[10][14], The thunderstorm that eventually produced the F5 tornado began developing around 3:20 p.m. CDT that afternoon over northeastern Tillman County (southwest of Faxon). Because Oklahoma has historically been climatologically prone to tornadic activity, Oklahoma City-area television stations KFOR-TV (channel 4), KOCO-TV (channel 5) and KWTV (channel 9) – each of which provided continuous coverage of the outbreak that spawned the Bridge Creek–Moore tornado and its ensuing aftermath from the event's start on the afternoon of May 3 through the evening of May 4 – have long relied on state-of-the-art radar technology and visual confirmation from news helicopters and in-house storm chasing fleets to cover severe weather events. By late morning, the low cloud cover began to dissipate in advance of the dry line, but during the afternoon hours high cirrus clouds overspread the region, resulting in filtered sunshine in some areas that caused atmospheric destabilization. At 10:10 p.m. CDT, a damaging tornado touched down 3 miles (4.8 km) north-northeast of Sparks in Lincoln County, Oklahoma, with only sporadic tree damage occurring as it tracked north-northeast toward Davenport. By this date, the Army Corps of Engineers reported that 964,170 cubic yards (737,160 cubic meters), roughly 58%, of the 1.65 million cubic yards (1.26 million cubic meters) of debris had been removed. Please select one of the following: (B) ANADARKO-MINCO-UNION CITY-PIEDMONT-MULHALL-PERRY STORM, Averages and Records for OKC, Wichita Falls & Lawton, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Just west of Tom Steed Lake/ 3 S Roosevelt, Near north part of Lake Chickasha ( ~ 4 ESE Gracemont ), N side of Piedmont (~4 N center of town) - 2 W Cashion - 4 NW Cashion, 3 SW Cimarron City - Cimarron City - Mulhall - 3 ENE Perry. The tornado caused $1 billion in damage, making it the second-costliest tornado in U.S. history,[11] and the most costly in history from 1999 to 2011, at which point it was surpassed by the 2011 Tuscaloosa–Birmingham tornado and again by the 2011 Joplin tornado. David Andra, a meteorologist at the NWS Norman office, said that, in drafting the enhanced warning, he wanted to "paint the picture [to residents in the areas that were to be affected by the storm] that a rare and deadly tornado was imminent in the metro area." [30], From a meteorological and safety standpoint, the tornado called into question the use of highway overpasses as shelters from tornadoes. [26], Just outside the Eastlake Estates, an honors ceremony was being held at Westmoore High School at the time of the tornado. Hazardous Weather Outlook A total of 74 tornadoes touched down across the two states in less than 21 hours. [35] Nearly 1,000 members of the Oklahoma National Guard were deployed throughout the affected region. [9] These winds, however, occurred above the ground, and winds at the surface may not have been quite this intense. The team's findings also revealed that several homes were obliterated before they experienced the full impact of the vortex's peak wind velocities, with some disintegrating as the external winds surrounding the parent tornado reached speeds of F2 intensity. [50], Over the following four years, a $12 million project to construct storm shelters for residents across the Oklahoma City metropolitan area was enacted. In McClain County, 38 homes and two businesses were destroyed and 40 homes, some of which were leveled at F4 intensity, were flattened; 17 people were injured. In all, disaster recovery aid for the tornadoes amounted to roughly $67.8 million by the end of July 2. The tornado continued on into Moore, then passed over the intersection of Shields Boulevard and Interstate 35 and back into Oklahoma City, crossing Interstate 240 near Bryant Avenue. The American Red Cross had set up ten mobile feeding stations by this time and stated that 30 more were en route. [34], Continuing search and rescue efforts for thirteen people who were listed as missing through May 7 were assisted by urban search and rescue dogs from across the country. 25 homes were destroyed and 30 others were damaged near Crescent, with much of the damage believed to have been caused by both tornadoes. The car bounced as it traveled, remaining airborne for 50 to 100 yd (46 to 91 m) at a time. Current Hazards About 12 people died in Bridge Creek, nine of whom were in mobile homes; all fatalities and the majority of injuries were concentrated in the Willow Lake and Southern Hills Additions and Bridge Creek Estates, consisting mostly of mobile homes. Approximately 800 jobs were lost in a community of approximately 3,400 people due to the damage of the Sygma distribution warehouse and Tanger Outlet Mall, neither of which were rebuilt. This large tornado had exhibited a companion satellite tornado for a few minutes.[8]. The 1st tornado, B20, formed about 7 miles southwest of Crescent and tracked northeast for 39 miles before dissipating east of Perry in Noble County. [46] Assistance for farmers and ranchers who suffered severe losses from the tornadoes was also available by June 3. Numerous motels and other businesses including Hampton Inn, Comfort Inn, Inn Suites, Clarion Inn, Cracker Barrel, and portions of Rose State College, were destroyed. The 12th tornado, B12, formed about 2.5 miles west-northwest of Union City in Canadian County and was captured on video. Tornado B9 formed 5 miles south of Cogar in Caddo County, and tracked north for 5 miles. The tornado tore through southern and eastern parts of Oklahoma City and its suburbs of Bridge Creek, Moore, Del City, Tinker Air Force Base and Midwest City, killing 36 people, destroying more than 8,000 homes, and causing $1.5 billion in damage. Road Conditions
[32] According to a study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, seeking shelter in an overpass "is to become a stationary target for flying debris"; the wind channeling effect that occurs within these structures along with an increase in wind speeds above ground level, changing of wind direction when the tornado vortex passes, and the fact most overpasses do not have girders for people to take shelter between also provide little to no protection. Although meteorologists had questioned the safety of these structures for nearly 20 years, there had been no evidence supporting incidents involving loss of life. [9], By 7:00 a.m. CDT, CAPE (convective available potential energy) values began exceeding 4,000 J/kg, an extreme value well above the climatological threshold favoring the development of severe thunderstorms. In fact, tornado B20 was one of the most significant tornadoes of the entire outbreak. Maximum damage, rated high F4/low F5, extended northeast to near Janeway with several large groups of homes flattened. Two occurred as a result of the Bridge Creek–Moore F5, while the third occurred in rural Payne County, which was struck by an F2 tornado.
Poor air quality will also persist over the West Coast and Plains due to wildfire smoke. [21][22] About one inch (25 mm) of asphalt was scoured off a road by the violent tornado. Skywarn Storm Spotters The supercell, however, continued on a northeastward track, sparing the Norman area. Severe Thunderstorm Warnings By this time, it had entered the south side of Oklahoma City. Several vehicles were picked up and tossed nearly 0.25 mi (0.40 km) away from their previous location. As that happened, the first thunderstorm cell of the unfolding event had already formed over southwestern Oklahoma. [41] By May 13, roughly $1.6 million in disaster funds had been approved for housing and businesses loans. National Weather Service The storm quickly developed supercell characteristics and began exhibiting potentially tornadic rotation, resulting in the National Weather Service issuing the first tornado warning of the event for Comanche, Caddo and Grady counties approximately 35 minutes later at 4:50 p.m. CDT. The storm continued moving northeast, destroying the community of Bridge Creek and crossing I-44 just north of Newcastle. During this week-long event, 154 tornadoes touched down (including one in Canada), more than half of them on May 3 and 4 when activity reached its peak over Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, and Arkansas. Despite the lack of overall lift prevalent in the region, the storm formed out of a contrail-like horizontal area of convective clouds that developed during peak surface heating over southwestern Oklahoma, located well ahead of the dry line that was still positioned farther to the west, which provided enhanced lift and speed shear necessary to develop the supercell. Flash Flood Warnings Storm B was responsible for producing 20 tornadoes in about 5 hours. No damage was reported. Scattered damage of high-end F0 to low-end F1 intensity occurred to some homes and businesses on the southeast side of Davenport, though a house located just south of town lost more than half of its roof. Lesser damage continued to about ½ mile west of the Logan/Payne County border where tombstones and fences were blown over. On the original Fujita Scale, F6 was a theoretical classification for an "inconceivable tornado", with a wind speed in excess of 318 mph (512 km/h), but no tornado ever produced winds officially at or above 319 mph (513 km/h). Fire Weather In a press statement by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), then-director James Lee Witt stated that "The President is deeply concerned about the tragic loss of life and destruction caused by these devastating storms. The 16th tornado, B16, developed about 6 miles west-northwest of Yukon (Canadian County) and tracked north for 6 miles before dissipating near Piedmont, also in Canadian County.
The first tornado from this supercell touched down 7 miles (11 km) east-northeast of Medicine Park at 4:51 p.m. CDT; it produced four additional tornadoes as it tracked northeast into Caddo County, the strongest of which (rated as an F3) touched down 2 miles (3.2 km) west-southwest of Laverty and dissipated 2.5 miles (4.0 km) west-northwest of downtown Chickasha. [49] According to FEMA, more than 9,500 residents applied for federal aid during the allocated period in the wake of the tornadoes. Medical and mortuary teams were also sent by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A man who helped the mother and son up the overpass suffered severe injuries to his leg, which was partially sliced by a highway sign thrown by the winds. At one point, there were as many as four tornadoes reported on the ground at the same time. Read More >. The May 3 tornado event was part of a three-day event that included tornadoes in the states of Kansas, Texas and Tennessee. Over 39 people were injured in the area as well. The 10th tornado, B10, was captured on video. This wedge tornado, which tracked a 35-mile (56 km) path, was very wide and at times exceeded one mile (1.6 km) in width. No significant damage was reported. Damage, mainly F1, consisted of a destroyed barn 7 miles south of Fort Cobb, a stock trailer which was thrown about 100 yards, a destroyed house garage 6 miles south-southeast of Fort Cobb, and sporadic areas of downed trees and power lines. The tornado weakened somewhat as it moved through the Highland Park neighborhood of Moore, but still caused widespread F3 and F4 damage.