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The May 31-June 1, 2013 Tornado and Flash Flooding Event

Synopsis

Much like May 19th and May 20th, a potent set of ingredients came together during the afternoon hours of the 31st for a major severe weather episode over central Oklahoma. A nearly stationary front was draped from southwest to northeast through central Oklahoma, with a dryline mixing eastward into portions of west central and southwest Oklahoma by mid afternoon. During the heat of the day, extreme instability developed ahead of the dryline and south of the frontal boundary, placing Oklahoma city in a very volatile severe weather environment. Storms erupted near the dryline-front intersection by late afternoon. These storms quickly became severe with strong mid level rotation. As the southernmost storms moved east into better moisture and instability, they rapidly became tornadic. The first tornado touched down in Kingfisher county and produced little to no damage. The second tornado to form would go on to be one of the most powerful tornadoes sampled by mobile radar and also the widest known tornado on record. This tornado traveled eastward toward Union City and El Reno, producing extensive crop and property damage along the way. Several motorists were also killed by the tornado as it overtook them. This storm would go on to produce several other tornadoes in the Oklahoma City metro and a line of training supercells would cause historic flash flooding in the metro area. The two images below provide some idea of the surface conditions in place.

Note: We continue to collect and analyze information and data regarding this event. Refer back to this page frequently for the most up to date information.

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

Tornado Survey Results:

Location	Preliminary Rating	Begin Time	End Time	Path Length	Maximum Width
Omega (1 mi northeast to 2 mi northeast of Omega; 14 mi west of Kingfisher)	EF-0	5:35 PM CDT	5:37 PM CDT	1 mile	50 yards
Calumet (6.5 mi south-southwest of Calumet)	EF-0	5:55 PM CDT	5:56 PM CDT	0.3 miles	to be determined
El Reno (8.5 mi west-southwest to 5.5 south to 4 east-southeast of El Reno)	EF-5	6:03 PM CDT	6:43 PM CDT	16.2	2.6 miles
Lightning Creek Park (Lightning Creek Park to Straka Terrace and Western Avenue)	EF-1	6:25 PM CDT	6:28 PM CDT	0.4 miles	250 yards
Southeast of El Reno (near NW 10th and Banner Road to near SW 15th and Richland Road)	EF-2	6:29 PM CDT	6:41 PM CDT	5 miles	to be determined
Southwest Oklahoma City/Will Rogers World Airport (Fairfax Lane, northwest of SW 15th & Morgan Road Intersection to Intersection of SW 56th and Blackwelder Ave.)	EF-1	6:51 PM CDT	7:23 PM CDT	10.4 miles	1.4 miles
Southeast Oklahoma City (Creekwood Terrace to Keith Dr. near SE 54th St., east of Valley Brook)	EF-0	7:33 PM CDT	7:40 PM CDT	0.4 miles	200 yards
Moore (near NW 5th St. and Dillon to W Main St. and Classen)	EF-0	7:50 PM CDT	7:55 PM CDT	0.5 miles	500 yards

Further updates and more detailed information of the tornado damage areas will be issued during the next few days.

Tornado Path Map

Interactive Map

The map below shows the outline of the El Reno tornado (light blue polygon with dark shading), the path of the tornado center (thick black line) and times the tornado center was along that line (black and white targets).

View May 31, 2013 El Reno, OK Tornado in a larger map

Information and Resources

KMZ file for the Union City - El Reno - Yukon tornado path
KMZ file for the Southwest Oklahoma City tornado path
Want more information on the Rapid-scan X-band Polarimetric Radar? Check it out here: http://arrc.ou.edu/raxpol.html
Want more information on the Doppler On Wheels (DOWs)? Check them out here: http://www.cswr.org/dow/

Storm Reports

Click here to view a map of the storm reports currently available from the May 31st Event.

Radar Imagery

Click here to view radar loops of the storms as they moved into the metro

Phased Array Radar Loop: Reflectivity

Social Media Products

The above image covers general tornado safety information. This graphic was published on our Facebook and Twitter pages several hours before the event. Line by line safety info was also retweeted throughout the event as it was occuring.

The above image covers tornado safety information for those in vehicles. This graphic was published on our Facebook and Twitter pages several hours before the event. Line by line safety info was also retweeted throughout the event as it was occuring.

If you have any pictures or personal accounts of weather phenomena or storm damage, please email them to us at sr-oun.webmaster@noaa.gov or sr-oun.spotter@noaa.gov and indicate whether or not we have permission to use them on our web-page.

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.