2011 Joplin EF5 Tornado: Unedited broadcast beginning 9 minutes before historic disaster

Core portion of unedited broadcast is 4 minutes long beginning from 11:37 and contains multiple screen freezes totaling about a minute. Regarding the full 40 minute unedited recording, more than half is frozen frame, and everything from 20:59 onwards is frozen frame. I believe these broadcast disruptions are periods when KSN was knocked off the air.
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This is an unedited video capture of NBC affiliate broadcasting live from the west side of Joplin, MO from 5:25pm to 6:05pm on the terrible evening of May, 22, 2011. The Joplin tornado is reported to have been on the ground for 38 minutes, from 5:34pm to 6:20pm.
Due to the historic scale of this natural disaster, I've opted to share the full unedited video (including broadcast disruptions) my DVR recorded (via over-the-air TV antenna) so that interested persons may better understand the information that was available (or not available) to viewers on KSN during this critical 40 minute period.
This video was recorded ~30 miles northwest of Joplin at my residence in Labette County, Kansas. I discovered this recording in 2023 when preparing to recycle the hard drive from the DVR I was using in 2011. As of summer 2023, I believe this it is both the longest duration and highest quality recording of this broadcast available online.
The same network aired a commemorative special 10-years after the EF5 tornado:
• May 22, 2021 Joplin To...
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"Even when correcting past U.S. tornadoes for inflation, the Joplin tornado became the costliest single tornado in U.S. history. With 158 fatalities, it is also the deadliest in the era of modern tornado forecasting." - weather.com
Joplin Tornado facts at TornadoFacts.net:
www.tornadofac...
2011 Joplin Tornado Wikipedia:
en.wikipedia.o...
____________________________
According to the United Nations, natural disasters have increased by nearly 400% globally in the past 40 years. Might you consider pursuing a meaningful career in disaster response and preparedness leadership? If so, check out America's first Master's of Arts program to emphasize both humanitarian and disaster response/preparedness. This unique M.A. program is offered in both residential and flexible formats by Wheaton College Graduate School (near Chicago).
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[@somethingandahalf]

anyone who's seen the basehunters video of this forming knows even the best of technology wouldnt have helped alert the people on time.. location and the speed at which it went from nothing to F5 were all very unfortunate and terrifying. such intensity is so rare no one really considers it a possibility whenever there's a tornado warning

[@OofOfff-bo2pe]

Me

[@tfk_001]

Phased array (still not used) likely could have. Phased array radar could likely have seconds between frames, though at a lower resolution and still a lot more bandwidth would be required

[@irishcajun85]

That is such a terrifying video. Looks like a little wiry dingleberry and then less than a half minute later, half the cloud is on the ground.

[@derpkipper]

Great message for any idiots in the comments making up disgusting, opportunistic conspiracy theories. I've seen one so far.

[@acgarner3107]

@@derpkippernot a idiot but many ppl blew off the warnings & paid a heavy price

[@jordanwhite8567]

I like how this user just casually drops this 12 years later like it’s no big deal. This is a massive deal. This is treasure. Amazing stuff OP

[@philtll]

I've never seen this at all, much less in this quality.

[@ItsWaffleTime]

Bestie was probably cleaning out old tapes and found this in the back of the cabinet. Amazing and tragic coverage.

[@Violator225]

Right

[@jimmycline4778]

:47 She said baseball crap softballs!

[@S.11Ayers]

Who cares?

[@karmacomacure]

Hearing the meteorologists trying their very best to remain calm but hearing that panic in their voices starting after the power flashes....that gave me chills. You can hear the exact moment they realized how bad this actually was.

[@Dan_KM8DAD]

Agreed. It's easy to be an armchair quarterback when one has never been in a situation like this. This unfolded very quickly, in a matter of minutes. I can only imagine what must have been going through their minds when they realized the gravity of what they were seeing, not to mention the very real possibility that their station could be in the direct path. This isn't Oklahoma City where stations send up choppers and are in reinforced concrete facilities that are built like Fort Knox. KSN's Wichita station faced a similar scenario years before in which meteorologists had to evacuate everyone from the studio (including themselves) and take shelter underground while continuing to report on the storm. I think these folks did the best they could in a dire situation with what they had, and their coverage probably saved lives that day. Until we've been in their shoes....

[@Elysian777]

If either of them knew how to read radar they would have seen the velocity signature before it even hit the ground. They failed miserably.

[@1mataleo1]

Absolutely. They are paid to be able to recognize those signs and warn those in its path as early as possible. They dropped the ball big time, and they cost many people their lives

[@Elysian777]

@@Dan_KM8DAD The storm developed a hook echo by 5pm. Multiple chasers were converging on it by the time it dropped and recorded it at tornadogenesis using radar apps on phones and Ipads. The TV people were looking out their door 15 min later to see if there was a tornado while debris signature was showing on radar. They didn't know how to read radar and that was their job. I was watching live chasers that day and started praying for Joplin at 5:10. I specifically recall looking at my clock and thinking- this is going big. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jn-XcoCLoK54nrM

[@TheSkyGuy77]

Considering they were in the area, I'd be somewhat scared too.

[@weakhandshake]

I really thought the local coverage would never be found. Having this video preserved is absolutely huge

[@patriotic_car5944]

Especially having it 12 years later

[@carsoncobb9325]

Waiting for KOAM's, another station in the area. They only have the aftermath coverage uploaded in parts.

[@jimlthor]

I was in NE Oklahoma and I remember Travis Meyer being on TV as there was a helicopter cam flying over the city of Joplin after the tornado. It flew over a spot that Travis said, "Looks like a triage area" and a few seconds later it hit him. They were definitely bodies, and he was super apologetic and disturbed

[@katek9864]

Agreed. It’s heartbreaking but a historic moment that needs to be seen.

[@jeffvalentine9947]

@@jimlthorDo you know anywhere I can find that? I can’t even imagine how mind blowing and sad it would have been to see that.

[@seekingcirculation]

This is probably the most eerie sky cam tornado footage I’ve seen. Plus the broadcast audio cutting off as the studio takes shelter while sirens blare makes it even more so.

[@A_Foolish_Arrangement]

You can hear them screams behind in the news room, that's so eerie, indeed.

[@LaMostraVia]

Yeah that’s insane

[@youtubeuser9496]

@@A_Foolish_Arrangement timestamp?

[@MultiMediaEmperor]

@@youtubeuser9496 13:12

[@TaylorMMontgomery]

The skycam video from ABC 33/40 from the Tuscaloosa tornado is much worse, kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXKahX6Jfa-Sra8

[@DestroySteve]

The moment when the camera turns and the lowering turns out to be the massive tornado and it goes silent is powerful. It’s just a feed issue but still, couldn’t have been better timed. Absolutely terrifying and stunning.

[@bravobby8773]

I’m surprised they didn’t mention how absolutely huge it was! They just kept confirming they had eyes on it. But I’d also be peeing myself so good for them for keeping calm!! Also the clock ticking at 23:00 also adds a very eerie foreboding atmosphere

[@catsinwonderland7473]

Was it 12:41 ?

[@starfoundead]

@@catsinwonderland7473 damn thats eerie as hell

[@peppergrand1072]

True, whether on purpose or coincidence,it is very dramatic to the reality about to unfold.

[@lancecurry7538]

When it goes silent like that, I almost imagine that for a second, the entire news room actually went silent for a split second before they just broke into a panic. Like, one moment, they were just mentioning the possibility of a tornado... then they turn the camera, and there is a _massive, wide, cone-shaped wedge of condensation_ swirling right in front of them. Imagine how utterly shocked they were, that this tornado utterly _evaded_ them and was barreling towards Joplin.

[@mariebelladonna437]

The screen freeze with the tornado is scary as hell. But there's something that's somehow even worse, about going from the chaos of the newsroom and the panic in their voices, to the silence of the frozen radar screen. Something about that is absolutely TERRIFYING to me. Even now, 12 years later, more than 500 miles way, at 7 o'clock on a bright, sunny morning. Those poor people...

[@BingBreep-mk6om]

It's bad enoigh when a station is on the air with frantic commentary from the news anchors as the event unfolds. It's much worse when you have silence, and an erratic sputtering picture. This means that things have gotten far into the extreme, that even a normally solid and reliable broadcast station can't maintain a normal transmission. This is (was) truly on the level of apocolyptic. =\

[@mariebelladonna437]

@@BingBreep-mk6om yes, thank you!! This is it exactly!! When the trusted source of all your information goes silent, you truly feel alone!

[@Looona_fan]

It feels like somthing you would see in an anologue horror video, only much more terrifying.

[@jeffcox6724]

First, THANK YOU for posting this. For the longest time, TallFarmBoy’s video was the only one we had, and it was hardly perfect, but it was the best he had. Posting these videos is a major public service. Seriously. Second, I’m seeing a lot of criticism being thrown at KSNF meteorologists Caitlyn McArdle and Jeremiah Cook here for not seeing what was coming and giving more warning of it. I’ll add some background I read in Mike Smith’s book about the Joplin tornado, *When the Sirens Were Silent.* I would cut McArdle and Cook some slack here. All the Joplin-area stations were relying on the National Weather Service computer projections. The problem was that the NWS was using a bad computer program that gave a northeasterly course for the tornado that had it at worst from a Joplin standpoint clipping the northwest corner of Joplin. KSNF was the only station with a tower cam. It was pointed northwest because that’s where NWS said it would be going. When McArdle and Cook panned that camera to the left, which would have been west southwest, and saw the wedge tornado, that was the first time *anyone* in Joplin (save for storm chaser Jeff Pietrowski) could see that the NWS was wrong, that the tornado was headed not northeast but east, and was not only not going to miss Joplin and not only going to hit it head on but was already entering town headed straight for the KSNF studio. At which point Cook says, “Uh, Caitlyn, I’m gonna let you take over for a moment …” Some unintentional humor. His first of two. The second being, “Don’t go outside!” when he himself goes outside. When KSNF’s sound goes out, the NWS broadcast still has the tornado headed northeast and going to pass northwest of Joplin. McArdle and Cook and their staff knew the tornado was going to be bad, knew their lives were in serious danger, but also knew they were the only warning Joplin had of the tornado, so they stayed in their studio and got the warning out as best they could. This was true courage in journalism, and McArdle, Cook, and the KSNF staff deserve serious credit for holding their ground here. The criticism of McArdle and Cook should be directed to the National Weather Service, whose post-storm report largely leaves out its inglorious role in this.

[@flickwtchr]

Very well said.

[@olaftheblack2012]

This is so well said. Thank you. 👏👏

[@sagemaster3408]

Well said. But Why would anyone believe northeast when the dang storm was clearly moving East maybe even southeast

[@goatdocfilms504]

Most of what you said was spot on. But you are wrong about KSNF having the only tower cam in Joplin. KOAM also has a tower cam at 7th and Rangeline, but like KSNF it was pointed to the Northwest and was later panned to the south to try and spot the tornado when they learned there was a tornado on the ground in Joplin but unfortunately by the time they panned their camera the tornado was East of rangeline.

[@devins7]

DId any of the KSNF staff die during this?

[@Tylerw1231]

This type of full coverage is something i thought was lost to history. However I was wrong, Thank you so much for posting this!

[@Snowstar837]

I wonder where people get this lost footage from!

[@KingTriton1837]

There's tons of videos like this on KZbin alone.

[@madmikemackas]

I’ve been looking for anything news related for years so a agree!

[@alexcorrea4828]

Nothing since the the 50s is lost to history

[@30goals]

@@Snowstar837 he explains in his description he recorded it at the time, and now stumbled across it

[@tunnelmind4449]

This video is proof that there's no horror quite like real life. The way the camera pans to the tornado and just freezes on it... absolutely chilling.

[@thetrainwxgeek]

Seeing some people not like the tv news coverage and talk about little warning time. Here’s a few things: 1. Small market means small budget. They didn’t have the advanced technology as the weather channel had, which made it impossible to confirm a tornado on radar. 2. They were going off what the NWS said, which was that the track was to the NE, not the east. That’s why the camera wasn’t pointing to the area the tornado would’ve been at. 3. This tornado went from funnel to wedge in a minute or two. Being rainwrapped didn’t help. 4. Residents of Joplin had plenty of warning time. That’s why you always take shelter in a tornado warning. It’s easy for people not into weather or those who don’t understand weather to bash this crew. That’s when you have to try it on your own in front of a whole town. These people did an amazing job with what they had, unfortunately the storm was HP and they had to go off of their cheap radar due to low budget.

[@holyjewel]

I think you're being a little overly defensive to people asking genuine questions, which they are asking precisely *because* it is an uncommon situation. Furthermore, while I can only speak for myself, I have been into severe weather since I was a child & was personally involved in numerous tornadoes (including an EF5). To toss the comment in there suggesting it's people who "don't understand weather" asking these questions, as if to gatekeep weather or perch yourself higher up than others, is silly and unnecessary. There's also little excuse to not have at least one singular person looking through the camera that they *finally* showed. It rotates, so, what harm is there in having someone monitoring it and looking in different directions? I was already previously on their side. I still am. I don't really think they did anything wrong, and I certainly don't blame any lack of info *on them*. I think the camera part could've been handled better, but really, that's it.

[@finisher3x]

@@holyjewel - Their overall coverage was fine. It was the cut-away to the national news for 2 minutes, is where they dropped the ball. Before cutting to the national news, they even said that NWS indicated that the strongest rotation was between Galena and Iron Gates. That would literally put the rotation right to the west of their TV station.That alone would've been enough for me to stay with the storm, or tell the viewers that they're taking cover.

[@thetrainwxgeek]

@@kingstonshacklebolt1431 “they didn’t even know there was a big wedge near them” well one, it was an hp supercell making it really hard to see anything until it’s right on top of you, two, like I said this thing went from funnel to wedge in a matter of a couple of minutes and stunned everyone. You try and go on camera in front of a town trying to distinguish a tornado from an hp supercell. You can’t see a tornado until it’s right on top of you in those storms. Don’t give me this bs.

[@thetrainwxgeek]

@@holyjewel the thing with the camera part is that a separate crew member operates that in the control room. It’s usually called a ptz camera. Like I said, NWS said the track was to the NE, not the E. They were going based off that. No one knew it was heading due east.

[@holyjewel]

​@@thetrainwxgeek Which... implies they can't look, anyway? It seemed to be clearly visible even before they rotated the camera. Relying *solely* based on the NWS in an active situation is silly because there's zero guarantee they'll have the absolute latest info as these storms develop and change so rapidly. I plainly fail to see the harm in whoever was controlling this camera checking multiple sides. We may simply disagree on this matter, friend, and I think that's plenty fine. I'm in no ways irked by your opinion or point of view. I do think, however, it may be worth reconsidering how you frame others' views and questions or concerns, lest you are intending to try and elevate yourself above others by proclaming their alleged inexperience is the reason they think this way and have questions; furthermore, even if that is the case, people who are curious are something to build up and not condescend in cases where they are actually not yet knowledgeable, either of this particular storm or severe weather in general. I appreciate the discussion. :)

[@doppurr]

The calm before they see the tornado on the sky cam, thinking it'll be just funnel clouds, then the first sight of that monster, followed by the feed freezing and then coming back with everyone in a panic is just heartbreaking...

[@Elysian777]

Obviously no one at the station even knew how to read radar. Basehunters and other chasers that day knew exactly where it was going to drop- pinpointed it a good 10-15 minutes before it formed. The crew at the tv station failed miserably. Looking outside to see if there was a tornado there? Commercial breaks? Mind boggling. No wonder the recording is hard to find, they probably hid it. Here's basehunters pinpointing tornadogeneses from radar. kzbin.info/www/bejne/joWadKd8atGdrrs

[@jimmycline4778]

It’s so rain wrapped you can’t tell it’s a tornado unless you know what to look for

[@taydrabrookshire347]

13:09

[@MTDfilms]

The calm before the storm is the creepiest thing. You see the scary sky and know something is coming but it's so calm you want to go outside. We were at work one day and a tornado watch popped up. I've never seen clouds that were green like that. Scariest thing as we kept working and trying to figure out a plan of what to do.

[@Elysian777]

@@jimmycline4778 Doppler radar clearly showed a strong velocity signature just prior to tornadogenesis. A lot of chasers saw it and headed to the spot before it dropped. The only reason these tv people were sticking their heads out the door to look was because they didn't know how to read radar. Shameful- as they were responsible for emergency warnings.

[@jeremy1529]

12:20 the tower cam footage made my jaw drop. And then the meteorologist unfortunately said the 1st power flash could've been from a lightning strike. It was not. The full huge tornado was on the screen and almost after he said it, several more power flashes confirmed it was a tornado. I have no doubt he corrected himself, unfortunately the broadcast cut out. Absolutely historic footage, we're all lucky you found this. Thank you for uploading!!

[@ZepyhrLight]

i seen power flashes start at 6:00 . I really hate to say this.. but I really think lives could have been saved if they switched to '' get to shelter mode '' at the 6:00 minute mark......

[@timcrnkovic8991]

He did correct himself at 12:46, to his credit, just before the audio was lost. At 6:00, it is possible that those were power flashes well off in the distance but it would have been hard for them to detect that in real time, when they were concentrating on other things, like the reading their reports and looking at the radar, etc.

[@devinrobinson5642]

Look up Joplin tower cam, there is a 3ish minute phone video, you can hear what is said when it cuts out.

[@ZepyhrLight]

@@timcrnkovic8991 I confirmed this view isnt even toward main joplin , its in the direct opposite direction really :P so what we are seeing is a distant radio tower

[@Snowstar837]

@@devinrobinson5642 For those curious, the video mentioned (with the lost audio) is titled "Joplin Tornado EF5 Missouri May 22nd KSNF Channel 16 Tower Camera coverage" by "tallfarmboy"

[@tornadostories]

This is an absolutely vital historical record of this major devastating event. It's very very very appreciated that you have archived this.

[@pierren___]

Why ?

[@yeoscore]

@@pierren___e previously had no full coverage to get a better understanding of the lead time and what citizens of joplin were seeing and hearing to get themselves prepared before the tornado approached. also always something to learn from coverage, especially for me as a communications major

[@pierren___]

@@yeoscore im not american sorry is that unusual ?

[@tornadostories]

@@pierren___ The only previous footage shared online was a brief camera recording of a few sentences.

[@yeoscore]

@@pierren___ Not necessarily unusual to not have archived news coverage, but for an event this massive in scale in terms of both damage to property and loss of life, it’s extremely helpful to have the footage, as it helps paint the picture as to why so many were lost that evening. The local news served as the only warning for the average person at the time; people who aren’t weather nuts unfortunately don’t commonly keep a weather radio on them. In 2011, news channels also weren’t simulcasting to facebook and KZbin like they do now, Twitter wasn’t as popular among the average person, and we didn’t get dedicated weather streams on KZbin like we do now. “Lead time” refers to how long a person has between receiving a warning and the tornado affecting them. There’s already a video here on KZbin that has the coverage synced to a live map of the tornado’s path that shows exactly what the lead time for each street was. Overall good to have all around.

[@AtTheCrossingProductions]

It’s insane how quickly the situation went from: “we have unconfirmed reports of a funnel cloud,” to the tornado emerging from the rain as a monster. Joplin didn’t receive a tornado emergency because of how fast it developed. This is a very rare vantage point where you can see the entirety of the wedge, and watch it trek across the city, it’s truly terrifying. May the victims be at peace.

[@MrBiszkopty]

Let's just say there were not using their eyes in a proper manner. Especially that woman anchor.

[@gracewildsmith1183]

@@MrBiszkoptyhow so

[@Joseph-ed6hl]

@@gracewildsmith1183If there are winds between 40-70 mph, I think every weather station has the duty to at least warn people of the chances of a tornado forming.

[@gracewildsmith1183]

@@Joseph-ed6hl they did

[@Joseph-ed6hl]

@@gracewildsmith1183 The original commenter said they didn’t, you said you didn’t understand so I explained why he said that

[@Alexeater]

What makes the freeze at 12:50 even more ominous is the fact that the road on the left side of the screen is S Schifferdecker Avenue. So at the time the screen froze, the tornado was literally seconds away from taking Will Norton’s life. He was sucked out of the sunroof of his dad’s car while driving on Schifferdecker. Schifferdecker was also the beginning of violent (EF4+) tornado damage.

[@betterthanmost9549]

Same street Jeff pitriowski was driving down when he shot his amazing footage before turning east on 20th

[@wesslesyt3304]

The video of the tornado forming over Schifferdecker is insane I forgot who recorded it

[@dw3094]

I believe Will was driving his own Hummer with his dad sitting in the passenger seat.

[@kristita_888]

The first view of that tornado from the tower cam…you can hear the dawning horror in the reporters’ voices. This tornado was an absolute unit of a wedge. May all those who lost their lives rest in peace.

[@Sj430]

I can hear the change in the woman voice after seeing the tornado I can hear the fear in her voice.

[@simplysquamb]

The people yelling in the background too

[@ladyfreedomrocks]

It felt like 9/11 intensified by 50. I never want to live through something like that again.

[@maybemablemaples2144]

​@@ladyfreedomrocksit is because it's not done by human hands. I lived through 9/11 and a tornado. I would go with the former. Tornadoes are so devastating that towns get wiped out. I'm glad you got out okay.

[@ladyfreedomrocks]

@@maybemablemaples2144 it took my home , my two dogs and the part of town I grew up in. And if it wasn't for the fast action of my guy , it would have taken me.

[@damenratliff96]

I was at a youth event close to where the tornado formed. We decided to head home when the rain started. A tree fell in front of my family’s car and ultimately saved our lives by preventing us from driving directly into its path.

[@mrbearishim]

W tree

[@BinThereDumpThatShop]

Nah you got a purpose you’re head to impact someone or something You’re a good dude

[@BinThereDumpThatShop]

Here*

[@EmLovesCamaros]

Man idk about you, but that was a God moment right there.

[@kaonbrown4883]

That’s Divine intervention my friend

[@rebeccawilds4438]

Chills. When the camera pans and you can see the full size of that monster, your heart just stops. This was over 10 years ago and it still takes my breath away, just how massive and destructive it was.

[@timmytacoburrito]

I remember watching this live from The Weather Channel in 8th grade. Had just finished playing some Black Ops matches, and then just put on the TV. Watched The Weather Channel because I loved watching weather events and the weather in general. Then they had started talking about the dangerous storm going thru there. It was intense and I felt scared for the people in the path of the storm. Then the aftermath was terrible. Man.

[@speakerpythia]

@@timmytacoburrito Oh man, I watched it live too. The coverage by Mike Bettes is absolutely heart-wrenching. I cried with him.

[@goxyeagle8446]

This is probably the most "famous " tornado in US history due to it's size and destruction and all that recorded

[@paravecchiavince9685]

Watch the Basehunters video of it. It’s unreal. The thing is a rotating supercell, starts dropping a tornado, and within 20 seconds is a massive and F3+ violent wedge. It’s terrifying and shocking how quickly it exploded into the awful monster it was.

[@453braxton]

Wow, this kind of full coverage from the Joplin tornado has been something people have been trying to find for years. Thank you for uploading this!

[@Sj430]

I also have been looking for the 2 tornado warnings to see how they are worded because I have heard that the second tornado warning was confusing to the people in Joplin.

[@ryans413]

That sky cam was the perfect shot you could see explosions in the distance very awful knowing there’s people over there

[@mariadanton1689]

I too was so excited to find this! I’ve been looking for it for years as well!!

[@carina-nonbinary]

Why was this hard to find? If i may ask

[@mariadanton1689]

@@carina-nonbinary I don’t know. I love to watch these kinds of videos & I’ve watched all the “major” ones over the years, searched high & low for this coverage and it just wasn’t there.

[@MetallicaFan5591]

Joplin resident here. This was truly a crazy moment in my life. Never really got to see it play out on TV cause we watching the skies outside of town. After it passed, Couldn’t stop flipping through our local channels to see what was happening. The next day was really the hardest. My Dad and Step moms house was completely destroyed, they remained safe thank goodness. I was in the 8th grade at the time. I’ll never forget it. Joplin now has been rebuilt spectacularly and in record time almost after a year of the disaster, but nowadays struggles to find identity. Anything new in our town that is trying to make our community more active is overshadowed by either back and forth politics taken out on Facebook (or in public) or unprecedented levels of drug use in the streets, mostly heroin and meth. I am proud of where my city is now however. But without a doubt I believe the tornado changed the course of Joplin heavily. Or maybe it hasn’t, and we just need to try a little harder to make this a place worth living. Maybe with a little more compassion, and understanding that all life on this world is precious and anything could happen to you in your life and change it in an instant. We help everyone through change, not just ourselves. Luckily I feel the town still has these core values and that gives me nothing but Hope. Thank you again for posting this.

[@dildonicplague]

I too love Tool

[@erinstojkov9300]

Thank you for sharing this.

[@AbbyTheAbinator]

true dat

[@magscorch7706]

My late grandparents lived in Joplin at the time and thankfully it missed them, but we weren't able to get a hold of them for a few days because of the telecommunications outage. We went there a month after and good Lord I have never seen anything so apocalyptic in my entire life, it was before they tore down the hospital and there was still destroyed houses and there was literally nothing where half the town used to be. It was a field of foundations and grass.

[@mikesciandra3841]

I do not mean any disrespect, but I have family in Joplin, and the city was in decline well before 2011. It has a weird dynamic of Bible Belt ideology, criminal/drug activity that seemed to settle and become complacent in the area, and the northeast Oklahoma casinos exacerbating the criminal mindset. The Jesus freaks, rednecks and the addicts do not acknowledge nor empathize with one another, and you can feel the weird energy throughout the area.

[@82dorrin]

20:58 The way everything stops there, even the scrolling message? Very haunting... You can hear voices.

[@EvilNeuro_IITPP]

That's because they pulled the channel off the air after the tornado passed. Its probably because all the channels got knocked off the air once the tornado entered and it would be pointless keeping the chanel going if no one will be watching them

[@twixerclawford]

This video is almost like it's straight out of a movie. Right as the camera centers on the tornado, it freezes. Like the tornado was intentionally telling the viewers "hello there. I'm here, and there's nothing you can do." Frozen like that for what feels like forever, before the meteorologists come back on to immediately be yelling to everyone to take cover immediately. You couldn't script it more terrifying.

[@sympathiea]

The sheer luck of this being on your DVR for so long, truly incredible. And excellent foresight in deciding to brows the content just to see what you saved.

[@lilliputlittle]

This is what I needed to see. Because I never saw it. It changed every aspect of my life but I didn't get to see the local news or what it looked like when it was recognizable as a tornado. I had cable and the box forced-tuned the television to The Weather Channel which was focused on "weather history" with just a local weather crawler at the bottom. It indicated that CJ was going to take another hit. But I'd lived there long enough to know to trust my senses and instincts so I was able to get my son and myself to a shelter. We lived in an apartment complex around 20th and Connecticut. When we were able to get ourselves out of the complex's laundry unit closet we'd taken shelter in and saw the damage - we realized what we'd actually been through.

[@LethalJizzle]

Wow are you saying your cable box force-tuned to the weather channel as a sort of emergency alert function to make you aware of the danger? I wonder how many other people missed this broadcast due to that and weren't made aware of the full scale of what was going on...

[@learlawliet6197]

I’m Glad Y’all Made It ❤❤❤❤

[@andrewhaywood1262]

If your equipment force-tuned the channel to TWC (which couldn't get on the air with vital emergency info on the national feed in time) then that must explain (one of the reasons as to) why footage from the local news networks must be hard to come by, and yet another reason why so many lost their lives, in addition to this (rain-wrapped) storm growing and changing in size so quickly.

[@Tornado1994]

@@andrewhaywood1262 No it wasn't. NOBODY was properly warned or Prepared.

[@WhatsGahd]

I went through Joplin in 2021 and had nothing but kind people give me directions at the big deli style shop.... I had asked directions to a cashier, but i was soon met with 5+ people asking where i needed to go " take a right at the dead starbucks.... just keep going they build a holiday inn back there somewhere" I have no idea how that place stays in business ( the starbucks ) and i think that is the second outta 3 i encountered true southern hospitality. The people to know and overhear me trying to get directions in a diner of 30+ is immaculate. I am very sorry this tornado ran through your community, But your community ran through me. I clicked on the wrong person to reply to in my previous message^

[@ETHANWXCHASING]

Incredible to see this coverage after all the years. RIP all of the victims of this historic tornado

[@sr-7124]

This feels like analogue horror… The way the tape just stopped to gawk at the tornado reveal gave me chills

[@Vee_9001]

The tape stopping for almost a full minute, followed by their panicked voices, and then the broadcast falling completely silent bar a few radar pings… nightmarish

[@piie6603]

When it froze to show how large the tornado was.... that made my heart stop.

[@ChakkyCharizard]

I think its mostly bc this was pretty clearly recorded on VHS. Which is a bit unusual for 2011, I know by that point everyone I knew had a DVR

[@jasper_42678]

This is analog horror. Difference is, it’s isn’t a bunch of cheap jumpscares of distorted faces. This is real

[@mistakenplane]

Man the speed and size of that thing from this perspective is just incredible. The horror and panic of the broadcasters is tough to listen to as well. Thank you for uploading and preserving this footage.

[@dannyllerenatv8635]

I'm surprised a tornado emergency was never called for the Joplin tornado. This was a worst-case-scenario event and it was the deadliest tornado in modern history as of now. That monster had a nasty debris signature (no surprise at all, look at the devastation it caused) and a nasty hook echo on the radar once it finally formed.

[@kalinora3901]

@@dannyllerenatv8635 It was also clearly visible on the tower cam for a little bit. That thing was huge in diameter.

[@ArchTeryx00]

@@dannyllerenatv8635 From what I remember a tornado emergency WAS issued for Joplin but by then the disaster was well underway. Communication was very slow between storm spotters, storm chasers, first responders, the NWS and the media, and this thing was moving at highway speeds.

[@Sj430]

​​​From what I know about the Joplin tornado a tornado emergency was never issued for Joplin. I watch a video on how tornado emergencys work in that video it explain why it was never issued for Joplin. The Nws said that the tornado happened quickly and by the time it showed up on rader the tornado was half way thru Joplin.

[@plawson8577]

@@Sj430That’s right it never was. The NWS Office in Kansas City did issue a Tornado Emergency for Jasper County, but was unfortunately never received.

[@Wesleyclarillos]

This is true horror. True reality television. The organic horror of the tornadoes sirens, the dialogue, the foreboding, the tv cutting out. So raw and uncut this is real KZbin gold, truly thank you for posting this video. Much appreciated and enjoyed for the art/history/tragedy it is.

[@tornadotrxshorts]

This is a historic extremely important piece of footage. Thank you so much for uploading

[@CLMedia28]

I agree! I love your videos too man!

[@Whipped_Creamy]

I'm still convinced that this tornado is the most ominous tornado in recent memory. Many argue that Jarrell TX is more ominous and although Jarrell is a historic beast with some record damage created, there's still something I can't explain that makes me obsessed with Joplin. It turned 5 PM into 10pm and shot lightning bolts from the funnel as it ravaged at a snails pace. And not only the massive loss of life but the horrific stories of the victims, like Will Norton on his graduation night. It's as if hell literally opened up on Joplin that evening.

[@Sj430]

Chris Lucas was the manager at the pizza hut he managed to get the employees and customers in the freezer the door would not close so he took a bungee cord to hold the door until the tornado took him out of the building. He sacrifice his life to save others.

[@nahmastay3300]

I agree. I’ve seen so many videos on historic tornadoes but Joplin just hits so different for me and I can’t explain why. One of the the facts about Joplin that I still can’t get over is the cases of flesh eating mucormycosis. 13 cases, 5 deaths. Several left permanently disfigured. The case study said that these poor people developed white fuzz growing out of necrotic wounds. It was a fungus found deep in soil and the Joplin tornado picked it up and deposited into wounds caused by projectiles. There’s just something sooo insidious about the whole thing it’s #1 in my book of catastrophic weather events

[@strongestnattyever-videos2247]

Agreed, but you are using the word “ominous” wrong… Ominous means: A sign of evil that will come in the future days.

[@Whipped_Creamy]

@@strongestnattyever-videos2247 good point, maybe intimidating is a better word.

[@Whipped_Creamy]

@@nahmastay3300 holy crap I didn't know about that!

[@2218CKH]

I'll never forget hearing about this. I was moving cross country to Texas from Wisconsin and my route took me through Joplin. I ended up staying the night in Joplin on May 21st 2011. If I'd delayed leaving by one more day I would have been caught in this tornado. I heard about it a few days after arriving in Texas and couldn't believe it. RIP to those that lost their lives.

[@JacobWithACamera]

I’ve been waiting to see the archived broadcast of this event for years. This really puts a new perspective into this event.

[@brysonhawes6006]

It’s wild to me to think about they’re talking about possible funnels and there is an obvious hook echo just west of joplin in the late 2 minute mark.

[@JacobWithACamera]

@@brysonhawes6006 I guess everyone can improve at identifying parts of storms, the anchors were talking about power flashes from lighting when there was a very clear and large tornado visible from the tower.

[@brizzle3903]

@@brysonhawes6006 wasn’t this the storm that produced a tornado so fast that by the time the radar noticed a definitive hook echo it had already hit Joplin?

[@weathermanofthenorth1547]

@@brysonhawes6006 While hooks are a big sign of trouble, believe it or not, it does not always mean a tornado. I have seen some very large hooks, just for no tornado to result. Strong mesocyclones can create a large hook. Since this particular station had little money and their meteorologist was not present at the time, they only had the reflectivity available. And as you can tell, it isn't of the best quality.

[@brysonhawes6006]

@@brizzle3903 if you watch the video the hook is present west of Joplin where the tornado initially dropped the entire video minutes before touch down even happens a good 9 minutes. Not to mention funnels had been being reported since the cell was over Columbus KS. I know I’m completely being a Monday Morning quarterback just astonishing to me.

[@morgancloutier5908]

This storm system went over my house a couple hours before it hit Joplin and this tornado hit. A day I’ll never forget that day as long as I live. My dad was a meteorologist in KS for years and was watching this system all day. We were worried for tornados from this exact system. My dad and his colleagues KNEW how dangerous that day was and were bracing for the worst. May the victims who passed rest in peace and may the city of Joplin remain strong.

[@JulesBhm]

Geez. Makes you realize how quickly this situation went from zero to catastrophic.

[@Carolinagirl1028]

Yes! If I am not mistaken it also sounded like the broadcaster said at one point that they were the only ones showing it. Just goes to show how little real warning the people of Joplin had which likely contributed immensely to the high death toll. So incredibly sad.

[@Sj430]

Even though they had a 19 min lead time it did not matter because of how close the tornado touchdown to the city limits. After touchdowning the tornado started going into Joplin 2 mins after it touchdown. They really no time to take cover.

[@nahmastay3300]

@@Sj430 lead time means nothing when no one could seem to actually convey the severity of the situation….let alone even recognize what was even happening to explain to their community what could happen before it was too late. 19 min lead time is huge and the technology gave them that, but they failed to utilize the tools. A lot of failures that lead to so much death

[@ZepyhrLight]

@@nahmastay3300 100 percent. I saw power flashes at 6:00 and it took them 7 minutes to finally say TORNADO ON THE GROUND... seven.. long.. minutes..

[@nahmastay3300]

@@ZepyhrLight yup. So painful to witness the cluelessness by the people you’re supposed to RELY ON for this exact information!!!!

[@nashthesecond0002]

12:49 When the feed freezes right as they pan to the wedge tornado, and the weather lady is about to say it looks like a tornado, is one of the scariest things I've ever seen.

[@Arkhei]

I was 10 when this happened. Lived in Joplin spending most of time with my grandma during that point. I remember the sky being this ominous green earlier in the day. When the tornado hit we hid in our closet and when it was over there was much debris in our front yard. Our home wasn't hit but the block behind us was completely wiped out. It was like a bomb had went off. Harrowing stuff.

[@Anadammifalastini101]

yikes that's scary

[@jiveassturkey8849]

Have you ever seen the movie Twister? That happens when you're in the direct path of a tornado. It's how the animals know how to get away.

[@AustinWilson-eh3vi]

I was seventeen at the time my friend I live right over by a Stones corner I was fortunate enough to be working an estate auction in Carthage, the downside being however nobody knew it was coming like everybody that auction had no idea our first indication we're some rain clouds immediately followed by baseball-sized hail coming down and crashing through the estate auction tables, we had no clue what had happened to the town we lived in...you can only imagine our shock as we were coming back into (the car we were in had no head unit) town something was off we came in through Webb City and made it over to my parents house by stones corner, where then, we finally learned what had happened, I can't even explain the shock that we incurred I mean we literally had no idea at all and we didn't find out until we made it all the way to the south side of it definitely screwed us bad and even though we endured the shock of it I still stick with my previous statement we were fortunate to have been in Carthage I can only imagine what everybody went through end of the same time I hope nobody else other than me and him had to incur the shock have a mess of town you've been staying in for 10 years, was just basically destroyed...at first i literally thought my dad was joking...but he was a doctor for st johns and as he walked paste briefly telling me what happend and getting in his excursion and hauling balls straight out to the hospital i was just stuned stupid, even now feels like all I've done is ramble on but hopefully someone else might understand my thinking here. Just thought I would share what my perspective was that day

[@katiekawaii]

​@@AustinWilson-eh3viIt sounds mind-boggling. I can only imagine how that must have felt.

[@fowchiiiliedpuppiesdied]

You poor thing, I remember this, as an adult living in Seattle; our hearts really broke for all of you, just so sad.

[@asuuki2048]

12:42 This is so disturbing how, right as they realized how deadly the tornado was, all of their mics just get cut off until 13:07 It happened again 13:24 - 14:11 14:50 You can tell that they have never seen anything like this. Actually horrifying.

[@EmLovesCamaros]

It's the way her voice cut off like that around 12:47 for me... Bone chilling stuff..

[@veronicashields4405]

Also, the horror in their voices as they realize the funnel’s been on the ground for awhile now, but they simply couldn’t see it because the storm was so massive that it couldn’t fit entirely in frame at that angle.

[@Cinerary]

They probably cut the voices at the station on their end because of swearing and “unprofessional talk”

[@DBTUni2024]

There is also the fact that when the Tornado hit the area it was PITCHED BLACK like it was nighttime scary day in Joplin

[@kawaiipastaaaa6819]

*casually drops what was considered lost media like 12 years later* Thanks, man

[@TheTomexNo1]

Its increadible to see how they were still relatively calm around 12:45, then sound breaks and when it comes back at 13:08 its full on panic

[@billbombshiggy9254]

Also, I want to throw out that the radar only at 17:50 being frozen onto the screen-- it's creepy. It's scary. I can't imagine being there and then that's what my TV was, while I'm running to the hallway or basement. It kind of freaks me out that that was what some people last saw on earth. Edit: so my area had a fairly strong earthquake back in 2008. It was a 5.4 and I was alone and asleep after a long horrific day of being abandoned by everyone I loved (I was a drug addict. I don't blame them. It's what got me clean.). Woke up to shaking at approx 5am, and sat up. After it was over, I looked down at the tv and saw a completely silent radar like this. Mind you I was totally alone and living 10 miles east of the nearest town. I still get spooked thinking about it. I don't know why but that silent radar was unsettling Adding that about ten minutes later, a ticker started going across the screen that the USGS had confirmed there was an earthquake and that damage reports were unknown at the time and to expect aftershocks. I am getting mild anxiety thinking about that moment of my life. We did get an aftershock at approx 10am. I had come back to the house and tried to nap (I rushed to my grandpa's at about 6am. He was right up the road, because I was scared and freaked out. Also went to some neighbors down the way to see about getting drugs. And now all these memories are coming back and I don't like it at all.)

[@FunkyTheMainMonkey]

Sorry that happened, hope all is well now, never give up! 😁❤️

[@billbombshiggy9254]

@@FunkyTheMainMonkey it is. I don't blame my family for it at all and there are no hard feelings. Been clean since May 2008 (earthquake was in April 2008)

[@CollectorNamedW]

It honestly kinda reminds me of Japan's earthquake early warnings, when it cuts to a picture of the impact zone with nothing but morse code

[@robertstewart1223]

This is history! That you have it and that it is now preserved is HUGE. Thank you for putting this online.

[@robertstewart1223]

And by reading the comments, I see a ton of people agree with me. What you did here, my friend, has real meaning to the lives of many. Such a nice change from the garbage that is usually posted to the internet.

[@ladyfreedomrocks]

History I never wanted to live.

[@robertstewart1223]

@@ladyfreedomrocks I don't have much I can add to that statement except for this. No one that meets history like this wants to be a part of it. It's traumatic and ugly. But when it happens, you want a record of it so it is never forgotten. That is what this is. No one has ever posted the live coverage of the local newscast until now.

[@carsoncobb9325]

It truly is phenomenal this footage exists. Im hoping to find the same type of footage from KOAM and KODE, the CBS and ABC affiliates. I know KOAM's exist, just hasn't be uploaded. I am assuming KODE has their in station archives. Maybe shooting the station an email might get them to pass it along for educational purposes.

[@theojjuiceisloose]

When the tower cam panned over to see the tornado it brought instant tears to my eyes and I gasped… seeing so many documentaries and retrospectives about it pale in comparison the emotional impact and pure shock I felt to this footage

[@Half-CockedG]

I read your comment at the start of the video and thought wow... sounds like you're being a bit emotional. I as well had tears in my eyes when i saw the tornado and heard them pleading to take cover. RIP to all those people.

[@cherylhulting1301]

@@Half-CockedG It's the combination of factors. I have stopped the video at the time point when the tornado is about to enter Joplin. The tower cam is finally broadcasting it. It's HUGE and looming very ominously over a small city (just a little larger than the one I grew up in). Every structure looks hopelessly vulnerable. The gigantic tornado is going to whirl into Joplin and nothing can stop it. We know just looking at it that it will be a killer. The anchors at the TV station are trying to suppress their fear and warn everyone but you can hear their panic. Then the broadcast stops. The viewers don't know what happened and have no one guiding them. We know in retrospect what this monster did to Joplin and its people. We're poised on the brink of massive, years-long disaster here. Fear, awe and tears are entirely appropriate.

[@prairiepalmetto9378]

I was living in St. Louis back then and was checking local weather radar on my laptop. I scanned over to the west and saw an ugly storm in SW Missouri. I remember saying to my husband “ oh my God, Bob, there’s a huge debris ball over Joplin. This looks really bad.” We tuned on local news in STL and it wasn’t a minute until a bulletin came on saying a massive tornado was striking Joplin. It made us literally sick. I was only a toddler when my dad spent weeks helping to get services back on after the Ruskin Heights tornado in 1957.

[@plawson8577]

I am beyond Appalled at the Jasper Co officials and NWS Office in Jackson Co,MO. This was the Titanic Disaster of EF5 Tornadoes. 167 people Died. ALL because of how horrendously unprepared for a Tornado event Joplin was. ZERO Weather Spotters, the Damn Storm Chasers had to double Spotting duties, Poorly operating Tornado Sirens WTF? Bad infrastructure, Little homes with Basements, Shoddy Live Feeds, a Sluggish EMS System, Understaffed Weather Bureau, Blatant Complacency from Jasper Co Officials and most offensive, the NWS Office in Kansas City’s FAILURE to fully clear a PDS Tornado Watch and A Tornado Emergency Warning. Honestly, this footage makes me a little Angry. This was the Exact Opposite of the Alabama Outbreak. *Sigh*.

[@magscorch7706]

​@@plawson8577it wasn't their fault though. The local weather channel didn't have enough funding for their own radar and had to rely on NWS reports. Joplin was already tornado warned from rotation near the town and the tornado was impossible to see because it was rain wrapped. I live near Joplin and did in 2011. No one takes tornado warnings seriously in southwest Missouri because they happen all the time and nothing ever comes of them, at least before 2011. Stop blaming people for an EF5 tornado hitting a low income town.

[@tornadoclips2022]

12:18 start of footage 14:53 you can see it grows really big as it becomes rain wrapped 22:00 the footage becomes frozen as all the power goes out in the city

[@sillyperson1610]

Thanks!

[@wolfbassgames1244]

I was just gonna say. I thought it was my connection but the video was still rolling so I then thought that the videos picture froze as it was still rolling. But that makes so much sense.

[@catbuthuman]

Thank you for clarifying. I thought it was a glitch on my end when footage and audio froze/cut out.

[@tabloidfootprints]

the switch to radar happens at 17:50, and the point where the station actually loses power is at 20:59; you hear a mic activate and then a clink right as the image freezes

[@tornadoclips2022]

@@tabloidfootprints ahh nice catch

[@crashkamio5819]

This is horrific, oh my god. The first camera shot of the tornado was stomach churning, the panic in everyones voice, the silence as they go off air. So ominous, it just goes from bad to catastrophic in minutes.

[@Jacklinnu_real]

12:47 the fact that the show freezeframed on the tornado for the first time was terrifying, you can hear the fear in her voice..

[@Rainy_snc]

Also that the tv tried to play ads

[@patriotic_car5944]

12 years later and we have rebuilt but the land still tells a story

[@CptColtAnimation]

Thank you for recovering lost history! Many of us have wanted to see this footage for years, and now we get to see what happened that day

[@Boxscot49]

The transition between them not even knowing if there is even a funnel forming yet to then seeing that absolute monster on the tower cam is something straight out of a horror movie.

[@ashleycope1237]

We went from funnel cloud reports to confirmed violent tornado on the ground right outside the station. You can hear the tornado roar from inside the station. Even as the newscasters are still reporting a "funnel cloud. No confirmation yet of a tornado on the ground" then literally looking at confirmation of a wedge tornado on the ground, and the panic setting in. The tower cam also gives a great example of the green hue the sky turns. Also that storm was showing a hook echo the entire time.

[@cherylhulting1301]

Yes, I'm looking at the footage from around 14.00, when the tornado is becoming rain-wrapped. You can really see that unearthly green tone in the sky.

[@haniotis3421]

Yeah, all this panic and then it was too late to tell people to leave their homes as other meteorologists have done in the past with a couple of major tornadoes. Sirens were also a bit late. Rolling Fork was another travesty. Hundreds of years of tornadoes and research and America still can't figure this out.

[@kreginzen]

My close cousin and his wife lived on the west side of Joplin at the time and barely made it to their bathroom that was against a rock wall in their house before the storm hit them. They were incredibly blessed and fortunate as the house collapsed over them and they survived. I cant imagine.

[@Jared_Wignall]

I was 17 when this happened. My great grandmother lived in Joplin for many years. She and my great grandfather moved their once they retired. He died in 1997 was buried here in Des Moines, IA where they’re both from, and she moved back to Des Moines in 2005, when I was 11. I remember going down to help my grandparents load some things of hers to move up here and when this tornado came down 6 years later, I was glad she wasn’t there at that time because that whole neighborhood she lived in was destroyed and her home didn’t really have a basement and she would have died had she still been there. She passed away in 2016 at the age of 99. I still remember going down to her place in Joplin in the 90s and 2000s. Those were fun times and it was a bit of a shame that she moved, but I would say it was for the best, especially when the tornado came around. This is incredible footage too see. Thank you for uploading this!

[@awalkthroughtorah6897]

We watched this as it took out the channel 7 weather cam. My mom’s house was on 23 and Wall. Totally gone. There were a few walls left, but it was crazy. She was with us. My kids convinced my mom to go on a bike ride before she left. It saved her life because I asked her to check the weather before she headed back. Thank God we did! Fortunately we had an empty rental house she was able to move into until she found a house in the town where we live.

[@thatswhatleighsaid]

I swear you can see horizontal vortices right as the camera catch up @13:41. What an insane bit of coverage. It really gives you perspective of how terrifying this situation really was. Thank you for posting!

[@kittelinea]

i have no words… absolutely incredible, especially the description. this unedited footage really shows how bad it was

[@GweenOfTea]

I was 12 when this happened, we went to Joplin all the time. The next day we went to see the damage and it was absolutely unrecognizable, we didn’t even know what street we were on

[@robertstewart1223]

I drove through Joplin on my way home to Michigan, from California about a month after this storm. I could not believe what I saw. It was as if a giant hand came through and scooped away blocks and blocks of the city. I was floored. But I also saw every single person in that community helping to rebuild...electric companies working on new power poles, construction going up. You really see who people are after a nasty event like this and Missouri...You rock!

[@FreeDiddy-69]

​@@robertstewart1223 Janis Joplin tornado

[@emeraldmoon2268]

@@robertstewart1223😮 6:22

[@robertstewart1223]

@@FreeDiddy-69 I consider Janice more of a hurricane than a tornado.

[@mariebelladonna437]

@@robertstewart1223 I'd say she was more of a train wreck, than a storm. The poor woman. Addiction is an absolute monster. I hope she's found peace, in the Great Hereafter.

[@bluezebra2759]

As a kid my dad used to take me storm chasing in our little ford focus in the early 2000s. My mom hated it, but my dad thought since he'd been doing it for 10 years he was an expert. And for the most part his was. Until one day we did or usual. Severe storm warning come on tv, we went to this park at the top of a hill overlooking Thornton CO. And it was great till 3 tornadoes dropped out of the clouds and my dad had no way of predicting where they'd go and plus they essentially cut off our escape route. I was a kid and thought it was awesome, but years later he told me that he was convinced he had killed us. And swore we would never go on another chase again. Until a few years later lol

[@Colts814Life]

Did he get sucked up in one

[@marshmellowkiller101]

A Ford Focus? Really??? I owned a 2007 and wouldn’t drive that thing into anything worse than a light rain/snowfall!

[@waynebeckham3807]

A Chevy Cobalt was used by 3 professionals in late May 2013. El Reno, OK...we lost Twistex in a small car that day. Don't chase them, please. The NWS spotters (like myself) are told that we shouldn't actually chase

[@athenaaxrs]

i remember being in weld county when a tornado touched down and my mom was driving me on an interstate back home, but the tornado trapped us and we had to hide in a ditch, we both luckily survived but an unlucky man in a trailer park didnt, it was an EF3

[@inny74]

The comments section made me realize there was lost media in regards to tornado coverage. Thanks for sharing this, very important and historically significant stuff.

[@EclipseCoD]

I was 16 when this happened, we were on a school trip having to pass by Joplin, and we just see this black wall with all kinds of stuff flying through the it, we had to stop on the side of the road because no one realized this would be a massive tornado that would go through the entire city. We just had to watch it go on through before continuing.

[@ugotjokered]

holy r u fr?

[@LITTLE1994]

Dang, scary

[@goxyeagle8446]

I don't understand Americans living in the land of tornadoes yet lots of people don't have a shelter, not even in Oklahoma and few others southern states which are regularly hit by large tornadoes

[@ki5aok]

@@goxyeagle8446 This has been commented on through other KZbin channels, but most people in Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska has never had an encounter with a tornado, so they don't see a need to build a shelter. Personally, if I was living in those areas, I would build something underground.

[@chriskay1449]

@@goxyeagle8446 They do have shelters. Many homes are built with underground shelters. To say they don't have shelters is erroneous.

[@janeyb8277]

Thank you for uploading. Absolute chills when it switches to the tower cam.

[@Lobotamized_Lobster]

As someone who lives not too far from Joplin, this terrified me. I was very young when this happened but my mum told me that she watched this on the television. Rip to everyone who lost their lives in this horrible tragedy..

[@andrewhoward4523]

I’m not sure what we would do without our meteorologists. These people save lives all the time. They’re definitely hero’s in their own way.

[@jailcatjones3250]

Our only defense against mother nature, we may not be able to stop it but at least we can get prepared for when a storm comes

[@Jacksiloution]

​@d0ntbanme But covering all the details, updates, being calm clear and concise is a huge skill

[@benditlikekeegan]

Fun Fact: The two speaking throughout this were just normal news anchors; the station had one meteorologist and he wasn't there that day. He was on his way to the station but got stopped by debris.

[@kunisyub]

​@@CyberAndy_you need to be to predict one and avise people to take shelter as fast as possible

[@lela8081]

​​@@CyberAndy_well..we never had tornado in my country or supercells storm(i hope i write that well)and before few days people are all outside seeing shell clouds and driving in the cars so nobody pay attention i mean we all see it and thinking what a strange clouds but doesen't know in that time it will destroy half of the city.Then storm killed 4 people,injure 60 and more because nobody on the news said it was dangerous.People are all thinking it was just a simple storm.Maybe if someone tell on the news it was supercells storm more lives could be safe.

[@ok-sh9xp]

A truly historic recording. Thank you for uploading! This is a big find for the weather community.

[@danielwieten8617]

Damn, never thought I'd get to see the full broadcast. Understanding the meteorology after the fact, it's creepy to watch the radar images of that smaller storm from the southwest integrating into the Joplin supercell to make it as powerful as it was. Thank you for uploading this.

[@Sj430]

I have heard that those 2 storms had not merged together the Joplin tornado would of not happened. Looking at the video of the Joplin tornado touching down it look very disorganized not to anything.

[@onedisturbedlilknucklehead]

My wife was in the St John's Hospital when it hit , she was on the 6th floor. She survived but it permanently scarred her with PTSD.

[@cherylhulting1301]

I'm so sorry for her.

[@onedisturbedlilknucklehead]

@@cherylhulting1301 don't be sorry for her , she's alive and that's the important thing. PTSD is not something to feel sorry to victims about , that's pitying them and they don't want pity , as I know my wife wants no pity either. What those people lived through is nothing I would ever wish upon my enemies.

[@magscorch7706]

​@@onedisturbedlilknuckleheadwe live in Springfield and did in 2011, and my late grandparents lived in Joplin and thankfully it missed them. However we went to Joplin very soon after it happened I'd say two weeks, we pretended to have press passes to be able to get into Joplin to check on our family. I was about 10 at the time but I remember being absolutely speechless going through main Street and seeing literally nothing. There was just some foundations and then nothing. No buildings, no trees, just debris the hospital and people walking around. There were no birds, no animals, it was just complete silence and a field of grass and debris

[@tessalarvie7168]

@@onedisturbedlilknuckleheadnot to be nosey but do you guys still live in tornado alley?

[@haydenbicky9690]

​@@tessalarvie7168most of us that grew up in tornado Alley stay for life. I was born in St John's hospital, even after Joplin got smashed I just moved 60 miles north. Tornadoes are a part of life here, both scary and fascinating.

[@Chicken4War]

This might actually be one of the most distressing videos I've seen on KZbin. Good work with archiving this.

[@QuantumVoyagerX1]

12:50 The monster of a tornado in full view of the camera right after it freezes is just petrifying.

[@plawson8577]

You can SEE the Wedge. Heading Straight for Jasper Co. Moving East Northeast.

[@cherylhulting1301]

I'm in awe and fear just looking at it. The video presents an amazingly good view of the full tornado.

[@fredrecroom6485]

14:59 The fact the only thing you can see is that eerie green glow from the storm. No longer being able to see or track the tornado. Honestly terrifying. The tornado could be ANYWHERE at that time, but we couldn’t see it.

[@jeromyyandell5453]

Unfortunately living in Fairland, Oklahoma just to the southwest of Joplin on the Oklahoma side, I watched this live as it happened. My partner was on his way to Gilster to work and drove through about 5 minutes after this happened. Not only was the tornado devastating, but the hail was just horrific. Many untold lives were also taken regarding the homeless community that was just not counted. Just a horrific day in American history.

[@devinrobinson5642]

You can tell we've never had anything like this happen around here before.. it's incredible that someone was able to dig up this archive. I've seen clips of the tower cam but never the full thing 10 mins prior. I was slapping myself screaming at my phone telling people to hide 12 years later... just by basic radar scans, no velocity scans, no reflectivity scans... the hook, the inflow she hinted at, the organization.... The commercial break..... Then the beginning of the worst modern tornado ever recorded... My heart goes out to victims of this.... I can understand how so many people were hurt now... I've watched both the Moore Oklahoma broadcasts. I've been in a tornado emergency there with a smaller tornado. You can tell their team is WAY more experienced in dealing a dangerous developing storm.

[@kristita_888]

So I’m still learning about how to read radar for tornadoes, and this footage has radar that is inferior to today’s images. Is the entire bottom left of the supercell near Joplin the hook? If so, that’s the most massive hook I have ever seen, and it curves opposite of the way most hooks curve. Do you think that’s what may have thrown them? Thanks in advance! (From a radar newbie) 😊

[@devinrobinson5642]

@@kristita_888 the hook begins just west of Joplin and the inflow is the big batch you see in the bottom left (south west), it gets sucked up into the supercell and that's what caused it to grow in size and intensity so fast (funnel clouds to a massive wedge). If you look up the reflectivity and velocity scans in a different video you can watch it all come together and get a better idea of what the basic radar scans are showing in this.

[@devinrobinson5642]

I'm sitting here re watching it and as the storm organized the radar glitched showing the old scan over new radar scans (around the 9:10) mark.... 😢

[@kristita_888]

@@devinrobinson5642 Thanks so much for your reply!

[@brizzle3903]

Have you seen the footage from Roger Hill? He and his tour group were in front of it and that infamous lighting bolt seen in all of the other videos from Joplin was seen in his video They nearly got hit on rangeline road, even though their video wasn’t as clear as the tower cam footage it’s still unbelievably terrifying from their perspective, they caught the power flashes from the ground just to the west

[@KaseyWithers]

Crazy these kinds of records are still being found and uploaded. Ive watched hundreds of videos on this storm and i dont think ive ever seen footage from this. Thank you for uploading this 🙏🏻

[@mytoasteroven2402]

Incredible footage you’ve recovered here. Honestly it’s just devastating to watch. The lack of urgency, the commercial breaks, the seeming rumors of a funnel cloud even as a strong hook echo is appearing on the radar… it’s tragic. No one, not even the National Weather Service themselves, realized what was happening until it was already too late. And when they did, you could hear the whole studio descend into panic. Needless to say, thinking of Joplin big time. I hope everyone who suffered losses from that situation is doing alright today.

[@samtron5000]

Yeah it’s really disappointing how it was handled. The broadcasters had neither the technology nor the experience in meteorology to be able to see it coming.

[@Elysian777]

I was watching chasers who were warning of a strong velocity signature on this thing 10-15 min before it hit the ground- apparently those people at the station didn't even know how to read radar? Looking out the door to see if there was a tornado? You have got to be kidding me. Massive failure.

[@Brandon-lw1wx]

@@Elysian777 In all fairness warned of a possible tornado that would be rain-wrapped and hard to see from the beginning. They specifically warned people not to go outside and try to confirm it.

[@P8nda]

@@Elysian777 Copy-pasted from another comment on this video: "Second, I’m seeing a lot of criticism being thrown at KSNF meteorologists Caitlyn McArdle and Jeremiah Cook here for not seeing what was coming and giving more warning of it. I’ll add some background I read in Mike Smith’s book about the Joplin tornado, When the Sirens Were Silent. I would cut McArdle and Cook some slack here. All the Joplin-area stations were relying on the National Weather Service computer projections. The problem was that the NWS was using a bad computer program that gave a northeasterly course for the tornado that had it at worst from a Joplin standpoint clipping the northwest corner of Joplin. KSNF was the only station with a tower cam. It was pointed northwest because that’s where NWS said it would be going. When McArdle and Cook panned that camera to the left, which would have been west southwest, and saw the wedge tornado, that was the first time anyone in Joplin (save for storm chaser Jeff Pietrowski) could see that the NWS was wrong, that the tornado was headed not northeast but east, and was not only not going to miss Joplin and not only going to hit it head on but was already entering town headed straight for the KSNF studio. At which point Cook says, “Uh, Caitlyn, I’m gonna let you take over for a moment …” Some unintentional humor. His first of two. The second being, “Don’t go outside!” when he himself goes outside. When KSNF’s sound goes out, the NWS broadcast still has the tornado headed northeast and going to pass northwest of Joplin. McArdle and Cook and their staff knew the tornado was going to be bad, knew their lives were in serious danger, but also knew they were the only warning Joplin had of the tornado, so they stayed in their studio and got the warning out as best they could. This was true courage in journalism, and McArdle, Cook, and the KSNF staff deserve serious credit for holding their ground here. The criticism of McArdle and Cook should be directed to the National Weather Service, whose post-storm report largely leaves out its inglorious role in this." -Jeff Cox While the meteorologists may have had some inexperience in this situation, they aren't fully to blame at all. In such a dire and sudden scenario, things such as panic, being unable to see anything due to heavy rains, and the failure of the National Weather Service to report sound data caused local weather stations such as the one in this video to report false information.

[@dannyllerenatv8635]

Not only did it have a strong hook echo on radar, but it also had a gnarly velocity signature and one NASTY debris ball. That alone should have garnered an immediate tornado emergency for Joplin.

[@madisondenham440]

People have been searching for this for years. Thank you!!!

[@charlesblackwell327]

This was truly a terrifying and tragic situation. What's even scarier is that I drove through Joplin the day before this happened and was debating staying overnight. It's absolutely terrifying to know that if I had, I might not be here commenting on this video. God bless you for uploading this historic footage for everyone to see.

[@thunder.311]

I’m a Springfield resident. I remember this day and it was horrifying.. Joplin is about an hour drive from Springfield. We were having my grandpas birthday when this came on the news, and everybody was in shock. The sky outside was green and the clouds looked weird, and the tornado sirens were going off. It was so devastating seeing the aftermath of this.

[@FINALSTRIKE94]

Never thought I'd find local coverage thanks for sharing

[@walker11907]

Joplin holds a special place in my heart. I was moving back to NY after living in Las Vegas for the last few years as I made my way I stopped in Joplin due to a flat tire 2 random guys helped me push my car more than .5 miles to a shop to get it fixed. One week later the tornado hit

[@SPEEDREDvideos]

My husband, kids and I LOVE Joplin. The people there are amazing. We visit there quite a bit, and are seriously considering moving there next summer. Problem is, living in Tulsa, Oklahoma most of our lives, I'm tired of living in tornado alley and kind of want out....but it is something we are seriously considering. We love the sense of community there.

[@HenryWilliams-jm2is]

It is simply amazing that you were able to preserve this footage for so long.

[@LotusbandicootRR]

I've learned a lot about this tornado in a short time, had no idea about this broadcast though. Hearing the rain and thunder in the background outside a broadcast center like this, and then the whole crew inside taking shelter, is a whole different level of scary. Not to mention the radar and all updates completely freezing... you get a little more of a sense of the urgency and just not knowing exactly what's going on. I don't think anyone in that moment quite realized what they were in for.

[@keenanvogt3048]

Absolutely wild. I remember this day vividly. Not sure why they didn't look at the tower cam for their own visual confirmation sooner, but when it panned ever so slightly left at 12:48, it went from "that's probably a wall of rain and wind" to "that's the biggest tornado I've ever seen". You can hear their voices/thoughts shift entirely. Super creepy.

[@justsam.0.]

I was only a few months old when this tornado happened, and my family had been living relatively close to Joplin at the time, and I remember my mom always telling me stories about this tornado and how our entire family of 5 (counting me) had to all fit into our tiny shoe closet during this tornado. The stories always gave me such an interest and fixation with meteorology and tornadoes, and I've had an entire hyperfixation on weather since I was about 5. I want to be a meteorologist one day and be to study these dangerous yet incredibly interesting storms!! I showed this to my mother and she almost broke down in tears at the memories, and she told me about how close it came to our hometown at the time as well as the story, even if she had already told me the story a billion times. Thank you so so so much for archiving and sharing a part of my life I never thought I'd be able to witness for myself

[@bigdawg12z]

damn you not that old then

[@magscorch7706]

I was 10 or 11 at the time, and I've lived in Springfield my whole life. My late grandparents lived in Joplin and thankfully it missed them but we couldn't contact them for several days. The sky was green even in Springfield, and we turned on the weather and my dad had recorded the full weather broadcast as seen from Springfield which he has somewhere and I plan to upload it at sometime because it gives the reactions of the Springfield weather team. Anyways, me and my dad went to Joplin two weeks after it happened and we were able to get in with "press passes" to check on our family, and it was apocalyptic what we saw, I just remembered seeing a field of grass, debris, and foundations, and nothing was recognizable. I mean I had been in Joplin millions of times to visit and had a good idea of the layout of the town and I had no idea where we were, and my dad, who grew up in Joplin, had no idea where he was either.

[@User-bg7qf]

Damn you born in 2011? Ur like 12/13 now……..fuck I feel old

[@KrysC-TX]

When the woman said take shelter. The urgency in her voice. She wasn’t asking, she was telling.

[@charlescalvinboi]

I would’ve never thought this broadcast would ever be found due to it being a local station

[@DastardDek]

What a monster. This is the the first video i've seen, may even be the only one out there showing the tornado hiding itself in rain and darkness. Terrifying.

[@Du808-o8k]

That ef5 that the must big monster tornado…

[@billbombshiggy9254]

I'm so glad you found and uploaded this. I've been looking for something like this for years. Although creepy thought, this broadcast was likely the last thing a lot of people heard before waking up on the other side, possibly all 150+

[@swmann2]

there is no other side

[@aqua10133]

@@swmann2 yes there is..

[@ryanderbes2941]

It’s unreal how quickly this tornado formed so massive and powerful almost instantly. Combined with the fact that you couldn’t see it at all. Worst case scenario. Absolutely terrible. Rest in peace to everyone who lost their lives and prayers to the loved ones and friends still trying to live with this and suffering with PTSD everyday. Thinking about you.

[@Sid-ho6gj]

There are definitely things the broadcast could have done better, but a lot of it is "hindsight is 20/20" stuff. Caitlyn's warning at 7:29 and the good meteorological analysis that went along with it was great, and then the guy says right after that Joplin is in the path. They could have used better confirmations to get them to turn that outside cam sooner

[@philtll]

Under funded, under equipped, and under manned station doing what they could. In a larger market this would have been saturated by radar and chasers. Look how they're relying on other radars in Tulsa, Wichita, STL. Damn shame.

[@guitaristshawn]

Being a Pennsylvanian all my life, I can't fathom living through weather conditions such as these. The worst I've ever experienced was hurricane Sandy. The extent of it was downed trees, power outages, and flooding for about 5 days; absolutely nothing in comparison to the destruction seen here.

[@tornadofire82]

May 31 1985 lot's of damage like this occured even a 2+ mile wide monster in moshannon state forest that traveled 69 miles.

[@will15888]

@@tornadofire82yep. My mom is from northern Mercer county and was only a few miles away from the Atlantic tornado. Insane day in PA state history, F4/F5 tornados in our state is virtually unheard of.

[@brettcarlson9636]

Incredible. The full coverage of events like this is so important to have.

[@Yzerman1991]

The urgency and cadence In her voice is horror movie scary once she realizes there's a violent, wedge tornado entering her city.

[@michaellovely6601]

I can't be sure of this; but I think that the power flash seen at the 12:28 time stamp was when the Joplin, Missouri tornado struck St. John's Regional Medical Center at 5:41 PM.

[@Taranofsky]

I know that it's just coincidental that the audio cut out, but the way it does, the minute they scoot the camera over a skosh, is like the ultimate "words being taken away" moment as the broadcasters go from "those flashes sure look like transformers" to "thaaaaat's a tornado, okay, that's a gigantic tornado headed right for everyone, oookay..."

[@janeilnold5863]

12:21 that "Oh wow" is haunting. Just looking at it on radar, you're kind of blind to how bad it actually is. That was the wake up call moment, that this situation was far more dangerous than they expected. That is terrifying.

[@niklepikle]

Thank you for this upload. Was put up on the tornado reddit and people brought up how there wasn't any good broadcast footage of this. 🙌

[@cinzo7238]

22:15 22:17

[@wrestler375]

I’m from Seneca, about 20 mins or so south of where the Joplin tornado touched down and remember an EF4 going through northern Seneca where it was all rural on your way to Joplin in 2008 my freshman year of high school. I believe 13 people died in that. Absolutely devastating to see. Then just over 3 years later this beast lands in Joplin. I remember going there that night to help search for people and I will never forget the smell of sulfur in the air from busted gas lines and the people wandering around in absolute shock of what just happened. Almost looked like a nuclear bomb had gone off. RIP to all those lost.

[@daisuke4bleach]

Lived in Joplin for most of my life and I will never forget the day this monster attacked my city. It's so common in Joplin to have tornado warnings and watches and to hear the blaring of the sirens, but this day was different. I remember countless times being very little, taking shelter in my parents' basement and hoping to God that it would pass, but this day proved to be different.

[@toumak.9011]

I wonder if Mike Smith saw this when he was writing the book "When the Sirens Were Silent' - myself I've only seen the few minute clips when the meteorologists realized the NWS warnings they'd been reading were inaccurate as they saw the tornado on the camera...

[@Sj430]

I have heard the second tornado warning that includes Joplin was confusing to the people. I know after the Joplin tornado the nws had to change the warning system. I know the first tornado warning was to the north of Joplin. Due to reading the inaccurate info I can hear the fear in the woman voice after seeing the tornado in the spot they were not expecting it to be.

[@jeffcox6724]

Smith did have it. He has stills from it in *When the Sirens Were Silent.*

[@soul_focus]

this is incredible footage. a piece of history

[@demonhunter1453]

The random ads and cutting to random news footage with a tornado possibly on the ground is wild.