On Friday evening, severe thunderstorms exploded west of the Oklahoma City metro area and moved eastward, producing tornadoes, strong winds, hail, and deadly flooding. Current reports are saying that at least three tornadoes touched down in the Oklahoma City metro on Friday: one south of El Reno to the west of Yukon and downtown Oklahoma City, and two just south of downtown Oklahoma City, including one which passed just north of the Will Rogers World Airport, causing flights to be grounded and passengers to take cover in an underground tunnel. Additionally, the tornado near El Reno and Yukon wreaked havoc on Interstate 40 as it tossed debris and caused a massive traffic jam, with drivers being stranded in their vehicles. Interstates 44 and 35 were also affected by the storms; preliminary tornado tracks are showing that a tornado crossed Interstate 44. As National Weather Service crews have been dispatched today to survey the damage, we will have more reports on the ratings of these tornadoes as well as if additional tornadoes were confirmed.
A tremendous amount of rainfall also fell across the Oklahoma City area, causing flooding. Up to four feet of water flooded parts of the city. Numerous wind and hail reports have also been recorded. Unfortunately, these storms have left nine dead, with at least 75 injured, including five critical, according to the Associated Press and hospital officials.
THIS WEEK’S STORM REPORTS
Wednesday, May 29
Thursday, May 30
Friday, May 31
Please note that the storm reports from Friday are preliminary and will contain additional information as the National Weather Service receives it. At the time this blog has been posted, no tornado reports in the Oklahoma City metro area have been recorded yet.
Friday’s Severe Weather Outbreak
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN, OK
Central Oklahoma Tornadoes and Flash Flooding – May 31, 2013
OKLAHOMA CITY LOCAL TV AFFILIATES
KFOR Channel 4
KOCO Channel 5
KWTV Channel 9
KOKC Channel 25
NATIONAL NEWS
Oklahoma City Tornado: Dangerous Twister Strikes Near State Capital (Huffington Post)
At least nine dead after deadly tornadoes hit Oklahoma City region (FOX News)
Death Toll Rises to 9 in Oklahoma City Area (The Weather Channel)
VIDEOS
Oklahoma City Tornado May 31, 2013 (YouTube search results)
Please note that the links we have listed here are only a few of what you can find on the internet.
Today/Tonight
In extreme southeastern Oklahoma, the Storm Prediction Center has issued a slight risk of severe thunderstorms today, with threats being large hail and damaging winds but we cannot rule out tornadoes, although the threat today is lower than Friday’s threat. Elsewhere, skies have begun to clear but high water is still a concern from runoff of the torrential rains Friday evening and overnight. We have numerous flood warnings and advisories still in effect across parts of central and eastern Oklahoma; you can see those HERE.
Sunny skies will prevail in western, central, and northeastern Oklahoma today. Southeast Oklahoma will see some lingering showers at this hour, followed by more pop-up storms later today. Highs will be cooler across the state, as we see highs mainly in the upper-70s across northern and central Oklahoma and the low-to-mid-80s in southern Oklahoma. Southwest Oklahoma will remain warmer, with highs in the mid-to-upper-80s. Tonight’s lows will be in the 50s for most of the state, with some 40s invading the panhandle.
THREATS (SE OK):
Large hail
Damaging winds
Isolated tornadoes
Sunday/Sunday Night
If you are tired of severe weather and just want a full day of sunshine, then Sunday will be your day. All of Oklahoma is in the clear for severe weather, and skies will be sunny to partly cloudy throughout the entire day. While high temperatures warm somewhat in the west, they will become even cooler in the east. In eastern Oklahoma, expect to see highs only in the mid-to-upper-70s. In central Oklahoma, highs will be in the upper-70s to low-80s. Farther towards the west, we will have highs in the low-to-mid-80s.
Sunday night will also bring clear to partly cloudy skies across the state, with lows coolest this time in northeastern Oklahoma, dropping down to the low-to-mid-50s. Elsewhere, we will have lows mainly in the mid-to-upper-50s but some 60s across western Oklahoma and far southern Oklahoma are possible.
Resources
Storm Prediction Center
National Weather Service Amarillo, TX
National Weather Service Norman, OK
National Weather Service Tulsa, OK
MORE: Moore EF5 Tornado: Information and Resources
Are you confused by the terms “slight risk,” “moderate risk,” and “high risk” that are used by the Storm Prediction Center? For more information on what a slight risk is, please click HERE. For more information on what moderate and high risks are, please click HERE. These graphics and information have been provided by the National Weather Service Office in Norman, OK and are available on their Facebook page.
Sources: NWS, SPC, HOOT, AP Photo/The Omaha World-Herald, Chris Machian (photo)
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