The 1987 Saragosa F4 Tornado - Why the 26 Minute Warning was never Received.

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  • Опубліковано 17 тра 2023
  • The Saragosa Tornado of 1987 was an intense, short-lived twister that killed 30 people in far southwestern Texas. Despite the weather office issuing a tornado warning 26 minutes prior, nobody within the town knew that it was coming. Today we learn the meteorology behind the storm, recreate the timeline of warnings issued, and discover why the people of Saragosa were ultimately victims of their own environment.
    Sources and Further Reading:
    controlc.com/135a37de
    The 1987 Saragosa F4 Tornado - Why the 26 Minute Warning was never Received.

КОМЕНТАРІ • 901

  • @oldauntzibby4395
    @oldauntzibby4395 Рік тому +1943

    Texans: do you pronounce it Peck-os or Pay-cos?

    • @LikethePresident
      @LikethePresident Рік тому +244

      Pay-cos

    • @spectralArtist
      @spectralArtist Рік тому +138

      Pay-cos

    • @Anarchy303
      @Anarchy303 Рік тому +73

      Have a pretty busy street in my state with the same name. We pronounce it Pay-cos

    • @irishcajun85
      @irishcajun85 Рік тому +69

      Arkansan here, and I say ‘PAY-cos’ cause that’s how I’ve heard folks say it and it’s the Spanish pronunciation.

    • @karlhenke91
      @karlhenke91 Рік тому +52

      Asked my cousin from Texas. She says "PAY-cose". She also had a few words when I told her how you pronouced it, but don't worry, she's actually really sweet.

  • @Unb3arablePain
    @Unb3arablePain Рік тому +5089

    This is why no matter how many weather radio, TV, and cell phone alerts there are out there I will always support maintaining a robust emergency siren infrastructure.

    • @jacobthayer236
      @jacobthayer236 Рік тому +207

      Guess who is totally against sirens... James Spann, he thinks it's dumb to keep maintaining them. Says everyone should get a noaa radio. He's a legend, but that really pisses me off. Makes me wonder if he has a stake in the NOAA weather radios.

    • @jacobthayer236
      @jacobthayer236 Рік тому +286

      Why not have as many emergency warning systems as possible. Seems silly not to. Sirens have saved so many lives.

    • @cheddar2648
      @cheddar2648 Рік тому +138

      defense in depth... do not rely on just one method of warning.

    • @jnkelley42
      @jnkelley42 Рік тому +177

      I agree Jacob that sirens should stay. If nothing else homeless people and folks without working phones need warning. There should be multiple layers of warnings.

    • @phaedraremington6247
      @phaedraremington6247 Рік тому +33

      Yeah, I was so angry when my city decided to get rid of them.

  • @XxCrystalPhoenix
    @XxCrystalPhoenix Рік тому +2947

    Weatherbox has that "25 years old with 30 years experience" energy the world needs.

    • @sheeeitmayn4384
      @sheeeitmayn4384 Рік тому

      All you gotta do is stay in school and read some books lmao kind of pathetic how dumb people are these days with the infinite amount of knowledge at their fingertips.

    • @jtgd
      @jtgd Рік тому +132

      He’s the one kid who clearly was gonna be a meteorologist in elementary school

    • @RG5Gamin
      @RG5Gamin Рік тому +3

      thats true

    • @SupercellularChaos
      @SupercellularChaos Рік тому +1

      Ikr

    • @emz33
      @emz33 Рік тому +55

      Lol might have ADHD hyper focus of special interest powers. That alone accounts for 15 years experience 😂

  • @FN_FAL_4_ever
    @FN_FAL_4_ever Рік тому +1696

    It was such a tragic combination of local government refusing a surplus siren, a majority Spanish-speaking population who didn’t get adequate warning from the networks, and the majority of housing ranging from mobile homes to single story cinder block, wood, or adobe homes that wouldn’t have stood a chance against an EF0-EF1 tornado, much less an EF4 tornado. This native west Texan salutes you for this much awaited presentation.
    A little trivia, Mr. Jose Candelas rebuilt his store by hand, making his own cinder blocks and eventually returned to business before passing away in 2004.

    • @Thicc_Cheese_Dip
      @Thicc_Cheese_Dip Рік тому +21

      And the Laguna Heights, TX EF1 proved you right with regards to construction quality.

    • @randomstuff6088
      @randomstuff6088 Рік тому +15

      We Stan Mr Candelas

    • @youtubehasbigcringe
      @youtubehasbigcringe Рік тому +8

      the tornado was simply trying to tell them they have to go back

    • @davidlafleche1142
      @davidlafleche1142 11 місяців тому +20

      Even worse: The New England hurricane (1938). ONE GUY at the National Weather Service knew it was coming; but the others in the office insisted that no hurricane could possibly hit New England. They refused to send a warning. ("New England's Killer Hurricane of 1938.")

    • @ChickenJoe-tq6xd
      @ChickenJoe-tq6xd 11 місяців тому +9

      Maybe learn the countries language that you are moving to 🤷‍♂️ not cater to them by changing the alerts to Spanish and speaking their own language lol

  • @oldfashionedboots2774
    @oldfashionedboots2774 11 місяців тому +270

    The fact that all the kids survived is really something… the love a parent has for a child is stunning

    • @Taranofsky
      @Taranofsky 9 місяців тому +32

      I got misty out of nowhere when he said that, I had to just picture a room full of parents all putting their kids in and under the most protected places knowing it could mean the end of their existence on this planet.

    • @animula6908
      @animula6908 4 місяці тому +13

      Teachers too.

  • @jaysmith1408
    @jaysmith1408 Рік тому +983

    I'm still an advocate for sirens. They are the most direct, universally communicated method of mass storm awareness. They are similar to, if not identical to, fire sirens. They have gotten us out of bed for calls that we wouldn't have recieved otherwise. Telephones lose signal or power, televisions may be turned off, i personally don' t have a NOAA radio (working on it) but my local siren is six blocks away.
    Unrelated, i would love to know more about the July 21st, 2003 storm that took out the Kinzua bridge. Not particularly strong storm, but notable for both taking down the bridge, and the relatively rarity of Pennsylvania tornadoes.
    Fantastic work as always. Thank you.

    • @Ziko577
      @Ziko577 Рік тому +14

      We have automatic sirens throughout the county me and my family live in. They went off automatically a few years back when the storm flooded the street and the wind was really bad. It knocked out our AC which required the lines to be replaced and it was the middle of the summer and you know how hot it can get without it. That was the first time I've ever heard the things go off and that's rare where we live. Without that, who knows what would've happened.

    • @jaysmith1408
      @jaysmith1408 Рік тому +1

      @@Ziko577 we don’t have a flood siren, though the next creek over has air horns. We were coming back from a 9/11 memorial service at a nearby church, coming down the road, and we thought the engine behind us was air horning is. We called them, and they said the creek has flood horns. Never heard of them. Our station siren rises and falls for fire calls, and if needed (hasn’t happened yet) can wail at full volume for tornadoes.

    • @DeathyAS
      @DeathyAS Рік тому +10

      The sirens usually go off before the alerts too since they can be automatically trigged by wind speeds. I can usually hear the sirens go off a full 1-2 minutes before my phone starts to scream. Unlike the phone alarms the sirens will CONTINUE to go off for the entire event as well.

    • @rattoota
      @rattoota Рік тому +12

      Yeah like the only reason someone wouldn't be alerted by a siren is if they're completely deaf. We cannot and should not rely on people having access to working electronics to be made aware of incoming danger.

    • @Ziko577
      @Ziko577 Рік тому +2

      @@rattoota Yep. What would happen if the grid goes down or a bad enough storm knocks out power? EAS'es don't work without specialized equipment for example.
      In my lifetime so far, we've had blackouts at least half a dozen times but the last few were only for a couple of hours due to overload or an accident. An ice storm, two tropical storms, severe thunderstorms, & flooding have done that to us personally.

  • @Tejanista
    @Tejanista Рік тому +564

    My family and I lived about 10 minutes away from Saragosa. I was in 2nd grade in 1987 and remember that night very well. We lost several family members in that tornado.

    • @garbagetruckdue690-pe1nm
      @garbagetruckdue690-pe1nm Рік тому +27

      I know it’s hard to lose family members when that happens

    • @ianssirensproductions7418
      @ianssirensproductions7418 Рік тому +36

      sorry for your loss man. it sucks losing family to tornados or other disasters but when they dont set of the tornado sirens, its just worse, they didnt see it coming

    • @socialanxiety9153
      @socialanxiety9153 10 місяців тому +7

      May they rest in peace ❤️

    • @animula6908
      @animula6908 4 місяці тому +8

      I was a child in west Texas then, too. You had a lot of prayers sent your way, and one now as well for whatever storms you face today. ❤

  • @morganleanderblake678
    @morganleanderblake678 Рік тому +169

    I remember when this happened. They were taking out bodies on the news, and the reporter was stoically streaming tears and fighting to keep his voice steady as he described that every single child was safe and at least five of them were literally shielded by more than one adult body, and that's the only reason they lived. Talk about a community. It was heartbreaking, and terrible.

    • @animula6908
      @animula6908 4 місяці тому +3

      Yeah, he glossed over that to focus on the local government failing. It’s a tiny rural community and their local government were their neighbors. They did too care. He’s just looking for someone to heap blame and shame on because that’s the style of this type of video.

    • @ErickC
      @ErickC 2 місяці тому +28

      @@animula6908 : the local government can care about their citizens and still fail them. They might have been neighbours, and they might have cared a whole lot, but their structure, in particular, their lack of an adequate protocol for storm warning or any sort of mass warning system, meant that when the time came they failed at disseminating information that was readily available about a deadly storm that had plenty of advance warning. If we don't name these systematic failures then we can't address them. There's a reason NTSB reports about airplane crashes don't mince words; it's not to shame pilots, it's to accurately and concisely name the root causes of crashes so that they can be addressed and prevent similar happenings in the future.

    • @gabrielaguilar1391
      @gabrielaguilar1391 Місяць тому +21

      ​@@animula6908i don't know. The fact they were offered sirens at no cost and no one responded is pretty negligent.

    • @BeanMachineu3u
      @BeanMachineu3u 3 дні тому

      ​@@animula6908 There is a huge difference between explaining the failures that happened and blaming them. Obviously nobody thought that this exact situation would happen when they ignored the offer for sirens, but it's still part of the reason this was so tragic.

  • @playgroundchooser
    @playgroundchooser Рік тому +792

    I love how he makes me feel like a tornado expert, without making me feel dumb. 😀

    • @java4653
      @java4653 Рік тому

      That's messed up. Why would you admit this?

    • @rae6982
      @rae6982 Рік тому +39

      @@java4653 what?

    • @zenalitytdsc8428
      @zenalitytdsc8428 11 місяців тому +13

      How is it messed up? It’s not at all.

    • @yourmother1522
      @yourmother1522 9 місяців тому +2

      @@java4653 what

    • @kaeya8674
      @kaeya8674 9 місяців тому

      @@java4653because they have no clue

  • @BatsonicAbie
    @BatsonicAbie Рік тому +226

    Thank you for saying “That scary tone followed by the weather warning” and not cutting to a clip of the warning cutting in with the tone.
    I’m a survivor of the quad state tornado, and my biggest deterrent to tornado doc videos is those clips with the warning tones. Of course I still watch them, but I never know when a video will have that tone. It always takes me back to that scary night.

    • @feoltmanns7624
      @feoltmanns7624 3 місяці тому +7

      I hate those sirens. They never fail to scare the living daylights out of me. 😦

    • @missd369
      @missd369 Місяць тому +5

      ​@feoltmanns7624 That's the point ;-)
      I was glad I could hear the siren go off when I was in an auto parts junk yard in Colorado. Thankfully, it never materialized.

  • @robertwhite6651
    @robertwhite6651 Рік тому +375

    I appreciate this particular storm upload! My mother was a teacher in Pecos and was supposed to be in town for that head start graduation, but ended up staying in Pecos. Not only did that save her life, but absolutely saved mine too, because I wasn’t born until 1991.

  • @joshuawarkentin9199
    @joshuawarkentin9199 Рік тому +325

    The failure of local government aside, what horrible luck that Saragosa was hit by such a short lived tornado.
    Thanks for doing such a deep dive on this relatively unknown tornado.

  • @aaronscott.7415
    @aaronscott.7415 Рік тому +212

    Thanks for making this video. In 1987, as a 10 year old kid living in East Texas, seeing this event being reported on by the TV news stations in Dallas was the beginning of a life long interest in tornadic storms for me. It has always seemed that this storm never got the attention that was warranted. It's like history just forgot about it.

    • @RJARRRPCGP
      @RJARRRPCGP Рік тому +8

      I was 6 at that time, so somewhat younger. But I don't remember really getting into weather until at least the early-1990s, likely 1991 or around there.

    • @reichr
      @reichr Рік тому +3

      Its just like that sometimes. Time keeps moving, and a lot of important events are just.. Forgotten, sometimes, remembered only by those who experienced them firsthand.

  • @OuterGalaxyLounge
    @OuterGalaxyLounge Рік тому +134

    Excellent. A significant tornado event that hasn't been talked about to death on UA-cam.

    • @tayla6855
      @tayla6855 Рік тому +8

      And explained so well

  • @5KWhiskey
    @5KWhiskey Рік тому +239

    On the topic of violent southwestern Texas tornadoes, I reckon that you could make a great video on the Bakersfield Valley F4 of 1990. Not only did it produce some of the most extreme ground scouring ever recorded, but it tossed multiple oil tanks - each weighing 180,000 pounds - three miles away, with two tanks being rolled 600 feet up a steep hill. One of the most impressive individual instances of tornado damage on record, I'd say. The general consensus seems to be that it may very well have been an F5, but it struck such a remote and sparsely-populated area that damage surveys only resulted in an F4 rating.

    • @FN_FAL_4_ever
      @FN_FAL_4_ever Рік тому +25

      I have been looking high and low for in depth information about that tornado for years, but there is scant information online. I somewhat remember that day. I was 10, finished the 4th grade, and were just let out of school in Fort Stockton the day before. On June 1, it poured a ton of rain on us. I remember the temperature cooled off and there was a strong cold wind moving east, I’d estimate it around 35-40 MPH. I remember standing in my backyard and seeing the sky eastward being a greenish black with a lot of sheet lightning…..a lot. I learned about the tornado on the local news later that evening. The following Thursday (when our local newspaper gets printed), I saw the damage. I saw the pictures of the pavement scoured right down to bedrock. I saw the pictures of the oil tanks that were thrown around. I saw the aerial picture of the damage path, and a picture of the fish that were sucked out from a small lake and scattered on the ground. I wish I could find more information about that one. Both the Saragosa tornado and the Bakersfield Valley tornado have so far been the only F4 tornadoes in that part of the state. We still get a number of EF0-EF2 tornadoes during the spring and early summer.

    • @zjdubya22
      @zjdubya22 Рік тому +8

      Bakersfield Valley is one of a handful of F4 tornadoes in Texas that are probably underrated. Allison, Kellerville, Loyal Valley are a few others. Ironically the F5's in Texas with the exception of Jarrell are arguably overrated. At least from what I have researched. B Valley is without a doubt one of the most violent tornadoes of all time.

    • @brt-jn7kg
      @brt-jn7kg Рік тому +17

      ​@@zjdubya22 I'm going to have to disagree with your overrating of the F5 tornadoes in Texas. You did see if the top of that list of F5 tornadoes in Texas was Waco and goliad the deadliest most destructive tornado in Texas and still 10th deadliest tornadoes in the United States. I don't think that's overrated sir. If it is anything it is underrated and it would be as famous as the Jarrell Texas tornado but there wasn't anybody around a videotape it like there was for Jarrell which I happen to have firsthand knowledge of. If it is anything it is underrated and it would be as famous as the Jarrell Texas tornado but there wasn't anybody around videotape it like there was for Jarrell which I happen to have firsthand knowledge of. That tornado formed in my front yard literally. I was young patrolman and I got in my patrol car and I followed that tornado all the way down I-35 until it became a monster in Jarrell. I saw things down there I didn't think we're possible and if somebody had told me that they had happened without seeing pictures and stuff of it I would not have ever believed them. The things I saw done to bodies, pets,human, cows, horses, goats, pigs and wildlife staggers the imagination. I was a hunter before the Jarrell Texas tornado I haven't gone hunting since and that should tell you everything you need to know about what I had to do while I was down there.

    • @Db--jt7bt
      @Db--jt7bt Рік тому +9

      Nah, just like Saragosa, that tornado would’ve easily been rated as a weak EF5 if it had happened post 2007. The old scale was similar to EF for weak tornados, but different for violent ones.

    • @thedoodlehudson
      @thedoodlehudson Рік тому +9

      To add perspective for people who can't picture 180,000lb (80 tons), it's like a main battle tank being picked up into the air and thrown around like a toy.

  • @Tigers9596
    @Tigers9596 Рік тому +46

    What I find baffling is how many more communities the size of Sargosa or even larger are in more tornado-prone areas with no sirens. I'm a firefighter in central Oklahoma and I manage our city's siren system and emergency management ops. As much as I am an advocate for sirens and their usage today, they should absolutely not be relied on for first warning. Our town has not the best infrastructure and I'm willing to bet most people rely on our siren for first warning. We used to have two sirens, but one that was installed in the 90s was removed after 2008. We're now down to one in the far southwest corner of our city, stuck facing away from the town center, and that has to be manually activated by me. The nearby college campus has two new sirens installed in 2014 that I help manage, but before I was brought on to help, they sat dormant. When you look at the math, I am sure there have been tens of tornado warnings for the area since 2014, and they weren't activated once. Not even for tests. Thankfully I was brought on to change that, and that will be the next part of my mission, as well as upgrading our current siren and installing a new one in the eastern part of our town.

    • @matthewherbert8875
      @matthewherbert8875 9 місяців тому

      USDA grants can help with costs. What type of siren is left? The rotator issue may be a relatively easy fix.

    • @Tigers9596
      @Tigers9596 9 місяців тому

      It is an easy fix, the siren still needs a radio upgrade. We're looking at add at least two others.@@matthewherbert8875

    • @Tigers9596
      @Tigers9596 2 місяці тому

      @@matthewherbert8875I’ve made little progress, but have some connections and plans to keep moving forward. The only siren we have in operation right now is a Thunderbolt 1000 series.

    • @janetgood6332
      @janetgood6332 9 днів тому

      I grew up in the blessed middle of nowhere in Kansas before all of the progress in warning systems. We did have a siren, but it didn't go off when there was a tornado going off. 20 years ago, a microburst hit, and the sirens went off after it hit. I looked out the window and the sky was chartreuse green and stuff still swirling. Sirens are better than nothing, but not to be the only thing people count on!

  • @scarpfish
    @scarpfish Рік тому +74

    Glad that you covered this story. It's a somewhat forgotten tragedy and a cautionary tale that in protecting the public from natural disasters, getting the physical science right is only half the battle.

  • @trashrabbit69
    @trashrabbit69 Рік тому +38

    On a similar note to people caught unaware- the Barneveld, WI F5 of 1984 always stuck with me, especially since its so close to the area I grew up in. One of the more unique features of it and the larger outbreak was how late it managed to happen. The one that hit Barneveld wouldn't be until 1:00 AM, which is insanely late for a tornado, especially one as strong as it. The fact that it managed to completely destroy then-newly built homes; all whilst everyone was asleep... terrifying to say the least.

    • @windwatcher11
      @windwatcher11 10 місяців тому +3

      Very familiar with that one. Iowan here; night tors this far north are very rare, and strong ones even more so.

  • @TheReviewer63
    @TheReviewer63 Рік тому +26

    A somewhat fun fact, I was living in Joplin at the time of the 2011 tornado and let me tell you what, I still haven't fully recovered, but to be fair, I was 10 at the time, so it's gonna stick with you. At this point the effects it has on me are limited to increased stress during strong/severe weather and the urge to keep an eye on the weather during these times. It was rather scary, but my entire family that lived in Joplin at the time were fine, in fact, both my uncle and his family, and my grandparents were actually untouched by the tornado, while my house was almost completely obliterated. Another fun fact, the neighborhood I used to live in at that time has since been completely demolished and is now technically part of the High School's Football field.

    • @DamonNomad82
      @DamonNomad82 Рік тому +1

      I have family members living in Joplin, so I have visited the town many times over the years. At the time of the tornado, my grandparents were living in a retirement community there. The path of destruction from the tornado came within one block of it. My grandfather was a retired medical doctor, so he helped with emergency medical care for the first day after the storm, until enough volunteers came from out of town that they didn't need him to help any longer. I still get emotional any time I see Joplin's main street, as nothing looks the same as I remember it being before the tornado.

    • @randomlyentertaining8287
      @randomlyentertaining8287 25 днів тому

      I've never experienced a tornado and trust me, a mere warning gets me on the phone with my buddy who knows the weather better than me.

  • @pjesf
    @pjesf Рік тому +47

    Nice job here. It must be an arduous task to compile meteorological data from nearly 40 years ago 👏🏻

    • @Job.Well.Done_01
      @Job.Well.Done_01 Рік тому +3

      I was JUST thinking the same thing when I saw your comment!

  • @jm94008
    @jm94008 Рік тому +70

    You know it’s gonna be a fine evening when it’s kicked off with a weatherbox upload

  • @rich_rich90
    @rich_rich90 Рік тому +100

    As a European (with American family) who watches your vids, I reckon you should do a vid on some of the most destructive tornadoes we've had over here!

    • @danielmorris7648
      @danielmorris7648 Рік тому +14

      You what now? You're from where again? I ain't never heard none of yall say reckon lmao

    • @kyokkyuu
      @kyokkyuu Рік тому +35

      ​@@danielmorris7648 I've heard Brits say it

    • @jigwignibs
      @jigwignibs Рік тому +25

      ​​@@danielmorris7648 i reckon you got some wax in your ears

    • @danadoozer9990
      @danadoozer9990 Рік тому +10

      I love that idea! I'm pretty well schooled on most significant tornadoes in the US, but I don't know much about tornadoes in European countries!

    • @snowbie.
      @snowbie. Рік тому +20

      @@danielmorris7648 very common word in england

  • @kellyngrey4950
    @kellyngrey4950 Рік тому +23

    My guy, as a Texan, I can't help myself in telling you that PECOS is pronounced "Pay-Coz," with the last syllable sounding like "cozy" but cut off early. You're not from here, so I forgive you. I still love your content. Keep it coming!

    • @MrAztek
      @MrAztek Місяць тому

      Your border crossed us. You are no Texan you are an invader in Texas. Tejanos are the real Texans which you will never be.

    • @NerevarRain
      @NerevarRain Місяць тому

      I'm from New Zealand and even I know that lol. Made my skin crawl hearing "Peckus", especially from an American 🥴

  • @kristinnunez2702
    @kristinnunez2702 Рік тому +119

    It was recently that I learned that the sirens are there to warn people who are outside. Not inside. I'm in northern Illinois. I believe it was my storm spotter training that mentioned this. It makes sense.

    • @MegaKat
      @MegaKat Рік тому +42

      I grew up in an incredibly rural area of tornado alley, and I promise you, they warned us inside as well. So did the lights on the weather towers. I was really small but I remember if the color changed, it meant a bad storm was coming.

    • @gsdalpha1358
      @gsdalpha1358 Рік тому +24

      Our town sounds the tornado sirens once a week to ensure they're working. Trust me - unless you've got your sound system at deafening volumes, you HEAR the tornado sirens.

    • @pootispiker2866
      @pootispiker2866 11 місяців тому +14

      People argue that everyone has cellphones. Until homelessness and poverty are entirely solved, not everyone who needs one will have one.

    • @gsdalpha1358
      @gsdalpha1358 11 місяців тому +3

      @@pootispiker2866 People learned to recognize the signs of a storm for thousands of years before cell phones were invented. Seriously, supercells can't be ignored: they're dark and ominous and HUGE. The lightning and wind are impossible to shrug off. But ok - why don't YOU hand out some free phones to the homeless and poor? Assuming those phones aren't pawned or sold within 5 minutes, are you also going to set up free charging stations and WiFi?

    • @pootispiker2866
      @pootispiker2866 11 місяців тому

      @@gsdalpha1358 are you thick? I'm arguing in favor of sirens you pillock

  • @DAatDA
    @DAatDA Рік тому +48

    That Jarrell tornado was nightmare fuel.

  • @aironiversen9214
    @aironiversen9214 Рік тому +12

    I remember when this happened. I was only 8 years old living right outaide of Pecos. My chirch group drove through Saragosa a few months later and j remember the major impact it had on me at a young age as to exactly how dangerous tornadoes could be. Sticks with me to this day! I got very interested in weather for a while and even started going with my Dad when he went weather watching. Learned a lot and still feel very comfortable watching radar and looking outside to determine the risks. Thank you for covering this!

  • @Evan34922
    @Evan34922 Рік тому +13

    Graduation and a weatherbox upload all in the same night. Couldn’t be better.

  • @AJKPenguin
    @AJKPenguin Рік тому +27

    A lot of people, even in this century, didn't own a NOAA Weather Radio or have a radio capable with a weather band. I can't say it's obsolete, but many now have less of a reason thanks to our phones.
    Thank you Steve for opening up the @Weatherbox and the book.

    • @daren7889
      @daren7889 Рік тому +8

      Don't kid yourself buddy! A NOAA weather radio is a great backup! It might be "Low Tech" but don't discount that feature! I live in the Western Maryland Appalachian mountains! I listen to my NOAA weather radio every morning! It helps me plan my days activities! And Maryland is the home of the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. A few years ago the Naval Academy was actually thinking about stopping teaching Midshipman how to use a Sextant!!!! Because they have GPS! Guess what , Technology doesn't always work . I call that the TITANIC SYNDROME ! A low Tech pair of Binoculars would have been helpful April 1912 in the North Atlantic ocean! Thankfully the US Naval Academy is still teaching Midshipman how to use a Sextant! It's called Basic SEAMANSHIP!!! My father was a former US Naval officer and a scientist/ Engineer! I am sure my father would agree with me! Dad taught us many good lessons when our family sailed the Chesapeake Bay! 🤔⚓🌅⛵🌅⚓🇩🇪🇨🇭🇺🇲💙💙💙💙💙💙

  • @danadoozer9990
    @danadoozer9990 Рік тому +20

    Wow, I'm an avid tornado enthusiast, and have been studying them for years and I've never heard of this one before! Thanks for expanding my knowledge!

  • @MadameAesthetic
    @MadameAesthetic Рік тому +6

    Stumbled across this video randomly, as a weather and true crime enthusiast living in tornado alley, thinking this was just going to be a macabre video briefly covering the tornado tragedy just being like “they had no warnings and town was wiped with causalities”. But this video was a very informative analysis about the event and even accounted for the details that led up to the condition of the situation (the status/resources of the town/state, the recipe of the storms, the level or lack of preparation, the lead time they had, etc) while also having a refreshing narration style, with even data/book recommendations! Hope you keep up these style of videos and continue to spread awareness!

  • @CT-ls4jx
    @CT-ls4jx Рік тому +10

    As a native West Texan, it tickled me that you said Balmorhea like a local, but mispronounced Pecos.
    Such a cool video! Happened when I was 1 years old.

  • @heath7766
    @heath7766 Рік тому +8

    Marion IL F4, 1982. I live in this town, it's my hometown. My father was 12 when it happened, my mother was 10, both remember it. My grandparents both have pictures of the tornado they took, and I also have a picture/information book about the tornado.

  • @djmoch1001
    @djmoch1001 Рік тому +12

    Life is good when a new Weatherbox video is uploaded :)

  • @owen6114
    @owen6114 Рік тому +8

    Is that your Juno-106? Gotta know.
    Love the content and keep it up brother!
    This channel is going places!!

  • @Mtnred738
    @Mtnred738 Рік тому +9

    I was living in Odessa at that time. It was horrible. The Red Cross took massive donations to help the town but only gave them a portion which generated many bad feelings. These were poor families who lost everything and were given a bare minimum.

  • @RobExNihilo
    @RobExNihilo 11 місяців тому +8

    I really appreciate the way you present the facts objectively, while still being compassionate to the people involved, and dishing out some shade where is deserved. Very well done, my man.

  • @footticklersofohio6377
    @footticklersofohio6377 Рік тому +32

    Hey. Know your busy and you have plenty of videos, but I was wondering if you could do a break down of the 1980 Grand Isle, Nebraska tornadoes. Fujita did a larger report on this. Would be cool!

  • @jm5390
    @jm5390 Рік тому +32

    Saragosa has always been such an interesting weather case of having a strong, violent tornado in the arid deserts of West Texas. Thanks for making this video!
    Also, just an FYI, the town of Pecos is pronounced PAY-coes (not Peh-kus). 😉

    • @lsrose
      @lsrose Рік тому +1

      Thanks for the correct pronunciation. I knew how it was pronounced and I chuckled at his pronunciation of Pecos.

  • @CodeEthos
    @CodeEthos Рік тому +16

    I think you should look at the Attica KS Outbreak in the early 2000s and the 1998 Nashville TN tornado. Those rarely get talked about.

  • @chesneywhite9334
    @chesneywhite9334 11 місяців тому +5

    I can't imagine the horror of just happening a glance out the window and seeing a tornado coming at you, with absolutely zero prior warning.

    • @athenaisfine
      @athenaisfine 9 місяців тому +1

      Plus knowing that youre the only one knowing that the tornado is even there and knowing that people around you will die and its the last time you will see some of the people there when a happy moment with their kids turns into a disaster in less than 10 minutes

  • @jamessimms415
    @jamessimms415 Рік тому +7

    One other thing going against Saragossa is they’re on the very fringe of radar coverage to start. Even today where I live, there are areas where NEXRAD coverage is iffy @ best.

  • @jamesaissen
    @jamesaissen Рік тому +10

    Nice 7/8 intro! :)
    I always love watching your videos not only for the attention to detail and clarity in everything, but also the super fun sounding intro riffs!

  • @deborahlagarde7182
    @deborahlagarde7182 Рік тому +2

    Thanks for this video. At around 5:30 am the following morning, hubby turned on the radio (we live in Davis Mts) and heard Paul Harvey say this: "The tornado that put Saragosa, Texas, on the map, wiped it off the map!" We were stunned! Plus his mother, a medic, was one of the folks who went there the day after to help out. Plus, we knew a friend in Balmorhea that actually saw the tornado coming and knew Saragosa would likely be wiped out. Finally, one of my math students in Van Horn HS where I taught as the year wound down in May 1987 told me and the class she lost her grandmother in this tornado. I hugged her nearly crying and gave a short prayer. Years later I met with her at Balmorhea State Park swimming pool (the largest natural cold spring pool in the US, full of fish and turtles, etc.) and we reviewed the tragedy. I will never forget this event. Again, thanks!

  • @skrounst
    @skrounst 11 місяців тому +5

    The amount of research videos like this takes is IMMENSE. SUPER underrated. I'd like to make a request for the F4 tornado that hit La Plata Maryland in 2002. (BY FAR Maryland's worst, and the farthest east F4 ever) I was 13 at the time and a few towns over, but the sky that day was unreal. Then I heard the news reports, and it was a scary day. Be cool to learn more about it, and have others learn about it. Keep it up dude!

  • @ATK10155
    @ATK10155 10 місяців тому +3

    When I moved to the south from new hampshire in 2013, I was horrified by the amount of people who don’t take those warnings seriously. In fact a lot of people down here call meteorologists “crocks” for “false” readings and forecasts here in Tennessee. We had a tornado warning here recently I was able to see coming in advance using my own dobbler radar app on my phone using information I learned watching your channel. Thanks for the info and the work you do sir!

    • @randomlyentertaining8287
      @randomlyentertaining8287 25 днів тому

      Well when the weather guy says "This storm is gonna be bad" 10 times and all 10 times it's not, you tend to start questioning everything he says. I can't count the number of tornado warnings we've gotten that turn out to be nothing.
      Where I work (which is four hours away from where I live), the contacting of systems causes the forecast to pretty much always be wrong. Just the last couple days, went to bed with it saying it was going to rain from 5 to 8 in the morning and woke up to the rain just starting and lasting an hour of the two hours the new forecast I read when I woke up said it would. So I question every forecast I see.

  • @shaynasalitsky3440
    @shaynasalitsky3440 Рік тому +7

    I didn’t even realize it was a new video when I clicked on… keep up the good work man! Love the videos!

  • @fahrenheit2530
    @fahrenheit2530 Рік тому +15

    There's a picture of the Saragosa tornado that was taken in its multi-vortex stage that shows it in the "dead man walking" formation. What's more, the colors of the tornado and clouds are similar to the colors seen in the Jarrell tornado. It's a very eerie photograph because of the time it was taken, right as the tornado was entering Saragosa and hitting Guadalupe Hall.

  • @loficampingguy9664
    @loficampingguy9664 Рік тому +10

    Yet another excellent video! I could watch this guy for hours and not get bored. The delivery, information, graphics, and storytelling are all spot-on.

  • @emcee_spokesman
    @emcee_spokesman Рік тому +6

    Growing up in Texas back during this time, stories like this absolutely traumatized me well into my adulthood. But it also sparked a lifelong fascination with weather, tornadoes and science. The amount of detail in your analysis of these decades old events is impressive. Great work!

  • @JDOUBLEUW
    @JDOUBLEUW Рік тому +34

    This video was amazing! It’s really interesting to here about forgotten tornadoes that were so powerful! I really think you should do a video on either the Lawrenceburg, Tennessee F5 tornado or the Hallam, Nebraska F4 tornado!

  • @Midsix
    @Midsix 11 місяців тому +5

    I‘ve just found your channel today and had to do a double take when I saw your subscriber count as you’re so underrated! The production quality is amazing! I’ve absolutely subscribed and am in the middle of binging all your videos! Keep up the great work!

  • @xk120_
    @xk120_ Рік тому +2

    I found your channel recently and I'm glad I did! Has really re-ignited the interest in severe weather and just weather in general that I had as a kid. Thanks for being rad :)

  • @kayelane5868
    @kayelane5868 Рік тому +9

    The time, money, energy and research that you do for a video is amazing and much appreciated! Always a worthy watch. Thank you.

  • @Thicc_Cheese_Dip
    @Thicc_Cheese_Dip Рік тому +10

    Great video! Was hoping you'd tackle this one!
    One recommendation: Oakfield, Wisconsin outbreak of July 1996.

  • @tornadostories
    @tornadostories Рік тому +5

    Superb breakdown of the event. You make such excellent in-depth analyses videos.

  • @jockojockoson9995
    @jockojockoson9995 Рік тому +1

    Mate. This is fast becoming my favourite weather channel. Your knowledge bombs are excellent. Cheers from Oz

  • @kewakl8891
    @kewakl8891 Рік тому +5

    Good to see you, weatherbox!

  • @allen480
    @allen480 Рік тому +8

    There are more than a few counties and cities in Arkansas that also lack outdoor warning sirens. Hard to figure out because Arkansas is in the traditional Tornado Alley AND Dixie Alley. Now please understand that sirens are not meant to be heard indoors but for people who are outdoors.

    • @Sputterbugz
      @Sputterbugz 11 місяців тому +2

      ok but you can 100% hear them indoors. and even if you're outside, if it's loud enough from weather or surroundings, you still might not hear it.
      but yeah most of Arkansas is in a weird spot with multiple bordering states but isn't usually as affected by tornados as the others

  • @shadowfang13
    @shadowfang13 Рік тому +6

    I absolutely love you're videos ❤ thanks for posting them when you can. Quality it better the quantity.

  • @beezlebub3955
    @beezlebub3955 Рік тому +6

    Sweeeeet I’ve been excited all day!

  • @odinbucketlist
    @odinbucketlist Рік тому +5

    Yes weatherbox just uploaded 🎉❤

  • @lifeintornadoalley
    @lifeintornadoalley Рік тому +6

    Can we appreciate how simple daylight, and air can create something so much devastation, but be so numbing to look at in person.
    Also you can see the USA drought line through tornado alley. You can watch that inch east, as tornado alley shifts.

  • @contingenceBoston
    @contingenceBoston Рік тому

    I absolutely love the aesthetics of your videos. Another banger. Heart wrenching story but you told it well.

  • @brandonelkins2957
    @brandonelkins2957 Рік тому +1

    Hell yes new Weatherbox video. I never thought I'd be stoked for a meteorology video upload...

  • @WheelchairActual
    @WheelchairActual Рік тому +2

    Another absolute banger of a video, man.

  • @jaypegman
    @jaypegman Рік тому +4

    love the noaa weather radio mentions! as a nerd in NWR i love it alot

  • @bp6h
    @bp6h 24 дні тому

    Wow, I had no idea about this situation. Thank you for covering it!

  • @grimmnf4942
    @grimmnf4942 Рік тому

    The mix of science, history, and humanity are what make your videos worth the watch. Learn so much each time, keep it up!

  • @ZalymBiscayn
    @ZalymBiscayn Рік тому +4

    Having lived in Pecos for 7 years, thank you for covering this one.

    • @ronjones-6977
      @ronjones-6977 Рік тому +3

      Came for the twister, stayed to see him get roasted for pronouncing Pecos like that. You'd think he would have heard of Pecos Bill at least. The man lassoed a tornado.

    • @petuniasevan
      @petuniasevan Рік тому +1

      @@ronjones-6977 I wondered when someone would say something. I kept cringing.

    • @Ccyawn123
      @Ccyawn123 Рік тому +1

      ​@@petuniasevan I lived in El Paso for a while and I cringed so hard I caught a cramp

  • @sparkglow
    @sparkglow Рік тому +1

    I have to say, the amount of work and research that you put into these videos is really astounding and has honestly been helping me combat my growing lilapsophobia. Looking and understanding weather events like this, as well as the measurements that are in place to warn and protect us, really helps rationalize the entire experience and I genuinely feel safer. :) Thanks for what you do! Great job!

  • @thatweatherguy08
    @thatweatherguy08 Рік тому +2

    The late Bill Kurtis did a documentary on this tornado on the History Channel.
    I wish I could remember the shows name!!!!

  • @GEU1164
    @GEU1164 Рік тому +7

    Steve, you should do a video about the 1991 Andover Tornado as it's the most photographed F5/EF5 in history so far

  • @toybonnievideos6640
    @toybonnievideos6640 Рік тому +3

    You should do the Barneveld Tornado.

  • @JoeyB7473
    @JoeyB7473 Рік тому +1

    This is a slick video, high quality, professional grade. You’re clearly the convergence of many talents, a swirling supercell dropping f-5-level entertainment.

  • @straswa
    @straswa Рік тому

    Great vid, just found your channel. Condolences to the families of those lost to the storms.

  • @PColumbus73
    @PColumbus73 Рік тому +8

    Would love to hear an analysis of the 2015 fire hose that caused flooding over literally all of South Carolina. It was a week-long event, and in the Myrtle Beach area, we got two rounds of it as heavy rains came, drifted toward Columbia and the Upstate, and then drifted back for another round of flooding.

  • @seanmorrison9332
    @seanmorrison9332 Рік тому +5

    Would really enjoy seeing you cover the Jackson, Mississippi Candlestick tornado in 1966. My dad lived less than a mile from the shopping center and was home alone when the tornado hit. He was 15 at the time.
    Thank you as always for your interesting and informative videos and I always look forward to watching them!

    • @meghanhause9435
      @meghanhause9435 Рік тому

      I love for him to do so, but there is an unwritten rule among weather channels that talk about pervious weather events is that you don't purposely cover each other's topic, Carly Anna already covered this tornado ua-cam.com/video/gdcGpq7KnPk/v-deo.html

    • @timberman1206
      @timberman1206 Рік тому +2

      I don’t remember it but I saw a lot of videos about it .

  • @215_Philly_4for4
    @215_Philly_4for4 Рік тому

    Arguably my favorite channel on UA-cam right now

  • @wt1370
    @wt1370 Рік тому

    Thanks for the video on a tornado that I was unaware of. Keep up the good work 👍

  • @SkywiseStormwolf
    @SkywiseStormwolf Рік тому +5

    I love your videos. Woudl there be a chance of you reviewing the full May 31, 1985 tornado outbreak?

  • @joe92
    @joe92 Рік тому +3

    Great video. One minor quibble is that Pecos is pronounced "pay-cus" by the locals (or "pay-coos" if you want a more Spanish pronunciation). You got Balmorhea right for sure.
    One other note is that Saragosa was unincorporated, so there wasn't much in the way of government to even act on a siren offer.

  • @tonystewart7179
    @tonystewart7179 10 місяців тому

    Ive watched a couple of your videos. That being said. I generally understand terms and diagrams being shown. Your knowledge if weather terms throws me for a loop. Your Nuclear Tornado video was an absolute rollercoaster of terms and had me in awe.

  • @katestevens1152
    @katestevens1152 Рік тому +1

    your info/presentation is so interesting and, like, actually applicable!! tornadoes are terrifying! i live in UT and people always talk about the '99 tornado - it would be very neat to get a vid about this!!

  • @questionablebackyardmeows
    @questionablebackyardmeows Рік тому +5

    Thank you for this! I actually haven't seen much coverage of this tornado. BTW can you cover the Grand Island/Night of the Twisters tornadoes?

  • @PenguinInguinLodge
    @PenguinInguinLodge Рік тому +8

    Another excellent video! I would love to see your take on the Plainfield Tornado of 1990. Also, I would love to see a video on the Waco Tornado of 1953. I grew up in Waco and it seems that it's hard to find videos about it. The Flint and Worchester Tornadoes of the same year have videos but not so much the Waco one despite being an F-5.

    • @SairinEarthsea
      @SairinEarthsea Рік тому +3

      Same with the Smithville tornado, there's not much footage of it but it was described as a modern day jarrell.

    • @SpudFilms
      @SpudFilms Рік тому

      I would love a take on the Plainfield tornado as well. I live near the area and we haven’t had much of a storm as bad as that one in years.

    • @raerohan4241
      @raerohan4241 10 місяців тому

      I believe his video "Can tornadoes happen with zero warning?" is on the Plainfield tornado

  • @waynestewart1919
    @waynestewart1919 10 місяців тому +1

    This is a great video. Fantastic explanations overall. I didn't understand some of the weather jargon, but that just leaves me with research to do.

  • @maggiekelley259
    @maggiekelley259 Рік тому +1

    Awesome as always. Your presentation skills just get better and better, and your narration is extremely engaging, and hard hitting is the way I would put it.
    ::Kinda sad but historically important EAS noises::

  • @CasuallyCold
    @CasuallyCold Рік тому +3

    Hey Steve, A cool thing about that is one of my teachers was actually there in that part of Texas & actually saw the tornado in person. He was in a small near by town at the time. He saw the debris swirling around the multi-vortex tornado pass near by.

  • @heavymetalfishingla
    @heavymetalfishingla Рік тому +6

    Great video as always. If you're looking for suggestions, I'd like to suggest the 1893 Chenire Caminada Hurricane. It's one of the deadliest hurricanes on record and shaped the history and even culture of Southeastern Louisiana

    • @daren7889
      @daren7889 Рік тому +2

      MARYLANDER here! Tornadoes can be very bad but Hurricanes can be even worse! Hurricane Ian ? The worst part of hurricanes is the storm surge! The flooding can and does do a lot of damage! The power of water is awesome! We are a US Navy family and trust me water is very, very POWERFUL!!!! 🌀🌀🌀🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊

    • @heavymetalfishingla
      @heavymetalfishingla Рік тому +2

      @@daren7889 Louisiananian here. Been thru Andrew, Isadore, Lilly, Ike, Zeta, and Ida. And dozens of smaller depressions and tropical storms. Dealt with so much flooding

  • @johnshields6852
    @johnshields6852 Місяць тому

    This is done very well, excellent commentary and information.

  • @michaelstacey8303
    @michaelstacey8303 Рік тому +2

    Another fantastic video! I am looking forward to the next! The 1984 Barneveld tornado and subsequent tornado years later would be of interest to
    Me

  • @ARandomInternetUser08
    @ARandomInternetUser08 Рік тому +3

    Rolling Fork should've been rated EF5.

  • @HillbillyIslandLife
    @HillbillyIslandLife Рік тому +5

    Love the channel

  • @wx_intercepts
    @wx_intercepts Рік тому

    Amazing video! Loved it and subscribed now.

  • @camdenrock297
    @camdenrock297 Рік тому

    Awesome Video and Channel! I would love to see a video on the ice storm of '98. Growing up in Plattsburgh NY, I have heard many stories of that event and post disaster recovery.
    I really like your Intros, keep it synth heavy!

  • @CoffeeonKorriban
    @CoffeeonKorriban Рік тому +4

    I know I've told you before, but I can't tell you how much I enjoy your content. Keep it up, the passion you put into it is evident. ☕

  • @steinyy923
    @steinyy923 Рік тому +6

    could you do the story of the Lubbock, TX F5 that happened on May 11. 1970? I found it to be a really interesting story when I moved here

  • @zacharysampiere7362
    @zacharysampiere7362 Рік тому +2

    Another win for weatherbox for another fantastic video!! Can you try and upload another tornado episode on the May 15 2018 tornado outbreak that struck Connecticut?

  • @ba_1222
    @ba_1222 Рік тому

    Always quality, love watching you

  • @minighs
    @minighs Рік тому +6

    I love your videos