Fact Sheet for Tornadoes in the NWS Norman, Oklahoma Area

• Prior to May 3, 1999:
  • The last F5 tornado in the state of Oklahoma was April 2, 1982 in Broken Bow in southeastern Oklahoma.
  • No F5 tornadoes have ever been recorded in Oklahoma City.
  • The most deadly tornado event in Oklahoma City was June 12, 1942 in southwest Oklahoma City, with 35 deaths and $500,000 in damages to 70 homes.
  • The most costly tornado event in Oklahoma City occurred on March 20, 1948, with over $10 million in damages, mostly inflicted on aircraft at the Tinker Air Force base.
  • The record for tornadoes in a single day in Oklahoma City is 5, which occurred during the outbreak of June 8, 1974.
  • There have been 7 F4 tornadoes reported in the Oklahoma City area, with the most recent one occurring on April 30,1978.
  • The most recent F4 tornado in the state of Oklahoma was Catoosa, April 24, 1993.
  • The longest period without a tornado in Oklahoma City since 1950 is 5 years, 8 months (October, 1992 and June 13, 1998). The second longest stretch since 1950 occurred between June, 1981 and May, 1986.
  • The most recent tornado in Oklahoma City occurred on October 4, 1998. This tornado also passed through Moore, and was rated as an F2. Another tornado moved through the northern Oklahoma City area on June 13, 1998. It damaged the facilities at the Frontier City amusement park, and was also rated as an F2.

• Public Information Statements (PNS) which were issued on May 6, 1999 at 545 PM CDT, 640 PM CDT and 820 PM CDT, are now available via this web site. These statements contain information regarding the May 3, 1999 tornado outbreak. Information on storm damage includes: damage in Pottawatomie and Lincoln counties; damage in Del City, Midwest City and Choctaw; and damage in Grady and McClain counties.
• A Public Information Statement (PNS) which was issued on May 5, 1999 at 430 P.M. CDT, is now available via this web site. This statement contains specific information on tornado damage surveys conducted in Moore and south Oklahoma City during the past couple of days.
• Public Information Statements (PNS) which were issued on May 4, 1999 at 1150 A.M. CDT and 510 P.M. CDT, are now available via this web site. These statements contain information regarding the May 3, 1999 tornado outbreak. The latter PNS product include preliminary Fujita Scale ratings for tornadoes which occurred during the outbreak.
• Preliminary local storm reports from NWSFO Norman are now available.
• Preliminary storm reports for the period beginning 6 AM CST 3 May 1999 and ending 6 AM CST 4 May 1999 courtesy of the Storm Prediction Center
• May 3, 1999 tornado outbreak story by the NOAA Public Affairs office.
• Examples of GOES-8 imagery during the tornado outbreak from the GOES Gallery maintained by the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Some related web links:
• Government & University
  • Storm Prediction Center (SPC)
  • National Severe Storms Laboratory
  • The Doppler on Wheels (DOW) Project, a collaborative effort between the School of Meteorology (SOM),  at the University of Oklahoma, and the Atmospheric Technology Division of the National Center for Atmospheric Research.
• Other Links
  • Oklahoma Department of Civil Emergency Management
  • Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

• Historical Tornado Data Archives at the Storm Prediction Center web site.
• County- by- county listing of tornadoes since 1950 for portions of Oklahoma and North Texas.
• Comprehensive list of tornadoes in Oklahoma City since 1890.
• June 13, 1998: Oklahoma City tornadoes
• October 4, 1998: Large tornado outbreak (including Moore, Shawnee, Stillwater, Meeker and Prague areas)
• List of 1999 tornadoes in NWS Norman Warning Area and the State of Oklahoma.
• The Woodward Tornado - April 9, 1947. The deadliest Oklahoma tornado.
• The Red River Tornado Outbreak - April 10, 1979. This outbreak produced the deadly Wichita Falls, Texas tornado, the most costly tornado in U.S. history.

The Highest Fatality-Producing Tornadoes in Oklahoma (1882-1998)

F5 Tornadoes in Oklahoma by Damage/Intensity