Results of the Tornado Damage Survey
in Northwest Oklahoma City

Meteorologists surveyed damage caused by an early morning tornado that struck northwest Oklahoma City on Monday, March 31, 2008. Here is a summary of the findings, which are subject to change.

EF scale rating -- EF-1
Path Length -- Main damage path one third of a mile
Path Width -- 50 to 100 yards
Time -- approximately 139 AM CDT

The tornado appeared to have developed near the intersection of NW 178th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue at approximately 139 AM CDT. The tornado caused most of its damage in the Valencia neighborhood. It was here that many homes sustained roof, window, garage door, and fence damage. One home sustained especially heavy damage, with a large portion of the roof being lost and extensive damage to the inside of the home. The tornado continued northeast and appeared to have dissipated just northeast of the subdivision, where some tree damage was noted.

After a gap, additional damage was observed near the intersection of NW 192nd Street and Western Avenue, where several large power transmission poles were blown down, and some fence damage was also observed. While there was not a continuous damage path between the two damage sites, they do appear to be in line with the storm's path.

The tornado is rated as an EF-1 on the enhanced Fujita scale, and based on the one home that sustained the most severe damage it was likely toward the higher end of the EF-1 category. EF-1 tornado damage is associated with wind speeds in the 86 to 110 mph range.

Special thanks to Kiel Ortega, and to Edmond, Oklahoma City and Oklahoma County emergency management for their assistance with the survey.

Smith/Ortega