It’s been 4 years since the infamous El Reno tornado devastated central Oklahoma and took the lives of 3 storm chasers. The Morecast Team takes a look back at the widest tornado ever recorded in history and the damage it left behind.
Storm Setup
On a hot and humid day 4 years ago in central Oklahoma, storm chasers prepared for an exciting day of chasing. With conditions looking favorable for severe storms, numerous chasers set their targets on the El Reno area.
At approximately 6pm CDT on May 31, 2013, a tornado began to form to the southwest of El Reno. In the northern hemisphere, most storms move towards the northeast. However, the El Reno tornado shifted to the southeast before gradually heading in a more normal direction northeast. The abnormal shift in the track made it difficult for chasers to predict the tornado’s path.
As the storm began to gain momentum, the tornado grew tremendously in size over a short amount of time. At its peak width, the tornado measured 2.6 miles across making it the widest tornado ever recorded.
Two mobile radars nearby the storm were able to measure the winds and collect valuable data from the tornado. The University of Oklahoma’s RaXPol radar estimated a maximum wind speed of 296 mph. Preliminary reports rated the tornado as an EF-5 based on these wind speeds. However, the tornado was later downgraded to an EF-3 based on surveys of the destruction.
Impact
The El Reno tornado produced 8 fatalities, all of which involved people attempting to flee the tornado in their vehicles. Three of these fatalities included veteran storm chasers. Despite their expertise, the storms unique track and width took the chasers by surprise.
El Reno’s main downtown area luckily avoided the main path of the tornado. If the track had shifted a few miles north, forecasters predicted the width and strength of the tornado would have been catastrophic and hundreds would have been killed.
An on-air meteorologist caused quite the controversy after advising people to drive south out of the path of the tornado. Many meteorologists advise residents to stay inside and move to a basement or interior room. If people evacuate, traffic jams often occur, which is exactly what happened in El Reno. Hundreds were stuck in traffic on a major highway, leaving them with no where to go. Luckily, the tornado barely missed the highway, likely sparing hundreds of people’s lives.
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