1994 and 1995 had not been the best two tornado seasons for the research team from the National Severe Storms Laboratory. In early June 1995, the field experiment Project VORTEX was coming to an end after two seasons of chasing tornadoes on the Plains.
The researchers had not had very good luck. During the 1994 experiment, not a single tornado was intercepted.
Things were not looking much better in 1995 as the experiment was drawing to a close.
On the last day of the research project, June 8, 1995, the chase team made up for lost time as an incredible outbreak of twenty one tornadoes raged across the north Texas Panhandle.
Five of the twisters were rated as F4s. The most spectacular tornado of the day menaced the town of Pampa, Texas.
Video of the tornado approaching Pampa clearly shows flattened pickup trucks and a van being flung from the violent tornado like toys.
The official damage survey showed only F3 damage since the tornado lifted before reaching the main residential area of town.
Since the Fujita scale is a rates tornado damage not tornado strength, the tornado would have officially been rated as an F3.
The tornado received a rating of F4 based on video of huge pieces of machinery that were flung through the air by the tornado.
