Tornado on the ground in Oklahoma City area

[Pathfinder]

Tornado on the ground in Oklahoma City area

4:35pm EDT

(Reuters) - A tornado was on the ground in the Oklahoma City metropolitan are on Monday, live television showed, and the National Weather Service warned of tornadoes in two counties of central Oklahoma.
...

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/20/us-usa-tornadoes-warning-idUSBRE94J0SJ20130520

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED

TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
326 PM CDT MON MAY 20 2013

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORMAN HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
SOUTHEASTERN COTTON COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST OKLAHOMA...
WESTERN JEFFERSON COUNTY IN SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA...
NORTHERN CLAY COUNTY IN NORTHERN TEXAS...

* UNTIL 430 PM CDT

* AT 324 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS
STORM WAS LOCATED 4 MILES NORTHWEST OF PETROLIA...AND MOVING EAST
AT 20 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
WAURIKA...RYAN...PETROLIA...BYERS AND SUGDEN.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW IN A STORM SHELTER OR AN INTERIOR ROOM OF A STURDY
BUILDING. STAY AWAY FROM DOORS AND WINDOWS.
&&

LAT...LON 3406 9836 3424 9796 3400 9790 3399 9833
TIME...MOT...LOC 2026Z 253DEG 19KT 3405 9829

$$




More...
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/view/national.php?prodtype=tornado




</PRE>

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Tornado on the ground in Oklahoma City area

Tornado Warning

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
343 PM CDT MON MAY 20 2013

OKC049-051-137-202115-
/O.CON.KOUN.TO.W.0027.000000T0000Z-130520T2115Z/
GARVIN OK-STEPHENS OK-GRADY OK-
343 PM CDT MON MAY 20 2013

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 415 PM CDT FOR WESTERN
GARVIN...NORTHEASTERN STEPHENS AND EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN GRADY
COUNTIES...

AT 338 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS CONTINUED TO
DETECT A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS
DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED 7 MILES WEST OF FOSTER...MOVING NORTHEAST
AT 20 MPH. THIS STORM RECENTLY PRODUCED A RAIN WRAPPED TORNADO 4 MILES
EAST OF BRAY.

IN ADDITION TO A TORNADO...LARGE DAMAGING HAIL UP TO GOLF BALL SIZE
IS EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
BRAY...FOSTER AND PERNELL.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW IN A STORM SHELTER OR AN INTERIOR ROOM OF A STURDY
BUILDING. STAY AWAY FROM DOORS AND WINDOWS.

&&

LAT...LON 3457 9787 3468 9781 3480 9749 3451 9744
3451 9750
TIME...MOT...LOC 2038Z 247DEG 18KT 3466 9761


-------------------------------------------------------------------------

TORNADO WARNING
KSC019-125-202130-
/O.NEW.KICT.TO.W.0018.130520T2041Z-130520T2130Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
341 PM CDT MON MAY 20 2013

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
SOUTHEASTERN CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST KANSAS...
MONTGOMERY COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST KANSAS...

* UNTIL 430 PM CDT

* AT 338 PM CDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR HULAH...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

HAZARD...DEVELOPING TORNADO AND GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL.

SOURCE...RADAR INDICATED ROTATION.

IMPACT...MOBILE HOMES WILL BE HEAVILY DAMAGED OR DESTROYED.
SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO ROOFS...WINDOWS AND VEHICLES WILL
OCCUR. FLYING DEBRIS WILL BE DEADLY TO PEOPLE AND ANIMALS.
EXTENSIVE TREE DAMAGE IS LIKELY.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
COFFEYVILLE...CANEY...HAVANA...TYRO...DEARING...INDEPENDENCE...
LIBERTY...CHERRYVALE...NIOTAZE...INDEPENDENCE AIRPORT...BOLTON AND
COFFEYVILLE AIRPORT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A
STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF IN A MOBILE HOME...A VEHICLE OR
OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 3709 9608 3738 9553 3714 9552 3699 9553
3700 9606
TIME...MOT...LOC 2041Z 239DEG 24KT 3700 9601

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...1.75IN

$$

MCGUIRE

--------------------------------------------------------

TORNADO WARNING
OKC027-081-109-125-202115-
/O.NEW.KOUN.TO.W.0029.130520T2040Z-130520T2115Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
340 PM CDT MON MAY 20 2013

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORMAN HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
SOUTHWESTERN LINCOLN COUNTY IN CENTRAL OKLAHOMA...
SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA COUNTY IN CENTRAL OKLAHOMA...
NORTHEASTERN CLEVELAND COUNTY IN CENTRAL OKLAHOMA...
NORTHWESTERN POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY IN CENTRAL OKLAHOMA...

* UNTIL 415 PM CDT

* AT 338 PM CDT...A THUNDERSTORM WITH A HISTORY OF PRODUCING
TORNADOES WAS LOCATED NEAR STANLEY DRAPER LAKE. A TORNADO MAY
DEVELOP AGAIN AT ANY TIME. DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED THIS DANGEROUS
STORM MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

IN ADDITION TO A TORNADO...LARGE DESTRUCTIVE HAIL UP TO TENNIS BALL
SIZE IS EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
STELLA...MCLOUD...STANLEY DRAPER LAKE...DALE AND BETHEL ACRES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW IN A STORM SHELTER OR AN INTERIOR ROOM OF A STURDY
BUILDING. STAY AWAY FROM DOORS AND WINDOWS.
&&

LAT...LON 3530 9704 3530 9740 3539 9742 3553 9705
TIME...MOT...LOC 2039Z 255DEG 24KT 3535 9736

$$
30

http://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=usa&wwa=Tornado Warning

 

[Catbird]

Re: Tornado on the ground in Oklahoma City area

via Twitter:


Emergency crews rush toward elementary school in south Moore, Okla.; reports of students, staff trapped - @NEWS9

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Tornado on the ground in Oklahoma City area

NWSNormanNWS Norman<SMALL class=time>41m</SMALL>
TORNADO EMERGENCY for Moore. 328pm pic.twitter.com/OiS2qIUcmc

NWSNormanNWS Norman<SMALL class=time>7m</SMALL>
PRELIMINARY tornado damage track for the Newcastle-Moore-South OKC tornado. Based on radar and damage reports. <S>#</S>okwx pic.twitter.com/MT0auFhmnY

https://twitter.com/NWSNorman

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Tornado on the ground in Oklahoma City area

Huge tornado appears to touch down south of Oklahoma City, pilot reports

By Erin McClam, Staff Writer, NBC News
A huge tornado appeared to touch down just south of Oklahoma City on Monday afternoon, perhaps near a casino where people were sheltered, a helicopter pilot for NBC station KFOR reported.

A forecaster for the station said the tornado was kicking up a debris cloud about 2 miles wide as it tracked east into residential neighborhoods in the Moore area. It appeared as if the twister was dissipating and would miss the downtown area, The Weather Channel reported.

Watch live video of storms from KFOR TV​

More...
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/201...own-south-of-oklahoma-city-pilot-reports?lite

 

[Catbird]

Re: Tornado on the ground in Oklahoma City area

Not confirmed but AP is reporting that "...Oklahoma City Police Department says no word of injuries after elementary school hit by tornado..."


From local media, News 9:
xhttp://www.news9.com/story/22301266/massive-tornado-rips-across-moore-hits-elementary-school

"Massive Tornado Rips Across Moore, Hits Elementary School, Shuts Down I-35

Emergency crews rushed to south Moore, trying to rescue residents, students and staff who may be trapped in destroyed homes and an elementary school.

The massive tornado first touched down in Newcastle and churned toward Interstate 44 and S.W. 149th Street. It ripped down Santa Fe and hit Briarwood Elementary School, destroying the building. Parents ran to the school, trying to make sure their children were all right. Firefighters and police are also on scene, trying to rescue trapped students and staff.

The tornado left behind incredible destruction. It wiped out entire neighborhoods, leaving behind piles of debris.

There are reports of dozens of injuries.

The tornado also hit the Warren Theatre and several nearby businesses.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol has shut down Interstate 35 both directions between Interstate 240 and Indian Hills Road.

News 9 meteorologists say the twister closely mimicked the path of the deadly tornado on May 3, 1999.

After hitting Moore, the tornado crossed Interstate 35 and continued its destructive path near N.E. 12th Street and Sunnylane."



Pic of active fires and damage from tornado:

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Tornado on the ground in Oklahoma City area



Oklahoma Tornado Causes 'Widespread' Damage, Elementary School Receives 'Direct Hit'

<!-- insert date & partner -->
By LAUREN EFFRON (@LEffron831)
May 20, 2013

A mammoth tornado carved a trail of destruction through the Oklahoma City metropolitan area and delivered a "direct hit" on an elementary school today, local authorities said.

David Barnes, the director of Oklahoma Emergency Management in Oklahoma County, told ABC News that a single twister ripped apart homes from Newcastle to Moore, a path of 12 miles. The damage was "widespread," including people's homes that were completely destroyed, all the way to their foundations.

Authorities said Briarwood Elementary School in Moore, Okla., received a "direct hit" from the storm and was severely damaged. In anticipation of the severe weather this afternoon, schools in the Moore area did not release their students at the end of the school day, according to Oklahoma Emergency Management officials.

The status of the children, teachers and administrators there is not known.

The National Weather Service said the preliminary rating of the Newcastle-Moore Tornado was at least EF-4, meaning wind speeds of up to 200 mph.

More...
http://abcnews.go.com/US/oklahoma-t...tary-school-recieves-direct/story?id=19219367

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Tornado on the ground in Oklahoma City area

Safe and Well
<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=10 cellPadding=10 width=720 height=250><TBODY><TR><TD>After a disaster, letting your family and friends know that you are safe and well can bring your loved ones great peace of mind. This website is designed to help make that communication easier.

Register Yourself as ?Safe and Well?
Click on the ?List Myself as Safe and Well? button to register yourself on the site.

Search for Loved Ones
Concerned family and friends can search the list of those who have registered themselves as ?safe and well? by clicking on the ?Search Registrants? button. The results of a successful search will display a loved one?s first name, last name and a brief message.



</TD><TD>



</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE style="MARGIN: auto; WIDTH: 75%"><TBODY><TR><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; PADDING-BOTTOM: 1em; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(238,238,238); PADDING-LEFT: 1em; PADDING-RIGHT: 1em; PADDING-TOP: 1em">



</TD><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; PADDING-BOTTOM: 1em; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(238,238,238); PADDING-LEFT: 1em; PADDING-RIGHT: 1em; PADDING-TOP: 1em">



</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


https://safeandwell.communityos.org/cms/index.php

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Tornado on the ground in Oklahoma City area

Shelters Open In OKC Metro For Those Affected By Massive Tornado

Posted: May 20, 2013 5:42 PM CDT<NOSCRIPT></NOSCRIPT><!--END wnDate-->Updated: May 20, 2013 5:55 PM CDT<NOSCRIPT></NOSCRIPT><!--END wnDate-->
By News9.com -


MOORE, Oklahoma - Several shelters have been set up in the Oklahoma City metro area for anyone seeking help, after a massive tornado ripped across Moore Monday afternoon.

The powerful tornado first touched down in Newcastle and churned toward Interstate 44 and S.W. 149th Street. At least three people have been killed and multiple injuries have been reported.

List of shelters...
http://www.news9.com/story/22302745/shelters-set-up-after-massive-tornado-rips-through-moore

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Tornado on the ground in Oklahoma City area

Oklahoma City tornado: Latest developments

By CNN Staff
updated 7:32 PM EDT, Mon May 20, 2013
...
-- The bodies of six people who died as a result of the storm that hit he Oklahoma City area Monday were being sent to Oklahoma's office of the chief medical examiner, the office's Amy Elliott told CNN.

-- Hospitals in metropolitan Oklahoma City are treating a number of people injured in the storm that hit the area Monday afternoon.

Twelve adults and eight children are being treated at the Oklahoma University Medical Center and The Children's Hospital in Oklahoma City, OU Medical Center spokesman Scott Coppenbarger said. "We expect more patients to arrive this evening," Coppenbarger said.

Elsewhere, the Norman Regional Hospital and the Healthplex in Norman, Oklahoma, are treating an unspecified number of people with "signs of trauma, lacerations and broken bones," spokeswoman Melissa Herron said
...
-- Interstate 35 in Moore, Oklahoma, was closed as a result of debris from the tornado that hit the area Monday afternoon, Oklahoma Department of Transportation spokesman Cole Hackett said. Crews were headed to the north-south highway to start the cleanup process, Hackett said.

-"People are trapped. You are going to see the devastation for days to come," Betsy Randolph, spokeswoman for Oklahoma Highway Patrol, told CNN late Monday afternoon. She did not say how many people were trapped. "Send your prayers heavenward because there are people fighting for their lives."
...
http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/20/us/oklahoma-tornado-developments/index.html

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Tornado on the ground in Oklahoma City area

Oklahoma Tornado: At Least 10 Dead, 'Horrific' Damage

By LAUREN EFFRON (@LEffron831) and DEAN SCHABNER
May 20, 2013
...
At least 10 people have been confirmed dead in the storm's aftermath, according to the state's chief medical examiner's office.

"It is absolutely devastating, this is horrific," Oklahoma Lt. Gov Todd Lamb said. "We're going to have fatalities. ... We're going to have significant injuries. ... We just don't know what those numbers are. Schools have been hit, a hospital has been hit, businesses have been flattened, neighborhoods have been wiped away -- we don't have the numbers in yet but it is going to be significant and it is going to be horrific."
...
At least 60 patients were admitted to area hospitals as more people emerged from the rubble. Moore Medical Center, the only hospital in Moore, sustained major damage and was evacuating all of its patients to other hospitals.

Integris Southwest Medical Center in downtown Oklahoma City, said it received 33 patients -- includihng three children -- and was expecting more.

The Oklahoma University Medical Center in downtown Oklahoma City had received 20 patients, hospital spokesman Scott Coppenbarger said.

First responders were reportedly having trouble reaching Moore, which has a population of about 56,300 people, because people were stuck in their cars on the highway.
...
http://abcnews.go.com/US/oklahoma-tornado-10-dead-horrific-damage/story?id=19219367

 

[Catbird]

Re: Tornado on the ground in Oklahoma City area

via Twitter:


"State medical examiner's office: 37 killed in Oklahoma tornado; death toll expected to rise - @AP"


"Update: Officials at 2 hospitals say they're treating nearly 60 patients after tornado hit suburban Oklahoma City - @AP"

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Tornado on the ground in Oklahoma City area

May 20, 2013 7:24 PM

Oklahoma governor: We need lots of prayers tonight
...

SCOTT PELLEY: Mary Fallin is the Governor of Oklahoma; we spoke to her by telephone. Governor Fallin, what do you know so far?

GOV. FALLIN: Well, we know we've had a massive tornado that has come through a major metropolitan area in Moore, Okla. It was a very wide tornado, a very strong tornado. It has damaged lots of neighborhoods, it's hit two schools that possibly had school children in them. It's also it a hospital and a big movie theater and a commercial area.

We've had some highways shut down, a major interstate highway. Of course, right now, we're in the search-and-rescue mode, and lots of law enforcement, National Guard, Highway Patrol, local people out in the community itself trying to see if there are people trapped in the debris itself.

And we're very concerned about the schools that were hit, and certainly the hospital and the movie theater, in particular. We have lots of homes that have been damaged, but we are in our emergency command center right now, with all of our various state entities and local charities and our office of emergency management.
...
PELLEY: What do you know about the schools that were hit? You said there were two.

GOV. FALLIN: We know that we had a grade school that was hit, and the storm developed very, very rapidly, and we believe there were children in the school. We don't know if any of them were taken out, but we do know there were some children in the school itself.

The storm came up so very quickly that there really wasn't time to take the children from the school somewhere else or even for parents to get there, and so we're really just praying that the children were in a safe location. But there are people in the ground right now.

The other school is a high school. We haven't received any information on it yet, but there's a lot of emergency personnel at these sites. We have called up the National Guard to go into the areas and help. We're just challenged right now, because there was so much damage on the highways and also in the neighborhoods that it's hard to even get into these areas. And our cell phone coverage and our phone services have been jammed, because there's so many people trying to call in and get information at this point.
...
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57585404/oklahoma-governor-we-need-lots-of-prayers-tonight/

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Tornado on the ground in Oklahoma City area

<IFRAME height=480 src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qcB554KiV2I" frameBorder=0 width=640 allowfullscreen></IFRAME>

May 20th tornado Newcastle Oklahoma
Published on May 20, 2013
This video was uploaded from an Android phone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcB554KiV2I&feature=player_embedded

 

[Catbird]

Re: Tornado on the ground in Oklahoma City area

via Twitter:

"Update: Hospitals treating more than 120 patients after Oklahoma tornado, including about 70 children - @AP"

CBS News also reporting death toll is now 51.

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Tornado on the ground in Oklahoma City area

Tornado emergency: live updates

By Mark Berman and Jason Samenow, Published: May 20, 2013 at 8:42 pm

At least 51 killed, according to state medical examiner?s office

The office of the Oklahoma state medical examiner tells The Post?s Brady Dennis that there were at least 51 people killed in Monday?s tornadoes.

?We?re sitting at 51, and the phone calls just keep coming,? Amy Elliott, a spokeswoman for the state medical examiner, said of the fatalities. ?So it will keep climbing.?

More...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...-tornado-south-of-oklahoma-city/?DSkj&hpid=z1

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Tornado on the ground in Oklahoma City area

LIVE NEWS: Devastating Tornado Levels Homes, Busineses, Schools
MOORE -- A massive tornado touched down west of Moore and did not spare many homes or businesses in its path.

UPDATE [6:45 PM] The State's Medical Examiner confirms at least 51 people have died from injuries sustained in the tornado and that number is expected to increase. Oklahoma City Police say 7 of those deaths were children at Plaza Towers Elementary School.

FOX 25 is streaming live on your desktop and on your mobile devices.

You can also watch live storm chaser video here.

...
http://www.okcfox.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/kokh_vid_11233.shtml

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Tornado on the ground in Oklahoma City area

Live TV tonight was reporting that the tornado warnings are still in effect, especially for areas further east of Oklahoma. People need to keep a radio on and listen for local information and have their tornado emergency plan ready to implement.

.

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Tornado on the ground in Oklahoma City area

Interesting historical maps in this article.....

Curse or coincidence? Scientists study Tornado Alley's past and future

(snipped)

.....On a wider scale, the geography of America's midsection makes it more prone to tornadoes than any other region on Earth. That's because the Rocky Mountains tend to impede the eastward flow of moist air, while the Great Plains allow frigid Arctic air to stream southward from Canada and meet up with warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico. It's the collision of that warm and cold air that breeds powerful twisters

......The United States has the highest incidence of tornadoes, with an average of more than 1,000 every year, according to the National Climatic Data Center. But other regions of the world have twisters as well. Canada is No. 2 with about 100 per year, followed by northern Europe, western Asia, Bangladesh, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, China, South Africa and Argentina. Britain has more tornadoes than any other country, relative to its land area. "Fortunately, most UK tornadoes are relatively weak," the data center says.

.

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Tornado on the ground in Oklahoma City area

Survivors pulled from Oklahoma tornado debris as toll falls

By Carey Gillam and Ian Simpson
MOORE, Oklahoma | Tue May 21, 2013 12:21pm EDT

(Reuters) - Emergency workers pulled more than 100 survivors from the rubble of homes, schools and a hospital in an Oklahoma town hit by a powerful tornado, and officials lowered the death toll from the storm to 24, including nine children.

The 2-mile (3-km) wide tornado tore through Moore outside Oklahoma City on Monday afternoon, trapping victims beneath the rubble, wiping out entire neighborhoods and tossing vehicles about as if they were toys.

Seven of the nine children who were killed died at Plaza Towers Elementary School, which took a direct hit, but many more survived unhurt.

"They literally were lifting walls up and kids were coming out," Oklahoma State Police Sergeant Jeremy Lewis said. "They pulled kids out from under cinder blocks without a scratch on them."

The Oklahoma state medical examiner's office said 24 bodies had been recovered from the wreckage, down from the 51 they had reported earlier. The earlier number likely reflected some double-counted deaths, said Amy Elliott, chief administrative officer for the medical examiner.

More...
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/21/us-usa-tornadoes-idUSBRE94J0TK20130521