The Tornado Outbreak of May 20, 2013

Note: The NWS survey conducted by several teams on May 21, 2013 has now rated the Newcastle-Moore tornado as EF-5. The damage survey teams have also determined that the tornado began just south of state highway 37 in Newcastle and ended 4.8 miles east of Moore, yielding an approximate tornado path length of 14 miles. The preliminary maximum damage path width is 1.1 miles.

In addition, two tornadoes occurred in Stephens County from south-southeast of Marlow, OK to west of Bray, OK.

The latest Public Information Statement issued by the NWS Norman forecast office can be found here.

Below is a map with the preliminary damage path of the Newcastle-Moore-South OKC tornado. Contours delineate the extent of EF-0 (light blue), EF-1 (green), EF-2 (yellow), EF-3 (orange), EF-4 (red), and EF-5 (purple) damage from the survey.

Fast Facts

• A rating of EF-5 has been given to the tornado that affected the Newcastle, south OKC, and Moore areas in McClain and Cleveland Counties.
• The tornado had.a path length of approximately 14 miles and was on the ground for approximately 40 minutes from 2:56 PM - 3.35 PM CDT.
• The preliminary maximum path width is 1.1 miles.

Information Sources

• Click here to view satellite images of tornado damage in Newcastle and Moore (courtesy Google Maps).
  
• Click here to view a timelapse of the damage assessment from NWS survey teams the day after the event.
• Click here to view a video clip of NWS operations during the tornado event.
• KMZ file for the Newcastle-Moore tornado damage path only (Updated 1:00am CDT 07/17/2013)
  
• Shapefiles (zipped folder) for the Newcastle-Moore tornado damage including path information (Updated 1:00am CDT 07/17/2013)


• A 20-slide presentation of the Event Timeline for the Newcastle-Moore tornado including NWS forecasts and warnings, as well as social media info from Twitter and Facebook
• Reflectivity and Storm Relative Velocity Loops from the Twin Lakes, OK (KTLX) Radar from 3:04 PM - 4;42 PM CDT on May 20, 2013

• List of F5/EF5 Tornadoes in the United State SInce 1950 (Storm Prediction Center)


• Comprehensive List of Tornadoes in Oklahoma City since 1890.


• Top Ten Costliest Oklahoma Tornadoes (1950 - Present)
• Top Ten Deadliest Oklahoma Tornadoes (1882 - Present)
• Quick List of F5 Tornadoes in Oklahoma (1905 - Present)
• Detailed List of Violent Tornadoes in Oklahoma (1950 - Present)


• Cleveland County, OK Tornadoes (1875-2012)
• McClain County, OK Tornadoes (1875-2012)

• Tornadoes that have occurred in or near Moore, OK (1890-Present)

• The October 4, 1998 Tornado Outbreak Twenty-eight tornadoes occurred in central and eastern Oklahoma, including an F2 tornado which damaged parts of Moore. It was the largest autumnal outbreak of tornadoes ever recorded in Oklahoma.
• The May 3, 1999 Tornado Outbreak This outbreak included nearly 60 tornadoes in central Oklahoma. It was the largest tornado outbreak ever recorded in Oklahoma. The first F5 tornado ever to hit a the Oklahoma City metro area killed 36 people and tore through parts of Newcastle, south OKC and Moore, OK. The damage total was estimated at $1 billion. Two F4 tornadoes also ravaged parts of Kingfisher and Logan counties.
• Oklahoma City Area Tornadoes of May 8, 2003 The central United States experienced a record-breaking week of tornadoes from May 4 through May 10, 2003, when nearly 400 tornadoes occurred in 19 states and caused 42 deaths during the seven days. Included in this total were the tornadoes which hit the southern Oklahoma City metropolitan area on May 8, 2003 including an F4 tornado which tore through parts of Moore, Oklahoma City and Choctaw.
• The May 10, 2010 Tornado Outbreak This outbreak produced 35 tornadoes in the NWS Norman forecast area alone, and a total of 55 tornadoes in Oklahoma. Two EF4 tornadoes struck the Oklahoma City metro area including Moore, killing 3 people and injuring over 80 others.

• Highway Overpasses as Tornado Shelters: Fallout From the 3 May 1999 Oklahoma/Kansas Violent Tornado Outbreak

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You can follow the link on our home page in the Top News in the coming days for more up-to-date information on the tornadoes.