Latest news with #NWS-Norman
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
On This Date: The Moore, Oklahoma, EF5 Tornado
May in the central and Southern Plains is a notoriously volatile month for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes, as recent history has illustrated. On May 20, 2013, 12 years ago today, a supercell thunderstorm spawned an intense tornado that tore a 14-mile path from Newcastle to the city of Moore and the south side of Oklahoma City. This up to 1.1-mile wide violent tornado claimed 24 lives, injured another 212 during its 40-minute rampage through central Oklahoma. Seven of those deaths occurred at Plaza Towers Elementary School, when a wall collapsed. Over 300 homes sustained at least EF4 damage, according to the NWS-Norman survey. Damage to nine of those homes, however, was rated EF5, the highest level on the Enhanced Fujita scale for tornado damage. Each of those homes were swept off their foundations. Damage to the Briarwood Elementary School a second school hit that day, was also rated EF5. Miraculously, no deaths occurred at this second school. Damage from the tornado was at least $2 billion. Twelve years later, it remains the most recent tornado to be rated EF5 in the U.S. A recent study found that may be due as much to the more stringent engineering criteria of the Enhanced Fujita scale compared to the pre-2007 Fujita scale. In essence, it appears a destroyed building had to be built beyond standard construction codes to be rated EF5 today. Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Tornado leaves 11-mile trail of destruction in Owasso, city declares state of emergency
The city of Owasso suffered a tornado on Wednesday morning, damaging roughly 11 miles of land. Though the city reports no injuries, damage is seen throughout the community as they rebuild on Thursday morning. The National Weather Service in Tulsa confirmed evidence of an EF1 tornado with winds estimated at around 100-110 mph. The North Tulsa City Council issued a state of emergency, hoping to get aid during their cleanup efforts. Cleanup continued into Thursday morning as the community posted photos of residents clearing their areas. Several tornado warnings were issued throughout the central portion of Oklahoma on Wednesday, and one tornado was confirmed in the eastern portion of the state. The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado in Owasso on Wednesday morning. The Mayor's State of Emergency declaration came at 4 p.m. on Wednesday. The city reported that the tornado's path of destruction stretched 11 miles from Hwy 75 to 76 St, with debris throughout. NWS-Tulsa declared the tornado an EF1. Some damage the city reported includes: Bailey Ranch: Structural and fencing damage Carrington Pointe: Roof damage north of 83rd St. N. Coffee Creek: Some confirmed damage El Rio Vista: Significant damage to fencing and roofing Fairways: Significant damage Lake Valley: Some confirmed damage Watercolours: Tree and siding damage Owasso noted that the American Red Cross had already arrived on the scene and began delivering tarps and supplies to residents affected by the event. The NWS-Norman does not anticipate any tornadoes coming today, but another round of storms is expected later in the evening. Use this map to see a live radar of storms in Oklahoma in real time. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Tornado leaves 11-mile trail of destruction in Owasso, no injuries
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Tornado Warnings Should All Be Taken Seriously, But There Are Different Types You Should Know About
When a tornado warning is issued you should always take it seriously and seek shelter, but there are multiple types to know about that can help you understand more about this urgent situation. A tornado warning is issued by the National Weather Service when a tornado has been sighted and/or indicated by radar. What you might not have noticed before is that each tornado warning tells you the specific reason it was issued. Next, we'll take a deeper dive into the terminology you should look for and what it means. (MORE: What Makes A Storm Severe) Most tornado warnings cite "radar indicated rotation" as the reason the warning was issued. That means a severe thunderstorm is exhibiting signs of strong rotation on Doppler radar, which indicates that a tornado could be in progress or that one could form at any time. When "radar indicated rotation" is cited in the warning, it's not yet known if an actual tornado is in progress, but the NWS forecaster wants to provide as much lead time as possible before a tornado occurs to keep you safe. (MORE: Tornado Watch Vs. Warning) A tornado can be confirmed as in progress in two different ways, both of which you will see stated in warnings. Radar Confirmed Tornado: This will appear in the text of some warnings that are issued based on radar. It means Doppler radar is showing signs that debris has been lofted into the air near the area of low-level rotation in a storm, giving the NWS high confidence a tornado is in progress. Spotter Confirmed Tornado: On occasion, you will see "confirmed tornado from trained spotters" as the source cited in a tornado warning. That means a tornado has been spotted by a trained spotter and/or law enforcement. Particularly Dangerous Situation Confirmed Tornadoes: You might see this line in warnings for radar confirmed or spotter confirmed tornadoes that are likely to be strong. These warnings are a heightened version of a tornado warning that is meant to suggest an unusually high threat of damage and loss of life exists for a particular storm. PDS tornado warnings are uncommon. (MORE: What Causes A Severe Thunderstorm Outbreak) Tornado warning text that carries with it a "tornado emergency" is the rarest and is reserved for the most dire situations. This is only issued "when there is a severe threat to human life and catastrophic damage from an imminent or ongoing tornado", the NWS says. A tornado emergency can be issued based on a confirmed sighting of a tornado or one that has been confirmed by radar. The first tornado emergency was issued by the NWS-Norman, Oklahoma, office during the May 3, 1999 outbreak. It was for a tornado that caused F5 damage just south of Oklahoma City. Confirmation of a tornado might come in an update to an existing tornado warning. For example, the tornado warning might have first been issued based on radar-indicated rotation alone. Shortly thereafter, the National Weather Service (NWS) might receive credible information that a tornado has been sighted or has been confirmed by debris on radar. The NWS can then update the messaging in that warning to say it's confirmed. Chris Dolce has been a senior digital meteorologist with for nearly 15 years after beginning his career with The Weather Channel in the early 2000s.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Oklahoma weather forecast: Winter temps coming back next week
This week, the Midwest and Northeast are experiencing a wide storm, with snow, freezing rain and sleet across the regions. Tennessee, Virginia and Kentucky experience heavy storms, while states as far north as Minnesota and Maine receive snow. All the states also receive mixtures of rain, snow and ice. In Oklahoma, temperatures have plummeted compared to last weekend's 70°, and they aren't expected to rise until next week. Here's what to know: According to the NWS-Norman, the start of the weekend will have warmer temperatures throughout the Southern half of the state, with Oklahoma City seeing 60° on Friday and 65° on Saturday. The Southern border will see some temperatures as high as 79° in Duane on Saturday. When you wake up Friday, you may see fog in the sky and some slight rain, but temperatures will remain at least 27° for Woodward and 33° for Ponca City. As quickly as the warm weather came on Friday and Saturday, it changed to winter weather by Sunday. Sunday's forecast sees possible rain going into Sunday night for the Southeastern part of the state near Duane. Sunday's high will be 54°, while Ponca City and Woodward will see 43° and 41°, respectively. The capital city will act as a temperature middle ground on Sunday, with a 47° high predicted and a 29° morning low. Monday morning will have the most chance of snow throughout the state, with morning temperatures just coming in around the freezing line; Oklahoma City is at 29°, while northern cities hit the low 20s°, and southern cities hit mid-30s° for their lows. With up to an 80% chance of snow on Monday alone, highs won't cross the 50° marker in Duane and will only hit 41° in Ponca City and Oklahoma City. The snow chances continue into Tuesday and Wednesday, with 20-40% on Tuesday and up to 60% statewide on Wednesday. By Wednesday, parts of the state will see temperatures in the teens, while Duane will reach 32°. Here's a look at the temperature forecast for Oklahoma City throughout the week: Friday, Feb. 7: 60°/36° Saturday, Feb. 8: 65°/46° Sunday, Feb. 9: 47°/29° Monday, Feb. 10: 41°/29° Tuesday, Feb. 11: 38°/29° Wednesday, Feb. 12: 34°/22° This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma weather forecast: Snow, cold expected after warm weekend
