In Noble County, major structural damage was observed in the Boonsboro Addition, a mobile home park located along State Highway 86, 6 miles south of Perry. [33] By May 6, donation centers and phone banks were being established to create funds for victims of the tornadoes. 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. [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. At one point, there were as many as four tornadoes reported on the ground at the same time. In addition, a barn and mobile home were completely demolished, with debris from the mobile home, mostly corrugated metal, scattered along a 2-mile stretch of road. [46] Assistance for farmers and ranchers who suffered severe losses from the tornadoes was also available by June 3. According to a study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), seeking shelter in an overpass "is to become a stationary target for flying debris. Throughout the city, 24 people were killed (along with one additional person who died as an indirect result of the tornado) and more than 230 were injured. The "left split" storm cell moved north-northeast and didn't produce any tornadoes. This tornado moved over rural areas with only extensive tree damage observed. Graphical Forecasts F1 damage, consisting of large downed trees and leaning power poles, was observed in southern Kingfisher County. The 8th and 9th tornadoes, B8 and B9, formed nearly simultaneously. According to the Oklahoma Department of Health, an estimated 583 people were injured by the tornado, accounting for those who did not go to the hospital or were unaccounted for. Damage surveyors noted that the remaining structural debris from some of the homes in this area was finely granulated into small fragments, and that trees and shrubs were completely debarked. [39], Debris removal finally began on May 12 as seven cleanup teams were sent to the region, more were expected to join over the following days. Heavy rainfall will result in some flooding concerns over South Florida. [30], From a meteorological and safety standpoint, the tornado called into question the use of highway overpasses as shelters from tornadoes. [30], The FEMA corroborated with Doswell and Marshall's findings in its Building Performance Assessment Team Report on the May 3 outbreak, noting that much of the structural damage resulted from strong winds generated by the tornado and associated windborne debris that often "produced forces on buildings not designed to withstand such forces" and in some cases, were due to improper construction techniques and "poor selection" of materials used in their construction. Medical and mortuary teams were also sent by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Submit a Spot Forecast The 1999 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado (locally referred to as the May 3rd tornado) was a large and extraordinarily powerful F5 tornado in which the highest wind speeds ever measured globally were recorded at 301 ± 20 miles per hour (484 ± 32 km/h) by a Doppler on Wheels (DOW) radar. [23] By May 6, donation centers and phone banks were being established to create funds for victims of the tornadoes. By May 2003, a total of 6,016 safe rooms were constructed. [33], Concerns with using overpasses as storm shelters, However, adjustment for growth in wealth shows the May 27, 1896 Saint Louis–East Saint Louis tornado to be the costliest on record. The tornado developed at 9:25 PM CDT 3 miles southwest of Cimarron City … While some of the damage through this area was rated high-end F4, low-end F5 was considered. In all, disaster recovery aid for the tornadoes amounted to roughly $67.8 million by the end of July 2. Wildfire Safety [29] Applications for federal aid continued through June, with state aid approvals reaching $54 million on June 3. [7][26][27], The tornado then entered Oklahoma County and struck the southeast fringes of Oklahoma City, where it re-intensified to high-end F4 strength; two people were killed in this area as a building housing a trucking company was completely destroyed. Damage consistent with high-end F4 wind speeds was inflicted to four homes in this area. Lesser damage continued to about ½ mile west of the Logan/Payne County border where tombstones and fences were blown over. [20] Since the record for maximum winds are reported from only non-tornadic events, however, the 253 mph (407 km/h) wind gust from Cyclone Olivia in 1996 retained the title. [48] On June 21, an educational road show made by FEMA visited the hardest hit areas in Oklahoma to urge residents to build storm cellars. Hazardous Weather Outlook [8], At 3:49 p.m. CDT, the Storm Prediction Center − having gathered enough data to surmise that there was a credible threat of a significant severe weather outbreak occurring within the next few hours − amended its Day 1 Convective Outlook to place the western nine-tenths of the main body of Oklahoma, central and south-central Kansas and the northern two-thirds of Texas under a high severe weather risk, denoting a higher than normal probability of strong (F2+) tornadoes within the risk area. A total of 8,132 homes, 1,041 apartments, 260 businesses, 11 public buildings, and seven churches were damaged or destroyed. Local leading industries include Service King, an oilfield manufacturing facility, and Mint Turbines, a helicopter engine reconditioning facility. 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. [38] Within the first few days of the disaster declaration, relief funds began being sent to families who requested aid. The increasing threat of a severe weather/tornado outbreak for late that afternoon into the evening was reemphasized by NWS Norman forecasters in a Thunderstorm Outlook issued by the office at 12:30 p.m. [29][30], This was the deadliest tornado recorded in Oklahoma since a long-track F5 tornado killed 107 people in Woodward on April 9, 1947. F1 damage was also observed 2 miles west of Cashion in Kingfisher County, where telephone/utility poles were downed for approximately 100 feet, and an oil storage tank was knocked off its mount. Office History. A Doppler On Wheels (DOW) mobile radar observed this tornado as it crossed Mulhall. Read More >. Aviation Weather, Warnings and Other Products [7][26][27], Thirty-six people were killed as a direct result of the storm and five more died of indirect causes in the hours following it; most of the indirect deaths were due to heart attacks or injuries suffered while trying to seek shelter. Upper air balloon soundings observed strong directional wind shear, cooling temperatures at high atmospheric levels, and the increased potential of CAPE values potentially exceeding 4000 J/kg, levels that are considered favorable for supercells and tornadoes. No significant damage was observed. A deadly F4 tornado that tracked 24 miles (39 km) across south-central Kansas killed six people in Haysville and Wichita during the late evening of May 3. [47] After more than a month of being open, emergency shelters were set to be closed on June 18. Nationwide, Current Conditions Non Precipitation Warnings • Note: The above amount refers to the rest of the outbreak, not just the ones confirmed in Oklahoma. [7] The SPC issued a tornado watch by mid-afternoon as conditions gathered together for what would be a historic tornado outbreak. 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). The 14th tornado, B14, formed about 4 miles north-northeast of Union City in Canadian County and was captured on video. CoCoRaHS, About Us The tornado diminished over Midwest City and finally lifted near the intersection of Reno Avenue and Woodcrest Drive.