Oklahoma Tornado Outbreak

The Oklahoma Tornado Outbreak is the May 3, 1999 tornado event that killed 46 people. This tornado event ranks in severity with The Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak. Sixty-six tornadoes broke out in Oklahoma and Kansas. It was the most prolific tornado outbreak in Oklahoma history, although not the deadliest.

Related Topics:
May 3 - 1999 - Tornado - The Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak - Oklahoma - Kansas

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The day started sunny and warm but that didn't last long. The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma issued a "high risk" for severe weather for most of the state of Oklahoma that morning. When a "high risk" is issued, this usually signifies a significant threat for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes including damaging tornadoes. The SPC issued a tornado watch early in the afternoon as conditions gathered together for what would be a historic tornado outbreak. The CAPE values reached nearly 6,000 J/kg during the day.

Related Topics:
Storm Prediction Center - Norman, Oklahoma - Tornado watch - CAPE

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The beautiful May morning turned into raging dark skies in the afternoon. Explosive thunderstorm development ensued and in the late afternoon through the mid-evening hours of that Monday, tornadoes broke out across Oklahoma on this day like no other. This storm system produced a supercell thunderstorm that included the tornado with the strongest winds ever measured. At around 7:00 P.M., a mobile Doppler radar detected winds of 318 mph inside a tornado that hit Moore, Oklahoma. (The old record was a 286-mph wind measurement from a Doppler radar near Red Rock, Oklahoma). The 318-mph wind speed is the top edge of the dreaded F5 rating on the Fujita scale; however, the winds occurred above the ground, and winds at the surface may not have been quite this intense. Still, the damage was severe enough to merit an F5 rating for the tornado. This tornado also struck Newcastle, Bridge Creek, Midwest City, and Del City.

Related Topics:
May - Oklahoma - Supercell - Doppler radar - Moore, Oklahoma - Red Rock, Oklahoma - F5 - Newcastle - Bridge Creek - Midwest City - Del City

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Forty-two people were killed in this tornado. More than 10,500 buildings and 47 businesses were destroyed. This tornado caused $1.1 billion in damage, making it the costliest single tornado in U.S. history. This was the deadliest tornado since the April 10, 1979 Wichita Falls, Texas Tornado which also killed 42. However, early warning saved many lives. Warnings were issued well in advance of the tornado's arrival, and the Oklahoma City broadcast media interrupted programming to follow the storms on radar and even by helicopter. The death toll would have been much higher if people had not been warned so far in advance. Following the storm, three of the local television stations in Oklahoma City: KOCO-TV, KWTV and KFOR-TV continued coverage of the damaging and deadly tornadoes throughout the day on May 4th.

Related Topics:
April 10 - 1979 - Wichita Falls, Texas Tornado - Oklahoma City - Helicopter - May 4th

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In addition to the devastating F5 tornado that hit the southern suburbs of Oklahoma City, there were numerous other significant tornadoes in the outbreak. An F4 tornado hit the town of Stroud, in-between Oklahoma City and Tulsa on Interstate 44, destroying the Tanger Outlet Mall. The mall has not been rebuilt.

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Another F4 hit the town of Mulhall, north of Guthrie, destroying most of the town and even toppling the city's water tower.

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One of the final tornadoes in the outbreak almost hit the studios of ABC affiliate KTUL-TV in Tulsa in the early morning hours of May 4th around 12:15am CDT. Then Chief Meteorologist Travis Meyer advised his co-workers to take shelter while still on the air reporting on the approaching tornado. It weakened before reaching the station.

Related Topics:
ABC - Tulsa - May 4th

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The May 3 tornado event was actually a 3-day event that included tornadoes in Kansas and Texas. A deadly tornado killed six people in Haysville and Wichita, Kansas, the same day. The event killed 1 person in Texas on Tuesday, May 4 and then killed four in Tennessee on Wednesday and Thursday.

Related Topics:
May 3 - Kansas - Texas - Haysville - Wichita - Tuesday - May 4 - Tennessee - Wednesday - Thursday

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