ZCZC OKCPNSOKC
TTAA00 KOUN 062340
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
640 PM CST THU MAY 6 1999

REPORT ON TORNADO DAMAGE IN DEL CITY... MIDWEST CITY AND CHOCTAW...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SURVEY TEAMS HAVE COMPLETED INITIAL SURVEYS
OF TORNADO DAMAGE ACROSS SOUTH OKLAHOMA CITY... MID-DEL AND
CHOCTAW.  THIS REPORT INCLUDES DETAILS ONLY OF THAT PART OF THE
DAMAGE TRACK FROM NORTHEAST OF INTERSTATE 240.  DETAILS OF THE TRACK
FROM THE SOUTH CANADIAN RIVER TO INTERSTATE 240 WERE ISSUED AS A
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT YESTERDAY.

NOTE THAT ADDITIONAL SURVEY TEAMS ARE CONTINUING TO WORK ON OTHER
SEGMENTS OF THIS DAMAGE TRACK... WHICH CURRENTLY IS BELIEVED TO BE
CONTINUOUS FROM WEST OF CHICKASHA TO MIDWEST CITY... OVER 40 MILES.
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS WILL BE ISSUED ON THESE SEGMENTS... AND ON
OTHER TORNADO TRACKS IN THE STATE... AS THE MASSIVE VOLUME OF
INFORMATION IS COMPILED.

SOUTH OKLAHOMA CITY...

THE TORNADO CROSSED INTERSTATE 240 NEAR SUNNYLANE AND WAS RATED F4
AT THIS POINT.  THE TORNADO CROSSED INTERSTATE 240 AND TRAVELLED
OVER A RELATIVELY OPEN AREA NORTH OF THE INTERSTATE. IT BEGAN
GRADUALLY CHANGE DIRECTIONS FROM THE NORTHEAST TO EAST-NORTHEAST AS
IT BEGAN TO MOVE THROUGH NEIGHBORHOODS BETWEEN SOUTHEAST 59TH AND
SOUTHEAST 44TH AND WAS ABOUT 1/2 MILE WIDE IN THIS AREA.

DEL CITY...MIDWEST CITY...

CROSSING SOUTHEAST 44TH STREET INTO DEL CITY... THE TORNADO
CONTINUED TO INFLICT F4 DAMAGE TO NEIGHBORHOODS.  IT CROSSED SOONER
ROAD JUST SOUTH OF SOUTHEAST 29TH STREET AND DECREASED IN WIDTH TO
ABOUT 4/10 MILE AS IT DAMAGED AN ENTRY GATE TO TINKER AFB AND PASSED
OVER THE EXTREME NORTHWEST CORNER OF TINKER AFB DAMAGING BASEBALL
DIAMONDS.  THE TORNADO MOVED CROSSED 29TH STREET INTO MIDWEST CITY
AND NOW WAS MOVING ALMOST DUE NORTH STRIKING BUILDINGS IN THE BOEING
COMPLEX.  A CAR DEALERSHIP SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 40 WAS HIT AND
VEHICLES FROM THE DEALERSHIP WERE THROWN ACROSS THE INTERSTATE INTO
TWO MOTELS ON THE NORTH SIDE OF INTERSTATE 40.  THE MOTELS SUFFERED
SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE. THE EDGE OF THE ROSE STATE COLLEGE CAMPUS WAS
ALSO DAMAGED. A 1200 GALLON WATER TANK DESCRIBED TO BE FULL OF WATER
AND HOUSED IN A CRADLE NEAR THE GROUND WAS THROWN 50 YARDS ACROSS
THE STREET. THE WIDTH RAPIDLY NARROWED NORTH OF SOUTHEAST 15TH
STREET ALTHOUGH F4 DAMAGE CONTINUED ALMOST TO RENO AVENUE BEFORE
BEGINNING TO WEAKEN.  THE TORNADO WAS 2/10 OF A MILE WIDE AND F2 IN
INTENSITY AS IT CROSSED RENO AVENUE. THE TORNADO CONTINUED TO
QUICKLY WEAKEN AND DISSIPATED THREE BLOCKS NORTH OF RENO AVENUE
BETWEEN SOONER ROAD AND AIR DEPOT BOULEVARD.

CHOCTAW...
ANOTHER TORNADO DEVELOPED 3 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE CENTER OF THE
TOWN OF CHOCTAW PRODUCING F2 DAMAGE TO TWO HOMES AND LESSER DAMAGE
TO MANY OTHERS IN THE SOUTHWEST PART OF CHOCTAW.  THE TORNADO MOVED
INTO THE CENTER OF TOWN WHERE A CAR WAS THROWN OVER THE CANOPY AT A
DRIVE IN RESTAURANT.  DAMAGE WAS MAINLY F1 AS IT MOVED NORTHEAST
EXCEPT FOR F2 DAMAGE AT A NURSING HOME WHERE ONE WOMAN WAS INJURED.
THE TORNADO CONTINUED TO WEAKEN IN RURAL AREAS AND DISSIPATED NEAR
WILSHIRE BOULEVARD AND TRIPLE XXX ROAD.

ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS WILL BE ISSUED ON THE DAMAGE FROM NEAR
CHICKASHA TO NEAR BRIDGE CREEK AND NEWCASTLE... AS SOON AS IT IS
RECEIVED AT THE NWS OFFICE.

DB/DS