Famous VHS collection of tornado footage from before 1993, including coverage of early storm chasers from the 1970s and 1980s, basic tornadic understandings, the TOTO project under NOAA, the 1957 Dallas tornado, and many more.
@@crimsontide1980 me too, almost with an occultic or supernatural overtones although it’s a natural weather phenomenon. I can imagine native or indigenous tribes would have a lore and mythology for these events
@@paradoxstudios6639 The internet has made it easy for anyone to watch tornado films. But, back in the 70s 80s and 90s, it wasn't so easy, so vids like this were cherished. Like storm chasing itself, the internet has made it far easier. Back in the 80s, even the very best chasers were lucky to see 1 tornado in 10 chases.
@@dannygray4898 That wasn't the point I made, what I meant was it's sad today kids don't really appreciate programs like this anymore, science, history, and chasing storms, the attention span of kids today is so short it's unreal.
@@paradoxstudios6639 I understand. My point was that today's kids have no interest, because it's so easy for them to see everything now. When we were young, it Wasn't. I agree with ya 100%.
OMGGGGG I made my mom order this for me when I was a little kid in the early 90s, I was absolutely obsessed with tornadoes. Watching this is giving me MAJOR déjà vu!!!
Probably would’ve gotten this too as a kid, I wanted to be a storm chaser until I actually ended up surviving a tornado. Nothing changes your mind faster than that! Even so I’m still very fascinated in them. However if I die without seeing another one I’m 100% cool with that.
@anarchistatheist1917 hey 👋 there have you ever seen a tornado 🌪 before I saw a funnel cloud spinning near my house 🏠 back in October 8 2021 but the tornado didn't touch the ground
@@thediehardarkansasrazorbak7288hello 👋 I saw a funniest cloud spinning near my house 🏠 on October 8 2021 but the tornado 🌪 didn't touched the ground it lifted back up to the clouds
Alright, but the sheer hue of yellow and the multiple vintage sirens (along with whatever that deeper sound is) in that second clip at 0:13 already had me terrified. Can't wait to see what else there is in this whole collection
@@choppalungon Alright, I thought so. Thunderbolts are one of the most chilling sirens out there. Also it seems like that audio was dubbed in, since it sounds pretty suburban but looks like it's just out by a field. Regardless, it's super creepy
I can confirm this as a ga born I seen the Warner Robins tornado damage path and it looks completely different today than it did in 1953 it was my first time seeing the tornado video when I was little
I've been looking for this, forever. I had the whole set when I was a kid, and I remember watching them literally everyday on repeat. I would get home from school, and just watch these. It made me remember my dream of doing exactly what I've always wanted to do. Chase storms, be a meteorologist. Seeing this just about out a tear to my eye lol
I used to borrow these Tornado Video Classics videos from the library all the time as a kid. The old movie/camcorder footage seems even more eerie today. Thanks for posting this!
@slystonedtuna4741 I just subscribed to your RU-vid channel OK 👍 👌 🙆🏻♂️ Sr Have you ever seen a tornado 🌪 in person before I'm just wondering OK 👍 👌 🙆🏿♀️ Sr
I’m from Dallas. Love the 1950’s video of my city, but at a time that makes it totally unrecognizable to me, even as the narrator calls out areas I drive in often. So cool!
@@j.fhernandez3457hey 👋there have. You ever seen A ef5 tornado 🌪 before I’m just woundering ok 👌 sr it’s 3:18pm right. Now in my state I’m from Dayton Ohio usa 🇺🇸
This is awesome. Seems like more recent tornado documentaries are much less informative, and focused more on the human drama rather than the science. I'd love to see a new documentary as informative as this one depicting the history and progress of tornado science up to the present day. Anymore they always rapid fire quick cut shots of tornado video and you can't even get a chance to really watch it. I suppose that's done for "dramatic effect", as if the most violent windstorms on the planet aren't dramatic enough to begin with!
I've heard that tornadoes sound like waterfalls over plains, jets over forests, and trains over cities. I can confirm, being hit by a small one once, that the truly dominant sounds are the rain and warning sirens.
Ah, this brings me back! I LOVED this series on VHS when I was a kid studying meteorology, I actually took notes because these documentaries were so informative!
This video was one of the big reasons I became interested in studying tornadoes and severe weather. It was definitely one of most informative and well-made tornado documentaries of its time, and, best of all, presents everything in a way that isn't scary or sensationalized. It also covers several topics that even modern tornado docs don't mention much, such as how multiple vortices form and how early tornado research led to the creation of Doppler radar. I like how, of all the tornado films and videos included, the video in the title sequence is of a tornado over Lake Norman in North Carolina (where I'm from!). "Ah, that's bad news right there."
Poyekhali919 I had no idea that first tornado in this video was on lake norman. I lived in and grew up in Huntersville, and watched this video all the time. Do you have any more information about that lake norman tornado? Was it part of an outbreak? Perhaps the the 84 outbreak in NC? Speaking of that outbreak, I live in greenville nc now and apparently a large F4 tornado hit greenville nc during that outbreak and killed 16 people. I had no idea, amazing.
Accostrophe When I first got Tornado Video Classics on VHS (back in ye olden days), it came with a nice guide that had information about every tornado in the video. The Lake Norman video on the title screen was taken on March 7, 1992. This was one of two weak tornadoes in the Lake Norman area that afternoon; it was on the ground intermittently between Denver and Cornelius, and did just F1 damage, mostly to trees. No other tornadoes were reported in North Carolina that day. The March 28, 1984 tornado outbreak mostly affected the eastern part of the state (there were 14 tornadoes in NC in that one). Did you know that the Greenville tornado (which first touched down near LaGrange in Lenoir County) is still the second deadliest single tornado in North Carolina history?
Poyekhali919 Thank you so much for the info on that Lake Norman tornado! Also, I knew the Greenville tornado was bad but I had no idea it was that bad! If it was the second deadliest tornado in NC history, what is the first?
Accostrophe You're welcome! :-) The deadliest NC tornado was all the way back on February 19, 1884. A major tornado outbreak hit several states in the Southern U.S., including North Carolina. The worst tornado of the outbreak in NC struck several small communities south and east of Rockingham, and killed at least 23 people (and probably more - it's hard to tell about something that far in the past, but some estimates put the final death toll at 30 to 40). Other killer tornadoes touched down in the area from Concord to central Johnston County; Wake County had at least two tornadoes, one near Cary (which was a tiny town at the time), and another at present-day Wake Crossroads, SW of Rolesville.
Thank you so much for posting this! My mom bought the 3 tape boxed set for me out of a magazine in the early 90s and I watched the videos repeatedly as a child. It's so precious to be able to watch it again.
I used to have a bunch of tornado VHS tapes when I was a kid in the 90s as well. I would watch them for hours. This is a real nostalgia trip. If I recall correctly, one of them didn’t even have audio from the footage and just played music.
I bought this video on VHS way back in the day when we used to get a lot more tornadoes than we do today. Classic slow mo "Geeeet unnnnder theeee girrrrrders".
Chives5150 And then there was Jimmy Two Times, he got that name because he would say the same thing twice such as “I’M 10 FEET FROM IT, I’M 10 FROM IT!!”
I thought the same thing. How many ninety's videos have some dick with a beer in hand , running from the windows carefully not to spill any keystone light
Oh I was listening to thunderbolt federal siren videos and wondering where I first heard those types of sirens... on those tornado videos I used to watch as a kid. Never thought I would find this video again. I took a shot in the dark and typed in "old tornado videos" and here it is, exactly what I was looking for! Thanks for bringing me back!
@@Radiogirl1931 There was a combination of different sirens. I don't really know any of them except the thunderbolt because it sounds so awesome and dreadful.
@@PN20____ It's not a ACA Hurricane 130 you were talking about, It's actually a Federal Signal Model 2T. The windup isn't too fast and doesn't have any rotation like a Hurricane does, That video was shot in Grand Island, Nebraska and there is a few threads on the ARS forums that discuss that video in particular and one even has a link to a recording of the same Model 2T but in a different video, I hope this helps.
Hey 👋 there have you ever seen a tornado 🌪 in person before I'm just wondering OK 👍 👌 🙆♀️ I saw a funnel cloud spinning near my house 🏠 on October 8 2021 but the tornado didn't touch the ground thank God no damages reported
@@cursedcancersurvivorhave you ever seen a tornado 🌪 in person before I'm just wondering 🤔 💭 OK 👍 👌 🙆♂️ merry early Christmas 🎄 and a happy new year 🎉
I've got an interesting observation...these old videos often show the destruction of buildings and houses, and the videos of today don't really show that much at all. I've watched 100s of tornado vids, and they show tornadoes getting close to structures, but seldom show the actual damage. I thought maybe it was to be tactful and not show people's property and or lives being obliterated, but they aren't shy about showing the damage after the storm. Kind of perplexing, and I wonder if anyone else has noticed this?
This is an interesting observation. It maybe that early on a lot of the available film was taken by people in or around the path (living in an area with structures) and the stuff now is mostly chased across fields.
@nutsackmania hey 👋 there have. You ever seen a tornado 🌪 in person before I'm just wondering OK 👍 👌 🙆🏻♂️ Sr I. Saw A funnel cloud spinning near my house 🏠 but. The tornado didn't touch the ground OK Sr
@ 4:02 + look at how violently that car was thrown by the tornado. because of the speed, It looked like it was just a canvas car cover. Plus the sound of the wind being sucked under the overpass sent a chill down my spine
i like these old classics because the people shooting them act so casual, its easy to imagine them as if its sunny and a light breeze sipping beers and sodas, not like nowadays where everyone is like" OMG A TORNADO WOW LOOK AT THAT!!!!!!!! "versus " hey look its a tornado, where's it goin?
ikr if i eversee a tornado in the distance i would not scream, id tell my family there's a tornado and make us some popcorn and soda to watch the show. then take cover if the tornado get's too close.
+Alex Lubbers It's probably because they think if they act crazy and unruly their video will end up being more popular. Now, if I did ever see one, I would be going crazy, as tornadoes are one of my favorite weather phenomena.
I never knew how close that movie twister was to the actual way that they understood tornadoes..... That is so awesome tip my hat to the storm chasers of all kinds.....
Very cute to the amount of damage or how far cars of the 70's had been thrown in the tornado, with then being made of heavy metal verses the plexy and plastic of today. I've always been amazed at how much the safety tips for people have changed from just the 70's time to now. we went told much in school back then except to get under a desk or go to the hallways and choice or head while facing the walls. it certainly makes me grateful to those chasers and weatheroligist that have changed how we stay as safe as possible and wrong to build new building materials in hopes of keeping our homes and businesses safe as possible.
The Andover tornado and Xenia tornado along with the Bridge-Creek tornado are the tops of my list. The Tri-State tornado of 1925 is up there too but there isn't a huge amount of information about that one.
Love these vintage science documentaries. Just hearing the music themes used and even the voice over sound gives major nostalgia vibes. Also reminds me of the Dharma initiative videos from LOST. Thanks for the upload. Also disclaimer do not trust the science or even safety warnings. DO NOT HIDE UNDER AN UNDERPASS!! Please check out updated science and safety warnings!!
I had the vhs set and converted it to dvd so i can still watch them. DVD versions are available at some city libraries but i've never found any for sale so i made my own. Just in time too. My then wife decided to put a large speaker -magnet down on top of the steel storage box where i stored my old vhs's in my shed, Caused all my old vhs's to be weirdly distorted.
Wow, awesome classic footage. We don't have tornadoes in Australia.. we do but they're so rare and short lived by comparison we don't and they aren't a concern. Our burden's mainly fires and floods. We find tornadoes fascinating and I'd love to visit the U.S and see one. However, seeing the destruction and tragic loss of life these things cause reminds me that although they're an awesome spectacle of nature's power, they're also devastating and terrible for people and property. April seems to be a bad time for tornadoes, stay safe.
Never been a better collection. In all my years, this reigns Supreme! I grew up madly obsessed with these forces of nature and all it took was being in one (the Tuscaloosa) to never want to see another. Now if I could stop watching these videos...I dunno
I got a VHS like this for Christmas when I was a kid. I don't remember it having a voiceover though. It had the clip of the TV crew hiding under the overpass that made people think that was a good idea.
I’m elated finding this to see so many other fellow tornado enthusiasts here ! I didn’t have this as a child but I loved tornadoes and still find them fascinating today as an adult
i live in Centerville Ga right next to warner robins.....my mom and dad both saw that tornado in 1953 which killed 19 people.....they said they were scared half to death because they were on a small 2 lane road (247 for those that know) coming back from macon.
This style of documentary is so much better than the ones Nova and TWC produce. These are more about the facts about tornadoes and the science that backs them up. Sadly we know there are injuries and tragically, death. And the ones of late seem to focus on the drama and less on the science.
I was in Andover a year after that tornado and you could easily still tell where the damage was. The trees were stripped, which will never have been saved.
I used to rent these video's when I went to van Antwerp middle school library in Niskayuna NY both this and the volume 2 tornado video classics these are so cool
I remember growing up, seeing that “underneath the girders” video a thousands times featured in every tornado video. I wonder how many people that video got killed.
My dad was born in 1953 after the Warner Robbins georgia tornado happened. While my mom was born in 1957 less then a week after the Dallas Texas tornado happened. I was born approximately 1.5 months after the Barneveld Wisconsin F5 Tornado occured shortly after midnight on June 8th 1984.
Wow i have these on a vhs somewhere. I used to watch this like crazy as a little kid. “Get them kids in a basement. Get em in that closet”. Lmao. I been lookin for this video. Ive been quoting this for years!!!!!
and one time my dad said "you idiots go to the toilet" while we had a tornado warning, the tornado warning was too late, this was in 1991, sometimes and even now tornado warning sirens go off too late in Oklahoma
"Oh what a classic!" 1:05:35 I remember (fondly) this particular segment from a NatGeo feature on tornadoes that came out around this time when I was a kid. And I think Howie Bluestein has little tornadoes on his T-shirt?
I remember being a tween in the early 90s, little nerd me standing there in The Nature Company, completely entranced by videos like these on the TV in the videotape section toward the back.
Thank you so much for uploading this and its two sequel videos. I have not been able to watch them in so long because no one makes video tape players anymore
Thank you so much for uploading this video! Growing up, my parents had this VHS tape and would watch it countlessly throughout my childhood. I remember this so vividly, it brings back so many memories. Thank you.
The footage starting at 1:14:06 is just incredible incredible footage! As are some of the shots in the few couple minutes prior --- this was a really really good documentary! Hell it's better than a lot of stuff out now to a point and helps appreciate what are the science in general came from and continued from, etc. Really awesome!!
I am still in awe of weather and storms today but the VHS tapes I watched as a kid in the 90's filled my head with wonder and curiosity. The video of the underpass in Kansas is one of those videos that have become iconic.
our library had all 3 of these videos, and if I wasn't watching one on one of their TVs, I had at least 1 of them checked out on my card and was watching them at home.
oh god, it's the same guy from Twister Nature's Fury and Twister: Fury On The Plains, and i mean this on both announcer, producer, writer and archive help.
First time viewer here. Thank you so much for putting this video together. Absolutely fascinating to see and learn about these. Especially love the old footage. Great video
when i was a little kid in ms. a tornado passed within a few hundred ft of our house my father a ww2 veteran stood at the back door and watched it pass throwing cars cows and buildings up into the sky as we were all huddled in fear then he turned and went to bed
I've searched for these videos for so long. Im almost 17 and live neaf Denton, TX. I've always been fascinated by tornadoes. I haven't seen these videos since i was 6. I'd like to see the one where it includes how to build your own tornado out of dry ice.
