives of all aspects of tornadic weather from causes to effects is a wealth of knowledge and education the intent and purpose, of which, will surely be a source of vital information and essential resources to those viewing your potentially life saving content. Bravo!! I wonder if you have considered producing a segment on the 1967 Belvidere, IL. tornado tragedy? I know it has, in the past, had some exposé but i know your subscribers would absolutely be fascinated by your channels focus on such a horrific catastrophic weather event that occurred at a time when weather forecasting and community preparedness was very much in its genesis. I was a two week old infant at the time beginning life in the neighboring city of Rockford/ Loves Park and have heard stories my whole life from my parents and other family members who witnessed the funnel that tragic day. Many years later as a young man i had a coworker who was actually on of of the school busses that afternoon as was his future wife.
Good morning Carly, I'm glad to hear your work on these storms
Good Morning John! Thank you and I hope you're doing well! :)
Another fantastic video, thanks for all your efforts and dedication to this topic, and especially for your humanity and compassion when discussing the real world impacts of the storms you profile. Brava!
This is one of your best videos yet. I went on Wednesday with my youngest to see Twister. It's a good movie.
Thanks for covering this! The Wind Institute at Texas Tech is awesome! I had the pleasure of studying under the professors who run it and remember them discussing this case in my Forensic Engineering class!
All of your video's are really fantastic and kinda hard to stop watching once you start.
Before 2024, the widest tornado on record for Arkansas was the 2011 Vilonia EF-2 at 1.6 miles wide. On May 26, 2024, the Decatur EF-3 topped out at a maximum width of 1.8 miles wide.
Remarkable job as always. I am surprised some media folks have not swept you up, but I fear if they do. Please, never lose your gifts of knowledge, kindness, empathy, and warmth.
Good explanation of why shelters must be up to specs. We have an above ground shelter similar to what is illustrated in your presentation. Below ground is not possible where we live, in a swampy area. A similar shelter in Louisville MS survived an F4 - also in April in the superoutbreak. Since we live in a double wide trailer and there is no shelter available in the area, it's the best we could do. We rely on prayer to get us through the storms. Object lesson from your discussion - stay sitting down in the back of the "cube" with pillows for protection. Thank you for another excellent presentation.
Recently found your channel. Really appreciate your work. Your voice is amazing to listen to and it helps with the heavy subject.
1 hour in and 1,272 views ALREADY! Glad people know what's good on youtube.
There are just a few creators that I follow that I get super excited to see new content posted. Carly is at the top of the list
RIP to all the victims. I feel so bad for the person who got hit by the door :(
I moved to Arkansas over 2 years ago and I always hear about the Vilonia storm whenever there’s a threat of tornadoes. All I knew was that it was a bad storm so I’m appreciative for the breakdown!
I lived 11 miles from Vilonia then- remember that night- sky turned green and the clouds hung low over my house- the tornado passed 5 miles from my house headed to Vilonia. I was the only one in my neighborhood that had a tornado shelter. I had that put in after the 2011 tornado in Vilonia. Mayflower got hit hard that night in 2014 also. Glad I moved up in the hills, tornadoes don’t seem to be as bad.
Great video Carly! I got to see Twisters at the Moore Warren theater on Wednesday. There must have been more meteorologists in that audience than any other movie premiere ever. There were even 3 meteorologists that had cameos in the movie.
i remember that day in El Paso. it was horrifying to see the aftermath every day. we lived on a road that had a slight incline, and because of that the tornado narrowly missed us. very amazing video.
it was years before my mother would drive through Vilonia again. she would just sob, the places we went as kids to get donuts, so many memories wiped out
I will never forget April 27th-29th 2014. I was under the gun for severe weather for multiple days, and was severely stressed out.
Nice work! Thank you for covering the science and psychology behind these events as well. Very good approach and eye-opening perspectives.
Vilonia is my childhood town, and I was 4 at the time of this tornado and turned 5 a couple days after. This tornado traumatized me of weather for like a good 8 years, and now im super into weather, and tornadoes. I remember blasting down the highway in the middle seat of my uncles truck as i looked back and seen this HUGE tornado. It still cannot get out of my head.
The new opening and graphics are awesome Carly .. two thumbs up for you
Love your material. Well done as usual.
Hey i live there...weird to see my area in a video. I remember this Tornado extremely well. Spent 6 days cutting trees up and it completely wiped out the houses north of the high school. I am a volunteer first responder and it was awful, like a warzone. I have great videos of the Tornado. The same area has been hit by 3 Tornadoes. 2 of them were back to back years. Past years ive been out as a chaser to help get information on the storms in real time. Glad your covering it
Absolutely love this video Carly! So well done! I really enjoyed it.😊
Love the intro for the name of the Tornado. Really creative and it seems you put a lot of thought to it. Much props😁👏
Respectful, insightful, very well researched and impeccably presented. Great documentary.
I’ve waited for so long for a video like this, especially with it being so close to home (i live between both cities)
Thank u for this. Not too many ppl on here talk bout this tornado. I was in conway when this happened. I had a friend who lived in mayflower, it did damage his house but it didn't knock it down. My parents were down the road in maumelle and we're blowing my phone up bout this. In conway I wasn't too far from wherever was tracking on its way to vilonia. All we heard was this loud roar and watch my plants outside get blown away. My daughter had came home from her friends house in vilonia earlier that day. That day was just crazy.
Brilliant mix of science, research, communication and compassion as always.
I sometimes find myself wishing I could do what you do for Covid, but the scale of that is beyond any one person's ability to research and cover. Then again, the research and synthesis you do to put these videos together on huge events with equally huge documentation is considerable.
But I don't have the medical degree (although I have the autoimmune vulnerability that makes me pay attention to COVID news & research after the media and public have moved on to treating it as history, something tornado victims and people in tornado-vulnerable areas experience while to them tornadoes remain part of current events).
I'm glad people impacted by tornadoes have champions like you remembering them and covering the science. I do not mean to take the focus off the victims of the Vilona tornado in ANY way. I just admire what you do and wish we had storytellers who could do the same for another type of disaster to raise awareness, remember victims as more than statistics, explore and report on important ongoing discoveries, and get the word out about mitigation measures like storm shelters that have proven effective enough to be worth the cost (UV filters on ventilation systems, eg).
I love my town Vilonia, lost my house because of this tornado
EDIT: I remember when the intermediate School was destroyed. Right after they rebuilt it, they made a concrete storm shelter right after. I used to go in it for detention and music class
I'm so sorry 😔
I love all your videos! You're so thorough from a meteorological perspective, a historical one, and a human one.
I'll be seeing Twisters in the theater in 13 hours...but who's counting? 😆
I’m saving this for my next workout day to get hyped. I’m in a tornado mood lull and it’s so depressing! I never not wanna be in a tornado mood, especially with Twisters premiering this weekend lol
I need to find a way to make exciting tornado content that doesn't involve death lol it's very intense. I hope you love Twisters!!!