Uploaded October 2023 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
These silent black and white 8mm home movies were taken by a resident of Cheyenne, Oklahoma during a regional tornado event on May 4, 1961. The tornado was significant in meteorological terms as later on in the life cycle, it was the first to be documented on an actual scientific storm chase by Neil Ward, a meteorologist with the National Severe Storms Laboratory. Ward successfully located and shot additional motion picture films of later portions of the life cycle of this tornado to the east near Geary, Oklahoma with radio report assistance and radar guidance relayed via short wave from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
The films here showcase unique structure of the tornado that day, with dramatic satellite vortices present at times. Large hail had also fallen and is visible in portions of the film clip.
While I do not have the original photographers name noted nor was it listed on the film to tape copy this originates from, these films were gathered by NSSL in the 1960's to be later used for research on the structure and mesoscale dynamics in/around tornadoes. Neil Ward was also pioneering tornado model simulations in a lab setting at the time, thus this event was well studied.
Film courtesy of the National Severe Storms Laboratory archives.
These silent black and white 8mm home movies were taken by a resident of Cheyenne, Oklahoma during a regional tornado event on May 4, 1961. The tornado was significant in meteorological terms as later on in the life cycle, it was the first to be documented on an actual scientific storm chase by Neil Ward, a meteorologist with the National Severe Storms Laboratory. Ward successfully located and shot additional motion picture films of later portions of the life cycle of this tornado to the east near Geary, Oklahoma with radio report assistance and radar guidance relayed via short wave from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
The films here showcase unique structure of the tornado that day, with dramatic satellite vortices present at times. Large hail had also fallen and is visible in portions of the film clip.
While I do not have the original photographers name noted nor was it listed on the film to tape copy this originates from, these films were gathered by NSSL in the 1960's to be later used for research on the structure and mesoscale dynamics in/around tornadoes. Neil Ward was also pioneering tornado model simulations in a lab setting at the time, thus this event was well studied.
Film courtesy of the National Severe Storms Laboratory archives.
