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2013 Moore tornado

Coordinates: 35°20′46″N 97°29′13″W / 35.3461°N 97.487°W / 35.3461; -97.487
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35°20′46″N 97°29′13″W / 35.3461°N 97.487°W / 35.3461; -97.487

2013 Moore, Oklahoma, tornado
Tornado as it passed southwest of Moore
Max. rating1Preliminary EF4+ tornado
Fatalities91+ fatalities,[1] more than 233 injuries[2]
DamageUnknown
1Most severe tornado damage; see Enhanced Fujita scale

The 2013 Moore tornado occurred on the afternoon of Monday, May 20, 2013, ranking as at least a EF4 intensity when it impacted Moore, Oklahoma, United States, and other adjacent areas, killing at least 91 people[1] and injuring more than 233.[2][3][4][5][6] The tornado was part of a larger weather system that had produced several other tornadoes over the previous two days. The tornado touched down at 2:56 p.m. CDT (19:56 UTC), staying on the ground for approximately 40 minutes over a 20-mile (32 km) path.[7][8] The tornado touched down west of Newcastle and crossed a heavily populated section of Moore. It was possibly over 2 miles (3.2 km) wide at its peak.[9]

Meteorological synopsis

On May 20, a prominent central upper trough moved eastward with a lead upper low pivoting over the Dakotas and Upper Midwest region. A Southern stream shortwave trough and a moderately strong polar jet moved east-northeastward over the southern Rockies to the southern Great Plains and Ozarks area, with severe thunderstorms forming during the peak hours of high temperatures. With the influence of moderately strong cyclonic flow aloft, the airmass was expected to become unstable across much of the southern Great Plains, Ozarks, and middle Mississippi Valley by the afternoon. Dewpoints in the mid to upper 60s and some lower 70s were common within a broad warm sector ahead of a cold front extending from an eastern Dakota surface low southwestward to near the Kansas City area and western Oklahoma, and ahead of a dryline extending from southwest Oklahoma southward into western north and west-central Texas.[10]

Impact

Injuries and deaths

At least 233 people were injured and at least 91 people have been confirmed dead by the Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.[2][1] With at least 91 fatalities, it is the deadliest U.S. tornado since the Joplin, Missouri tornado that killed 161 in 2011, according to the National Weather Service.[11] Patients were taken to INTEGRIS Southwest Medical Center, Norman Regional Medical Center and The Children's Hospital at OU Medical Center .[12] At least 145 people had been hospitalized.[13]

Aftermath

  • Entire subdivisions were obliterated and houses flattened in a large swath of the city.[14]
  • Two schools took a direct hit and were heavily damaged or destroyed.
  • Large sections of Interstate 35 were shut down; debris was thrown onto the freeway.[17]
  • More than 38,000 electricity customers in Oklahoma without power.[9]
  • The National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma, gave the storm a preliminary rating of at least EF4.[18] Witnesses said it more closely resembled "a giant black wall of destruction" than a typical twister.[19][20][21]
  • Moore Medical Center was heavily damaged, but caused no injuries. Staff had to relocate 30 patients to nearby Norman and another hospital.[22]
  • The city of Moore had no running water.[23]

Response

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) deployed Urban Search and Rescue teams to the tornado-hit areas (Texas Task Force 1 among them), and provided incident command personnel to organize and support rescue efforts.[24] The Oklahoma National Guard was deployed, and calls were made to any qualified and able first responder personnel to contribute and respond. Governor Mary Fallin talked with President Obama who offered help and gave her a direct phone line to his office.[25]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Vast Oklahoma Tornado Kills at Least 91". The New York Times. May 21, 2013. Archived from the original on May 21, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ a b c "UPDATE: At least 91 killed in Moore tornado, hundreds injured". KFOR-TV. 20 May 2013. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  3. ^ "Oklahoma City tornado: Get the latest developments in this disaster". CNN. May 20, 2013. Archived from the original on May 21, 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ "VIDEO: Tornado wipes out homes, schools, businesses in Moore". KFOR. May 20, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  5. ^ "Deadly tornado strikes near Oklahoma City". Al Jazeera English. May 20, 2013. Archived from the original on May 21, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ "Oklahoma City Tornado 2013: Twister Makes Landfall Near Capital". The Huffington Post. May 20, 2013. Archived from the original on May 21, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ "Massive tornado rips through Oklahoma City suburbs". BBC. May 20, 2013. Archived from the original on May 21, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ McClam, Erin (May 20, 2013). "'Major damage' as huge tornado rips through neighborhoods south of Oklahoma City". NBC News. Archived from the original on May 21, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ a b Nick Valencia; Catherine Shoichet; Dana Ford (May 20, 2013). "Two-mile-wide tornado slams Oklahoma City area, killing at least 10". CNN U.S. Archived from the original on May 21, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "May 20, 2013 0600 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook". Storm Prediction Center. 2013-05-20. Retrieved 2013-05-20.
  11. ^ "Tornado devastates Oklahoma town; at least 91 dead". Dawn.com. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  12. ^ "20 children among the dead in Oklahoma". USA Today. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  13. ^ "Oklahoma City tornado: Get the latest developments in this disaster". CNN. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  14. ^ "20 children among the dead in Oklahoma". USA Today. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  15. ^ "Oklahoma City tornado: Reports of 75 children in devastated grade school". The Province. May 20, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  16. ^ Fox News per Medical Examiner's office
  17. ^ Doyle Rice; et al. (May 20, 2013). "'Extremely dangerous' tornado strikes near Okla. City". USA Today. Retrieved May 20, 2013. {{cite web}}: Explicit use of et al. in: |author= (help)
  18. ^ "SPC Storm Reports for 05/20/13". Storm Prediction Center. May 20, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  19. ^ "Massive Tornado Hits Moore, OK". The Daily Beast. May 20, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  20. ^ "Tornado smashes through Moore, Okla., leveling it". NY Daily News. May 20, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  21. ^ "Meteorologist: 'Worst Tornado Damage In The History Of The World'". CBS Houston. May 20, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  22. ^ "20 children among the dead in Oklahoma". USA Today. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  23. ^ "Oklahoma City tornado: Get the latest developments in this disaster". CNN. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  24. ^ FEMA, Federal Partners Support Response to Severe Storms in Oklahoma, Federal Emergency Management Agency, May 20, 2013.
  25. ^ "Oklahoma governor calls out National Guard". KHOU TV. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
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