I’m Jakob, a 19-year-old meteorology student studying severe weather, tornadoes, and atmospheric science, currently working toward a degree in meteorology with plans to pursue a PhD in severe storms research.
Based in central Illinois, this channel focuses on real storm footage, tornado events, and in-depth weather analysis from a region known for supercells, QLCS systems, and complex boundary interactions.
Alongside storm chasing and documenting severe weather, I create data-driven content using original research and tornado datasets to break down how storms actually work.
Current research includes:
• An analysis of the Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale and its limitations in accurately representing true tornado intensity.
• A dataset of 600+ Illinois tornadoes (2007–2024), examining storm mode, boundary type, and their relationship to tornado strength.
This channel combines storm footage with meteorology, data analysis, and severe weather research to better understand tornadoes
Jakob Barton Weather
A significant shortwave max is now showing up on newer model runs, moving through a robust warm sector across central Illinois on Tuesday. If this trend holds, it could provide enough forcing for pre-frontal storms — and potentially supercells — to develop ahead of the cold front later that evening. If this scenario plays out, I will be live chasing in this region.
6 months ago | [YT] | 2
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Jakob Barton Weather
Currently I have multiple tests this week because of this and the time I need to spend studying some videos might be delayed 1-2 days. Thank you all
6 months ago | [YT] | 1
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Jakob Barton Weather
New Video Out Now
6 months ago | [YT] | 3
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Jakob Barton Weather
Top 5 Limitations of the EF Scale (Tornado Ratings)
The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale is currently the standard method used in the U.S. to rate tornado intensity. While it provides a consistent framework for damage surveys, there are several limitations that researchers often discuss.
Here are five major ones:
1️⃣ Damage-based ratings – The EF Scale estimates wind speeds from damage indicators rather than direct wind measurements. If a tornado occurs in open areas with little damage, the rating may underestimate the true intensity.
2️⃣ Rural tornado bias – Many tornadoes occur over farmland or sparsely populated regions. Without strong damage indicators, stronger tornadoes may receive lower ratings.
3️⃣ Construction variability – The EF system assumes certain construction standards, but building quality can vary widely. This can affect how damage is interpreted when estimating wind speeds.
4️⃣ Limited damage indicators – The scale relies on a fixed list of damage indicators (homes, trees, power poles, etc.), which may not always capture the strongest winds within a tornado.
5️⃣ Potential for modern improvements – Advances such as mobile Doppler radar, photogrammetry, and in-situ probes can estimate wind speeds more directly. Some researchers are exploring how these types of observations could eventually complement traditional damage surveys.
I’m currently working on a research paper examining the limitations of the EF Scale and the potential benefits of incorporating additional data sources and modern technology to improve tornado intensity estimates.
Curious what others think — what changes or improvements could help tornado ratings better represent the true strength of them
6 months ago | [YT] | 3
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