This sub has taught me a newfound understanding and respect for how powerful tornadoes truly are

Ever since I saw Twister as a little kid when it came out I’ve been fascinated by tornadoes. Growing up and into my adult years though I realize now I severely underestimated how powerful tornadoes truly are. I remember thinking EF3 and below weren’t a big deal and it was only the EF4 and EF5 that were really destructive.

I joined this sub a year or two ago for the scientific information on tornadoes and the live time information. It’s all really put these storms in perspective for me. As a Floridian we get tornadoes but nothing on the scale compared to tornado and Dixie alley. Like I said I used to think an EF3 wasn’t a big deal until I started comparing their wind speeds to a hurricane. EF3 wind speeds cover the range of wind speeds of a category 4 to category 5 hurricane. An EF4 is within a category 5 range and well beyond anything a category 5 could produce. Then obviously an EF5 is its own monster of nature.

I’ve also noticed a lot lately people arguing over ratings and whether a storm will be an EF4 or EF5 based on the damage. I have no real input for that argument because I’m not knowledgeable enough. In my own assessment it seems like an EF4 makes its damage path look like Dresden in World War 2 and an EF5 makes its damage path look like Hiroshima. Both are highly destructive tornadoes that I now truly respect and understand how powerful they are.

A lot of you put great information on this sub and I thank you as I try to learn and better understand a life long fascination of mine. As for all of you in the Midwest and the becoming more active Dixie Alley my thoughts are with you. You are a strong people to live there with the threat of these storms and the destruction they cause. We get hurricanes here in Florida but we have a warning days to weeks in advance of it coming. I can’t imagine what it was like for these people last night who had to deal with powerful tornadoes at one in the morning