Hesston & Goessel, Kansas Tornados Merging 3-13-1990

This video begins with the Hesston tornado on the left and a new tornado forming to it's right. After the merger the Goessel tornado forms and quickly becomes F5.
Link to more information about these tornadoes: ow.ly/9DcmT

[@ArchTeryx00]

Nowadays it's easy to forget that very few tornado videos existed, and a video like this was a MASSIVE deal in 1990 - twin tornadoes, clear multi-vortex structure, multiple satellites, one becoming a satellite of the next in the family before roping out. Clear rain-wrapping of the new F5 and subsequent growth. And all this, more then 20 years before Pilger. Amazing piece of work by the videographer.

[@jackiehaynes2379]

i was 9 months pregnant setting in the house on south streeter, Merril Teller came over the tv at like 5:28 after the weather and said newton, zimmerdale, and hesston take cover now.! I took the dog and a blanket went to look outside and then went to the basement. The lights blinked and then went out, and i heard the freight train. Came out of the basement, and the little neighbor kid said the town was destroyed. (WOW) had the baby 10 days later.

[@monsterhockey7]

You gotta love Kansans, tornadoes don't freak us out, like the lady was all calm but slightly annoyed when she said, "is it coming toward our place?" Sounded more like she got called in for jury duty. Lol

[@apismellifera1000]

This is really cool that you found a longer clip of this rare tornado event I've seen the part where the rope of the Hesston tornado is merging with the Gossel tornado but to see the entire process is a one of a kind tornado event. I have to say you have the best in vintage tornado footage. Keep up the good work! BTW: The combined path from both tornadoes is 120 miles long and two years later in Beloit Kansas this same merger process was repeated again.

[@eapodaca5834]

Wow. Exactly 28 years ago from today. Wasn't there and didn't witness that storm, but I do remember that date pretty well (3/13/1990). I was in middle school and just turned 13. My beloved mother (RIP) took me out for dinner that night. Memories. Great video, by the way.

[@soulprophet01]

The Hesston tor was pushed away from the meso center by a microburst/RFD, so it was sorta cut off from the main circulation. That's why it weakened. The Goessel tor formed sorta on the other side of the meso, but closer to the main circulation. They both rotated around each other a bit, but the Goessel tor eventually moved almost directly under the center of the meso so it rapidly intensified while the Hesston tor fizzled out. Sorta like a cyclical supercell, just in closer proximity.

[@waynebrasler]

Hypnotic to watch. The multiplication of vortexes, shifting shapes and shifting positions are awe-inspiring and the resulting Goessel tornado truly frightening. There is great footage of the Hesston tornado entering town and five funnels briefly visible.

[@fireman66767]

here in kansas people just keep driving like yup nother tornado oh well now where the hell did i put that shopping list

[@MrVader0173]

I think its safe to assume this storm had a lot of rotation

[@GuravyGurl]

My in-laws' home on Vesper in Hesston was barely touched, but the house half a block down lost its roof, and the north part of Main street was decimated. My husband had come home from KState during the spring break to get papers from Kropf lumber that day. Kropf was hit, but not destroyed, and people in Pizza Hut hid in the walk-in refrigerator. I was in Topeka, and we got a call for Mennonite Disaster service early that evening. It was a miracle that Hesston College and Schowalter Villa were not hit.

[@Yarndt]

Great example of a cyclic supercell. One tornado ropes out and another one develops. Not sure, but I think both of these were rated F5. Thanks. Never seen this entire footage before.

[@Drosera420]

Incredible. The cell just exploded violently. I really wish we knew more about what exactly was going on there in the storm structure itself. I've never seen this kind of thing happen before just like this. Amazing to have caught it on such quality film for the time.

[@soulprophet01]

Chuck Doswell, Jon Davies, et al. wrote a very interesting and thorough paper on the event. It covers the synoptic setup, the whole life of the supercell and the Hesston tornado and merger in particular. Google "noteworthy aspects of hesston tornado" if you wanna read it, the full paper is available on the AMS website.

[@TheMightykaz]

I agree! i read about this on talkweather. Some weather experts consider the Gossel tornado (after merging of two tornadoes) as the strongest tornado in history. Why I don't know. I have not been able to find damage photos etc.

[@moviemagg]

Classic footage of this famous 1990 Tornado! This proves that Tornado Season begin's in the Month of March. The Great Tri-State Tornado of 1925 also occured in the month of March as well.

[@soulprophet01]

It's complicated. The first tornado was pushed away from the center of the meso (perhaps by a downburst?) and, shortly after, the second tornado formed on the other side of the meso. As the second formed, the first began to become sheared and weakened substantially. The two tornadoes rotated about a common center until finally the first tornado dissipated and the second tornado relocated closer to the center of the meso. It's actually sorta similar to the interaction of two tropical cyclones.

[@flashy5150]

The devil's dance. This or these tornadoes are very under-rated. The guy was right "this sucker's huge ! " -- he's not kidding either. That was a very large multi-vortex monster.

[@soulprophet01]

Cont: There's some thought this is actually the same thing that happened with the "twin" tornado that struck Midway Trailer Court near Goshen, IN during the '65 Palm Sunday outbreak. The idea is that funnels formed on either side of the meso, just in a lot closer proximity than the Hesston/Goessel tors, so the second funnel dissipated rapidly while the first intensified. I'm not sure I buy that, but it's interesting. I'm sure the same thing has happened before and just not been observed.

[@Heyde1979]

thank you for uploading this video I finally see what the new tornado looks like after both of them merge together

[@soulprophet01]

Sure, I don't see why not. I've never seen anything that definitively suggests that, but I don't think it's impossible. Mesos come in all manner of shapes and sizes (see the Greensburg meso that was rotating at tornado-level intensity, for example) and I could imagine there being processes which produce multivortex mesos, either briefly or possibly even sustained. Physical processes just happen, and our means of classifying them are only a loose representation of what's actually happening.

[@fredthompson7465]

Fantastic capture INCREADIBLE!!

[@Boulderpits]

Monster. To have filmed this in HD would have been epic.

[@mkl62]

Hang on, Toto. We're fixing to leave Kansas.

[@lcmusicmonster]

Crazy good Video....awesome footage...interesting to see multiple Vortex's on both tornado's just before they merged and then to see it get so dam big...Major Photogenic system...Nice work. A definetly change the shorts afterwards experience...lol...

[@fireman66767]

storm spotter class is wednesday here gonna take a refresher. we bout had a storm spotter class stopped for a tornado couple years ago

[@TheDeathToaster]

Thats a hell of a roar at 6:34

[@iascoinc]

Exactly What He Said... I can't believe I've never run across it before... Fascinating

[@TheMightykaz]

This is some crazy rotation. Reminds me of the Smithville Tornado.

[@vortexva]

Yes

[@Loose89]

They merge at roughly 4:20 .. about a minute and a half later and it's huge

[@mkl62]

The most destructive tornado ever.

[@guitpik]

Wow! Why haven't I seen this before?

[@deoss69]

this beast had already killed my town and headed to hesston

[@christianlee5257]

This happened on my birthday 6 years before I was born! lol...

[@123ABCCBA321drome]

I don't understand why a person like the man filming this doesn't get in the car and leave the area ! He can see the cones and can drive down the opposite road to get away ! Then come back when it's over. At night would be different but not in the daytime. Why ?

[@SirensOfSEWI]

Both of those are just examples of tornadoes forming in March. Tornado season is actually May, when it peaks. April and June mark the start and end of the season. Tornadoes can form year round.

[@alexlubbers1589]

were not in kansas anymore.....

[@doriachris]

hay vortexva. could you put more videos up i like them a lot

[@daylightdisk]

Had the Goessel tornado (as is usual) developed to the east of the Hesston tornado, Hesston wouldn't have been able to hold it back. Goessel would instead have expanded and intensified in the normal fashion, and would have grown to enormous proportions regardless of the merger I think. Vortexva do you have video of the Lawrence tornado from the same day?? That would be a blast as it looks immense in stills.

[@penguinmaster7]

wow, a few months before i was born

[@daylightdisk]

Quite the video--the Hesston tornado was like a steroid injection for that sucker! Fujita's map of the merger shows a rapid expansion of Goessel so unbelievable, I had to view this video to really believe it! I wish the ratings along the path was available, only later in its life was it rated F5. @AJTwister97 the suggested cause for Goessel's growth was that it re-located to coincide with the mesocyclone center, and that it no longer had to compete for the good air with Hesston.

[@irishcajun85]

Awesome Footage!!!

[@talladegajunkie1439]

Do you have any TWC coverage of this? Thanks!

[@hardcoredave1]

holy balls there were at least 3 other vorticies that formed on the left of this monster check out the left side of this thing dambnedest thing ive ever saw in 45 years of chaseing it wasent the same multi vortex one that i wittnessed unreal

[@hardcoredave1]

it wasent clear to me was this going through the countryside or in this scene the monster with god knows how manny vortexes was it hitting houses damn im too old to remember it all great vid mates keep up the good work hardcoredave

[@KansasHusker15]

jeebus that thing gets freaking huge

[@mishagray2835]

Very nice!

[@MrVader0173]

Took the roof of the Pizza Hut in Hesston

[@Amanwithoutaface112]

its amzing even from whare they are filming you can see duhbree being sucked up into it is like a giant hoover if you are near it will suck the life right out of you

[@HappyQuailsFarm]

Toto! aprox 3:40