Talk:List of United States tornadoes from April to June 2021

What counts as "confirmed" from LSR statements?

I'm a bit iffy on the tornado entries on this list from the past few days, since all we have are LSR statements without much information. I removed on from KS on May 13, but I'm less certain about the one in Colorado, which I left in. The one in Bell Bell County, Texas and this one seem a bit more certain, but the Bell County tornado was not mentioned with the others in a tweet by FWD.

I also wonder if a lack of damage alone is enough to assign an EFU rating on our end. I know that is becoming standard procedure, but the NWS still doesn't do it consistently, as some open-field tornadoes still get rated EF0. TornadoLGS (talk) 19:39, 17 May 2021 (UTC)

@HurricaneCovid, United States Man, TornadoInformation12, and 453Brax: TornadoLGS (talk) 22:57, 18 May 2021 (UTC)

I was using SPC filtered reports of tornadoes to get information on the tornadoes. If that's not the right way to get preliminary reports, let me know. Thanks! ~ 🌀HurricaneCovid🌀 02:08, 19 May 2021 (UTC)

@HurricaneCovid: I guess it is a little subjective, but when it comes to storm reports found at the SPC we usually look for more detailed descriptions, sometimes including a rating, to be sure that the tornado has been confirmed. We often go to this site since it archives all reports. It also includes the full text of LSR statements that doesn't always make it to the SPC page, though PNS statements are generally more definitive.

Oh, ok, I can start using that site now for preliminary reports. (Also, not sure why the ping didn't work; I didn't get a notification for some reason.) ~ 🌀HurricaneCovid🌀 01:22, 20 May 2021 (UTC)

Maybe because I forgot to sign? TornadoLGS (talk) 01:25, 20 May 2021 (UTC)

When does storm data not supersede a survey?

Storm Data is inputted by humans so it obviously isn't perfect. Some errors that I've noticed in the June Storm Data include "downgrading" an EF2 to EF0 and having the timing of another tornado be 12 hours off. When should we not use it? Awesomeness16807 (talk) 14:24, 2 October 2021 (UTC)

I do check over some things when I do these updates, like making sure the location given in the map matches the reported location. I've even emailed the NCEI over obvious discrepancies. But I don't see a tornado getting downgraded in the edit history here, unless that was in storm data but the edit wasn't made here? I saw this comment but I don't really have time to go over the data right now. TornadoLGS (talk) 19:18, 2 October 2021 (UTC)

The tornado that was "downgraded" is https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=965298 , and the tornado whose time is 12 hours off is https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=958086 Awesomeness16807 (talk) 21:31, 2 October 2021 (UTC)

For discrepancies like that, I would email NCEI, since they would probably want to fix it, and they have an email link for reporting issues with data. I have done this for similar discrepancies. Especially the "downgraded" one since the event narrative indicates EF2 damage. It can be a little weird, since some changes appear legitimate. For instance, the Firestone, CO tornado is probably a legit change since the initial EF1 rating was already high-end. TornadoLGS (talk) 21:37, 2 October 2021 (UTC)

@Awesomeness16807: Generally, if there is a difference in rating between survey statements and storm data, we go with storm data, unless there is reason to believe that storm data is in error. Initial survey results are considered preliminary, and details such as path length and rating are subject to change. That being said, I did take a second look at the PNS for the Herndon tornado. That gave a wind speed of 110 mph, indicating a high-end EF1. Had it been initially rated low-end EF1, I would probably dismiss it as an adjustment, but this may be an error and it may be worth contacting the NCEI. They have an email address for reporting possible errors. TornadoLGS (talk) 18:24, 16 October 2021 (UTC)

I’m pretty sure it was an error myself. The damage summary sounds like EF1. United States Man (talk) 17:46, 17 October 2021 (UTC)

@ChessEric: At this point, I am inclined to think this was an error, since the "downgrade" to EF0 was from high-end, rather than low-end EF1. Storm data seems to have a number of errors like this, including at least one other erroneous EF0 rating from earlier this year, and tornadoes being listed in the wrong county. I suspect that 0 may be a default value when entering data. TornadoLGS (talk) 20:55, 18 October 2021 (UTC)

@United States Man, Awesomeness16807, and TornadoLGS: We could always just email the NCEI and ask what the correct rating is rather than just guessing. Not trying to be negative here; just busy with college. LOL!ChessEric (talk · contribs) 23:22, 18 October 2021 (UTC) EDIT: Aaaaaaaaand I see that TornadoLGS already said that. LOL!ChessEric (talk · contribs) 23:23, 18 October 2021 (UTC)

Firestone tornado rating

I did see the NCEI page for the Firestone, Colorado tornado. It lists an EF2 rating, but the event narrative describes an EF1 tornado. I have emailed NCEI, which will hopefully clear up this discrepancy. TornadoLGS (talk) 20:12, 23 January 2022 (UTC)

Any update on this? I might consider emailing the office myself if NCEI doesn't respond.MariosWX (talk) 17:10, 5 February 2022 (UTC)

On the subject of the Firestone tornado, I see that the damage description was changed to indicate an EF2 rating, but it still states a 99 mph wind. TornadoLGS (talk) 02:39, 26 March 2022 (UTC)