The Jordan, Iowa Tornado: One Year Later, 1977

A violent F5 tornado obliterated the small farming community of Jordan, Iowa on June 13, 1976. This was followed by a second anti-cyclonic tornado that followed a similar inverted U-shape turn that the prior tornado made. The tornado was documented on 16mm color film by Charles Barthold of WHO-TV in Des Moines. A year later the station produced this documentary. It also showcases the work and analysis of the Jordan tornado with interviews by Dr. Ted Fujita, Iowa State University, survivors and a visit to the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Oklahoma. Some statistics on violent tornadoes in Iowa: https://www.weather.gov/arx/ef5tornadoes Video © WHO-TV Iowa.